onto the railing to keep his balance. He looked up at Tyler, who was staring at him fondly, placing a hand on his lower back.
“We’ve got you,” Tyler whispered.
Nate opened his mouth to try and find the words to express just how touched he was by the sentiment. A crash from below jerked his head toward the window beside the front door. A metallic clink filled the sudden silence as a cylinder rolled into the hallway.
“Down!” Elliot cried from somewhere out of sight.
Nate twisted away, huddling down as he felt the impact of something exploding outward. A bright light filled the stairwell, followed by a cacophonous blast. Reeling, he tried to make sense of where he was and what was happening and stumbled over his own two feet. His back hit the railing, and with a cry he couldn’t quite hear, the wood gave way and he tumbled backward.
Hitting the ground, he felt the air blasted out of his lungs, and he lay there, stunned in the hallway. He could see movement on the stairwell he’d fallen from, and he reached out, as though he might be able to help Tyler.
The front door gave with a sudden shuddering crash, jerking Nate out of his stunned reverie. Figures stomped into the room, and with a yelp, Nate shoved himself out of the hallway and into the living room. Two men turned the corner, coming straight for him as he struggled to get to his feet.
A bellow erupted in the room, and one of the men flew forward, hitting the ground face first as Tyler tackled him from behind. Nate’s vision cleared enough for him to recognize the man Tyler had called Gruff Man, and the other, his partner in crime, Mustache.
The sounds of what Nate thought was gunfire erupted from further in the house. Tyler didn’t seem to notice as he jerked his hand back. Mustache leaped forward, grabbing Tyler’s wrist and shoving his foot into his injured side. Tyler’s face crumpled as he twisted, trying to free himself from Mustache’s grip as Gruff Man recovered enough to twist around, elbowing Tyler in the same spot.
“Tyler!” Nate cried out, using the coffee table to pull himself upright.
He wasn’t done, though, and while Tyler hit the ground in the hallway, he rolled to his feet, pushing away Mustache’s next blow. Eventually, both kidnappers got involved in the brawl, and Nate couldn’t keep track of what was happening. He could make out cries and curses as the three men tussled, but he could see that Tyler wasn’t winning.
He was outmatched, taking on two opponents at once. Before Tyler could recover from one fist, the other would drive into his chest or stomach. Tyler stumbled back against the wall, Mustache holding his throat as Gruff Man drove a fist into his stomach.
And then the gun appeared.
Mustache pulled it out from his dark coat, and Nate watched his finger draw along the slide, turning off the safety. The man’s lip curled as he brought the gun up, and Nate felt his heart drop into his stomach.
Panicked and no longer thinking clearly, Nate threw himself forward. He slammed into Mustache’s back, sending his gun arm wide, and his face into the wall. Unbelievably, he heard something crack and felt the man fall to his knees.
“Motherfucker!” Mustache swore vehemently, reaching over his back. “You little shit!”
Nate had no idea what he was doing and just clung to Mustache’s back as fiercely as he could. Not once in his life had he ever been in a fight. Hell, he hadn’t even taken fencing lessons like his older sister. But he knew that so long as he had a tight grip on Mustache, the man would never be able to draw his weapon properly on Tyler.
“Like hell!” Tyler yelled from somewhere behind him.
A gunshot rang through the house, and he felt fire race up his shoulder. Nate cried out but tried his best to keep his grip on Mustache for as long as possible. The man was bucking, desperately trying to get Nate off him. From somewhere behind them, he could hear the sounds of a fight as Tyler tried to deal with whatever Gruff Man had been doing.
With another grunt, Mustache backed up and slammed Nate into the wall. His shoulder, inexplicably throbbing, screamed with agony, and he felt his arm release its grip. He dropped to the ground in a slump staring up at the man, who then drove his fist into his face, making Nate see