Cut and Run 1 - Cut and Run

hurt bad,” Ty answered grimly.
    Ross stood at her side, looking annoyed. “We tried calling you,” he said to Henninger.
    "This building's got shitty reception,” Henninger muttered uncomfortably as he looked at his phone that had never rung.
    Ty nodded at them both, suddenly very aware of the splatters of blood from the crash that spotted his rumpled clothing and the fact that he looked like he'd been tumbled on high spin for an hour. It seemed to him that it spoke of his failures so far, that he hadn't even been able to protect his partner, much less catch the killer he'd been set on.
    "Thank you for coming,” he said to them both quietly, not a trace of apology or embarrassment in his tone. There was impatience, however, and he was practically vibrating in his shoes.
    Sears looked over him, but didn't comment. “We can stay a couple hours before they start asking us where the hell we've disappeared to,” she said apologetically. “So you better get going unless we make this official."
    "I left our notes on the case in there with Garrett,” Ty told her gruffly. The unspoken reason—in case neither of them lived long enough to share what they'd found—wasn't lost on anyone. “And there's a stack of personnel files here that has the name of our killer in it somewhere,” he added as he pointed to the files Henninger had put on the coffee table.
    Henninger nodded and glanced between them uncomfortably. “You want to change your shirt, Grady?” he asked finally, eyes drifting over the small amount of blood.
    Ty glanced at him and then quietly shook his head. “There'll be more on it when we're done,” he said in a low, soft voice.
    Ross and Sears glanced at each other. “Don't hesitate to call in backup,” Sears reminded disapprovingly.
    Henninger nodded, turned to grab a small bag, and led the way out the door and to the elevator.
    Neither man spoke as they headed out of the apartment. They rode down in the elevator in silence, Henninger glancing at Ty every few seconds as if wishing to say something. Finally, as the elevator came to a jolting stop at the parking deck floor, he cleared his throat and said, “Before we start this, I just want you to know, Special Agent Grady, it's been a real pleasure working with you. Both of you."
    Ty glanced at him as the doors whooshed quietly open. “Likewise,” he said softly to the kid.
    He stepped out of the elevator as Henninger gave him an almost shy smile. He looked out into the dark parking deck and stepped forward, but his progress was halted as a hand suddenly covered the lower part of his face. He struggled as he breathed in the sickly sweet scent that covered the handkerchief, but he had already inhaled too much of the chloroform, and he sank helplessly to his knees, not able to reach his gun or even strike out at his attacker.
    The last sound he heard was a shout and struggle that seemed to be miles away and a distant thunk as his limp body hit the concrete floor.
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Chapter Fifteen
    Zane laid on Henninger's bed for a while, dozing, until he started hurting too much to rest. Dragging his eyes open, he spent a long minute looking at the bottle of pills Ty had left him. There was nothing more tempting than a bottle of painkillers when you had a legitimate reason to take them, but he didn't pick them up. Instead, he lurched out of the bed and walked out to the main room to find Ross pacing and Sears sitting and watching her partner calmly.
    "Hey,” he rasped.
    They both looked at him as if they hadn't expected to see him at all. “You shouldn't be up,” Sears admonished as she stood and made her way over to him. “What do you need?"
    "A stiff drink,” Zane muttered, moving to sit in an armchair.
    "I would be more comfortable if you returned to the bed,” Sears said to him soothingly, looking over at her partner pointedly.
    "Let him sit there if he wants,” Ross replied with a wave of his hand.
    "Can I have a drink? Please?” Zane asked pitifully. “I don't care what. Tap water, anything."
    Sears sighed, accepting the fact that Zane wasn't planning on listening, and she headed to Henninger's kitchen as her heels rapped on the wooden floors and echoed to the open ceilings. She began rummaging in the refrigerator as Ross came closer to Zane.
    "So, the Bureau sent you in under the radar,” he said to Zane with obvious disdain. “Because they thought we couldn't handle it on our own?"
    Zane rolled his head around