Page 103 of Fish in a Barrel

As Ellery turned his head and scrambled awkwardly to his knees and then to his feet, he saw Billy, standing right in front of Sean Kryzynski, pop Goslar hard in the jaw before Goslar had a chance to react.

Goslar stumbled back, his knees watery, and then he fell on his ass.

Sean got behind him and pulled him to his feet, only a little out of breath as he cuffed the man, reciting his rights. The charge was obstruction of justice, and while Ellery thought even a shitty defense attorney would get that dropped, it was as good a reason as any to put Goslar under lock and key until Cartman folded.

He’d be a lot easier to track down if they had him in jail already.

Ellery realized he’d been on his feet for quite some time, and Jackson was still flat on his back, eyes squeezed shut in apparent pain.

“Jackson? Are you okay?”

Jackson’s voice, when it came back, was thin with agony. “Ellery, I think I popped all my stitches.”

Ellery sucked in a horrified breath and offered his hand to help Jackson up. Billy was at Jackson’s other side in a second, taking as much of his upper body weight as possible as Jackson pushed heavily to his feet.

The back of his hooded sweatshirt was a mess, and Ellery let out a groan.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Jackson, I’m so sorry. I… I saw the laser sight, and I just couldn’t let you get shot. Not again. I just couldn’t—”

Jackson took Ellery’s cheeks in his hands and pulled him in for a hard, almost desperate, hot kiss.

Ellery stood stiffly for a moment before melting into the touch, responding to the kiss, tasting the brine on Jackson’s lips and on his own. Oh God. For a moment he’d seen it all so clearly—Jackson, dead on the field, his body torn apart by a sniper’s bullet, death coming to reclaim him in one vicious punch, recompense for all the times Jackson had cheated the specter at the last gasp.

Ellery would rather die.

Jackson’s mouth over his told him they were both alive. They’d both survived. They had days together. They had holidays and vacations together, and gentle moments in the sun.

They had so much work to do.

So much lay before them. And all of it, all of it, was possible because Jackson’s mouth was hot on his, demanding every response he could give.

When Ellery was limp and ready, Jackson pulled back from the kiss and met his eyes, his own bright with tears.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he rasped.

“No promises,” Ellery told him. “Don’t ever leave me behind again.”

Jackson grimaced. “No promises.”

Ellery felt a watery smile twist his lips. “Well, we’re at an impass—”

“Marry me.”

Ellery’s eyes grew wide, and for a moment he had no words. “Now?” he finally managed.

Jackson’s mouth thinned in exasperation. “Marry me later.Promiseme now, since it’s apparently the only promise we can make.”

“Yes,” Ellery said, wiping his eyes with his palms. “Yes. Yes, of course I’ll marry you. Now or later. Or whenever. I promise. I promise we’ll—”

“Later,” Billy said, his mostly impassive face actually sporting a droll expression. “Mr. Cramer, he’s bleeding like a stuck pig. You guys go ahead and set the date, but do it at the hospital, okay?”

Ellery leaned his forehead against Jackson’s. “Of course,” he whispered. “You ready?”

“Not even a little,” Jackson replied, mouth curved into a rueful smile. “Let’s get it done.”

THE HOSPITALsentenced him to two days incarceration under the guise of being “under observation.” Ignoring his protests, they sedated him heavily to help control his blood pressure and anxiety, and because the doctor who’d attended him Thursday night proclaimed he was no longer to be trusted with important things, such as his own health.

“But I could just go back home,” Jackson protested, even as Nurse Dave was prepping his morphine shot. “I don’t want to lose two days of my life!”