Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

came closer, hacking his way through the
    wreckage to clear a path for his retreat, Ty recognized him just by his
    size.
    “I could kiss you, man,” he told the large black man he knew only
    as Tank. The man handed his axe to the other fireman and knelt down
    at Zane‟s other side.
    “Not on a first date,” Tank answered. He checked Zane over
    quickly for injuries, then hefted him onto his thick shoulders with a
    grunt. “You hurt?” he asked. Ty shook his head. “Shake a leg, then,
    Bulldog. Building‟s not stable,” he said as he turned and carried Zane
    into the smoke.
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    Ty stood there, unable to make himself move. His entire body
    shook as he watched them disappear.
    The other fireman gripped his arm. “Come on. We gotta get out
    of here,” he said. “The ceiling‟s starting to come down.”
    Ty nodded and forced his feet to move. He followed the man
    along the path Tank had cut through the devastation.
    By the time he got out of the building—wet, filthy, half-blind,
    and coughing—the ambulances had cleared out and the firemen were
    trying to put out what was left of the flames.
    What remained were the television cameras. Reporters saw him
    as he emerged, and Ty could see the recognition sweep through them as
    he wiped the soot off his face. They began shouting questions over the
    barrier that had been hastily set up.
    Ty ignored them and stalked toward the milling emergency
    workers.
    “Hey,” Ty called out to a young agent in a pristine windbreaker
    standing and staring at the building. The kid looked at him with wide
    eyes, apparently recognizing him. Ty had earned a reputation with the
    rookies, not necessarily by deed but through word of mouth. They were
    all too terrified of him to realize most of the stories were exaggerated.
    Right now Ty didn‟t care. “Where‟d they take the wounded?” he
    demanded.
    “Uh, I—”
    “Where?” Ty shouted angrily.
    “UMMC,” the kid stammered.
    “You‟re driving,” Ty told him as he pointed at Zane‟s truck.

    96 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    Chapter Six

    IT FELT like it took forever to get through traffic to the University of
    Maryland Medical Center, even though it wasn‟t even a mile away
    from the Inner Harbor. On the ride there, Ty sat tense and silent in the
    seat next to the rookie he didn‟t know and didn‟t give a shit about right
    then. When they arrived, Ty tersely told the kid to head back to the
    office and that he‟d pick up the keys later. Despite the rookie‟s stunned
    gape, Ty jogged inside the ER without a glance back.
    He was at the information desk asking for Zane‟s location and
    status when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
    “Grady, I‟m glad to see you.” McCoy stood behind him, looking
    somber and worn.
    Ty turned in surprise, but any formal greetings to his immediate
    superior were lost on him. “Have you seen him, Mac? Is he okay?”
    McCoy slid his hands into his pants pockets and tipped his head
    to one side before answering in a tired voice, “I don‟t know anything
    yet. I just got here. Where were you during all of this?”
    “I was in the truck, sick from a Vicodin I took this morning,” Ty
    answered immediately. It didn‟t even cross his mind to gloss it over.
    McCoy‟s eyebrow jumped, but he didn‟t otherwise comment.
    “I‟ve got six agents in this hospital tonight, Grady. Are you going to be
    able to work?” he asked bluntly.
    Ty nodded jerkily. McCoy just looked at him, not breaking eye
    contact. “I‟ll do whatever you need,” Ty insisted in a hoarse voice.
    Divide & Conquer | 97

    McCoy nodded slowly. “For right now, I need you to go home.”
    He raised a hand when Ty opened his mouth to question him.
    “Seriously. You look like you just got spit out by a giant drooling dog,
    and I‟ve got to muster together a group to investigate what happened.”
    Ty looked down at himself in consternation. He didn‟t look that
    bad. “But I can help—”
    “Not when you‟re being targeted. I can‟t afford to put a team on
    you to protect you, so I want you off the radar. This may have been a
    second attempt, for all we know.” He turned his chin as an agent
    appeared at his elbow and murmured in his ear. McCoy turned his eyes
    back to Ty. “All right. They‟re asking for you in the Shock Trauma
    Center. Fifth floor. Get me a status report, then go the hell home. Do
    not sit here with Garrett and make yourself and him a