Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

he drawled with an easy smile.
    “I thought you might,” McCoy said, sounding pleased with
    himself.
    That was why Ty was here, then, because he‟d played on the
    Bureau team ever since he‟d been transferred to Baltimore and knew
    just about everyone. That had to be it, because everyone knew Ty
    didn‟t give a shit about public opinion and had nothing to do with bank
    robberies or fires.
    McCoy moved on to the Financial Crimes dude who still didn‟t
    have a name but had a whole hell of a lot of opinions, and Ty
    surreptitiously checked the phone again. The message icon blinked at
    him, and he flipped the phone open to read it.
    Two peanuts walk into a bar. One was a salted.
    Ty stared at it for a moment before looking up and licking the
    corner of his mouth to keep from smiling. Why the hell couldn‟t Zane
    have done this when Ty was bored out of his mind and not sitting in a
    meeting? He was probably out there Googling jokes on his computer.
    “Grady, what do you think?” McCoy asked.
    Divide & Conquer | 17

    Ty looked at his superior for a split-second of indecision,
    knowing full well he had absolutely no idea what he‟d been asked. “I
    think it‟s a shit idea,” he finally answered confidently.
    “Care to expound on that?” McCoy asked him wryly.
    “Not really,” Ty answered, his voice not quite as steady.
    “Okay, at least we‟re all in agreement on that one,” McCoy
    replied as he took a piece of paper that probably outlined another PR
    proposal and tossed it over his shoulder.
    Ty slowly let out the breath he‟d been holding and began tapping
    a response to Zane.
    Fuck you zane. Fuck you. So much.
    The answer came back quickly. Zane had to have been sitting
    there waiting.
    I’ll get you a salami sandwich for dinner. With extra mayo.
    Ty looked up and around the table, trying desperately to
    concentrate on what they were saying as he jabbed at the keys of his
    phone to respond. Zane‟s attempts at seductive innuendo were funnier
    than his jokes.
    All Ill get from you is fired.
    If you go for an interview at a rubber stamp company, try to make
    a good impression.
    Ty fought not to roll his eyes as he looked up from the phone he
    was still trying to hide in his lap. He refused to let one of Zane‟s bad
    puns have the last word.
    He had to sit for a moment, searching his store of bad jokes for an
    appropriate answer. He hated to sink to Zane‟s level, but you had to
    fight pun with pun….
    He looked up and took the next five minutes to answer questions
    and try to at least appear involved in the meeting. The idea about the
    FBI softball team and setting up tournaments with other city and state
    agency teams that would be open to the public seemed to be taking
    root. And Ty had become the focus of the planning, so he had to pay
    attention.
    18 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    Ty liked the plan, actually. He didn‟t know if it would work, but
    it was never a bad thing to put a human face on the big bad blue line
    every once in a while. A downside, as he pointed out, was that they
    might get backlash if too many people wondered why cops and
    ambulance drivers were playing softball while the city was being
    ransacked. But hell, they were already taking heat, so it couldn‟t hurt.
    Ty jotted down a few notes, people he‟d need to contact within
    other agencies to see if they could set something up, city fields and
    scheduling and things that he really didn‟t have time to deal with but
    would anyway. Then the conversation moved on, and Ty leaned back in
    his chair.
    He stared at McCoy listlessly as his mind began to wander again.
    He tapped out his response to Zane slowly, trying to get the message
    out and pay attention at the same time.
    If a hunter can shoot a deer with either hand does that make him
    bambidextrous?
    Have you seen eagles catch their prey? They’re really talonted.
    Ty closed his eyes. The puns were too much. They were just too
    stupid for his brain to deal with at the end of a long day. He decided to
    raise the white flag and live to think another day, so he eased back in
    his chair and slowly punched in the last message.
    You win. Ill do anything please make it stop.
    It took a minute, but Zane‟s answer finally popped up.
    Promise you’ll scream for me tonight.
    Ty stared at the phone for just a moment too long. When he
    cleared his throat and looked up, McCoy was watching him
    expectantly.
    Ty smiled at him widely, the smile that said he knew he‟d