Page 23 of Saul

The second guy walked through us but stopped when he got to Ricky and smirked. “What’s with the outfit?” Ricky trembled but didn’t reply, but then his eyes landed on Calvin.

“You two getting married?” And he grinned, showing a row of chipped teeth. He laughed and waved the gun, looking at Calvin. “You’re a pretty boy.”

How the fuck I didn’t react I never knew. But anything to piss this guy off or draw attention to Calvin wouldn’t end well.

“You two getting hitched?” he asked again, waving the gun carelessly, then seemed to pick Steven of all people to focus on. It wasn’t hard to spot that he was scared though. Sweat was rolling off him and even I could see him shaking. “Are they?” he lifted the gun.

“No,” Steven croaked out. “Not those two.” I cursed internally. This was getting worse. Steven pointed to Chris and Ricky. “Those two.”

The second gunman nodded and looked at Calvin. “Good. I wouldn’t want to break someone’s heart when I fuck you.”

“No,” Steven cried. “No, you can’t.”

And everything that was already bad went immediately downhill.

“Ican’t?” he turned the gun on the idiot Steven, who needed to learn to keep his fucking mouth shut. “You want me to fuck you instead?”

Steven stiffened, then shook his head. “I’m not gay.”

The second gun man smiled. “Do I care?” Then he looked back at Calvin, who was standing completely still, not even trembling, and waved the gun at Calvin. “Is he?” He turned and looked at Steven. “Well? Is he gay? Think very carefully before you answer. If he isn’t, then I will just choose you.”

Steven sent a panicked look at Calvin, then to my utmost disgust, folded. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?” the man asked, clearly enjoying himself.

“Yes, he’s gay,” Steven muttered.

I thought every single person gasped in the room, but not in shock, in disgust at Steven’s betrayal. I knew it didn’t matter to the gunman; he was just fucking with us. I kept silent, and so did Chris. Then the first one grabbed hold of Calvin’s shirt and yanked him forward. I tensed, because there was no way he was laying a finger on him. The man trailed a hand down Calvin’s chest, and I saw Calvin tremble. I had to fist my hands to keep myself from putting them around the fucker’s throat. Then he laughed and his hand dropped to Calvin’s ass to squeeze it, and I knew instantly what he would feel.

The guy hesitated and frowned. “What the fuck have you got on?” His lips curled in a sneer and, unable to stop myself, I took a step forward. It was enough of a distraction and the man, wisely sensing I was a threat, swung the gun toward me. Good, so long as he was nowhere near Calvin.

“Get the cash first,” the other one snapped out.

“Fucking weirdo,” the one pointing the gun at me spat out, then sneered, “What, did Mommy put you in a diaper?”

“Get on with it,” the first guy said, and the one with Calvin grunted and stepped back to Daniel, taking his wallet. He frowned when it barely contained fifty dollars.

“Where’s the cash?”

“I have five thousand dollars in the safe in my office,” Daniel said. The two gunmen glanced at each other and the first nodded, tightening his hold on the woman.

“Go get it,” he snapped and the second guy marched Daniel from the room.

This was our chance. This was ouronlychance. I didn’t trust them to just leave. They were on a power trip, and I knew the one marching Daniel out had Calvin in his sights.

Over my dead body.

Knowing the female was in on it was a game changer. We just needed a distraction. And we got it.May-belle.

“Oh,” she said in alarm and clutched her chest. I was a little calculated in reacting, but both Chris and I stepped forward simultaneously as we were nearest, full of concern, not even looking at the gunman. Chris’s other two men moved silently to the other side. May-belle was standing in the corner with all of us, but she doubled over quite dramatically. I would have been convinced if she hadn’t managed to look back at me and wink.

“Ma’am,” Chris panic-shouted and grabbed her arm. He wasn’t the only one that moved. Matt, Ryder, and Noah all crowded around, and the gunman shouted, then raised the barrel in the air again to fire.

And that was all the opening I needed. I had him on the floor in seconds and Chris restrained the woman, who had given up any pretense of being a victim. We gagged them both immediately because there was still the second man in the office with Daniel. Chris’s two men took over for us and Matt and Noah kept everyone calm and silent as we positioned ourselves at the door. And on cue, May-belle came through for us again. Hershrieks would have been loud enough to wake the dead. Daniel came through the door first, followed by the second man.

He didn’t get a chance to get a shot off.

Daniel got everyone to sit down while the four of us dragged the three stooges to May-belle’s small sitting room. Chris and I pocketed a gun each. I glanced up as soon as I dared take my eyes off the one that had threatened Calvin and looked for him, but he and Ricky were standing with their arms around each other, and I couldn’t see his face. I ached to go make sure he was okay, but I didn’t dare leave these guys.

---