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
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