Rose Tinted (boyxboy)

Chapter 14: Rescue

"I got you."

☆

The last moments of Max's shift dragged terribly. He only had one thing on his mind...Tayce. Was he ok? did he need help?

Max was desperate to get to his phone, trapped in his locker, but Jojo kept piling on the last minutes jobs. Finally Max snaps. "It's 10:30, I'm done!" He says to a taken aback Jojo, who up until this point hadn't seen this side of Max, though Donny had told him about it.

"But...the bin..." Jojo starts to say, but Max is already walking away to the locker room. Jojo looks at Micky, a glare of don't you dare do the same thing! about him. Micky just grabs the black bin bag and heads to take it out.

Max hurries to his locker. He is all fingers and thumbs as he tries to line up his code 0613, his haste is causing him to miss align. He finally manages to remove his locker and scrabbles for his phone. The blood drains from his face when he reads the text from an unknown number...

I need you he's going crazy I'm at Wes...

The message was sent literally two minutes ago, incomplete. Max doesn't even bother to take his bag, grabbing his jacket and keys, pocketing his phone and heading into the corridor. He nearly bumps into Micky, coming back from taking out the bin. "Whoa there! Where's the fire?" Mick says, a little startled by the collision.

"Tayce...where does he live?" Max is already feeling breathless as the adrenaline kicks in.

"Uh...a big house, that I know. Over on West Fair somewhere." Micky says vaguely not really feeling the urgency in Max's voice.

"Number?"

"What?"

"House number. What's his house number?" Max is this close to grabbing Micky by the collar to shake him in frustration, this was urgent.

"I...I don't know?" He says. "Why do you wanna know anyhow?" Micky now looks at Max with quizzical eyes.

"He..needs something." Max says, now dashing for the back door.

Micky doesn't get a chance to respond, before Max is just a breeze blowing past him..

He heads out to his motorbike, pulling on his helmet and starting the engine up. He was heading directly to West Fair. He was going to get to Tayce before Frank did.

Max speeds and dodges between cars to get to his destination. He knew where West Fair was, but knew no one who lived there until now. He eventually slows as he reaches the picturesque tree lined street, filled with perfect white rendered and red brick houses. The place looked like it was out of a film set where nothing bad would ever happen, but right now anything could be happening behind one of those closed doors and he needed to find it...Fast.

As Max begins to ride down the street, he looks for the red Audi. He soon spots it, the house four plots in. He remembers the blue door Tayce spoke about in the taxi and there it was.

Tayce was inside and he needed help. Max gets off his bike and heads to the door, banging it furiously. There is a weird stillness inside like no one is home, so Max knocks again. He can see a dim light come on from just inside and soon a figure is just visible on the other side of the thin pane of glass.

Frank opens the door, the top two of his shirt buttons undone. The cuffs of his sleeve hanging loose. He looked sweaty and out of breath.

"Delivery." Max says, with his helmet still on.

"Frank looks annoyed at the intrusion. "I didn't order any..."

Max steps a foot over the threshold and still with his helmet on, headbutts Frank right in the face. Frank steps back, stuned by the attack, his nose instantly bleeding.

"Ah shit!" He curses, in a daze from the attack. Max now removes his helmet and Frank sees who has hit him. "You!" He says, rage building inside of him. Frank goes to swing a punch, but Max is fast. Taking his helmet and smacking Frank across the face. He drops to the floor like a dead weight.

Max drops the helmet and strides up the stairs, two to a step. "Tayce?" There is no answer. Max is having to check each room. He then checks in what looks like their bedroom. He can see the room a mess, an easy chair on its side and a lamp on the floor which had been swiped off a dresser.

He then sees the door to the ensuite bathroom slightly ajar. He doesn't hesitate to push the door open and what he sees shocks him to the core!

Tayce is laying slumped on the floor, eyes closed, with his back against the shower screen. Tayce's phone is across from him on the tiled floor, screen smashed, next to the sink. Max bends down and instantly shakes Tayce's shoulders. "Tayce, Tayce, Tayce, wake up." He whispers shouts. Even with Frank out for the count downstairs, he didn't know how long for.

It's then he sees the fresh marks, the bruises around Tayce's neck, where there was evidence of a strong hold. A hand grip, fingertip marks. Had Frank tried to strangle him?

Max now didn't have the time to wait for a response from Tayce. He pulls him forward and drapes his limp body over his shoulder and stands up. Max carefully, goes down the stairs where he could still see Frank laying still. He then feels a movement on his shoulders.

"W..wha..." Tayce's voice is groggy and he feels disorientated.

"I got you." Max whispers.

As Max gets to the bottom step, Tayce sees Frank on the wooden floor, blood still dripping for his nose. Tayce's body suddenly comes to life on Max's shoulder. "Shit, Frank... Have you killed him? I didn't want you to kill him!"

Max now settles Tayce on his feet. He bends down and scoops up his helmet and hurridly places it on Tayce head. "He's not dead, I just knocked him out." Tayce's body relaxes a little.

"Now this is what is going to happen." Max now looks into Tayce's eyes. "You are leaving this house and you are never coming back."

Tayce nods, tears now falling from his eyes. Max takes Tayce by the hand and tries to pull him quickly out of the door, but Tayce seems to be resisting. He pulls his hand away.

Max looks back to see Tayce standing over Frank. Tears now flowing freely. "Come on." Max says impatiently. "What are you waiting for?"

"Just...give me a minute." Tayce replies, squatting down to look closely at Frank's face. He takes a hand and strokes his dark brown silky hair affectionately. "I love you...why do you do this to me?"

Max again reaches for Tayce's arm. "Please, can we just go?"

Tayce looks up at Max and Max doesn't understand why Tayce isn't running. Why is he not running? "I can't leave him like this." Tayce replies, looking back at Frank. "What if he dies?"

"What if you die?" Max now raises his voice. "Tayce, he tried to choke you! He chose to put his hands around your throat and squeeze the life from you, and if I didn't get here when I did..." Max tails off, not wanting to say the result of that outcome.

Tayce goes to stand but then there is another grab to his wrist. Frank has come around. "You're mine." Frank says groggily.

Tayce tries to pull away from the grip. "Get off me!" He shouts.

Max kicks the hand away and this time, Tayce has no hesitation of coming with him.