Billie and Brandon: Untamed

14

"I think this is the last of it Brandon" Ezra said, snatching up some yellowed documents he found stashed deep in one of the drawers. "Damn. These look ancient."

Brandon didn't respond, ripping open another drawer and digging around haphazardly.

"We already pulled all of the documents and contracts and forms we could find." Ezra said frowning, "What are you looking for?"

And then Brandon straightened, holding up his father's custom black Colt pistol with a smirk. It was still in perfect condition. He checked the chamber. The single bullet was still there. Good.

"Found it."

"Your father's pistol? Nice" Ezra grinned, heading over to the window. "I have to admit, Brandon. This is probably the best plan you've ever come up with. I don't think anything has gone wrong yet. Unlike that armadillo for dinner disaster when we were kids..."

Brandon gave him a dry look before turning around and walking towards the door, opening it a crack. The sound of merrymaking and raucous laughter down the corridor filled the room.

"Uh, Brandon? Our escape route is this way."

"Something's wrong." He responded, with narrowed eyes, peeking his head out of the doorway carefully.

"What do you mean something's wrong?" Ezra waved around his bundle of papers pointedly, "We're done here. Nothing seems wrong to me."

"I mean something's wrong with Billie..."

Ezra gave him a sly look, "You sure this isn't just you pissed off that the mayor is touching your woman?"

"She's not my woman" Brandon growled, shooting Ezra an irritated glare, "And I'm talking about the fact that it's been a while since she went back to return that key."

"...Now that you mention it, yeah" Ezra said rubbing the stubble on his chin pensively, "She said she'd be back soon."

"She's not coming" Brandon said, jaw clenched.

She had gotten into some type of trouble, no doubt. He just knew she did. How long did it take to slip a key back? Unless the mayor had caught her. Or trapped her in some way. He tried not to think about Billie being touched by that fucker of a man.

"How do you know?"

"I have a feeling..."

They stood in their respective positions in silence for a few minutes, Ezra staring at Brandon expectantly.

"Well...Your inklings have never really been wrong before." Ezra sighed and stuffed his papers in the holster behind his knives, "So do we leave her? That's what we decided. Every man for himself."

"Goddamn..." Brandon growled under his breath in annoyance, "No. Let's go find that idiot."

A mischievous grin appeared on Ezra's face, "Whatever you say, Brandon"

He walked out the office door with Brandon, heading through the corridor to get to the main hall. Brandon walked briskly, his glare etched in his face and fists clenched.

"So what are we going to do? You do realise a lot of these men know that I'm a fugitive and an enemy of the mayor." Ezra said a small smile on his face, tugging out his two guns and cocking them, "And they'll probably try to get you out of association."

"We'll do what we always do." Brandon replied, a similar smile on his face as he pulled out his own pistol, "Butt in unannounced and start a shootout."

And then they both stepped out of the corridor and into the parlor and shot off a couple rounds into the ceiling. Ezra shot the chandelier above their heads and the bulb busted with a loud crash of glass. The lights cut off immediately. There were high pitched screams and alarmed shouts as women ducked for cover and men cowered, protecting themselves. A few of the other men pulled out their own guns, and waved them around, trying to find the source of the disruption of their evening.