As usual, if your underage or this material isn't accepted where you live, go away. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Thanks, Dan
Rimshotsplanet@hotmail.com
Paper Tiger 5: In a cage
Tyler stretched out on a lounger near the pool, letting the afternoon sun bake his skin. In the seventeen days since he'd been grabbed by Little Tony's guard, this had become an almost daily ritual. It was the only place he was left alone. Just beyond the railing that surrounded the pool deck was a 150-foot drop into pine trees offering no chance for escape.
Most of everyday was spent with Salieri's daughter, Angeliq1ue, or Angel as she was called. Angel was twenty-one and one month old, with raven black hair and pretty features spoiled by the brain of a pouting two-year-old. She had, however, saved Tyler's life, although he had yet to decide if that was a good thing or not.
"You better do what ever she wants." Little Tony had rasped in Tyler's face. "When she gets bored with you, I send your head to Rivera, got it?" Tyler had, and as a result had slipped into a deep depression that worsened every time Angel got horny, which was three or more times a day. During these times, while her claw like fingers raked at his back begging him to go harder, he drifted into another world in his head, always thinking about Rocky. It sickened him to have sex with her, making him feel violated.
Salieri knew Tyler was a hired gun for Manny, and had assumed that he was Rocky's little brother. He'd been questioned and beaten pretty good a couple of times as they tried to get information about Rocky, but fortunately, he had no idea where Rocky was or what he was doing. Tyler got the idea that they planned to ransom him to Rocky in exchange for Rocky being their prisoner. Tyler prayed to god that Rocky would stay the hell away.
Jake, a short Mexican guy that was built like a tank stepped out by the pool and waved, calling Tyler. As Tyler stood up and pulled on a t-shirt over his silver speedo, the only two articles of clothing he was allowed, Jake talked quietly into a radio. Tyler wasn't allowed much for clothing in the ridiculous idea that he couldn't run away wearing only a swimsuit.
"What's happenin,' Jake?" Tyler asked easily as he entered the house. Jake for the most part had been decent to him, and he showed respect in turn.
"No idea." Jake said and waved at the long hall that went through the center of the bottom floor of the house. "The boss wants you for something."
The boss was Salieri, and Tyler felt his stomach knot up as he lead the way to the boss' office. Last time he'd been called there he'd gotten the shit beat out of him because Manny Rivera had some how pissed Little Tony off. A slender man in a black turtleneck and slacks opened the door and held it open for Tyler, then closed it behind him. Angel looked up from her father's desk and smiled.
"Hey, lover." She smiled and scrunched up her nose, annoying the hell out of Tyler. "Daddy went to Vegas. He said I could take you on a picnic if I take Jake and Simone along. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, neat." Tyler smiled, hoping it looked sincere. "Where are we going?"
"Just a little stream not far from the house." She smiled seductively and batted her eyes at him. "Maybe the boys will take a hike for awhile, give us some quality time."
"Sounds fun." Tyler forced the smile to stay in place as his mind suddenly started to kick into escape mode. "Just the two of us."
"If you're good, maybe daddy will let us do it again."
They went through a set of doors and emerged onto a set of stairs leading out of the house and onto a pathway. Simone, a younger man in his twenties with a scar on his right cheek carried the picnic basket for Angel, and Jake brought up the rear. Angel held Tyler's hand and jabbered constantly about her clothes, her car, her daddy's money and influence, and Tyler zoned out, letting his eyes roam around.
The canyon was cool, and there were trees along the small creek. They spread a cloth out by the bank, and Angel made a big show of shooing Jake and Simone away. Tyler groaned inwardly at the childish display. He ground his teeth together, embarrassed yet again that it had happened in front of men that were if anything guards like he was. Kind of a peer group in a demented sort of way.
He scratched the back of his neck, still feeling funny about his missing ponytail, and looked away from her, hoping she'd wind down. The two of them disappeared in to the brush up the path, and Tyler sighed, relieved it was over.
Lunch was sandwiches and a kind of bitter white wine. They spent a couple of hours wading and wandering through the trees, and Tyler realized that he was actually enjoying the time. When Angel was alone with him, she could actually be somewhat decent, saving her cute routine for the others. It was like that now, and he wished it would last. He tossed his t-shirt on the blanket and waded out into the creek with her again, his sandals providing good underwater traction for both of them. She hung onto his arm and laughed, slipping and nearly pulling them both down.
