Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

been thinking in terms of days . He‟d simply
    been hoping to get Ty out of the house for a couple of hours . He really
    had no idea how he‟d cope by himself for days, but to keep Ty from
    fraying around the edges, he‟d get through it. “Sure,” he tried to answer
    confidently.
    Divide & Conquer | 183

    “I‟m not comfortable with you being alone, Zane,” Ty told him
    with the sort of blunt honesty for which most people disliked him. “So
    give me an alternative, or killing each other is what we‟ve got.”
    Zane turned in place as Ty moved past him, and he kept his hands
    behind him, gripping the edge of the bar. “I could hire a nurse to sit
    here and read to me,” he offered, hoping for a laugh.
    “Sponge baths are a no. Even I have my limits as to what I‟ll let
    you get away with,” Ty muttered irritably. He might or might not have
    been joking, but it was the second time he‟d alluded to the concept of
    jealousy on his part in the last week, and Zane felt a mild wave of
    surprise. Ty went on talking as if he‟d never touched the subject. “We
    could call in reinforcements. Maybe Deacon could come down for a
    few days, get your head on straight again.”
    “I like Deuce, but I don‟t need a shrink for this. Anyone in their
    right mind would be scared out of it in this situation,” Zane pointed out,
    trying to keep his calm. Both of them yelling would end with either
    slamming doors or a furious fuck, neither of which would resolve the
    problem for any longer than an hour. He could feel Ty pacing around
    the small dining area that divided the lower level of the row house. The
    image of a caged tiger came to mind.
    “Then how about this, Zane? Either come up with a viable
    alternative or fucking stop telling me I need a break!” Ty growled at
    him dangerously as he moved into the living room. “How about I call
    Shannon back? She offered to come stay with you, and Elaina—” A
    sudden pounding on the front door interrupted him and made Zane
    jump.
    “Hold that thought,” Ty grumbled. Zane heard him draw a gun
    from somewhere and head for the door.

    IN A solitary moment of optimism, Ty allowed himself to hope it was
    one of the field agents working the case at the door, standing on the
    front stoop, having magically found Zane‟s keys, explaining it had all
    been a mistake and Zane was safe.
    184 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    He peered through the peephole and cursed emphatically when he
    saw who really stood out there. Four men, all with identical duffel bags
    in various stages of wear and tear, all peering down the street at the
    inconspicuous FBI sedan that civilians shouldn‟t have been able to spot
    parked a block away from Ty‟s door.
    Marine Force Recon Team Sidewinder. All four of them. As soon
    as he laid eyes on them, he knew why they were there.
    “Shit, shit, shit,” Ty muttered as he flipped the deadbolt and
    pulled open the door. They all turned to look at him with smiles, but he
    stood in the doorway with his mouth open, ready to offer an apology.
    He must have looked more surprised than he thought, though, because
    Nick O‟Flaherty rolled his eyes and groaned.
    “You forgot,” he said accusingly.
    “Yes,” Ty admitted immediately. The other three men groaned as
    well and began a running commentary worthy of any peanut gallery.
    Ty looked to Nick and shrugged helplessly. Nick was nearly his
    height, with dark reddish-blond hair and every earmark of a sturdy
    Irishman from Boston. His eyes were bright green and usually filled
    with the same sort of mischief as Ty‟s. He was a kindred spirit in every
    sense of the word. They‟d shared a seat on the bus to Parris Island and
    risen through the ranks together. Nick was, for all intents and purposes,
    Ty‟s best and oldest friend.
    “It‟s been a hell of a week,” Ty tried to explain.
    “Who is it?” Zane asked curiously from behind him.
    Ty turned sideways to look back at him, giving the four men on
    the stoop a clear view of his partner.
    “Uh… guys, this is Zane Garrett, my partner,” he said as he tried
    to decide how best to handle the sudden overflow of guests, especially
    when four of them were going to be irritated as hell. He looked back at
    them. “Stop loitering in my front door and get your asses in here.”
    They filed in obediently, and with six big men standing in the
    living room, the house was suddenly very small. As soon as Ty shut the
    door, he gestured at Zane again. “He lost