SEAL Team Seven Tyler: Book 4 (7 page)

Tyler

Dani was real careful as she cleaned the cuts and applied ointment before checking for broken ribs. “Ouch.” Vicki’s soft cry when her arm was touched led me to believe it might be worse than I’d first thought.

Maybe I was going to have to take her in after all, which was going to pose a problem. I didn’t want to leave her out in the open and exposed in a hospital. “What do you think Danielle, is it broken?” I tested the arm myself and found that it was just sore from being handled roughly, but there were no breaks or fractures that I could tell.

“No I don’t think so Ty, but are you sure we shouldn’t take her to the hospital?”

“No sis, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I didn’t need to say anymore for her to get the picture.

These women had come a long way and fast since hooking up with my brothers. All except Nessa who was accustomed to the life; though Zak treated her no different than Con and Lo treated their civilian women.

When she was finished patching her up I gave her something to help her sleep. It was a testament to how far Dani had come with us that she didn’t ask any questions, didn’t even bat a lash as she did her thing.

Though I could tell from the set of her mouth that she was pissed she didn’t let on at all. I held Vicki until she went out and then eased my arm from out under her. “Watch her I’ll be right back.” Now that I was sure she was going to be okay I could turn my focus to other matters.

“Where are you going?” Dani followed me out of the room wringing her hands with worry. I pulled her to me and kissed her forehead. “Nothing for you to worry about little sister, thanks for the help.”

I left the house before she could ask me any more questions and went towards my bike. I’d taken the truck to get her but my chopper would get me back into town faster.

I pulled my helmet on over my head and started up my ride before burning rubber out the gate. I let all the anger and rage I’d been holding in check for the past hour or so come to the forefront; I’m gonna need that shit to fuel my fists when I beat the shit outta whoever had a hand in fucking with mine.

My mind was clear and already focused on one thing and one thing only. I started putting shit in perspective, looking at all the angles, searching for answers as I ate up the distance.

We’d been doing our best to keep a low profile in our new home, not necessarily trying to fit in but not wanting to make waves either.

There was enough speculation surrounding us as it was, but this shit was not going to go unanswered. If the town’s people chose to believe their assumptions as to what kind of men we were I give a fuck. Half of them believed we were a renegade biker gang anyway so what if what I was about to do convinced them of that?

Meanwhile ever since we landed we’ve been knee deep in bullshit that had nothing to do with us. All we’d wanted was some peace and quiet. This seemed like the perfect place to do that, a fresh start.

It had been the commander’s childhood home, a place he’d raved about to us more than once, so when he left it to my brothers and I we felt the love that the gruff old bastard had never quite put into words, but had been felt nonetheless over the years.

But ever since we got settled it seemed like life was destined to keep us in the midst of bullshit. It might not be the fucking deserts of Afghanistan, but it was just was worrisome to us, and much closer to home.

My brothers were finally starting to settle down with their women and life was looking up. I for one was at the end of my fucking rope with the bullshit, but this was the first time anyone had crossed the fucking line in such a monumental fucking way.

I didn’t know for sure if this fat fuck had anything to do with that business, but it really didn’t matter. He’d signed his death warrant the second he set his sights on her. My mind tried to come up with any scenario that would instigate what had been done to her and it kept coming back to us.

I couldn’t shake the thought that somehow this shit had happened to her because of her association with me. If he had hurt her because of me, his death was going to be ten times fucking worse than anything he could imagine.

Like I said, I knew this guy by sight but had never had occasion to deal with him in the past. Because he had a reputation in these parts of a big shot with connections, that pretty much kept the locals in check.

He was the proverbial small town big man. He’d come into our radar when we’d first started digging into the unsavory goings on down by the water, because the old men who’d sounded the alarm had thought because of his rep that he might be a good bet.

Someone was using the place to run drugs or humans or some shit that we had yet to figure out. We’d already stirred up the hornet’s nest, first when we went after Danielle’s ex and the people he was dealing with, and then when we found the commander’s ledger with his notes.

But there were still others as yet undiscovered. The family we’d turned up under the muck was no laughing matter and they had a very long reach. But I didn’t see them doing their own dirty work.

The more I thought of it, the more I was beginning to think this fuck had a hand in it. His reputation alone put him there, but that was just an assumption at this point. All that shit aside, whether he was involved or not, his ass was done.

***

I saw my brothers as soon as I pulled up to the much nicer hotel where I had discovered the asshole usually hung out this time of day. It was a far cry from the dump he’d left her in.

I should’ve known the girls would sound the alarm, but I was not about to be stopped. I could do without this shit, but there was always a way around my brothers. Logan met me at the door as soon as I jumped down from my ride.

“Where are you going brother?” He put his body between mine, and the door to the place.

“Get out of my way Lo, I gotta do this shit.” I tried to mow him the fuck down the hardheaded fuck.

“Not today brother and not like this.” He fucking pushed me back which was never a good thing when I was in this mood. The others were surrounding me by now, each of them at the ready.

Whatever Dani had told them had lit a fire under them, because they weren’t about to budge and they came loaded for bear. “You didn’t see what the fuck he did to her, now get out of my way don’t make me have to go through you.”

Even I knew that I was heading into dangerous territory. My voice had gone low and the blood in my veins was ice, but this shit needed to get done and today, so these motherfuckers know who the fuck they’re dealing with.

Last night I’d told myself to pull back, this shit right here tipped me over the fucking edge. I felt the bitter taste of rage as I prepared to knock the fuck out of every last one of them to go after my prey.

