Billie and Brandon: Untamed

16

Ezra rested in an alleyway, catching his breath in the shadows and gripping the wall as he watched deputies search the town and shake down townsfolk, asking if they'd seen any of the three of them.

He'd barely gotten out of the mansion alive. He'd been trying to figure out an escape route, because the door had been blocked off by some other guard. He'd been on the verge of running out of bullets when Drew had come out of nowhere and told him another way out of the mansion through the service entrance. He'd followed her and the other women out of the cacophony and got all the way back to town, where he'd left the women at the saloon with Liy and hightailed it out of there so they wouldn't be considered accomplices.

He'd wanted to go back for Brandon and Billie and had made it half of the way back towards the mayor's mansion, but he had overheard a deputy asking around for all three of them. That meant they had to have gotten away as well.

But they were clearly asking for Billie Donahoe. Which meant that the Donahoe's were in danger.

"Shit...what would Brandon do?" Ezra muttered under his breath, wiping his brow, "Fuck..."

Brandon had always been the creator of the plans and the decider of their next steps to get out of trouble. He closed his eyes and tried to channel his partner's mentality.

And the Ezra frowned and rolled his eyes. What the fuck was he doing?

"Nevermind..." he snuck back around towards the side of the inn, where some people's horses rested. "I should just go warn them of the impending danger."

He untied one carefully and hopped on, riding off towards the Donahoe's ranch.

He only hoped that the mayor's authorities hadn't gotten to them first.

_______________________________

The Donahoe's house was still lit when he finally got to the ranch. He near flew off the horse and tore through the gate, heading to the porch.

Ezra barged in through the door, breathing hard and looking around for any sign of life. Gerry, who had been standing in the area, jumped in alarm, his eyes wide and looking frantic.

"Ezra?!"

"B-Billie is in trouble." Ezra gasped.

"I know." Gerry said, helping him inside to sit in a chair, "Brandon told me. We're trying to get out of here as soon as possible."

"No time..." Ezra gasped, fanning himself, "I saw a couple on their way here right now. I barely beat them."

Mara raced by, carrying some linens and stuffing them into one of the open chests being filled.

"You need to hide somewhere Ezra." Mara said in concern, "If they see you, they'll try to kill you."

"How did Billie get into so much trouble?" Gerry asked, a little bewildered.

"She was trying to save someone from the Bull's Sleaze. Maggie. But our plan got really messed up, as you can see."

"Did you say Maggie?" Mara took a tiny, surprised step back, startled and eyes watering, "Gerry...She's alive. She's still alive!"

Gerry was sporting much the same shocked look on his face.

Ezra looked between the two of them, confused, "Wait, you both know her? Who is Maggie?"

"Maggie is Billie's mother. We adopted Billie when she was a baby. All this time, I'd thought she wasn't alive."

"Shit...That means that she might be in trouble too..." Ezra stood up in a flourish, "Look, you all need to leave right now. The mayor's men are going to come here soon and no doubt, he will use you all to get to Billie."