Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

He looked them up and down. And better
    dressed. “I‟m sorry, but you have the wrong….” He frowned harder as
    he remembered the last time he had said those words, maybe fifteen
    minutes ago. “Was that you on the speaker?” he asked in outrage.
    Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    The man who had introduced them smiled slowly. To Cameron, it
    was like a dangerous animal showing its teeth. He frowned, looking
    over the man‟s windblown, slightly curly hair, piercing eyes with
    crow‟s feet at the corners, and a crooked nose that had probably been
    broken at least twice. The smile was probably meant to put him at ease.
    Special Agent Grady flipped over the badge he‟d been holding
    and pulled aside his jacket to slide it into an inner pocket. The move
    revealed a fairly large weapon in a holster under his arm. Whether he
    did it on purpose didn‟t really matter; his point was made.
    “Would you mind opening the door so we can have a word, Mr.
    Jacobs?” Special Agent Garrett asked in a businesslike tone. “Or you
    can just point us toward Cross and we‟ll be out of your hair.”
    “I do mind,” Cameron objected, his back straightening as he
    pulled his hand back to slam the door shut.
    Grady‟s hand shot out in a flash, stopping the door from closing.
    He stepped closer and lowered his head, as if he might be about to
    share a secret. Everything about him screamed military at Cameron,
    from his gruff tone to his quick reflexes to his impressive athletic build.
    “Do you have any idea how much trouble it is to fix a chain that‟s been
    ripped off a doorjamb?” Special Agent Grady asked calmly. “Or how
    much it hurts my shoulder to put it through a solid oak door?”
    Cameron pushed hard against the door, and it made no difference
    at all. He glanced at Special Agent Garrett, who was taller, darker, and
    not offering any sympathy. This was not looking good. Not at all. So
    Cameron nodded jerkily and reached to unhook the chain, aware that
    Julian would read him the riot act for this.
    Of course, Julian would yell at him for opening the door in the
    first place. But only a little bit.
    Chain undone, Cameron took several steps back and gathered
    himself to reach for his phone and Julian‟s speed-dial emergency
    number as he watched his four calf-high white Westies charge the
    strangers entering the apartment.
    Special Agent Grady moved in slowly, his body turned almost
    sideways as his eyes scanned the room. His hand was on his weapon.
    Cameron had seen Julian enter rooms in a similar fashion, and it set off
    Armed & Dangerous |

    even more warning bells. The man looked down at the four dogs and
    balked, side-stepping and gesturing for his partner to come in.
    It was Cameron‟s chance. Cameron reached into his pocket for
    his cell phone and fumbled with it, trying to be inconspicuous about it.
    He hoped that he managed to hit the key combination for the pre-
    written text he needed to send.
    Special Agent Garrett shut the door gently, and the strangers
    moved steadily into Cameron‟s condo. The more he watched the
    agents, the more they reminded him of Julian. They were on guard but
    confident. “I don‟t know who you‟re looking for. There‟s no one else
    here.”
    “We know,” Grady told him. He smiled and nodded to the pocket
    Cameron still had his hand stuffed into. “He‟ll be here soon, though.
    Take a load off, kid. It won‟t be so bad.” He stretched out broad
    muscles and rolled his neck, the movement shifting his trench coat,
    revealing jeans and a specialty tee. Grady turned to look down at the
    yipping dogs in distaste, and then he looked up at his partner.
    Special Agent Garrett tipped his head to one side before focusing
    on Cameron. From twelve feet away, his eyes appeared to be flat black,
    and Cameron felt like he was pinned in place.
    “How do you know Mr. Cross, Mr. Jacobs?” he asked. His voice
    was calmer than Special Agent Grady‟s, more polite, if still a bit cool.
    Cameron pressed his lips together in a bid for silence. At least
    this was one of the possible scenarios Julian had outlined for him when
    they had set up the alert system. Despite Cameron‟s protests, his
    dangerous lover had insisted he‟d rather come here to protect him and
    eliminate the problem than staying away in dubious safety.
    Movement caught his eye, and Cameron glanced up to see one of
    Julian‟s large orange cats sinuously padding around the screen that
    sectioned off the bedroom. It