A blood-curdling scream erupted from above them followed by a gunshot, and Angel jumped behind Tyler. "Oh my god, what was that?" She hissed, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Simone, Jake?" Tyler shouted up the trail. "What's going on?" There was nothing for several seconds, and then a bush shook as Simone stepped out from behind it. He waved at them, summoning them, and Tyler waded out of the water and trotted up the path followed by Angel.
"Jake got bit by that." Simone gestured at a dead rattlesnake lying near Jake, who was holding his left knee and rocking, a horrid grimace on his face. "Angel, I need you to run up to the house and get help."
"Okay." She mumbled, her face ashen. Her eyes met Tyler's and she turned and ran up the trail.
"I know some first aid. Can I help him?" Tyler asked, slowly kneeling down at Jake's side. His eyes locked on Simone's. "No bullshit, man, really." He held up his hands passively.
Simone was obviously more than a little rattled. He ran his hand through his hair and nodded, waving his gun around as he spoke. "I told him to watch the brush, you know, but he's not from around here. No rattlers in the city." He watched as Tyler undid Jake's belt and slid it out of the loops, then made it into a tourniquet. "Jesus, he ain't gonna die, is he?"
Tyler felt something heavy fall against his leg and glanced down. Jake's pistol holster had fallen off when he took the man's belt off, and it now rested next to Tyler's left knee, out of sight of Simone. A thrill ran through his body, and his heart began to pound. A long dead cinder of hope suddenly rekindled into a fire, and Tyler felt sweat break out on his forehead. Jake was to out of it to notice the missing gun and Tyler's mind raced.
"Simone, I need a sturdy stick to tighten this with." He said, indicating the belt around Jake's thigh. "Something that won't break." The other turned away to look, and Tyler's face changed, El Tigre sliding into place on his features. IN a lightening flash, he had the pistol out of the holster, barely having time to notice Jake's eyes going wide, and pulled the action, aiming at the back of Simone's head.
Simone realized the mistake he'd made instantly and went for his own gun as he dropped and whirled, but Tyler had anticipated this, and a small round hole appeared in Simone's forehead, and another in his chest. Simone fell onto his back.
Tyler turned to Jake and looked down. "I gotta go, man. She'll never make it back. What do you want me to do?"
Jake grimaced and blinked. "Do me, man. Do it." He patted Tyler's arm. "I'm dead now."
Tyler stood up and took aim, El Tigre still on his face, and put a clean shot into Jake, ending his pain. He swallowed hard, staring at the dead eyes of the only decent person he'd met here, and then turned to leave, stopping only to gather up Simone's gun and ammo. He heard a voice from up in the canyon, and he splashed into the stream and up the other side, angling up the hillside in a crouch. It was time for the Tiger to blow this Popsicle stand.
Rocky sat at the bar in one of the casinos in Laughlin taking a pull from the neck of a beer bottle. He and several members of the palace guard had repeatedly searched the town and surrounding area for the last three weeks, and no sign of Tyler.
He sighed and crushed out his cigarette, threw a five on the counter, and left, jamming his hands in his pockets. The sounds of slot machines greeted him as he walked out. Dark circles marred the areas under his eyes, the effects of little sleep catching up to him, and in a drunken confession three nights ago, he'd confessed his feelings for Tyler to Carlos, an act he deeply regretted the next day. He knew that Carlos had guessed what their relationship was, but it was a show of weakness to admit it, and he was ashamed.
He glanced at his watch, intending to meet Darland and Ramos when they came back to the hotel. The two of them had driven into the desert everyday for the last week to search for a body. Rocky shuddered at the thought and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He stopped at the over stuffed chairs in the lobby and sat down heavily.
He dozed off. His return to the real world was caused by a firm shaking, and he opened his eyes to see Carlos. "Rock, snap to, man. We got something."
"What?" Rocky was instantly wide-awake. "We found him?"
"Easy." Carlos pushed him back into the chair. "A guy that takes groceries to a big house outside of town said he saw a kid there that looked like Tyler's picture. A couple of days ago, he went out with his delivery, and he over heard someone talking about two guards getting whacked, and the kid was nowhere around."
"Which way?" Rocky stood up fast, nearly knocking Carlos over. "We gotta go, right now."
