Cut and Run 2 - Sticks and Stones

forward and tried to distract his grandfather with the movement.
    She responded by thumping a plate in front of Chester and sitting down with a huff. “Amen,” she said in annoyance before beginning to dish eggs onto her own plate.
    Ty glanced over at Zane and smiled at him, giving him a quick wink. Zane returned the grin and reached for the biscuits, taking two before passing the plate to Ty. Ty’s knee occasionally brushed against his under the table as they ate, but the conversation died down as the food was passed around. It was an odd, remarkable feeling, to be eating breakfast with Ty and his family and feel not only welcome, but like he might belong there.
    It was a feeling Zane tried to soak in and store for later.
    When the breakfast was mostly over, Ty stood and scooped up the empty dishes off the table. They clattered as he dumped them in the sink. “Are we going to sit here all day, or are we going up the mountain?” he asked as he ran hot water.
    The corners of Zane’s lips turned up, and he turned in his chair to look at his partner. “Waiting on you, bus boy.”
    Mara walked by and smacked Zane lightly in the back of the head for his trouble. “Be nice,” she chastised as she walked out of the kitchen. Zane just smiled.
    Ty laughed softly, turned back to the sink, and rinsed his hands. “If we don’t go now, we might as well wait ’til tomorrow,” he added as he grabbed a dishtowel to dry his hands.
    “Got a garage roof needs patching,” Earl suggested as he poured himself more coffee.
    Deuce stood hastily and made his way out of the kitchen. “I’ll start packing up the truck!” he called as he went.
    “My duffel’s packed,” Zane told Ty with a shrug. He already had on jeans and boots along with his thin T-shirt covered by a long-sleeved Henley.
    Earl grunted and pushed away from the table. “We’ll just patch that roof next time,” he said to Ty with a smile before he strolled out of the kitchen, mug in hand.
    Ty cleared his throat, snorted in annoyance, and looked at Zane with narrowed eyes.
    “What?” Zane asked softly.
    “I should’ve left your ass in DC,” Ty muttered to him as he pushed away from the sink counter and moved slowly toward the table where Zane sat. He cocked his head to listen briefly, and then he bent and stole a surprise kiss before leaving the room.
    Zane licked his bottom lip as he stood. He was smiling when he followed.

Chapter 6

    T HEY said their good-byes to Mara at the trailhead, each giving her a hug and a kiss—even Zane, Deuce noticed—and they each shouldered their packs. Deuce examined his walking stick, a long, thick piece of wood that had been hand-rubbed and stained dark. It had a length of survival rope tied around the top as a handle, and fixed into the wood of the tip was a small compass.
    “That’s quite a walking stick,” Zane said, coming to a stop to stand next to him as he zipped up his heavy coat. He had Deuce’s old pack hanging off his broad shoulders.
    “It is,” Deuce agreed readily. “Ty made it for me. Saw one at a gun show somewhere and thought it might come in handy.”
    Zane snorted. “Thoughtful,” he said more genuinely.
    “He can be,” Deuce answered as he tightened the strap on his own pack.
    Zane smiled a little. “Sometimes,” he agreed, looking over to his partner, who was circling around one of the other cars in the gravel lot, frowning at it thoughtfully. “So,” Zane sighed as he watched Ty for a moment. “Where are we off to? Just… up the mountain in a random direction?” He glanced up into the trees, and now that Deuce really looked at him, he could tell Zane was tense. Edgy, even.
    “There are several different trails we can take from this point,” Deuce answered. He tugged at one of the straps of Zane’s pack and shortened it for him, making certain it fit snugly to his back. Borrowing a pack was generally frowned upon on the trail because it was so important that they fit well. But Zane and Deuce were roughly the same height, and the pack wasn’t too heavily laden, so Deuce wasn’t worried about it. “We don’t usually have a set path planned out. Just a general idea of how long it will take so Ma can pick us up at the other end. Ty’s got the trail map.”
    Zane shot Ty a glare as Deuce spoke, and his brother just smirked evilly as he walked past them. It was easy for Deuce to see the dynamic between them. Ty and Zane seemed to get along best when they were annoying each