Chapter Twenty-Seven
HOW LONG DID a man have to stare at his phone to make it ring?
Ten minutes?
Twenty?
Thirty?
Wrong.
Kelsie’s meeting at the college should have ended half an hour ago, and that was being generous. Last night, he’d made her promise to call the second she walked out of the building. Furthering her education before working with the ol’ ladies meant a lot to her, and he was fully on board. She deserved a career she loved and felt secure in. Kelsie deserved to flourish and shine, and he’d support her in any way possible. That started with hyping her up and celebrating every win, no matter how small. Registering for classes when she had so much anxiety about it was a win in his book.
But, radio silence.
And there he was, sitting in his office with a brick in his gut, wondering if he should reach out or if she’d prefer space.
Christ, he sucked at relationships.
A knock on his window had him jumping, for fuck’s sake. He needed to pull his head out of his ass and get it back at work before his employees noticed.
His office had a wall of windows facing his shop”s main lobby. It allowed him to view everything going on without being in his employees” faces all the time.
AJ stood at the window. “It’s one,” he shouted through the glass. “I’m gonna take lunch. Jinx is at the register.”
Ty lifted a hand in understanding.
“Want anything?” AJ asked.
He shook his head. He’d eat with Kelsie later. “Tell Jinx to holler at me if he needs a hand.”
AJ gave him a thumbs-up and then turned. He and Jinx exchanged a few words, and then he left to grab some grub.
Ty swiveled his chair away from the window and rested his head back. Shutting his eyes, he inhaled and then took his time blowing out the air. He’d love to open his eyes and find Kelsie standing on the other side of his desk. The need and desire to be around a specific person all the time were new to him. Even in his marriage”s early, happy days, he hadn’t felt this pull to Trina. With Kelsie, he wanted her around all the damn time. He constantly wanted his eyes, hands, and mouth on her.
He was fucked if a few hours of no communication had him this spun up.
The jangle of bells announced an arrival at his shop. He didn’t bother glancing up. Jinx had it under control. The man knew the business as well as Ty.
A muffled shout raised the hair on the back of his neck. On a good day, Jinx spoke as loud as hell but always with an undertone of humor.
This was not that.
“What the fuck?” This time, the words rang out loud and clear. And panicked. “Ty, get the fuck out here.”
The urgency in Jinx’s voice had him flying out of his seat. The sight on the other side of the window made his blood run cold.
Kelsie stood in the center of his lobby with Andrew-fucking-Tinsley. She shook like a wheel on a broken axle. Abject terror radiated from every pore in her body. Silent tears flowed freely down her face, falling to the tiled floor.
But what had him ready and willing to commit murder was the blood crusted to her face, covering her clothes, and still oozing from a gash under her eye. Her left cheek was the color of a damn eggplant and swollen as fuck.
The motherfucker had hurt her.
Ty saw red.
He and Jinx charged forward at the same time. Just as he reached the door to his office, Jinx froze halfway across the lobby. His hands flew up, and he shouted, “Ty, gun.”
Ty stopped dead in his tracks with his hand on the doorknob. Andrew held a pistol to Kelsie’s temple.
Her eyes glazed in a way he’d only seen from her once before. The night they rescued her from captivity. She’d been lost in her head, not present, and in full survival mode. Seeing her that way again broke his fucking heart.
Rage flowed through. Tinsley was a dead man, and Ty would be the one to send him to Hell.
And he’d smile the whole fucking time.
“Where is he?” Tinsley shouted. “Get him out here.”
Jinx’s gaze shifted to the windows where Ty met his gaze. He nodded once, then, quick as could be, fired off a text to Spec.
911 tire shop.
Spec wouldn’t need anything else. He’d get there fast and come armed to the teeth. Hell, he’d probably show up in a fucking tank.
Ty opened his office door and stepped into the lobby.