"I sent for the car, man, chill." Carlos looked around the lobby, relieved that it was empty. "I called the Palace, too. Brian's flying out now on Dad's chopper."
Rocky went through the heavy glass doors into the hot winds of the night, lighting a cigarette. "Where's Darland and Ramos? I thought they were checking the desert."
"You got any idea how much desert is out there, Rock?" Carlos took the cigarette and took a drag from it. "It's like the Sahara."
"Yeah, where's the fucking car?"
Tyler leaned against a big rock and rested his head on his folded arms. The sun was nearly down, and he needed to get moving. Problem was, it was really hard to get moving. Two days ago, his speedo, which was lousing hiking attire, had rubbed and chaffed his inner thigh and groin raw. Add to that the great grandbastard of all sunburns and no food for two days, and there was definitely a motivation problem.
He licked his parched lips and opened his eyes, squinting into the setting sun. He'd made the monumental mistake of walking all day in the sun the day before yesterday, and the blisters on his shoulders and back had popped in a lot of places. He could feel the skin on his shoulders crack and tear open when he moved.
He'd come up with the real cool idea of moving at night, thus causing his second problem, a series of scratches and a deep gouge, now infected, that ran from his left hip to his ankle. He'd fallen into a shallow ravine in the darkness, sliding down the bank on his left side. His knee burned like a son of a bitch as he gingerly got to his feet and headed in what he hoped was and easterly direction, like towards a highway or something.
Man, it was hard to think tonight. Like a mist or cobwebs were in his head. He kept hearing voices and sounds. He came across a shallow gully and stopped, willing himself to climb down and back up, but not making much headway. The breeze felt good, and he closed his eyes for just a minute, and was surprised when he opened them and saw only stars. That was okay though. He liked stars. He'd just lie here and rest for a minute. Then there was darkness.
At a little after two in the morning, Rocky and Nick Ramos hunched down behind a small rock and looked through their binoculars at Little Tony's house. Just to the south, Rocky could hear the sound of a small amount of running water, and there were a few trees visible in the darkness.
He touched Nick's shoulder and pointed towards the canyon, and together they moved quietly around the base of what looked like a sun deck. "From the looks of that fortress, I'd say if he really did get away, he went this way." Ramos whispered, indicating the canyon. "There's cliffs on the other two sides."
"I'll follow the water towards the interstate. Do one more sweep around the house and follow me out, just in case I miss something." Rocky answered. Nick nodded and headed up the hillside towards the house. Rocky sighed and pulled out the tiny flashlight he'd brought.
Several minutes later, he found a shirt by the side of the creek and what looked like an abandoned picnic basket. That would explain a little about how Tyler got out, he thought, assuming the delivery guy wasn't full of shit. Farther down the canyon he found a 9mm pistol and an empty clip. The trail was definitely warm, although he expected to find Tyler's body around every rock, a bullet hole in his forehead.
When he was far enough from the house, he took out a small radio and called Carlos, explaining what he'd found, and suggesting that they could cover more ground if Carlos sent men up the small washout creek in various intervals, each walking towards the other. After a few minutes, he could see headlights running along the gully a few miles away.
The terrain was treacherous, and Rocky nearly fell, violently yanking his shoulder when he caught himself. He cursed and sat heavily on a rock to rub it. The moon was up now, and he could make out details in the little water cut channel. Up near the south wall, he found footprints. "Holy shit." He whispered, fumbling for his radio. They had to be Tyler's, had to be. His heart pounded in his chest.
"Hey, Rock!" Carlos' voice shouted out of the radio, causing him to nearly drop it. "Rocky, we got pay dirt!" Carlos shouted again. "Get up on top so they can see you. I'm sending a car up."
"Is he alive?" Rocky swallowed hard and scrambled up the side of the wash.
"He's bad, but he's breathing."
"Oh god." Rocky mumbled thickly and sat down hard. "Oh, thank you." He held his head and rocked gently. "Oh, please keep him okay. Please."
After an hour, Rocky was picked up and driven into Laughlin. Nick Ramos had caught up with him, and was holding him while he sobbed when the car showed up. No one would ever admit their thoughts about seeing 'The Rocky" crying like a baby, but it had been unsettling. The Rock was the toughest bastard alive, his behavior the last couple of weeks wasn't good. Almost like there was more to him and the Tiger than met the eye. Such ideas were dismissed immediately. Rocky had saved most of them from real trouble on more than one occasion.
