Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

some new threads. We can eat a late lunch, do the tourist thing while we have the chance.”
    “How long do we have?”
    Ty shrugged. “We move when Dick calls.”
    They walked along the bustling avenue, passing high-end stores that included Disney, Apple, Cartier, Crate & Barrel, and Saks Fifth Avenue. After a quick meal, they went into several stores, Ty picking out clothing he claimed appropriate for the job and Zane shooting it all down as being made for a teenage hipster.
    Ty was on the verge of getting frustrated when he found a pair of jeans he liked, forced Zane to try them on, and paid for them before Zane could argue or even take them off. He threw in a vintage burgundy Henley that cost a solid hundred dollars, a brown leather and suede jacket that would have bought him new tires if he had his Bronco back, and a pair of boots he thought he might end up stealing. He and Zane could share shoes and shirts as long as the shirts weren’t tailored. Zane’s height was the only thing that precluded them from sharing pants as well. It was a shame, because Zane’s casual wardrobe could use a little help.
    Ty eyed the finished product with a very real desire to get Zane back to the hotel and take it all off again.
    Hands on his hips, he pushed at the back of his upper teeth with his tongue as he looked Zane over. “I don’t think I’ve ever been gayer than I am right now.”
    Zane boggled at him, and Ty couldn’t help but laugh. Zane shook his head and looked down at the clothes, then up at Ty with narrowed eyes. He tipped his head to one side and pulled up the collar on the jacket, ran his hand through his hair to ruffle it, and reached out to pluck Ty’s aviators off his collar and slide them on. He ran his tongue over his lower lip and raised an impertinent eyebrow toward Ty.
    “Oh God. Okay,” Ty muttered, rolling his eyes and turning to leave. “Now you’re just embarrassing yourself.” He smirked and glanced back, though, because Zane made embarrassing look pretty damn good.
    Zane grinned as he followed, carrying his suit over his shoulder in a bag. “I used to dress like this a lot in Miami, you know.”
    Ty hummed as he pictured all the many forms he’d seen Zane’s style take in the past. His Miami attire had probably involved mesh shirts, snakeskin pants, and Thai silk. Aside from his partner knowing what walking shorts were, he seemed to be competent about dressing himself at home. Ty had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He reached out to take Zane’s hand again, angling them toward Navy Pier and the waterfront.
    “If you like these jeans that much, maybe I should get some new clothes for at home. Been a while since I’ve bought anything but suits for work,” Zane said, assuming an idle tone, though Ty knew full well it was meant to needle him.
    “Agreed,” Ty said, adding a nod to emphasize that, yeah, Zane needed an all new wardrobe, preferably one that showed off his incredible shoulders and back, because Ty had to admit, that was his favorite part of Zane. He glanced sideways at Zane and smirked. “We’re going to Navy Pier now. There’s something you should see.”
    “Should I be worried?”
    “Always.”
    They walked several blocks south, then cut east past Pritzker Military Library to make for the lake. From the circle where cabs were coming and going, picking up and dropping off, they could look down the length of the ordered chaos that was Chicago’s Navy Pier. The Ferris wheel and other rides, the yachts and touring boats moored at the docks, the seemingly endless array of shops and restaurants, extending as far as the eye could see from where he and Zane stood together.
    “What is Navy Pier?” Zane asked as he followed Ty through a red metal arch bearing those words.
    “It’s… I don’t know. It’s got a Ferris wheel,” Ty said with a careless shrug. “It’s like the Field Museum and Wrigley Field. You have to go do it if you go to Chicago.”
    “Everything I know about Chicago I learned from The Blues Brothers ,” Zane said, distracted as they walked past small booths and ticket stands.
    “Jesus, Zane,” Ty muttered. “So I came here last night very briefly because I needed a drink. You need to see this.” He gave Zane’s hand a tug, leading him inside the shopping area and wending through the mass of people, shops, and mobile vendors. When he stopped, they were standing in front of Garrett Popcorn Shop. Ty waved a hand at it with pride, as if