Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

sleepily and snuggled up
    against his shoulder.
    “Let‟s get you to the car,” he said, and Shannon watched them
    with a sad smile as Ty carried the girl toward the door.
    She looked to Zane. “Ready?”
    Zane nodded, watching Ty closely, but he figured he had to trust
    Ty to know if he‟d trust himself enough to carry the little girl. Seeing
    him with her, so careful, almost loving… it was a totally different side
    of Ty, even from what Zane saw in him, and he doubted he would ever
    see all the sides of the man he called his lover.

    82 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    TY SAT in his living room with all the lights off and the blinds drawn,
    staring at the outlines of the furniture in the dark. His head was
    pounding, but it was from anger and anguish more than the pill he‟d
    taken several hours ago.
    Not only was someone trying to kill as many Feds, cops, firemen,
    EMTs, and civil servants as they could, they were setting bombs in
    public places where anyone could stumble over them.
    And they had bombed his Bronco.
    Ty closed his eyes as a wave of nausea passed through him. He
    knew it was silly to be sitting in the dark mourning a vehicle, but he
    didn‟t care. That Bronco had been part of him. He‟d had her for half his
    life. Rescued her from the scrap yard and rebuilt every piece of her
    with his own two hands. Why the bomb had gone off when it did was
    anyone‟s guess, but Ty firmly believed the Bronco had done it—no
    matter how silly that sounded. She had been a loyal companion, and
    now she had taken the hit for him. Thrown herself on the grenade.
    He knew he had tears streaming down his face, but he didn‟t care.
    She deserved to be mourned.
    The scratch of the key in the lock of the front door didn‟t even
    faze him. Zane entered in a splash of sunlight and a rush of cold air,
    quiet besides a rustling of plastic and paper. He closed and locked the
    door behind him and stayed in place. Probably letting his eyes adjust to
    the dark.
    “I brought some lunch.”
    “Ugh,” Ty responded automatically as the thought of food made
    his stomach protest.
    “Yeah, I figured that would be your reaction.” Zane‟s voice held a
    hint of amusement. “So I got chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits.
    Plain stuff to settle your stomach.” He started moving toward the
    kitchen bar.
    Ty swallowed heavily and watched him go, trying to think of
    something to say that didn‟t involve food, bombs, cars, women, or him
    sitting there by himself in the dark and wiping tears off his face. He
    watched Zane set a couple of bags on the bar along with his keys,
    Divide & Conquer | 83

    wallet, and badge. After turning on the small work light under the
    microwave, he came out of his heavy leather jacket, and his gun joined
    the pile. Then he turned and leaned back against the bar, hands in his
    pockets, looking toward his partner.
    “Vicodin worn off?”
    “Oh yeah,” Ty answered as his stomach flip-flopped and nerves
    inexplicably assaulted him. He didn‟t know why he was nervous. Hell,
    he hadn‟t even done anything wrong this time. Much.
    Zane watched him for a long moment before walking over and
    standing in front of him. “Can I get you anything?” He sounded—and
    looked—honestly concerned.
    Ty looked up at him as the vise around his chest eased some. He
    smiled wanly and reached out to slide his fingers against the back of
    Zane‟s hand.
    Zane squatted down in front of him, catching his hand and lifting
    it to kiss his knuckles. He sighed. “I‟m sorry, baby. I hate that you‟re
    hurting,” he added quietly.
    The words hit that now-familiar chord in Ty‟s chest that made it
    twist and tighten. He shook his head to rid himself of the painful
    feeling that the attack and subsequent loss had caused and reached out
    to pat Zane‟s cheek. “I‟m okay. I‟ll wake up in the morning ready for
    revenge, and it‟ll all go back to normal.”
    The grunt Zane gave in response didn‟t sound too sure, but he
    didn‟t comment. He turned his face to kiss Ty‟s palm before shifting
    his weight to stand. “C‟mon. At least eat some mashed potatoes for
    me.” He pulled at Ty‟s hand gently. “Then we‟ll go to bed, watch
    movies, and be lazy the rest of the day.”
    “Okay,” Ty said suspiciously as he stood. He knew Zane well
    enough to know when he was keeping something from him. But he also
    knew Zane would come out with it in his own sweet time and not
    before, unless Ty dug hard for it.