Basher
Outside the barn, the world appeared to be on fire. Gunfire could be heard, followed by explosions and cries of pain.
What the hell was going on out there?
And here he was… missing out on all the action. He should be out there, with his fists raised, beating the snot out of Caplan Jr. and his men.
This was his fight, not Marcus’s.
Another explosion sounded, followed by what could only be described as a phantom howling.
Who the fuck was that? They sounded psychotic and perhaps a little unhinged.
If a man like that worked for the Shadow Vipers, he would be sleeping with one eye open on every crew run from now until he was six feet under.
Bloody hell. The guy sounded out of control.
“Take that, you motherfuckers!” the crazy man’s voice screeched.
Fuck.
He needed to get out there and help his boys.
They were in this mess because of him, and here he was, doing jack shit to help them.
If Cameron got hurt…
Fuck!
There would be no stopping him.
He’d rip this fucking barn apart, tear through every bastard standing in his way, and drag hell itself to the surface before he let anything happen to his boy.
Grabbing hold of both chains, Basher let out a savage roar and heaved with all his might. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest as the chains rattled and the ancient beams above him groaned beneath the strain, threatening to give way under the force of his fury.
This was it.
After all those years spent in the gym—pushing his body to its limits, enduring the pain, and building his strength—he needed it now. His body couldn’t fail him.
“Basher!” a voice whispered off to his left.
Basher’s head snapped in the direction of the voice.
Could it be?
Basher’s face lit up the moment he spotted Cameron climbing through one of the barn’s windows. Watching his sexy bartender throw his leg over the ledge and roll into the barn like an uncoordinated drunken burglar almost made him laugh.
The man was fucking sexy as hell, even when falling on his ass.
Cam jumped to his feet, then came running over to where Basher was chained up, looking all pathetic and sweaty.
“Cam! What are you doing here? It’s too dangerous, babe.”
Cameron stopped and looked at him.
“And you think that being chained up in a barn with a bunch of men with guns waiting to shoot your ass isn’t dangerous? Plus, I got the Shadow Vipers outside, tearing up ass.”
The smile on Cam lit up the barn.
Even if he died right here, right now, Basher would leave this world with no regrets—because before the end came, he'd been given one last glimpse of Cameron's gorgeous smile, and that alone made everything worthwhile.
“Hmm… how the fuck…?” Cameron asked, looking at the chains, then glancing around the barn. His eyes suddenly widened. “Ah! Got it!” he shouted.
Without another word, he bolted toward a section of the barn lined with old tools and assorted ranch equipment, desperately searching for something that could set Basher free.
Cameron came running back with a gray cylinder in his hands.
“Stand back,” Cam ordered.
Basher blinked at him and gave him a look that clearly questioned every life choice that had led them to this moment.
Stand back?
Really?
The chains suspending him from the ceiling were making that a bit difficult.
“Oh, sorry. Yeah, you’re right. I guess you can’t really move much. Fine, turn your head away so you don’t go blind while I do this.”
Cameron turned on the fuel valve on the canister, then used a lighter to ignite the end of the blowtorch. Once the flame came to life, Cameron tossed the lighter onto the floor and began working on the chairs.
Basher watched as the links to the chain turned red, heating up as the metal began to weaken.
“So, babe, how ya doin’?” Cameron sang, glancing up from the chain he was working on and giving him a gentle smile.
“Oh, you know, just hanging around, catching up with old friends.”
The chain on the first link broke, freeing Basher’s left arm.
He immediately used it to wrap around Cameron and pull him in for a massive hug.
Fuck, he loved the guy.
The guy smelled like vanilla and propane, two items that should not have gone together, yet somehow smelled delicious as hell.
“God, you feel good.” Cameron moaned into the crook of his chest. Basher released him so he could work on his other arm. “Old friends? Like guys from your past?” Cameron asked, catching on to Basher’s last comments.
Basher’s eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, that twerp in the expensive suit was Caplan Jr. The little pip-squeak who got me thrown in prison.”
Cameron moved the torch away from the chain.
“You mean those guys were from your old hood?”
Basher nodded.
“How do you think they found you?” Cameron asked, bringing the torch back down on the chains and turning up the heat to speed up the process.
The chains finally clicked free.
Cameron flicked off the flame, then dropped the canister to the side—probably not the smartest move, but Basher understood the excitement of wrapping their arms around each other.
