Cut and Run 3 - Fish and Chips

always get along. That was true enough. What about strangers who met them together while on the clock but not undercover?
    A change in the tenor of Ty’s voice interrupted his thoughts, drawing him back. “I’ve planted Del with Corbin in order to get what I need from him, but I don’t trust him and I plan to eliminate him, too, when I’m done. Bianchi’s harder because he’s married, so I bribed someone in the Italian authorities to stake him out and then take him down.”
    Ty was talking faster, warming to his train of thought. It was slightly disturbing to see him shift so easily into Evil Mastermind, and sometimes it made Zane wonder about how differently Ty’s brain must be wired. Ty made crazy, intuitive jumps that were more often than not correct. Zane was much more analytical, picking out patterns to connect the dots. So watching Ty like this was sort of awe-inspiring.
    And freaky.
    And sometimes hot.
    Ty continued, undaunted by the lack of supporting evidence or the need to breathe. “So a year or so after planting Del, I’ve got all their info from him and the dirty Italians, and I suggest this cruise and a special meeting, dangle something as bait that they can’t resist. Found treasure? Something from a shipwreck around one of the islands? Something they’ll want to be able to get their hands on and sell. But that’s irrelevant,” he said with a violent wave of his hand. “I set up the meet in the market and make sure it’ll go bad for Porter and Bianchi. There doesn’t actually have to be anything to sell if I kill them before the end of the cruise.”
    The word “kill” diverted Zane’s attention from wondering if he and Ty looked like a couple in social situations — dinner at a local restaurant, the occasional shopping trip, even working out in the gym. Ty was still talking. “Even if the planned meet fails, I know their itineraries, I have men on board the ship, and they have nowhere to run.”
    “But they’re only trying to kill you. So far. Not me. Not Corbin,” Zane pointed out.
    Ty stopped short and stared at him, then narrowed his eyes. “Del may be a problem because I’m beginning to suspect he really does love Corbin,” he responded. “So we get rid of him first.”
    “That would certainly upset Corbin,” Zane said. It was upsetting him , and Zane already knew what it was like to deal with losing a loved one. He turned his gaze to lock on Ty. “Depending on how attached they are, Corbin could be seriously out of commission if he lost Del.”
    Ty’s gaze went distant, and he shook his head slowly. “Both attempts were sloppy. Not at all a guaranteed kill. The fall from the wall would have broken bones, done a lot of damage, not to mention the fact there was no way of knowing I’d go first. And there was no way to know if I’d react to the screwy air or if it would kill me. Yeah, there’s drowning, but more than likely you’re looking at a case of decompression sickness or some hysteria-induced respiratory distress.” He shook his head. “Maiming him is just as good as killing him as far as they’re concerned. Why? How does that help them get to Corbin?”
    “My mind certainly wouldn’t be on business,” Zane murmured, thinking of the sense of possessiveness and the need to protect that gripped him when Ty was in trouble. His mind definitely wasn’t focused on the business at hand.
    “No,” Ty agreed. His eyes brightened suddenly, and he looked at Zane. “Unless they intend to take you by force. Armen knows Del is a hired thug but suspects his motives now. He thinks Del would protect Corbin because he loves him. But with Del out of the way, they’re free to take Corbin. That must mean they need him for something, something physical.”
    “Something that Del couldn’t steal,” Zane said as he nodded. “With dirty businessmen, who knows? It could be names, account numbers, passwords. Hell, it could be a voice print or retinal scan, for all we know. So Armen would have to have Corbin in person, under his thumb.” He leaned his head back against the wall. “If he thinks they’re in love,” he mused, “why not just take Del hostage?”
    Ty’s intent eyes focused on Zane for a long moment, his face unreadable. “Maybe he knows you’re not in love,” he posed evenly.
    Zane tried to hold Ty’s eyes, but he was quickly forced to look away. The intensity of the gaze made him more uncomfortable than he would have expected, because he felt