He shouldn’t have left like he had. He should have waited five minutes to make sure Border was okay before having them both go find Maya. Of course, if that had happened, Border might have ended up right next to him in this old barn with his hands tied behind his back.
Jesus, there was something really wrong with the way things tended to turn out around the Montgomerys when they found the one they loved. Between gunshots and car accidents, it seemed never ending.
He just prayed he could get out of this relatively unscathed.
“What do you mean, that’s not Border?” Cal asked, his voice high and whiny.
“I’m sure,” Steve panted. He wasn’t the smallest of guys. Seriously, Jake was a little upset with himself for getting caught by these two. But they’d had a gun, and it wasn’t like Jake was used to fighting for his life. He was a sculptor, after all.
“Who is it then?”
“I don’t know. Some loser twink Border likes to fuck.”
Jake set his jaw. He’d show him who was a twink. If he could get out of these zip ties that was.
“I thought he was with that tattooed bitch?”
“He’s with both. Guy likes to get around.”
Jake let out a breath through his nose while he tried to work on his bindings. It would do no good if he got shot because he opened his mouth to curse at these two idiots.
“So what are we going to do with him?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think Border would have told this one where he left the kid.”
“And didn’t Boss say the kid might be moved by now?”
Steve sighed. “Yeah, he did. I don’t know why he told us to follow Border then.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think he’ll be too happy that we got the wrong guy.”
Cal shifted from foot to foot. “Maybe we should just let him go.”
“He’s seen our faces, dumbass. We can’t just let him go.”
Fear crawled up Jake’s spine, and he worked harder on his zip ties, not that it was working. The damn things were made to keep him in custody until someone could cut him free and he didn’t have a knife or sharp object near or on him.
“Well, what are we going to do?”
A loud commotion sounded from outside, and Jake instinctively ducked.
“Come out with your hands up! We have the place surrounded!”
Jake let out a curse as both of the idiots reached for their weapons instead. This was going to end ugly unless someone made a careful move.
“We don’t want to go to jail!” Steve called out.
Cal sighed. “Good one. Let them know we’re in here.”
“They already know! They called to us.”
Jake was surrounded by idiots. Idiots with guns, but idiots nonetheless.
Everything happened pretty quickly from there. The police stormed the building while Cal and Steve went to their knees, their guns on the ground and their hands up in the air. Not a single shot was fired, and Jake was damn glad.
A man with dark hair came up to him, knife in hand and a frown on his face. “Jake?”
Jake tried to sit up and failed. “Yeah, it’s me.”
“Name’s Sanchez. I worked with Border. Let’s get you loose and outside so you can see him. He’s going to be in a right state once he sees that bruise on your face.”
Jake let out a hiss when Sanchez cut him free and helped him to his feet. “Border’s out there?”
“Yeah, and your lady, too. They weren’t happy they couldn’t come see you, but we have to at least try to follow some protocols.”
Jake froze. “Border brought Maya with him?” he screeched. “What the hell? What’s he thinking?”
Sanchez took a step back and held up his hands. “From the look of it, I don’t think she gave him much of a choice. Let’s get you checked out while you see them. I’ll need a statement and all of that, but first, Border and this Maya of yours.”
Jake let out a breath and followed Sanchez out of the old barn. The sight of Border standing at the edge of the driveway with Maya in his arms almost brought him to his knees. Before he could make it halfway to them, Border and Maya were in front of him, hugging him close and kissing him for all they were worth. He was fully aware they were getting stares, and a few people were taking photos, but he didn’t give a shit right then. All he wanted was the man and woman in his arms, and to know they would always be there.
Sanchez cleared his throat and nodded toward an ambulance at the edge of the street. “Take it there if you want some privacy,” he said with a wink.
Border pulled them both toward the side of the ambulance and Jake waved off the paramedic.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“You got hit in the head,” Maya said as her hand hovered over his bruise.
“Give us a minute or four,” Border said to the paramedic. “Okay?”
Jake didn’t even bother paying attention to what the paramedic did because he could only look at the two people who mattered more to him than anything.
“What the fuck were you thinking bringing Maya here?” Jake asked, trying to keep his voice low.