Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 17:38:22 -0600
From: Daniel Lund <rimshotsplanet@hotmail.com>
Subject: Paper Tiger 5

	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.