“What do you think?” Clint asked. “Do you trust him?”

Adrian had sent the kid to the living room while the men discussed the matter. Callum had insisted he was telling the truth and wasn’t there under false pretenses. Clint sensed a lingering hesitation in Adrian.

“I think he’s being honest,” Adrian deduced, yet there remained that hesitation.

“What is it?” Angelo asked.

“I don’t know.” Adrian frowned, brow pinched thoughtfully. “I haven’t seen Callum in a while. But when I was with Tazz’s gang, Callum was constantly trying to measure up in Tazz’s eyes. Tazz didn’t like him, but kept him around and used him as a slave, having him do all the menial shit that no one else wanted to do. Callum did it eagerly, thinking it would gain him favor. It didn’t.”

“And now?” Anthony asked.

Adrian shook his head, uncertainty on his face.

“Do you think he’s here checking things out for Tazz?” Cochise asked.

“I don’t know,” Adrian admitted. “I want to believe otherwise.”

“Maybe we should let him stay for now,” Anthony said. “Keep an eye on him for a while; a close eye.”

Sighing, Adrian nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. My first and main concern is for Jules. I have this gut feeling that Tazz is just biding his time, figuring out a strategy to try and take Jules back. It’s a constant anxiety, and I don’t think I’ll be able to fully relax until I deal with him.”

Angelo hugged him from behind and kissed his shoulder. “Until we deal with him.”

Clint nodded. “You’re not in this alone. Jules is a part of all of us. Anyone tries to take him from us, and they’ll find themselves separated from protruding parts of their body.”

“Is it even a question of whether or not they try to take the boy?” Cochise stared at Adrian. “They killed your sister. Why are you waiting for the fuckers to come to you? You should be hunting down their fucking asses and dealing with them once and for all.”

Clint agreed; beating Jules’ mother to death should be enough to seal their fate. But it was Adrian’s call to make.

“I didn’t plan on letting them walk away from that,” Adrian murmured, a smidge of defensiveness in his tone. “But I’m not going to rush in blindly, guns blazing or whatever, and maybe get someone else I care about killed.”

Cochise held his stare, then cleared his throat. “I wasn’t suggesting you act recklessly,” he spoke low. “But we’re all here to help you. And if you give the word, we will do this, and no one will get hurt.” He chuffed. “No one on our side, anyway.”

The defensiveness was gone from Adrian’s voice when he replied, “I know you’ve all got my back and that means everything to me. And until this is taken care of, I don’t think Shannon’s memory will rest in peace.” He looked at the men. “If Callum is telling the truth, then he should be willing to inform us about Tazz’s activities and the structure of his current home base, any back ways in, all escape routes. When we do this…I don’t want to leave anything to chance. And I sure as fuck don’t want any surprises.”

Clint nodded. “We will thoroughly scout the premises before we make a single move. Maybe bring in Cruz and some of his guys for backup, just in case. We’ll keep the odds in our favor, don’t you worry about that.”

Lowering his eyes, Adrian murmured with an edge, “I want them to go through the same hell Shannon experienced.” He looked up, and tears were in his eyes. “Maybe to some, that makes me the same as them, but I don’t care. Shannon was the most important person in my life, a beautiful soul…and they broke her, ripped her life away when she still had so much of it left to live.” His throat worked, and jaw knotted. “They don’t get the mercy of a bullet. I want them fucking beat to death.”

 

♦

 

“So…what’s up?” Axel followed Clint into the house and slipped off his jacket.

“What do you mean?”

Axel shrugged. “Well, you were awful quiet on the way home.” His lips pursed in a smile. “That’s so unlike you.”

Scowling, Clint muttered, “Smart ass.”

Axel chuckled. “I am. But even so, something’s churning in that handsome head of yours.” He walked over to Clint and slowly peeled off his denim jacket, tossing it over the back of the sofa. “Want to talk about it?”

Clint stared down at him, the brim of his hat casting a shadow across his face. “No.” He removed Axel’s hat and chucked it aside. “I want to give you what’s coming to you.”

