Cut and Run 2 - Sticks and Stones

held up his hands to calm them. He pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “We don’t wanna have to drag a body anywhere. Best thing to do is march ’em up there, and do it there.”
    Ty slammed both hands onto the ground suddenly, rustling the dried leaves and making an unsatisfactory thud. “I am sick and fucking tired of being threatened by amateurs!” he shouted in utter frustration. He pushed himself up to stand suddenly, turning on Swizzlestick and the shotgun, and he pointed a finger at the cruel-looking man. “If you’re gonna shoot me, shoot me, but I’ll be goddamned if you’re gonna throw me in a hole and leave me!”
    Zane’s gaze wrenched up from the ground just as Earl and Deuce began begging Ty to calm down.
    No one seemed to know what to do now that Ty was literally telling them to shoot him. Swizzlestick stood in front of Ty, gripping his shotgun uncertainly and glancing at Redjacket for guidance. As Ty threw his hissy fit, Redjacket moved closer to sort it out, his glasses in one hand and his gun in the other. Swizzlestick tossed his plastic stick away with a curse and gripped his shotgun tighter to point it at Ty threateningly, shouting for him to shut up and sit back down.
    They circled around Ty, leaving Earflaps a good fifteen to twenty yards on the other side of the clearing. Alone with Zane.
    Whether Ty did it on purpose was hard to tell, but it was Zane’s opinion that he was just losing his temper and didn’t care if they shot him, rather than purposely trying to divert their attention away from the rest of them. Ty did have a short fuse upon occasion, and Zane figured he had reason today. It was even possible that he was halfway lost in a flashback to his Recon days. If anything was going to cause one, this would. Ty turned to Redjacket as they circled him, both of them pointing their guns at him and shouting for him to get back on his knees. He ignored the orders and continued bitching about their tactics. “You don’t tell your prisoners you’re gonna kill them!” he shouted at Redjacket in annoyance as he took a step toward him.
    It reminded Zane suddenly of the lessons Ty had been telling the rookie FBI candidates back at Hogan’s Alley. Never overestimate the mental stability of your opponent.
    Swizzlestick stepped forward and jabbed his shotgun into Ty’s belly.
    Zane’s shoulders twitched, cold fear flooding him. He hoped to hell Ty knew what he was doing. There was no way he or Earl or Deuce could get to him to help when Ty already had a shotgun point blank in his middle.
    Ty took another step, causing the barrel of the gun to dig against his abs and pushing Swizzletsick back a step. The man’s trembling finger tightened slightly on the trigger.
    “You give them hope!” Ty yelled at the man. “It keeps them docile and cooperative so they don’t resort to desperate measures when you’re not paying attention!” he said as he grabbed the barrel of the gun, shoved it away from his body, and struck out at the man with a left hook. The gun went off just as Ty let it go, the shot just barely missing Redjacket.
    “Hey!” Redjacket yelled, raising his gun. Ty kicked back at him, hitting him square in the chest with his heavy hiking boot and sending him stumbling backwards before rounding on Swizzlestick again.
    Earl and Deuce began to truly struggle with their restraints as all hell broke loose around them. Suddenly everyone was moving.
    Zane was already twisting to slam his arm across the back of Earflaps’ knees before giving him a heavy push, toppling the man over. He landed on his ass with a loud grunt, but he held onto his shotgun. Zane lunged at him, hand out to grab at Ty’s gun, but Earflaps swung the shotgun, catching Zane in the face again, and the pain shattered through him. He was dazed for a moment, long enough for Earflaps to jab him in the kidney with the gun barrel before he shook the haze off and kicked at him. He could hear the cursing and yelling and scuffling going on behind him as Ty dealt with two men at once, but Zane couldn’t get to them yet—he had to deal with this asshole first. Lurching to his feet, Zane grappled with Earflaps and slapped at his belt to dislodge the gun, getting a knee in the gut for his efforts.
    “That there’s part of the payback,” Earflaps hissed as Zane collapsed to one side with a harsh gasp, trying to get air in.
    Zane blinked hard, the others coming into focus for the seconds it took him to roll