“He’s not going anywhere,” Josiah said firmly.
“You think you can stop me walking out with him?” Tyler raised an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
Moving slowly, but ostentatiously, Josiah removed his coat, jacket, and tie, then undid his shirt cuffs and folded his sleeves up to his elbows. Tyler’s men watched him, warily.
“Really? You think you can take on four highly trained security experts?” Tyler snorted.
“Yup.” Josiah grinned.
“Please, Joe. Don’t,” Alex begged. “It’s not worth it. I’m not worth it. You can’t win this one.”
Josiah winked at him. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
He didn’t wait. He could feel the blood thrumming in his veins. This was going to besomuch better than a fight down at the gym, or the tedium of the punchbag in his box room. He took out the thug grasping Alex’s arm with one punch before anyone even had the chance to react. The man went down like a stone and didn’t get up again.
It wasn’t a fair fight. He could have told them that, if only they’d listened. Josiah hadn’t had the opportunity to really let go and be in the zone for some time, and now he had something worth fighting for, which made him doubly dangerous.
Tyler’s lackeys were obviously well trained, but Josiah had fought in war zones against far more desperate foes. At least they weren’t armed – Josiah guessed that even George Tyler couldn’t risk gunning down an investigator in his own home. He had a stun gun in his sock holster and a pistol hidden in the house, but he had no intention of using either; he was enjoying the fight too much.
The second thug threw himself at him, while the third tried to attack from behind. The fourth stationed himself in front ofTyler to protect him. Josiah screamed out the rage that was always inside him. He was Quarterlands scum, and he’d learned to fight almost as soon as he’d learned to walk. These men might be from the Quarterlands too – they probably were – but none of them could match him for sheer rage.
He’d lost Peter, and he’d be damned if he’d lose Alex as well, because hewouldlose him if Tyler took him out of this house. Alex would be dead before dawn – he was sure of that. Josiah had always been at his most dangerous when he had something to protect, whether that was his army unit, his peacekeeping buddies, Peter, or even Hattie. Alex was in his safekeeping and nobody –nobody– was going to take him away.
His head connected squarely with flesh, causing a spray of blood to go flying as he dispatched the man in front of him with a savage headbutt. Then he whirled around fast, throwing off the third man, who’d attached himself to his back. The man landed on the sofa, and Josiah didn’t give him a chance to get up again. He grabbed his shirt, pulled him up, and then punched him hard several times. He heard the satisfying crunch of fist on bone, and then turned to go after the fourth – the one guarding Tyler. It was the work of seconds to headbutt the man until his eyes went blank and he lost consciousness.
Josiah straightened, feeling fantastic. He was aware that his knuckles were bleeding and his forehead was bruised, but there was no pain – that would kick in later. He advanced on Tyler and, for the first time, saw a look of fear in his enemy’s eyes. He picked Tyler up by the throat, wanting to squeeze the life out of him, like the vermin he was…
“Joe,” a quiet voice behind him said, breaking through the red mist. “No,” Alex told him, his cool hand squeezing his arm firmly. Tyler’s eyes were wide, his breathing coming in panicked gasps as Josiah tightened his grasp around his neck. He took a deep breath and slowly released him.
“Get out,” Josiah rasped. Tyler didn’t need telling twice; he was already edging towards the door. “And Tyler? Don’t follow me again. Don’t come near this house again, and never,evertry to take Alex away from me again.”
“This isn’t over,” Tyler croaked.
“Oh, I know that.” Josiah went around the room, booting the thugs into consciousness and off his floor.
“I’ll be in Lomax’s office tomorrow morning with my paperwork,” Tyler hissed, holding on to the edge of the door, far enough away from Josiah now to risk riling him. “Alexislegally mine and Iwilltake him. I’ll have your career for this – hell, I’ll have your entire life. You should have accepted my job offer when you could. Within a couple of days, the only people who’ll hire you will be third-rate security firms looking for a grunt to patrol offices. I’ll ruin you, Raine.”
“You can try,” Josiah said contemptuously. “Now, fuck off – and take your pathetic crew with you.”
The lawyer, the thugs, and Tyler all disappeared in a scurrying mass. Josiah strode after them, locking every single door in the house, then drawing the curtains, but he wasn’t worried. Tyler wouldn’t be back tonight. It wasn’t his style. He’d bring all his lawyers to Inquisitus tomorrow and try and get the suits to remove Alex.
Returning to the living room, he found Alex picking up the furniture, righting a couple of chairs that had fallen over during the fight. He straightened up, gazing at Josiah miserably.
“Is he telling the truth?” he asked. “Do I still belong to him?”
“I don’t know, but it would make sense. We had wondered why he’d ever sell your contract, given what you know.”
“But surely it can’t be legal?”
“That’s for the lawyers to fight over, but knowing Tyler, I’m sure it’ll be legally airtight.”
“If he takes me, I’m as good as dead. It’d be too much of a risk for him to keep me alive.”
“I know. Why do you think I fought those bastards so hard?” A thought occurred to him suddenly, and he set his bug app to work. “Just checking that Tyler didn’t leave anything behind,” he murmured, but his holopad registered no unexpected recording devices. “I’m guessing even Tyler wouldn’t dare bug a senior investigator in his own home, but it seemed wise to check.”
Alex gently touched his forehead, and Josiah winced. “You have a nasty cut. Sit down. I’ll bathe it for you.”
