Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

that.”
    “Yeah, shoulder, not front bumper,” Ty shot back.
    Tank looked to Zane. “Shape he was in last time I saw him, I‟m
    not surprised he‟s like this.”
    “You sure knocked him for a loop,” Zane confirmed before
    asking Ty, “Are they checking it out?”
    70 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    Ty pressed his lips tightly together and nodded, looking at Zane
    sideways like he knew he‟d be in trouble. Tank spoke up when Ty
    didn‟t. “He told them if they didn‟t, he‟d go on record saying he put it
    there himself so they‟d have to check it out.”
    Zane snorted. “Jesus, Ty,” he muttered, shaking his head.
    “There were tool marks!” Ty insisted.
    “Take it easy, Bulldog,” Tank said as he turned and patted Ty on
    the back hard enough to send him stumbling forward into Zane, who
    reacted automatically and raised his arms to grab hold of him.
    He still had on the catcher‟s gear, but as Ty wrapped one arm
    around Zane‟s waist to keep his balance, it was clear the pill he‟d taken
    had finally gotten the best of him. His body was loose and relaxed, his
    movements not as controlled as usual.
    Ty muttered obstinately as he turned to look at the scene behind
    them, his body still brushing against Zane‟s as they stood together. He
    obviously felt certain he was right about the threat. But it was entirely
    possible they‟d just evacuated a few hundred people in front of the
    local news because Ty was high. Zane sighed and kept his arm
    discreetly around Ty‟s waist. Most of their co-workers would figure
    Zane was holding him back anyway.
    The bomb squad techs directed a small robot down a ramp from
    the back of their truck, and another member of the team pulled out a
    bullhorn to address the crowd as the robot chugged away at a snail‟s
    pace toward home plate. Besides that, it was hard to see what was
    happening on the field.
    Ty cleared his throat and turned his head to look at Zane. He
    leaned closer and spoke quietly. “Where are Shannon and Elaina? They
    safe?”
    “They‟re in here somewhere,” Zane murmured. He splayed his
    hand flat on Ty‟s lower back against the fabric. “You don‟t look so
    good.”
    “Shut up,” Ty muttered as he turned and looked further into the
    dugout. He kept one hand on Zane‟s arm to hold himself steady.
    Divide & Conquer | 71

    Zane sighed and resisted the urge to lay his forehead against Ty‟s
    in a bid for support and comfort. This definitely wasn‟t the place, or the
    time, no matter how much Zane‟s instincts were screaming at him to
    drag Ty away from here to somewhere safe so he could take care of
    him. He‟d have to deal with that—and the fallout of the other
    momentous realizations of the morning—later.
    A voice blared over the bullhorn, and Ty startled against Zane
    before turning to look at the field as the announcer warned people to
    stay where they were and cover their heads.
    “Tyler, get down here before you fall over!” Shannon shouted.
    She stepped out and grabbed the strap of Ty‟s chest protector. “What
    were you thinking, taking something before you came out here?”
    “I was thinking, „Wow, my ribs hurt,‟” Ty answered as he
    stumbled sideways.
    Zane released him as Shannon took charge and pulled Ty down
    into the dugout. “He really wanted to be here.”
    “Not getting what he wants won‟t kill him,” Shannon informed
    them both. She shoved at Ty‟s chest, and he fell back onto the old,
    scarred wooden bench with a thump and a rattle of protective gear. She
    pointed her finger in his face and waved it. “Something had better
    damn well blow up out there,” she warned.
    “Mommy, I think you need a time-out,” Elaina observed, her
    young voice wry and amused.
    Ty merely nodded as he looked up at her with wide eyes. It was
    kind of funny, really. Zane had never seen Ty act like that around a
    woman, except maybe his mama. Usually he was all charm and
    charismatic quips. Zane had to cover his smile with one hand and turn
    away. When he did, he saw one of the bomb squad team jogging their
    way. When he got to them, he leaned against the back fence of the
    dugout to speak to Ty through the chain-link.
    “There‟s definitely something down there,” the man told them
    quietly. “Looks like a pressure switch of some sort.”
    Ty turned his head, and the man kept talking to him in lower
    tones for a moment before standing abruptly and jogging back toward
    72 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail