Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

fuming.
    “Julian? Are you okay?”
    Julian smiled at him. “I’m fine, love. Agent Grady just needed a cuddle. And possibly a piece of my spleen.”
    Ty held up the piece of metal and tapped it against the sink counter. Cameron looked from it to Julian and back. He didn’t look like he was making the connection.
    “When we left you said the only way you’d come along without a fuss was with your boyfriend,” Ty said, but it wasn’t clear which one he was talking to since he was looking at the floor near his feet. “But since you’re making a fuss anyway, I don’t see why we have to hold up our end of the bargain.”
    Julian raised his chin and his black eyes flashed, but he didn’t react otherwise. When Zane had first seen Julian’s reaction to Cameron in the apartment, he’d been sure Cameron would be the best way to control him. It was a combination of how the man softened when he looked at his lover but bristled, even the tiniest bit, when there was any threat toward him.
    Cameron looked back and forth between them as if he was watching a tennis match. Zane had to admire how he seemed to be holding up under the stress. Many civilians would have fallen apart by now, especially in the face of Ty’s impressive rage. “Julian?” His voice was low and cautious.
    Ty shook his head. “Don’t talk to him, talk to me,” he said to Cameron in a low, barely controlled voice that would have scared just about anyone. It almost scared Zane. It did the trick, because Cameron shrank away from him even as he looked at him. Ty pushed away from the sink and stepped toward Cameron, holding up the spring. “He tries one more time to escape, and I promise you, you’ll never see each other again.”
    Cameron stared at him, eyes wide and chest heaving as he breathed hard.
    “Now, go whisper about that some,” Ty said, voice downright cruel.
    Cameron had gone white, and Zane caught a tremble in his hands before he gripped them into fists. But he nodded jerkily. “I’ll talk to him.”
    “You do that,” Ty said, and he stepped out of the bathroom. He pulled Zane with him and closed the door behind them.
    Zane turned and went along as Ty walked toward the window. If that wasn’t enough to calm Julian down, they’d have to tranquilize him.
    They might have to tranquilize Ty too, if what Zane had just seen wasn’t an act of some sort.
    Ty paced toward the window and then turned back to Zane, looking troubled and no longer even remotely angry. Zane was impressed by his lover’s ability to turn that on and off so quickly. He’d known Ty was a chameleon based on his performance as an Englishman on that cruise ship job they’d worked, but Zane had never seen Ty turn emotions on and off like that. “I feel like a monster, threatening that kid.”
    Zane raised one brow, surprised. “Why?”
    Ty looked at him oddly. “Because he hasn’t done anything wrong. Because he’s got stars in his eyes, and he can’t help it that he’s in love with that jackhole.”
    “He chose to be here. He had to know what he was getting into. I can’t imagine living with Cross is good for anyone’s health.”
    Ty shook his head and looked down at the mangled spring. He spun it around between his fingers. “This guy, man. If he’d been able to retie his shoelaces, I’d have never noticed,” he said in disgust as he tossed the wire into the trash.
    Zane shook his head and set his gun on the dresser in front of the TV, in easy reach. “He used his toes to get to it?”
    Ty nodded.
    “Clever. Like someone else I know.”
    Ty glared at him before the expression softened. “Please don’t compare me to the criminal.”
    Zane watched him affectionately. “Sorry.”
    “Hopefully, Cameron will keep him in line from now on.”
    Glancing back at the bathroom door, Zane set his hands on his hips as he considered. “Maybe if we leave them together in there another few hours, we could get some more sleep.”
    Ty nodded. “Sleep. We’ll leave them to it.” He grabbed up his shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head, then stepped over to Zane and kissed him. Zane took advantage of the chance, though, and slid his hands under the shirt before Ty even got it pulled all the way down.
    “Did you enjoy patting down Cross?” Zane asked before nipping at Ty’s earlobe.
    Ty grunted distractedly, not picking up on Zane’s teasing tone. “He got me a good one in the ribs. It’s like he has extra hands.”
    Zane moved to slide