Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

false cheer. “Tell me about the people trying to kill you this time.”
    “The less you know….”
    “Bite me, Grady.”
    “Bathroom?” Zane asked before the conversation could devolve further.
    Nick pointed toward the steps that led down, right beside where he sat. “Take a right, that’s the VIP head. Left is the master. Whichever.”
    Zane headed for the stairs, feeling like he was descending into the pit as he ducked and hunched his shoulders to make it down the curving stairwell. He discreetly looked around the lower cabins to try and get a feel for the man who’d made a move on his lover just a few weeks ago.
    The most prominent pictures on the walls were of Nick in uniform, surrounded by smiling Marines. Very similar to Ty’s photos at home. Zane stopped and stared at one when he caught sight of a younger Ty. There were six men, all in various stages of dress, some standing, some kneeling, looking as if they had been roughhousing or playing during downtime while deployed on a carrier. Ty and Nick were front and center, wearing only pants and combat boots, both tanned from hours in the sun and salt air, their dog tags prominent on bare chests. All six men were grinning, arms around each other. Ty was holding a football, balancing it on the tip of his fingers as he displayed it for the camera.
    Zane could hear Ty filling Nick in on the basics of what had happened, giving him the condensed version in typical Ty fashion. He turned toward the head before he could let himself get sucked into that vortex of uncertainty again. Ty may have looked happy in old pictures, but Zane knew Ty was happy now too.
    When he returned, Nick and Ty were still discussing what needed to be done. Cameron was sitting in a corner booth that was tucked into the other side of the pilothouse, and Julian was looking askance at the low ceilings as if he might hit his head when he took a step.
    “How long will it take us to get to DC?” Ty was asking Nick.
    “A day, two if we can only travel at night.”
    “No, we need to keep a regular schedule. Travel by day, anchor at night.”
    “You sure?”
    Ty nodded as he rubbed his hand over his face.
    “Have you dumped your cells?” Nick asked.
    “Cell phones, a few cars, credit cards, badges, guns, my watch. Everything we could think of that might have been bugged or can be tracked electronically.”
    “At least you’re not wearing tinfoil hats yet.”
    “Only when we sleep,” Ty muttered.
    “You told me on the phone that you called Digger. Was that true, or were you trying to give me a message?”
    “It was true. I told him that we were coming to him so whoever was listening could overhear, and then let him know that it was a decoy.”
    “Coconuts?
    “Yeah.”
    “So, somewhere in the bayou, Digger is preparing for the arrival of an unfriendly?”
    “In theory.”
    Nick glanced at Julian and Zane and then rubbed his hand over his mouth. “God help the poor bastard that shows up on his doorstep,” he muttered.
    Ty huffed a laugh. “We tried to lay low a couple places, but they kept finding us. I finally realized they were pinging the receiver in my watch. We headed to Philly, but… I can’t risk Deacon.”
    “Understood.”
    Zane wondered if Nick had any qualms about Ty risking him . He didn’t let on if he did.
    “I pulled out the limit from every ATM I passed while I was on duty, so I’ve got a couple thousand for you. That’s the best I can do, but I can give you my card when we make port.”
    “Thank you,” Ty whispered.
    Nick nodded and then glanced at the rest of them. “You all look like half-eaten sushi.”
    Zane found himself fighting back a smile, and he nodded instead.
    “You’re a police officer?” Cameron asked Nick, who nodded. “Isn’t there something you can do? Someone you can call to help us?”
    Nick looked at him for a moment with a sympathetic frown, and then he glanced at Ty.
    “The CIA is slightly out of his reach, love,” Julian murmured. He put his hand on Cameron’s shoulder and squeezed, trying to comfort him.
    “I’m sorry,” Nick said, sounding sincere.
    Ty met Zane’s eyes, and Zane knew exactly what he was thinking. They were going to get Cameron out of this alive even if it killed them.
    “These two need a bed together,” Ty murmured to Nick as he waved a hand at Julian and Cameron.
    Nick raised an eyebrow but nodded without commenting. “You can take my cabin,” he told Julian. He stood, making sure Ty had the