Chapter 42: Blood on the Floor

Chapter 42: Blood on the Floor

Tim crouched low in the woods, shots still echoing in his ears, sharp and loud from somewhere far off. His heart pounded, hands up like Jack might have pulled a gun. Jack stood over him, breathing hard, his cut arm trembling under the bloody rag. The shots stopped, leaving only wind rustling the trees. Jack grabbed Tim's arm, pulling him up fast, close, too close, his grip tight, protective.
"You okay?" Jack asked, his voice rough but soft, eyes scanning Tim's face.
Tim stiffened, pushing against Jack's chest, but the warmth of his hold sparked something deep, that old pull from before everything went wrong.
"I'm fine, let go," Tim said, his voice shaky, trying to break free.
Jack didn't budge, his hand sliding to Tim's back, steady and firm. "Not till I know you're safe," Jack said, pulling him tighter, their bodies brushing in the dark.
Tim's breath caught, anger burned, but so did that heat, the one he'd felt months ago in Jack's shop, late nights fixing cars, Jack's hand on his, too long, too right.
"Safe?" Tim snapped, shoving again, weaker this time. "You hid Lisa, lied. How's that safe?"
Jack's face softened, his grip loosening but not letting go. "I swear, I'll fix it. For us."
Tim stared at him, Jack's "us" digging in, those quiet moments, Jack teaching him to weld, their laughs mixing, the way Jack's eyes lingered when no one else was around.
"Fix it?" Tim asked, his throat tight. "You chase me, lock her up, fix what?"
Jack's hand moved to Tim's neck, rough fingers brushing skin, warm and sure. "This," Jack said, his voice dropping low. "You and me, I messed up, but it's still here."
Tim froze, caught, Jack's touch woke up that old love, heating up fast, even now, even after the lies. He wanted to pull away, but his feet stayed, his chest leaning in despite himself, drawn to Jack's warmth in the cool night air.
"You're my boy," Jack said, his breath warm on Tim's face, their noses almost touching again.
Tim's stomach flipped, anger fought that pull, the one he'd buried in prison, the one that started with Jack's grin over a busted engine, a shared beer, a night they'd stayed too late, too close.
"Your boy's done trusting you," Tim said, but his voice cracked, weaker than he meant.
Jack's hand tightened on his neck, gentle but firm. "Then let me earn it," he said, leaning closer, their lips brushing for a heartbeat before Tim jerked back, torn, love flaring hot and messy between them in the darkness.
Tim stepped away, his sneakers crunching leaves, chest heaving. "Earn it how?" he asked, staring at Jack, needing an answer, needing Jack, the Jack from before, not this mess.
Jack followed, slow, his eyes locked on Tim's. "By keeping you alive, keeping us alive," he said, his voice raw with emotion.
Tim remembered their first real night, Jack's shop, rain outside, Jack wiping grease off Tim's cheek, their hands lingering, a secret starting between them. "I want to believe you," Tim said, quiet, his guard slipping.
Jack reached out again, fingers grazing Tim's jaw, tender now. "Then do," he said, and Tim almost gave in, almost let that heat take over completely.
Meanwhile, Mia hid behind crates at the warehouse, Pete crouched beside her, the air thick with dust and fear. Shots had cracked through the meet moments ago, loud and sudden, her phone still clutched tight, pics glowing from Reggie, Lisa, and the drugs. She peeked out and saw Carl on the floor, blood pooling under him, chest still, his badge glinting dull in the harsh light. Reggie stood over him, gun in hand, smoke curling from the barrel, his grin wide and mean. Lisa yanked at her ropes in the chaos, chair tipping, she broke free, stumbling up, pink hair wild, and bolted for the back door.
Mia's stomach dropped, Carl was dead, shot by Reggie, the ring's stakes clear now. She raised her phone, snapping fast, capturing Carl's body, Reggie's gun, Lisa's desperate escape, the bag of drugs still on the table untouched in the commotion.
Pete whispered, "He's gone, this is big," his voice tight with urgency.
Mia nodded, her hands steady despite the shake inside. She'd thought it was just Jack and Tim, maybe Paul's shop, but this, drugs, murder, a web that could ruin the town, kids hooked, jobs lost, families broken. Her pics caught it all, proof piling up, the town's risk glaring in every shot she took.
Reggie kicked Carl's leg, laughing low. "Told you, Jack's out, I'm in," he said to the scarred guy nearby, who nodded, counting cash like nothing happened, completely unfazed by the murder they'd just witnessed.
Mia kept shooting, Lisa vanished out the back, Reggie's smirk, the drugs untouched on the table gleaming under the lights. She'd texted Pete's cop friend, "Warehouse, drugs, now," and prayed he'd move fast. This wasn't small; it was a flood waiting to hit, shops like Paul's feeding it, streets turning dark with something dangerous and unstoppable.
Pete grabbed her arm firmly. "We've got enough, let's go," he said, pulling her back.
Mia resisted, snapping one last pic, Carl's blood spreading across the concrete floor, Reggie's gun still out, evidence they couldn't leave behind.
Lisa's escape left the warehouse loud, Reggie yelling at the scarred guy, "Find her!" but Mia stayed focused, her phone heavy with truth. She'd seen Carl and Paul plan "Tim gone," but this was more, Reggie killing Carl meant the ring was shifting, growing, a town-wide threat she couldn't ignore no matter how dangerous it had become.
Pete tugged harder. "Mia, now," he said, his voice sharp with fear.
She nodded, slipping back with him, gravel crunching under her sneakers, her pics locked in, Carl dead, drugs real, Lisa free, the town teetering on the edge of something terrible.
Tim stood with Jack, the shots faded now, just wind in the trees again. Jack's hand stayed on his jaw, warm, steady, pulling him in. "I'll fix it," Jack said again, his voice a promise, eyes soft but fierce with determination.
Tim's chest tightened, love burned, messy and strong, from those shop nights, Jack's quiet "stay" when work was done, their secret building slow over shared moments and lingering touches. "You better," Tim said, his voice low, leaning into Jack's touch, resisting less, feeling that heat take hold despite everything.
Jack smiled, small, real, a grin Tim knew from before, one that started it all between them long ago.
They stood there, close, the woods wrapping them up, Tim's guard slipping more with each passing moment. He remembered Jack's laugh, rough and warm, the way he'd nudge Tim's shoulder, teasing, flirty, back when it was just them with nothing complicated between them.
"I missed this," Tim said, barely a whisper, letting Jack's hand stay.
Jack's smile grew wider. "Me too," he said, pulling Tim in again, protective, tight, love heating up, alive despite the mess they were in.
Then headlights cut through the dark suddenly, Jack's truck roared up, engine loud, revving hard through the quiet night. Someone was inside, shadow moving behind the windshield, Tim tensed, Jack's grip hardening protectively.
"Who's that?" Tim asked, fear spiking, the moment breaking fast as the truck came to a stop nearby, its lights illuminating them in the darkness of the woods.