“Yeah?” Axel smiled and slid his tongue through the hollow of his throat. “Kicking ass…that really turn you on?” He nuzzled Clint’s neck, nipping his skin, and plucked loose the top buttons of his shirt. “Were your jeans steaming?”

“Burning like fucking lava.”

“Mm.” Axel pushed against him and slipped his hands inside Clint’s shirt, caressing his warm muscles. “Still hot?”

A low, deep chuckle rumbled Clint’s chest, and he smacked both hands on Axel’s ass, squeezing hard. He jerked Axel tighter against him, grinding their crotches. “Hot enough to burn your ass, baby.”

His cock hardening, Axel raked his fingers down Clint’s back. “You gonna burn my ass right here—or in the bedroom?”

Clint’s jade eyes narrowed with scorching hunger, and he hoisted Axel over his shoulder like a bag of grain, strong arm cinched tight around the back of Axel’s thighs as he packed him into the bedroom. Clint bit his ass then threw him down on the bed and proceeded to strip before Axel. Cowboy hat, Wranglers, and cowboy boots went in all directions, followed by Clint’s open shirt and beautifully snug briefs.

Heart racing wildly, Axel hurriedly kicked off his boots and fumbled with his jeans. He hardly got his pants unfastened when Clint grabbed the cuffs and yanked them down his legs, sailing them off to some indeterminate spot in the room.

“Fuck, yeah,” Axel panted and stripped his shirt off as Clint quickly removed his briefs. “I should definitely kick ass more often if this is my reward.”

Clint crushed him to the bed and kissed him hard, his strong body grinding Axel into the mattress, steel-hard cock raking Axel’s stiff erection.

“Fuck,” Axel gasped, a fierce shiver racing through him from hairline to the tip of his toes. Clint shoved down his body, teeth raking his heated skin. Axel yelled out sharply as the cowboy swallowed his cock in one go, sucking hard and with mind-shattering force. “Uuuh!” Axel’s hips arched and he grabbed Clint’s head, clawing his short strands. “Fuuck!”

On a deep inhalation, Axel was suddenly flipped over, his face landing against the soft pillows, then pulled up onto his hands and knees with strong, urgent hands. He yelped in start when Clint smacked his ass, causing a pleasant sting to zip through his ass cheek and tingle his hole. His shaft instantly stretched and thickened, a powerful throb pulsing up and down his cock. He reached forward and grabbed the headboard rail, anchoring himself as the cowboy latched onto his ass, fingertips squeezing his flesh, gouging into his hips.

Axel shuddered with anticipation, every nerve in his body surfacing and his heart pounding harder and faster with each ragged puff of breath from Clint. Another raspy yelp leaped from his lips as the cowboy spanked his ass a second time. Axel imagined the lingering red handprint burning into his cheek and shuddered again, his entrance flexing, eager to be rammed full of his cowboy’s big dick.

“Oh fuck…” Axel swallowed thickly, chest heaving. “Oh, my God, Clint…fuck me…” He trembled as his ass cheeks were spread wide and flinched pleasantly when spit hit his hole. “Fuck, yes…fuck me, baby…” he pressed his damp brow against the headrail, gripping tight, and readied himself for the welcome invasion.

Clint slicked his cock with saliva then plunged in; one strong thrust taking him in balls deep.

“Fuck!” Axel clenched the headrail, choking on a staggered breath. “Yes!Fuck me…” He gasped hard as Clint pulled back and thrust in again with increased force. “Oh, my God…yes…give it to me, baby.”

A stiff grunt burst from Clint as he let loose on Axel’s ass, hands clutching, fingers gouging, as he slammed Axel back onto his cock, again and again, pounding him deep and hard.

“Holy…fuuuck!” Axel cried out in blinding ecstasy and clung to the headrail, fucking his cowboy wildly. The bed squeaked and shook beneath them, bumping the nightstand, rattling the lamp. “Oh, my God—fuck me harder—harder!” His pleas and cries tumbled off his lips in ragged puffs of breath as sweat beaded his brow and trickled down his face. His body slicked beneath Clint’s hands as the cowboy’s grip began to slip and slide against his wet, hot skin.