Kelsie’s fear was a hundred times worse outside his office. She breathed fast and loud, sounding near hyperventilating. The force of her trembling rattled the bracelets on her wrist. Each time they clanked, his heart cracked.
Would this fear set her back to the way she’d been in the early days after they’d rescued her?
God, he hoped not, but if so, this time, he’d be there to hold her all day and night.
“Tyler!” Tinsley sounded almost giddy. “Welcome to the party. Sorry, I dinged your girl up a bit, but she has something important to say to you.”
He kept his eyes on the man holding the gun. “You’re a dead man, Tinsley.”
“Hey! I said Kelsie has something to say. Don’t fucking interrupt. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Say what you came here to say.”
What the fuck?
Was he crazy?
Kelsie’s eyes widened, and she shook her head.
“Kelsie, what did we talk about?” Tinsley grabbed her upper arm so hard she winced.
Fuck this. Ty stepped forward.
“Nuh-uh-uh.” Tinsley jammed the gun against her temple. It made her flinch, but this time, Ty kept his anger in check.
Kind of.
He curled his fingers into tight fists. The pain of ramming them into Tinsley’s face would feel fantastic.
“Tinsley,” Jinx barked in his most commanding tone. “Fucking leave now, and maybe we won’t kill you, but if you drag this out another second, you’ll be leaving here in a body bag.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Tinsley screamed.
Kelsie jumped.
“Let my fiancée speak.”
He jabbed the gun against the side of her head again. Her whimper would haunt Ty’s nightmares for years to come.
Kelsie’s eyes met his. Another round of tears spilled. He clenched his teeth so hard that they squeaked. Kelsie shook her head.
Whatever it was Tinsley was forcing her to say, she didn’t want to say it. Which meant it would probably hurt Ty to hear it. Nothing mattered right then but her safety. She could call him every name in the book and curse him for life, and he wouldn’t blink.
He placed a hand over his heart. “I love you,” he mouthed, then spoke out loud. “Go ahead, Kels, say what’s on your mind.”
A sob tore from deep inside her. “I-it’s over. I don’t want you anymore.”
He tilted his head and rolled his shoulders. It felt like an impossible task, but he tried to relax his stance in hopes of giving Kelsie an ounce of relief. Of course, he didn’t believe a word she spoke as a psycho held her at gunpoint.
“Why?” Tinsley asked, a sick gleam in his eye. “Why don’t you want him?”
“I-I’d rather be with A-Andrew.”
Tinsley rotated his head, grinning at Ty as though any of this was real and he’d won. “Keep going.”
Kelsie shook her head.
This time, Tinsley smacked the side of her head with the gun, drawing a pained cry from her.
Both Ty and Jinx charged forward.
“I’ll fucking shoot her,” Tinsley shouted before anyone could reach him. “I’ll fucking do it.”
They froze.
“Speak.”
“O-okay,” she said around her sobs. “Ty, I’m sorry, but you can’t satisfy me as well as A-Andrew does. He… he’s just more man than you, and I need that. N—” She shut her unswollen eye and then whispered. “No one has made me come as hard as he does.”
It’s not true. It’s not true.
Even knowing she only spewed this bullshit to stay alive, it cut fucking deep, and it had to be killing her to speak those words.
What now? What did Tinsley want from him? What would end this the fastest? Should he rant and rave? Is that what this was? Did the man want to see him lose his cool? Or should he remain calm and let Kelsie go without a fight?
For show.
He’d only let her go for real if his heart stopped beating.
“Did you hear that, Tyler? She doesn’t want you. Your dick isn’t enough for her.”
There was another avenue he could take.
“Bullshit.”
Jinx snorted.
“What?” Tinsley said, eyes wide and wild, darting between him and Jinx.
“You heard me.” It was Ty’s turn to smile, and he let all his hatred and fury bleed into it. He probably looked as insane as Tinsley himself. “But I’ll say it again. Bull-fucking-shit. Kelsie wouldn’t touch you with a gun held to her head.” He winked.
