Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

just have to wait and see,‟” he muttered, “which was kind of cruel
    in itself.”
    “Wait and see. Makes you wonder what they tell deaf people,”
    Deuce muttered. “Oh God, that was horrible. Forget I said that.”
    “You know how many idioms there are that have something
    about „seeing‟ or „sight‟ in them?” Zane asked, letting a little
    waspishness into his voice. He groaned aloud to punctuate the
    annoyance. He could hear Deuce trying not to laugh. “I‟ll go nuts if I
    have to sit around here doing nothing,” Zane added. “It‟s not even day
    one, and I‟m already antsy. And that‟s with being worried about
    running into a wall.”
    “So do something,” Deuce suggested. “Who blew you up? Can‟t
    you plot revenge or something? Any open cases you can mull over?”
    “We were investigating a report of a suspicious package,” Zane
    said as he started thinking over their caseload. “Although I wouldn‟t be
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    averse to a little plotting. As for cases, it‟s not like I‟m assigned to
    Financial Crimes, tracing forgers or art thieves through paperwork.
    Criminal involves more than a little legwork.”
    “So… why was there a bomb there?” Deuce asked.
    Zane shook his head, belatedly remembering he had to speak.
    “No idea. And I‟ve got no information after being in the hospital. I‟m
    sure Ty will find out what he can while he‟s at the office.”
    “No, Zane. I mean, why was there a bomb there ? Who called it
    in? Was it a trap? Think about it. Come up with a theory.”
    “Yeah, okay. I can do that.” He shook his head. “Hey, Deuce?”
    “Yeah?” He sounded amused.
    “Why are you surprised?” Zane asked, giving into the curiosity
    niggling at him. “Is it that he told me, or that he feels that way to start
    with?”
    “I knew he was in love with you when we were in West Virginia,
    Zane. I‟m surprised he figured it out. And yeah, I‟m surprised as hell
    that he told you.”
    Zane barely stopped himself from sitting up and dumping Ty on
    the floor. “In West Virginia? That was almost four months ago.”
    “That surprises you?”
    “Deuce, if I hadn‟t been scared out of my fucking mind when he
    told me, I would have fallen over from the shock,” Zane said with some
    amount of surety.
    Deuce began to laugh softly. “And then he shoved you over the
    edge of a balcony or something, I know. Very romantic.” He began to
    laugh harder.
    “It was a three-story drop!” Zane growled in outrage. “I didn‟t
    even get a chance to say anything because the ship security guys were
    waiting for us!”
    The laughter trailed off, and the line was silent for a moment.
    “What would you have said that you can‟t say now?” Deuce asked,
    voice neutral.
    Divide & Conquer | 127

    Zane literally flinched, flashing back to the confusing coil of
    emotions that had rocked him in that not even two minutes of
    revelation, jumping, and falling after Ty had said “I love you.” But
    now, he wasn‟t remembering the literal fall from three decks above a
    cruise ship swimming pool. He was feeling the echoes of his more
    recent emotional shock in the stands at a fan-filled softball tournament:
    The fall wasn‟t coming. It was already over. He just had to figure out
    how to find words of his own. The honest words. “I don‟t know,” he
    got out in a strangled whisper.
    Deuce hummed again. “Maybe you should use some of your free
    time thinking about that. ‟Cause if I know my brother, he‟ll stick with
    you through just about anything, including going blind. But I don‟t
    know how long he‟ll stick around if he‟s the only one thinking he‟s in
    love.”
    Zane frowned but had nothing to reply, and they sat there in
    silence, Zane with his mind buzzing in circles, for almost a full minute
    before he cleared his throat quietly. “Thanks for the talk, Deuce. I
    really appreciate it.”
    “Any time, Zane. You know that,” Deuce told him with
    confidence. “Say hello to my brother, huh?”
    “Yeah, I will,” Zane agreed, smoothing his palm down over Ty‟s
    belly. “Talk to you later.” He hit the end-call button out of habit; he
    didn‟t need to see the phone to know where it was. “Well,” he
    muttered, “that was full of up and downs, wasn‟t it?”
    Ty grunted as if in answer and fitfully rolled onto his side.
    Zane smiled. He did feel better, though after that last bit of
    conversation, he wasn‟t sure he should.

    WHEN