Carlos had put Tyler in the back seat of the suburban he was driving and headed in towards the hospital. Tyler had been in the emergency room only a few minutes when Brian strode in, introducing himself as 'the boy's physician'.
When the awkward questions started to come up, like who was he, why was he out in the desert, and who was his personal doctor, Carlos lead the ER doctor away and explained the he was a spoiled rich brat that had run off to show his dad up, and that they had been looking for weeks for him. The cops were much easier, one being an old school chum of Carlos' in Vegas years ago.
"Where is he?" Rocky demanded as the double sliding doors let him in. He made a beeline to Carlos. "Where's he at?"
Carlos pointed down the hall at a door. "Actually, he's not in bad shape, Rock. They'll keep him over night here, and Brian's gonna fly him back tomorrow. He looks like shit, though." He shook his head as Rocky shouldered past him. "Brian's just gonna throw you out."
"Wanna put money on it?" He called back. Rocky pushed the door open and held it as a nurse with a tray full of test tubes walked out. The curtain around the bed was pulled partially, and Rocky could see Brian working and Tyler's feet. His throat constricted, causing him to swallow hard. "Hey, doc."
Brian glanced up and smiled. "Come in, Kelly. He's out of it, but it'll help you, I'm sure." He watched as Rocky moved to the bedside and touched Tyler's leg. Several expressions flew over Rocky's face as he surveyed the appearance of Tyler. "Rock, it's skin deep. He's dehydrated, but he'll be okay."
"Thanks." Rocky said thickly, blinking back tears. "We can take him home tomorrow?" Brian nodded, and Rocky moved up along the bed and stroked Tyler's cheek. The kid was filthy and covered with blood on his legs. From his head to his toes, he was a deep scarlet from a horrible sunburn.
"Rock, you need to get a hold of yourself." Brian said quietly as he dressed the scratches on Tyler's leg. "A lot of us knew what you and Tyler meant to each other, but they'll use it against you if everyone finds out, you know? You want them trying to nab him every five minutes as a hostage?"
"No." Rocky sighed and sat down in a chair next to the bed. "I can't help it. I'm all fucked up inside. I thought we'd find a body." He rubbed his face and rested against the steel bed rail. "Oh, shit, man what do I do now?"
"Well, he's out of action for awhile, I can tell you that, and I don't even know what his mind is like. He hasn't opened his eyes yet." Brian finished with the dressing and picked up a wash cloth. "Help me get him cleaned up so we can move him to a room."
Tyler actually spent two days in the hospital, not waking up until two in the afternoon the following day. His moaning brought Rocky to his feet, and in a flash he was at the bedside. Tyler's face bunched up in pain, and his eyes flew open. "It hurt's!" He wailed, and Rocky caught him in his arms. "Ow, my back!"
"Easy, kid." Rocky soothed. "I called for the nurse." Tyler writhed in his arms, trying to find a comfortable position. He lifted his legs away from each other and cried in pain.
"Oh God it hurts!" He arched his back away from Rocky. "Please it hurts."
The nurse walked in with a tub of some sort of cream and began to rub it on his back. "Well, Mr. Rockport, it's nice to have you back with us." She carefully smeared the goop across the sunburn and over his shoulders. "I trust you had a nice nap."
The pain eased away as the cream soaked in and Tyler relaxed. "Yeah, whatever." He muttered. He watched as she lifted the sheet ands smeared it between his legs where the speedo had rubbed him raw, and soon he leaned back and breathed easier.
"The doctor said to put this on about every two hours after you woke up, so call me if it starts to burn again." She smiled and set the tub on the table by his bed. "There's an order for a pain pill as well if you want one."
"No, thanks." Tyler reached out and caught Rocky's hand. "It feels a lot better now."
"Get some rest, and I'll send for your lunch." She smiled again and closed the door behind her. Tyler looked up at Rocky and felt a tear slide down his cheek. "Took you long enough, asshole."
Rocky leaned in and cradled Tyler's cheeks in his hands and kissed him. "I spent every hour of every day looking for you." He whispered. "I never stopped."
