Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

to pull his weapon. He glanced at Zane
    with narrowed eyes, then nodded toward the door as he checked the
    Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    gun in the same manner Cameron had seen Julian check his, with utter
    calm and competence. Zane pulled a gun out from under his brown
    leather jacket, handling it capably.
    “Mr. Jacobs, will he come in firing, or will he be concerned for
    your safety?” Ty asked, without a hint of real worry that Cameron
    could detect. It seemed like both men were accustomed to the idea of
    imminent peril.
    But they didn‟t know Julian. He was a whole different level of
    danger.
    “Don‟t worry about me,” Cameron murmured. He shook his head
    and crouched, calling for the dogs. He gathered them and put them into
    their playpen in the far corner of the room. His gaze settled on Smith
    and Wesson. While the two cats tolerated him because Julian kicked
    them out of bed if they didn‟t, they didn‟t like him that much. Cameron
    wasn‟t too sure he could get them back into the bedroom without
    damage to himself. So they‟d just have to take care of themselves.
    Ty and Zane moved together in the middle of the living room as
    if drawn by magnets, putting their backs to each other, standing maybe
    four feet apart. Zane faced the door while Ty faced the balcony,
    synchronized like they‟d been doing this a long time. The dogs began
    yipping plaintively, and Smith and Wesson both sat down in the
    opening to the bedroom, ready to enjoy the show.
    Cameron cocked his head, listening. He could hear nothing over
    the complaining of the dogs.
    The door burst open suddenly, kicked hard from the hallway,
    splintering the doorjamb. Julian‟s gun was drawn already, trained on
    the two so-called federal agents. Zane was already facing him, gun up
    and pointed. Ty didn‟t turn to face Julian. He kept his gun trained on
    the silent balcony.
    Julian moved into the room, large and hulking and practically
    livid. He pointed his gun at Zane, and the two men stood there aiming
    at each other, silent as they sized each other up. Cameron was struck by
    the strong resemblance between them.
    “Julian Cross?” Zane finally asked evenly.
    Armed & Dangerous |

    Julian answered by pulling back the hammer on his gun.
    Cameron saw the trigger move. It was just a tap away from a
    bullet now. He swallowed hard and forced himself to keep his eyes
    open. But Zane didn‟t even blink.
    “We‟re here on orders from Richard Burns, assistant director of
    the Criminal Investigations Branch of the Federal Bureau of
    Investigation, to call on your status as a registered federal informant,”
    Zane rattled off efficiently, neither his weapon nor his voice wavering.
    Cameron‟s eyes widened in surprise as he saw Julian‟s gun waver
    ever so slightly.
    “And we would appreciate it if you‟d put that gun down,” Ty
    added without turning around. “And tell your buddy I don‟t appreciate
    the feeling of his crosshairs on my forehead,” he added calmly.
    Julian‟s eyes darted between them and Cameron. “Are you
    okay?” he asked Cameron softly.
    “Yes,” Cameron said, resisting the urge to run over to his lover.
    He was using Julian Bailey‟s American accent, and Cameron
    remembered that Julian had told him that was a warning sign, that it
    meant he didn‟t know or didn‟t trust the people they were with. “They
    didn‟t touch me.”
    Julian‟s black eyes moved back to pin the man in front of him.
    “Put your weapon down. Then we can talk.”
    “I‟m telling you right now, Cross, tell your buddy on the roof
    next door to stand down,” Ty interrupted in a gruff voice.
    “Put down your weapon and we‟ll discuss it,” Julian repeated
    slowly.
    “Don‟t think I won‟t shoot your Irish ass just ‟cause I‟m a Fed,”
    Ty growled. “We don‟t need you to be walking.” Zane‟s gun was still
    trained on Julian. As far as Cameron could tell, he hadn‟t even twitched
    as Ty talked.
    Even though Ty wasn‟t even looking at Julian, the threat still
    made Cameron shiver. Somehow they knew Julian wasn‟t American.
    Cameron had to swallow hard on a fresh wave of fear.
    Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    And Cameron didn‟t know how Ty knew someone else was out
    there at all. Cameron knew that it was Preston, Julian‟s ever-present,
    forever-silent driver and cohort, which meant that if Ty even twitched
    he‟d be on the floor, likely not breathing, and Zane wouldn‟t be but a
    second behind. Cameron really