“Try it; now you just calm the fuck down and listen.” By now others were looking on, wondering what was going on in the center of their town in the middle of the afternoon.

It was probably scaring the shit out of some of the old timers seeing all of us in fighting stance looking like we were ready to throw down. I wasn’t too torn up about that shit either.

All that was on my mind was her, and what the fuck was done to her on my watch. I looked at Logan and I knew he saw it in my eyes, but he wouldn’t back off. I knew that too.

“We wait, Ty, if you go in now, all that’s gonna get you is arrested, then where will she be? Use your head bro, we know who did it, all we have to do is bide our time…”

“You’re so full of shit, if someone did this shit to Gabriella you would be in their ass.” Fuck, did I just admit that I had feelings for Vicki? Looks like, but what the fuck ever.

So what it took this shit to get my head out of my ass and take her up on what she’s been offering? It doesn’t matter, what matters is making that fucker pay for putting hands on what’s mine.

“Tyler, you cannot go after this guy in the middle of the fucking day with a hundred witnesses.”

“Fuck that, he’s not going to breathe a minute fucking longer after what the fuck he did to her, what the fuck do you take me for?”

“Get him back in the truck, Connor you drive him back to the compound, the rest of us will follow.”

“Don’t fucking do it.” I was ready to drop fucking Con if he got in my way.

“Come on bro we’ll talk better at home.” Connor wrapped his hand around my neck loosely but I knew one wrong move and the fucker would have me on lock. I glared at Logan’s interfering ass.

“You can’t go in there this hot brother, we’re civilians, this is not enemy territory it’s fucking Main Street US of fucking A.” Lo tried reasoning with me when he knew damn good and well I was past that point. The only thing that would suffice me now, is that fucker’s blood in my throat and his rotting carcass at my feet.

“I give less than a fuck, he’s fucking dead.”

“Why the fuck is it that in the midst of combat I can get you fucks to keep a straight head, but once you get state side or more to the point whenever it involves your women you lose your shit at the slightest provocation?”

I’m not gonna call Lo on his shit again, he’s just reaching now. We all have the utmost respect for Lo’s leadership skills, but he knows this shit has nothing to do with combat and his command.

“Well there’s one thing wrong with that bro, we’re not in the zone right now.”

“Oh yeah well that won’t stop me from kicking your ass.” Ok so now he’s pissed, fucking A, but do I want to take this shit out on my brother? I was slipping, I know I was, and even having them here wasn’t making that shit any better.

I’d held the shit in too long and now I needed an outlet. “You can try fucker…” I made a play for him and felt Con’s arm tighten around my neck.

“Alright hold it both of you. Let’s remember that we’re all on the same side here. Ty get in the fucking truck because you know none of us are gonna let you go in there like this.” Connor placed himself in front of me and refused to budge.

I drew in my breath and willed the haziness to clear from my vision. My blood was up and unless I found an outlet soon, I was gonna blow. All of them had that fucking face on that said I wasn’t getting past them, and a pretty good-sized crowd was starting to form.

Lo came up close and personal. “You know how we roll brother, you go in, we’re all in. But this will not end well for any of us. Think of the girls, think of Victoria, think of Zakira. It’s your call.” The fucker stepped back and nodded at Con to let me go.

I knew why he did it; he did it because he understood and because like I said if it had been Gaby he’d have already ended the fuck. But he also did it because when it came down to it he was expecting his brother to use his fucking head.

Con kept talking to me in that way he has that always brings me back. I don’t know what it is, his voice, the tone, something he does gets through when nothing else can.

It burnt my ass that I had to leave shit the way it was for now, but there was always tomorrow. I nodded my head and turned to the truck after throwing my keys to Quinn.

I didn’t miss the sighs of relief or the looks that passed between the six of them. Con clapped me on the shoulder and grinned like an ass. I could imagine he was thinking that that was the easiest it had ever been to bring the fuck down.

***

“So which one did it?” Fucking Con was about to talk my ass to death in the front seat while Zak and Cord sat in back. Lo and Dev were in the other jeep behind us. We’d decided until this shit was over that we’d ride in to the job together. I guess that worked out for the best today.

“Which who did what?” if he was asking me about this shit after I barely calmed myself down he was gonna have a problem on his hands.

“When Logan was rattling off names, was it Victoria-Lyn or the baby that calmed your ass down?” Shit, now that he said it… “Both”.

I looked out the window after that with a strange feeling. He was right; this was the first time since my rages had started as a young boy that anything other than Connor had been able to get through my haze.

I still didn’t know how he did it, and now it seemed Vicki and the baby had the same effect. “Huh.” That’s all I had, what more could I say? The medication they’d forced on me before I was old enough to tell them to get fucked hadn’t done shit but made shit worse.

The shrinks were for shit, and nothing, not even pounding my fists into something had ever done shit to calm the situation. Connor had come along when I joined the team and somehow was able to tap into me when I got like that.

He was the only one who’d even stay around me in the beginning, until the CO had told us that if something affected one it affected all. The others still hadn’t figured out how to bring me down, but they stopped moving away from me.

Little Zak, I could see it, I could see why they would both work. The baby because of her innocence and the way she was already in me, and Vicki, for the same reasons but in a whole different way.

There were no more doubts, no more hang-ups. The shit I’ve been carrying around with me for most of my life still needed to be dealt with, but there was no way after this that I was gonna leave her on her own. Leave her out there uncovered without her man to see after her.