Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

right.
    “I thought they over roasted their beans,” Ty grumbled.
    Cameron snorted.
    “I’d like to get some gum or something,” Julian said to Zane as Ty led Cameron toward the restrooms.
    Zane glanced at him and hummed as he studied the narrow aisles of the convenience store. “Try anything in there and I’ll put you down.”
    Julian gave him a single nod.
    Zane walked him over to the store, giving the restrooms a last glance. He and Julian meandered through the aisles of the convenience store, Zane watching Julian and Julian looking for something he didn’t seem to be finding. When he reached for a pack of gum, his linked hands knocked over an entire row of condom and tampon boxes.
    Julian cursed under his breath, glancing at the clerk as he lifted his hands to show Zane that they were empty. Zane sighed and glanced at the clerk as well. She was watching them with a wary frown. Zane waved at her and smiled, and when he looked back at Julian, the man was stooping to pick up the boxes. Zane watched his movements closely, making certain he wasn’t doing anything nefarious. Then he plucked a pack of gum off the rack and led Julian to the desk.
    Five minutes and a bathroom break later, they met Ty and Cameron in line for coffee.
    “Everything okay?” Ty asked.
    Zane spared himself a moment to just stare at his partner. He nodded before Ty could grow worried. They locked eyes, and Ty began to smile before he looked away.
    They could not get home soon enough.
    They filled the car with gas, Zane letting Julian stand in the cold wind to stretch his legs so he’d stop complaining, and then they hit the road again. An hour later they were closing in on Cleveland. Zane watched the Erie County water tower pass by, and he realized he was growing drowsy. He rubbed at his eyes and glanced at Ty.
    “You doing okay?”
    Ty jerked his head to the side and nodded. “Couple more hours we’ll get something to eat, some caffeine. I think we can get to DC tonight if we both drive.”
    Zane nodded.
    “Sleep,” Ty whispered. “I’ll wake you when it’s your turn.”
    “Aw. That’s sweet,” Julian said in a wry voice.
    Ty and Zane both ignored him.
    Zane reached to lay his chair back, preferably on top of Julian’s head, but as soon as his fingers found the button, the car made a sputtering sound.
    Ty raised his hand off the wheel and looked at the gauges.
    “What was that?” Cameron asked. The car jerked and began to slow.
    Ty managed to get the car off the highway before it died completely. It chugged and grumbled and lurched to a stop. The engine went quiet, throwing the car into the otherworldly silence of a landscape covered with snow.
    “What?” Ty said in irritation.
    “Did our car just die?” Cameron asked, an edge of panic to his voice. “Are we going to freeze now?”
    “Yes,” Ty answered as he ran his hand over his chin.
    Zane looked around them. The moon was out in full force, reflecting off the blanket of snow. They could see for miles, and it wasn’t a comforting view. There was nothing around them. There wasn’t even a glow of lights in the night sky that would signify a shopping center or small town within a few miles. “Fucking Ohio,” Zane muttered.
    Ty exhaled, and the slowly cooling air frosted with his breath. “Cross,” he said, voice deceptively calm. “What did you do to it?”
    “I haven’t touched the vehicle, Agent Grady.”
    Ty looked at Zane, clenching his jaw. “What did he do in that travel place?”
    “Got some gum. Knocked over some condoms. Took a piss, and stood in the cold.”
    Ty rubbed his eyes, lowering his head. “Did you put a condom in the gas tank?” he asked Julian.
    Julian was silent.
    “You put a condom in the gas tank.”
    Zane turned to look back at Julian. “How do you even do that?”
    Julian looked away, meeting Cameron’s eyes.
    “If we start freezing, we’re eating Cameron first,” Ty grunted before unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing out of the car.

    J ULIAN had to restrain a smirk as the two FBI agents got out of the car. He could feel the cold seeping through the glass of the windows, and while it wasn’t ideal to be stuck where they were, it would have to serve.
    “Did you really kill the car?” Cameron asked in a low voice.
    “You have to give me some credit for being subversive.”
    “Yeah, freezing to death in the middle of Ohio really turns me on.”
    Julian grinned, chuckling as he looked out the window at Ty and Zane.