“Fuck yeah,” Clint growled, his thick cock pumping furiously in and out of Axel’s tight ass. He slapped his ass again, the sting more brilliant as his palm connected with his sweat-slick cheek.

“Uuh!” Axel gasped and grinned even as his eyes watered from the burning sensation spreading through his cheek. “Again,” he shuddered and drove his ass back to his cowboy lover.

Clint obliged and smacked his other cheek, the audible slap, along with the biting sting, sending sweet chilling shivers careening through Axel’s body. His dick throbbed, the rigid shaft tapping the pillows, saturating them with cum juice as his balls tightened with a rising orgasm. Axel was convinced that Clint could spank him to orgasm, because each time his hand connected with his ass, it shoved Axel a little closer to that edge.

“Fuck, baby,” Clint grunted and curled a strong arm around Axel’s waist, cinching their bodies tighter together, and fucked him with renewed urgency. His mouth pressed against Axel’s shoulder, hot breath surging across his wet skin. He gripped Axel’s left hand, squeezing around the headrail, his pelvis furiously tapping Axel’s ass.

“Fuck-fuck-uuhh!” Axel clenched his jaw, breath hissing between his clamped teeth as Clint systematically drove him closer and closer to the wall, nailing him to the headboard. Axel lost all ability to speak as Clint’s powerful, hungry body beat against his in a furious, erratic rhythm, assaulting his prostate mercilessly. He cried out as Clint’s fist was suddenly wrapped around his cock, whipping up and down his shaft as the man fucked him relentlessly. “Uuuh-uuh-fuuuck—fuuuhhh!” Cum gushed up his shaft and shot all over the wall. He choked on a strangled cry as Clint squeezed his dick and kept stroking, pumping his balls dry.

“Fuck!” Clint grabbed onto Axel with both arms, crushing him in his embrace, and pounded his ass wildly. His hips jerked, and he emptied his massive load deep inside Axel, filling him up. “Ahhh fuck…fuck yeah…” Clint continued to fuck him and come until his juices began to seep back out of Axel’s body, wetting his balls and draining down Axel’s heavy cock. Clint administered one more hard thrust then backed off him, dragging Axel down onto the bed with him.

“Shit…” Axel gasped and sagged into the rumpled blankets, chest heaving forcefully.

Clint turned onto his side and kissed Axel’s chest and stomach, his fingertips trembling as they slowly traced the ugly scars that riddled his torso. Clint pressed his face to his upper abdomen, his lips touching one of the scars, and lay there unmoving but for his ragged breathing.

His hands shaking from their intense session, Axel slid his fingers through Clint’s damp hair, a lump rising in his throat. The scars would always be there, reminding Clint how close he’d come to losing Axel. The cowboy would retain a measure of guilt until his dying day, Axel understood this. There was nothing he could say to Clint to fully erase the blame the man laid on himself.

“I love you,” Axel whispered and lifted Clint’s face.

“I love you.” Clint moved up closer and kissed him deeply, then wrapped Axel in a crushing embrace. It seemed that it was always right after they made intense love…that Clint’s fear and guilt hit him the strongest. As if their lovemaking itself was a torturous reminder of what he’d almost lost. Clint’s lips trembled against Axel’s ear. “You’re not going.”

“What?”

Clint loosened his arms and pushed up on his elbows and stared into Axel’s face. “When we go after Adrian’s brother,” he murmured with a tightness to his voice. “You’re not going. You’re staying home.”

“Do you still think I can’t handle myself?”

“I know you can,” Clint said. “But I won’t allow you to be an active part of that world. You’re staying home. Do you understand me?”

Axel understood perfectly, and he wouldn’t push Clint on this; the cowboy had gone through enough hell. “Yes. I understand.”

A small smile formed on Clint’s face and he kissed him softly. “Good boy.”