"I knew you would." Tyler sniffed and the tears really started. "I had to have sex with his daughter, and they kept threatening to shoot me, and the only nice one got bit by a snake. They beat the shit out of me." It all tumbled out, and his chest heaved. "God, Kelly, I was so scared."
"You're safe, buddy." Rocky pulled Tyler's head against his chest and stroked his hair. "We're going home soon, and this will all be over."
"I hate this. I am sick of always being afraid. I don't want to do this anymore." Tyler looked away and leaned back in the bed. "I keep getting shot, or knocked on my ass, or wondering if you're going to come home. This is bullshit."
"We kind of chose it, Tyler." Rocky rubbed his forehead. "It's not like we didn't know, you know?"
"Can't we retire? Does it have to be 'til death do us part? Jesus Christ, Kelly, how many lives do we have left?"
Rocky sighed and reached out for Tyler's hand. "You have all these answers, and they're the same ones I have. I owe Manny a thousand times over, and Carlos is my brother. I would give my life for either of them, or for you, and not regret it." He looked into Tyler's eyes and smiled slightly. "I think it's the same for you, isn't it?"
Tyler looked down at his hands and nodded. "I guess I have to be more careful."
"Yeah, that would be nice." Rocky chuckled.
The following day, Rocky showed up with some baggy clothes for Tyler to wear home that wouldn't irritate his burn. The top was a sort of short white wrap around robe made of satin that tied at the waist, and the pants were baggy light weight black silk. Tyler put them on and slipped on a new pair of sandals after combing his freshly trimmed short hair. He smiled in the mirror. Rocky had great taste in clothes. He kind of looked like a movie star. New Oakleys finished it off, and he put them on, feeling more like himself than he had for awhile.
Even to himself he looked older after the two weeks at Little Tony's. There were fine lines around his eyes, and his face seemed more angular. He sighed deeply and looked towards the door as the nurse came in with the wheelchair.
"I'm pleased to see you feeling better." She said, locking the brake on the chair. "Your brother said that he would meet us in the lobby. Ready to go home?"
"Definitely." Tyler smiled and picked up the bag of his personal items from the bed. "Will you tell the night people thanks for me? You guys were all great."
"I will, and you welcome from all of us." She indicated the seat. "Now, if you'll sit down, we need to get you out of here. This place is for sick people, not you."
They entered the main foyer after a short elevator trip, and Rocky trotted in the doors grinning. "Wow, El Tigre' lives!" He teased, holding the door. "You know, I think that I have the honor of escorting a hero to the airport today."
"What are talking about?" Tyler stood up and moved away from the chair.
"We are being met at the airport by someone who apparently missed you for the last three weeks." Rocky opened the door to the rental car.
Tyler thanked the nurse again and tossed his bag into the car. "Who?
"Guess." Rocky waited for Tyler to get in the car and closed the door.
"Jesus, just tell me." Tyler said irritably.
"Manny."
Tyler looked at Rocky, surprised. "Why would he come to get me?"
"Because, dipshit, your army hit pay dirt last night. Your idea is working." Rocky looked over his shoulder and pulled into traffic. "Two of your friends came up with some names, and we linked Little Tony to three moves against other partners in the Mexican land deal. We can get support from a lot of our associates now."
"Wow. What happens now?"
"No idea, bud, but I swear if Manny had been near you, he'd've kissed you on the mouth."
In a few minutes they pulled up at the Laughlin City Airport, a small but modern facility, well kept and isolated. Tyler got out of the car, careful of his stiff leg, and followed Rocky inside. The silk shirt stuck to the salve on his back, and he carefully peeled it away.
Rocky walked over to the counter and spoke to the gentleman manning it, then walked back over. "The chopper's ten minutes out. Sit down a minute."
"Do you ever get fed up with this?" Tyler asked quietly, looking at his feet. "Couldn't we've driven home in like an hour and a half or something?"
Rocky laughed and sat down. "Yeah, we could, but or employer wanted to come and fetch us."
"I'm sorry." Tyler said after a long pause. "I'm being pissy."
"You need some time to get yourself up to snuff." Rocky reached up and rubbed the back of Tyler's neck gently. "You've been through a lot."
"I love you." Tyler said quietly, not looking up.
"Me too." Rocky leaned his head back and closed his eyes. If only you knew, he thought to himself. If only you knew.
