Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

sarcasm in it.
    Julian pursed his lips thoughtfully.
    “Fuck it, just…. You take this side, I’ll take that one, see if we can keep our arms from going to sleep.”
    Julian lay down obediently, disturbed and distracted by his new realizations. Outwardly he and Zane Garrett were very alike. But perhaps deeper down, Julian and Ty Grady were more alike than either man was comfortable with.
    As if to accentuate his thoughts, the fire alarm blared to life again, and he and Ty both shot up in the bed before either could curtail the instinct. They sat in bed together, tense and looking at each other in the darkness, until the alarm cut off.
    “I hate Ohio,” Ty muttered before he flopped back to the bed.
    “Amen,” Zane and Cameron both said from the other bed.

    Z ANE examined himself in the bathroom mirror as he towel-dried his hair and then tossed the towel onto the counter. Placing both hands on the vanity, he leaned forward, taking in the beard and exhausted eyes. Ty was right: the beard didn’t suit him.
    He was also convinced that going on short sleep for days on end with his mileage was not conducive to his health or his looks.
    “Looking good, Garrett,” he mumbled. He picked up and shook out his new Henley before sliding an arm into it. He was putting the same clothes back on, but they weren’t a mess. And after a shower he felt much better. He mentally patted himself on the back for picking up some deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste when he was at that drug store in Chicago. It seemed like weeks ago.
    They were coming up on four days that they’d been on the road. They had been long days, and even Ty’s normally amusing antics were wearing on his nerves. Having to constantly keep his gun pretty much trained on Julian didn’t help. Zane was thankful he’d gotten at least a little bit of time alone with Ty and some sleep, or he’d really be going nuts.
    He smoothed down the shirt before opening the bathroom door. He was surprised to find not only Ty but also Julian standing right there at the door when it opened. Before he could react, Ty reached out and grabbed his arm, yanking him forward and snapping one half of a pair of handcuffs on his wrist.
    He found himself handcuffed to their prisoner, who was looking at him with a sardonic smile.
    “There!” Ty said happily.
    Zane stared at him, incredulous, before reaching out and popping him upside the back of the head. “What the fuck?”
    Ty danced away from him so he wouldn’t risk another smack. “I couldn’t find anything solid to attach him to, and you won’t let me drug him,” he said as he rubbed at his head. “And you’re, you know… solid enough.”
    “You can cuff him to the damn toilet for all I care, but not to me!” He pulled his wrist up and shook it along with Julian’s arm. “Give me the key.”
    “I must agree,” Julian said.
    The smile still on Ty’s face made Zane want to wipe it away. Whether with a voracious kiss or a serious kick to the teeth, Zane hadn’t yet decided.
    Ty held up the keys to the cuffs and shook his head as he put them into his jeans pocket. “We’ll get you something from Wendy’s,” he told them in what might have passed for a consoling tone.
    Zane swiped out at Ty, but his partner took another step back and Zane was attached to the immovable object that was Julian, so he couldn’t grab Ty before he edged around to the door. Cameron waited there already, looking uncertain and almost amused.
    “What if they kill each other?” Cameron asked Ty. He sounded serious. Zane glanced at Julian, feeling the annoyance bubble just below a boil. He was probably right to be worried.
    Ty idly scratched at his chin, looking at them. He glanced sideways at Cameron. “Should we place bets?”
    Zane could hear Julian grinding his teeth.
    “You—” Zane cut himself off before delivering a threat that wouldn’t come from a partner. A working partner.
    Cameron peered at Julian for a long moment before tipping his head to one side and considering Zane as well. “I bet there won’t be blood when we come back. And if I win, Julian and I get a night uncuffed in a bed.”
    “Cameron!” Julian said, sounding shocked.
    Ty considered for a moment, then reached out to shake Cameron’s hand. “Bet.”
    Cameron shrugged and looked at Julian apologetically. “Now, don’t throw the bet,” he said, lips pressing down like he was hiding a laugh.
    “You two are real comedians,” Zane said, lifting his