Cut and Run 1 - Cut and Run

off a round,” Ty murmured to himself.
    He closed his eyes, feeling slightly ill. He could see the action as if he had been there. He could see Sanchez, knowing he was going to die even as he pulled his gun and tried to save his partner.
    He shook his head and jerked himself away from the visual before he could fall further into it, and he moved around the room restlessly, flipping through the things on the desk, going through drawers, even heading into the bathroom to look at the toiletries the agents had left behind.
    Zane still stood waiting patiently when he returned and grunted unhappily.
    "They went over this room with a fine-toothed comb, Grady,” Zane said to him gently. “Tell me what you're looking for; maybe I can help."
    "I don't know what I'm looking for,” Ty answered in frustration. He looked around the room and sighed. “I was sure there'd be a token, or...."
    "Maybe no token is a clue to the killer in itself,” Zane suggested thoughtfully.
    Ty glanced at him with narrowed eyes, obviously not following.
    "I mean, the tokens have meaning to the murders, we know that. But we also know he killed these two men, and didn't find the deed worthy of leaving a token,” Zane explained slowly, thinking it through even as he spoke. “They didn't fit into his pattern, and so they didn't get special treatment like the others."
    "Makes sense,” Ty agreed grudgingly. “But where does that get us?” he asked.
    Zane shrugged and shook his head. “Nowhere, really."
    Ty nodded in agreement, looking around the room in disappointment. Rarely did a crime scene not speak to him in some way. This room, though, was telling him nothing.
    "Yeah,” Ty muttered finally as he jerked his thumb at the door. “Let's go get your freaking ice cream,” he grumbled.
    Half an hour, two cigarettes, and some walking later, Zane had his ice cream as they sat in the restaurant. Running his spoon through the classic hot fudge sundae, he looked up at Ty. “Now, this is the way to convalesce,” he said.
    Ty gave him a disgusted sneer and a roll of his eyes. Zane sat back with a shrug, dropping the attempt at conversation. A soft chuckle caught his attention, and he looked discreetly to the side to see two men sitting in another booth with a sundae, sharing it.
    Zane smiled slightly before turning back to his treat. While it was great to see that, it just made him feel lonelier, just like any happy couple did. The smile faded and he stabbed at the ice cream. Two co-eds walked by, whispering as they looked at the two men. They shifted their attention to Ty and Zane as they passed by. “God, why are all the hot ones gay?” one asked her friend plaintively, and then they were out of earshot.
    Wincing, Zane sighed, finished the sundae, and scooted away from the table without another word, walking to throw away the plastic bowl and spoon. Ty was sure to be pissed off about that, and Zane didn't want to be in the line of fire. Time for a strategic retreat. Besides, any thoughts combining Ty Grady and the prickling attraction he felt toward him were doomed from the start. It was bad enough being attracted to the asshole, and indulging the idea would just make it worse.
    Ty's shoulders began to tense again as he sat alone at the little table, and he forced himself not to watch Zane move away. When he was younger, Ty had allowed himself to enjoy the company of both men and women, whichever struck his fancy at the time. But all his time in the don't-ask-don't-tell environment of the Marine Corps had forced him to suppress many of those feelings. It had left him confused and angry at the world in general for quite a while, but he'd managed to set that aside in order to concentrate on his job. Now, though, the job was easier and so was hiding something like that. After getting out of the service, he'd tried to convince himself that he was free again, but he'd spent too long pretending to be a person he wasn't in order to blend into his environment, and he couldn't shake the habit easily.
    The fact that he found himself slightly attracted to Zane Garrett added to the frustration of the situation. It was confusing him again and making him seriously cranky. He hunched his shoulders a little more and crossed his arms over his chest, scowling at anything that moved as he waited for Zane to return.
    "Let's go,” Zane murmured when he got back to the table, still chewing on his own emotions.
    "Thank Christ,” Ty muttered grumpily as he stood.