They hugged and kissed each other, locking their lips like newlyweds on the night of their wedding.
This was love. This was how you were supposed to feel when you truly cared about someone other than yourself.
The need to hold them.
Protect them.
Be their loving support whenever needed.
Basher still couldn’t believe how lucky he had become.
“Oh, isn’t this cute?” a deep voice snarled from behind them, cutting through Basher’s blissful thoughts.
Basher turned around, pulling Cameron behind his body protectively.
“Well, now we know how your buddies found you,” Cameron said sarcastically. “You&I4Eva, I presume?” Cameron asked, peeking out from behind Basher’s massive body.
A figure stepped out of the darkness, the flickering lights overhead falling against his pale face.
The man nodded.
“You can call me Romeo, considering all the wooing and romance I’ve given you all these years.”
Basher growled.
“He’s not calling you anything other than a ‘dead man,’” Basher snarled, taking a step forward while holding Cameron protectively behind his back.
Romeo just smirked.
“And what would you know about love and romance? Abandoned as a child, then tossed around from one foster home after another. It’s no surprise that you turned to a life of crime shortly after. Killing people? Causing destruction and chaos? That’s not the life of someone who knows love.”
The man wasn’t anything remarkable. Average looks, a little on the shorter side. Short brown hair parted neatly to the side. He was the type of guy you would assume would be good at doing your taxes.
“Cameron should be with someone who can take care of him. Shower him with love, security, and happiness.”
“Oh, and I assume you’re that guy?” Basher growled.
“I’m a much better man than you. What do you have? Muscles and a low IQ?”
Cameron pushed around Basher, nearly knocking him over.
“Hey! I decide who the best man for me is! You know nothing about Basher. He’s a kind and sensitive man, loyal and so fucking sweet it scares me. Yes, he’s been through some rough shit in the past, but who hasn’t? That just makes him more unbelievable when it comes to the man he is today!”
Basher was holding on to Cameron’s shoulders as he tore Romeo a new asshole. The guy was physically shaking as he defended him.
No one had ever defended Basher like that. He knew he wasn’t the greatest, the smartest, or even the kindest person in the world, but to hear Cameron speak about him, you would have thought he was Mother Teresa.
Something in Basher's chest tightened as he heard those words.
God, he loved this man.
Cameron was his person—the one who had somehow broken through every wall he'd ever built around himself and claimed a permanent place in his heart.
From this moment until his final breath, Basher knew exactly where he belonged.
“You’re so blinded by his big dick that you don’t even recognize when a man is wrong for you.
That’s why I tracked down Basher’s old crew and found where his enemies were hiding.
I knew that with Basher still around, you would always be drawn to him.
So I figured when the Caplans killed Basher, I would swoop in and sweep you off your feet.
What could be more romantic?” Romeo asked.
He was still holding a gun in his hand, but he seemed to have forgotten about it for the moment as he gestured with his arms wildly.
“Do you hear yourself speak?” Cameron shouted, his face burning hot with fury. “There is no world where I would ever want to be with a psycho like you!”
Darkness slowly crept into Romeo’s eyes. Basher watched as the warm brown faded away, swallowed by something colder and far more unsettling, until they were as black as the night itself.
“Cam?” Basher whispered, suddenly concerned for the young man’s safety. He pulled Cameron behind him just as Romeo raised his gun.
“Fine. If I can’t have you, no one will.”
Those words seemed to echo in the silence that followed. A bolt of searing pain tore through Basher's body.
It hadn’t even occurred to him until he heard Cameron scream that he had just been shot.
Basher looked down at his hand as he pulled it away from his stomach. Dark blood coated his fingers, and for a moment, all he could do was stare.
Memories of that night he had been stabbed in prison flooded his brain.
His eyes glanced up just as Romeo pulled the trigger a second time.
Another shot of pain filled his gut.
There was no time.
He needed to protect the man he loved.
Basher shoved Cameron down to the ground and out of harm’s way.
He needed to get to Romeo and get that gun. He needed to do it now before he passed out or died. Once Cameron was safe, then his body could give up and die. But before that could happen, he needed to be Cameron’s protector.
The world around him went silent. He pushed to his feet and stumbled toward Romeo.
Another flash of light came from the gun in front of him as he continued to step forward.
He didn’t feel pain this time.