He could practically feel some of the tension bleed out of Kelsie as she listened to his words. Had she really worried he’d believe that horse crap?
“She thinks you’re disgusting, Andrew.”
Jinx could strike if he could get Andrew angry enough to distract his attention away from Kelsie even for a second. Going for the man’s flimsy ego seemed the quickest way to divert his attention.
“The fuck did you say?” Tinsley took his eyes off Kelsie, but the gun remained. Neither of them could act with the chance of her getting shot so high. He needed to enrage the man. He needed him to get so pissed he turned that gun on Ty. Taking a bullet in exchange for Kelsie’s safety was a no-brainer.
“I said you’re a piece of shit. Kelsie is the most incredible woman I’ve met, and she wouldn’t go near your pencil dick if it were the last one on this goddamned planet.”
Kelsie’s tremors slowed. Her breathing steadied, and some of the light returned to her eye. His words seemed to have bolstered her.
Ty wasn’t finished. “You come in here swinging your dick around like you’re king shit, but you can’t get a woman without your daddy making a deal, can you?”
Tinsley laughed. The sound scraped down his spine like nails on a chalkboard. Jinx rolled his shoulders, clearly picking up on the unstable vibe as well.
Ty adjusted his stance and shifted to the balls of his feet. He was ready. The second a chance to strike opened, he’d jump.
“My fucking father. That’s hilarious,” Tinsley said, still laughing. “I did this.” He jammed the pointer finger of his free hand into his chest. Spit flew from his mouth as he screamed so loud Ty’s ears rang. “I got her. I had her served up to me on a fucking platter. She was fucking ready, waiting, terrified, and you fucked that all up.”
What the fuck?
Chills raced over his skin.
“I was supposed to be the hero. I was supposed to be her white knight. Not some old fucking biker.”
“Fuck me,” Jinx whispered, sounding as shocked as Ty felt.
His lungs stopped working. His eyes nearly fell from their sockets. Never in a million years could he have imagined Kelsie’s kidnapping had been orchestrated to hold her captive purposely.
“You think I can’t touch her? You think I can’t fucking touch my woman whenever the fuck I want?” He grabbed the placket of Kelsie’s button-up and yanked. Buttons pinged across the room as they tore from the fabric.
Tyler had never felt so helpless in his entire life.
Kelsie cried out, but it wasn’t a cry of fear and distress. It was the wail of a furious animal ready to fight for their life. She swung her arm up in a diagonal as her scream turned primal. Her fist slammed into Tinsley’s nose.
They all heard the crunch and Andrew’s pained curse. He jerked, and the gun suddenly tilted three inches above Kelsie’s head.
It was all the opening Ty needed. He and Jinx charged forward as Kelsie dropped to the floor like a stone.
Ty flew into Tinsley with a roar. He wrapped his hands around the gun and fought to wrench it free. As soon as he got it, he’d put a bullet in the bastard’s brain. But Tinsley was at least ten years younger and stronger. He clung to the gun as they crashed to the floor. Over and over they rolled, wrestling for control of the weapon.
Ty trusted Jinx with his life and knew he’d pull Kelsie to safety and get started on treating her wound, but he wanted to be the one to fucking do it. He needed his hands on her for his sanity. He needed to hold her when she inevitably broke down. Hell, he might break down with her.
Fuck this punk.
They rolled again. Ty’s spine crunched on the floor as he landed under Tinsley. He stopped trying to free the gun and instead focused on gaining control of its aim.
Tinsley was strong. He fought as hard as Ty. But he didn’t have a woman waiting for him.
As they each tried to bend the gun to their will, their gazes locked. Fury and mania stared down at him.
“She’s mine,” Andrew ground out. “The first time I slide my dick—”
The gun went off, and Ty sagged to the ground. His arms fell limp at his sides, and a sharp pain ground into his chest.