A few minutes later they heard the distinctive sound of a helicopter overhead. A ramp agent came and got them and led them out onto the tarmac. Tyler looked up as a sleek dark blue helicopter came into a hover and gently touched down. A door opened, and Carlos stepped out and waved.
Tyler and Rocky walked towards the chopper as Manny stepped out. Tyler met his eyes, unsure of what to say. Manny reached up and took off his sunglasses. "It's good to see you, Tiger." He smiled and held out his arms.
It was a funny feeling, like a deep need that doesn't really have a basis. Tyler was suddenly overcome with emotions, like a geyser going off. He wrapped his arms around Manny. "I missed you, Manny." He said thickly. "I didn't have anyone to swim with." Manny laughed and ushered Tyler into the helicopter.
They arrived at the Western Palace early in the afternoon, and it was mandated by Manny that Tyler was to be left alone for a few days to rest. Tyler wandered into his room and sat down on the bed, looking around. It felt funny to not be in Angel's room, sitting on her bed. Oddly, he missed her a little.
He stretched out luxuriantly on the bed, wincing once from his burn, and rolled onto his side and looked out the glass wall towards the Strip. A ton of tension eased out of his back and shoulders, and with a slight smile on his face, Tyler drifted off to sleep.
Rocky stretched out on the couch in a pair of running shorts and sipped on a bottle of beer while looking or the reports from their field guys. Three major cities, LA, Vegas, and now Phoenix were becoming private battlegrounds. The Rivera family had lost a lot of people, and cash now had to be dropped to certain areas by three or four guys at one time for safety.
Some aspects of the gambling business were suffering from a severe loss in revenue, and it looked like something was going to have to be done soon. Something that might start a serious war with some of the rogue families.
That son of a bitch Salieri had tripled the drug traffic from Mexico, causing a huge rise in the law enforcement in all three cities. Twice there had been drugs planted on one of Manny's people's cars, and twice the police had nailed them for it in perfect set-ups.
The only thing they had going for them was Tiger's Army, which had begun supplying the locations of houses that had become meth labs and areas that were used for trafficking giant amounts of pot and coke. The problem was what to do with the information.
He looked up as Tyler's door opened and glanced at his watch. The kid had been out for about four hours, and although he looked foggy eyed, he looked better. Tyler had taken the silk wrap shirt off and was opening the tube of cream the hospital had given him.
"Can you put this on my back? It's killing me." He held the tube out to Rocky.
"Of course. Sit on the floor in front of me." Rocky turned and slipped off the couch and spread his legs apart. "Have a good nap?"
"Yeah." Tyler yawned and pulled off the silk pants so he could put the stuff between his legs, too. He noticed the pained expression on Rocky's face and looked down, noticing the still angry red sunburn on his torso and legs and the still somewhat raw semicircles that went under his legs near his balls. "You didn't look at the hospital, did you?" He asked and sat down with his back to Rocky.
"I saw you when you came in, but I guess I blocked it out." Rocky began to apply the salve to Tyler's back. "I was more interested in your face."
Tyler bent foreword and arched his back. "That mean you're not interested in my body anymore?" He chuckled. The pain and burn medication started to sink in, helping him relax.
"Not as often as I was." Rocky said dead pan. "Only every other second of the day now, you little shit." Rocky pinched his ass, the only non-burned skin he could find and Tyler yelped. "Still want to be funny?"
"I'm sorry!" Tyler half turned and rubbed his ass. "Jesus, haven't I suffered enough?"
"Aaaaaaaaahh!" Rocky mocked him. "Are you suffering?"
Tyler smiled but his eyes teared up. He swallowed hard, never moving his eyes from Rocky's. "I thought I'd never see you again." He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Rocky's neck. Rocky slid his around Tyler's waist so he didn't touch the burn. "I felt so guilty because of that bitch, like I was betraying you, and I didn't want to die with that on my conscience."
"Look, dumbass." Rocky lifted Tyler's chin and looked him in the eye. "You did what you had to do. I've heard of worse tortures, but I know what you mean. You have no reason to feel like you betrayed me, go it?" He smoothed Tyler's hair and caressed his cheek. "You never cheated on me, and I never even considered that you'd do anything to hurt me or the family."
Tyler nodded and stretched out on Rocky's chest. Rocky grabbed a pillow front the couch and leaned back to give Tyler some room. For several minutes Tyler never moved, and Rocky thought he might have gone back to sleep. He was perfectly content to lay there all night with his naked lover on top of him, but just as he closed his eyes, there was the strangest sensation. Tyler was licking his left nipple.
