Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

sliver of metal embedded in each sleeve, just at the cuffs, but no other weaponry.
    Julian sighed in annoyance as Ty removed the lock pick pieces.
    “Poor hired killer, took away his toys,” Ty said in mocking sympathy. “We’re good,” he said to Zane, patting Julian on the back.
    “Don’t worry, Mr. Jacobs,” Zane said. “You’ll be in DC in about seven hours, and dealing with us will be but a happy memory.”
    “Thank God for small favors,” Julian murmured. He turned. “That second bag is quite heavy. Do mind your back, Agent Grady,” he said with utmost sincerity, then smirked and began moving toward Zane and the door. Cameron shifted away from Zane as Julian approached, but he didn’t try to move any further.
    “If we want to make the plane, we need to go now,” Zane said.
    Ty thought seriously about leaving the bags on the floor, but even he wasn’t that much of a bastard. He bent and hefted both bags with a muttered curse. He nodded, turning one last time to salute the man he knew was probably still on the opposite roof, watching them through a scope.
    “Let’s get this show on the road,” he grunted as he headed for the door. “Mr. Jacobs, you’re going to need to stop cowering. Garrett won’t hurt you. Much.”
    “Actually, in my experience, it’s the tall, dark, and silent types who are the most dangerous,” Cameron said as he preceded Zane out the door.
    “Oh Christ, he’s one of those, isn’t he?” Ty muttered.
    “You have no idea,” Julian said in return.

    P RESTON watched through the scope of his Parker Hale Model 85 as the two agents led Julian and Cameron out of the apartment and shut the door behind them. He raised his head to look down at the street and the cab waiting.
    One thing was certain after seeing the face of the man waving to him in his scope: he couldn’t just take them out from up here. He didn’t know why, but the man looked familiar. He didn’t wait for them to emerge on the street, instead packing up and moving as he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the only number he really could in this situation.
    “Hello, sir,” he said as soon as Blake Nichols answered.
    “I know you call Julian ‘sir’ to annoy him, but do you really have to do it to me too?” Blake asked, amused.
    “I apologize, sir, but we have a problem.”
    “What kind of problem?” Blake asked, tone changing.
    “Two federal agents have just taken Mr. Cross into custody.”
    “What?”
    “I said, two federal agents—”
    “I heard you, Preston!”
    “Of course, sir,” Preston said as he trotted down the steps of the building he’d been using as his sniper’s nest.
    “What agency?”
    “I can’t be certain. They had FBI badges, but one of them—”
    “Were they CIA?”
    “Possibly, sir. I couldn’t tell.”
    “That was fucking fast. Stay on them, Preston, but do not move on them, understood? I’ll get back to you.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Preston flipped the phone closed and picked up the pace, hurrying to the ground level so he’d have a chance to catch up with that cab.

Chapter 5

    TSA used the screened-off area for security searches to pass through airline crews, law enforcement, and VIPs. It was quicker than going through as a regular passenger but still a lot of scrutiny, especially when it came to checking prisoners.
    Ty and Zane had debated over whether to go through the law enforcement line since they were supposed to be operating dark, but the risk of taking Julian Cross through the searches without being restrained was too high, and trying to explain that he was handcuffed because he wasn’t coming willingly without identifying themselves as FBI would get awkward.
    So there they stood at Midway airport as one uniformed man each patted Cameron and Zane down. Ty rocked from side to side, checking the time on his cell phone every few seconds. Zane knew he didn’t want to miss the plane, but he figured Ty also wanted to get rid of Julian as soon as possible. Zane didn’t blame him; he felt much the same. Julian Cross was dangerous. Even standing sedately in front of them, his hands cuffed, Cameron’s jacket thrown over them to hide the restraints from the general public, he made Zane uneasy. Obviously Ty felt the same way. And there was an added element in that Julian seemed to especially dislike Ty and vice versa. The animosity between the two was solid in the air, and Zane couldn’t figure out why, other than Ty sometimes had that effect on