"Hey." He said quietly and kissed the top of Tyler's head. "No fair, I can't reach anything."
"Oh, darn." Tyler mumbled and moved his hand between them, sliding it into the waistband of Rocky's running shorts.
"Turn about's fair play you little shit!" Rocky chuckled and slid his hands under Tyler's arms, yanking him up to eye level. They merged into a frantic kiss. Tyler was ravenous for Rocky, and he felt almost like he could devour him.
Rocky jumped in surprise when he felt his shorts torn off his waist. Not that they were the strongest fabric, but damn. Tyler's intensity increased as he tried to fill himself back up on Rocky, and he slid down and buried the other's cock in his mouth, almost trying be all places at once.
Rocky had to be extremely careful to avoid Tyler's aches and pains, and almost hurt him by reflexively pushing him onto his back. Tyler grimaced, and Rocky quickly rolled over, pulled Tyler up onto his chest. Tyler smiled and showed him everything was cool, then reached into the pocket of his silk pant and produced a tube of lube.
"This is the part I missed." He reached back and slathered it on Rocky and tossed the tube over his shoulder. "I kept trying to tell her that I was the one that was supposed to get fucked." Rocky started to laugh but stopped short as Tyler backed onto him. "Aaaaugh." Tyler sighed, resting his head on Rocky's chest.
They stayed like that and kissed for a long time, Rocky occasionally reaching between them to stroke Tyler. As he worked his fingers in a rhythm, Tyler began a slow steady sliding motion, almost pulling completely off, and sinking Rocky all the way back inside.
"Uuuuhn." Rocky groaned as he felt himself getting close. He concentrated on his hand movements as Tyler lifted himself up off Rocky's chest and began moving more rapidly. "Oh Jesus, baby."
Tyler felt the heat build in his stomach as Rocky pounded into him, each thrust igniting a dozen nerve endings. It was way to late to stop or slow down, and he arched his back and moaned loudly, blowing his fluids onto Rocky's chest over and over and over. Rocky shouted underneath him and bucked hard. Tyler felt pulses of radiant heat slam into his ass. They collapsed into a heap covered with sweat, exhausted.
The next morning, Tyler sat on the right side of Rocky's bed with his legs folded beneath him, naked, and looking over the reports that Rocky had studied the night before. His eyes were still puffy and his hair was sleep wedged into a point. He yawned hugely and lifted a cup of coffee off the bed tray and sipped at it. It was damned hard to concentrate. They'd done it three times during the night. "So what exactly am I looking at?" Tyler said sleepily and set the coffee down. "My so called army found all these meth labs or something?"
"There's more to it than that." Rocky stood near his dresser looking for underwear and socks. "That information shows a huge increase in drug production and transportation. Millions of dollars and a lot of fucked up kids."
"So give it to the DEA. Let them worry about it." Tyler yawned again and drank some more coffee.
"Hey, what an idea." Rocky said sarcastically. "Let's tell every cop on earth that we just happen to know where all of the drugs in the western United States are. I'm sure they'd just be tickled to get it and thank us profusely."
"Are you done?" Tyler said dead pan. He scratched at his shoulder and pulled away a piece of peeling skin. His face contorted in disgust and he flipped his hand to get it off. "What I meant was, if we could get the information to the cops somehow, they could tie up Salieri for months hunting the bad guys down, and we get time to get the house in order. We could pick our battles and play with loaded dice."
Rocky blinked a couple of times and turned to look at Tyler. His first impulse was to laugh, but there was a kernel of truth in the idea. He stared at Tyler, incredulous to the simple reasoning behind the thought. He smiled and chuckled.
"What?" Tyler leaned back on his hands and yawned yet again. "Christ, Kelly. You saw me naked all night. You don't need to stare."
"You're a dumbass." Rocky laughed. "I can't believe it." He shook his head in wonder at how Tyler's simple plan was so beautiful. He had to talk to Manny. "Get showered, El Tigre. We need to see the boss. I think you just saved our ass."
"Easy for you to say." Tyler turned and stood up to walk over to Rocky. "You didn't get yours stretched last night." He kissed Rocky on the nose and headed in to the bathroom for a shower.