Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

I look like I can fly a plane?” Ty snapped, getting more irritable the more he messed with his ribcage.
    Julian pursed his lips as he looked at Ty. “I just assumed, since you enjoyed the TSA so much.”
    “Okay, let’s stop right there,” Zane said hastily.
    “Julian, would your friend be able to find a bigger plane for us? One he could fly?” Cameron asked as he turned in his seat.
    Julian shrugged. “We could ask him.”
    “Yes. Let’s go ask him,” Ty muttered. “That’s fucking stupid.”
    “Fine,” Julian said, his tone making it clear he was reaching the end of his patience. “We’ll solve this like men.”
    “What do you want, MacGuffin, a duel?”
    “No.” Julian held out both hands, one palm flat, the other held over it in a fist. “Rock, paper, scissors. Two out of three.”
    Ty rolled his eyes and held out his fist, apparently willing to play. Julian hit his palm three times, and Ty kept time with his fist in the air. But when Julian threw a paper, Ty reached into his jacket with his other hand and pulled his gun, aiming it at Julian.
    “Ty!” Zane said in exasperation from the front seat.
    “Glock, paper, scissors. I win.”
    “You are an ass,” Julian muttered.
    “Ty, put your gun away,” Zane muttered, less sarcastic than his partner. “To Gettysburg, then?”
    “Fine. And when we get there you can shave that fucking ferret’s nest off your face,” Ty said to Zane as he shoved the gun back into his coat.
    “And on the way we’ll get some Cheetos and Dr Pepper for Ty’s blood sugar,” Zane added, unperturbed.
    In the front seat, Cameron clapped a hand over his mouth so no one would hear him snort.

Chapter 12

    C AMERON looked up at Julian as they rode the elevator in the Gettysburg Hotel up to the third floor. “Do you think this man you used to know is still here?”
    “I’d like to think so. If he’s not, he’s dead, and that would distress me a little,” Julian answered, deadpan.
    “Did you know him well? He was a friend?” Cameron asked.
    “More an acquaintance. A coworker.” Julian glanced sideways at Cameron and smiled. “He retired of his own volition. That doesn’t happen often to people I know.”
    Cameron rolled his eyes and smiled as the elevator doors opened. “I imagine not, though I like to dream.”
    “You talk when you dream,” Julian said in a low voice, fighting hard to keep the smile out of his voice. He took Cameron’s elbow and let his fingers drift down his lover’s arm as they stepped out of the elevator. Ty and Zane had let them go alone to scout the area. Julian knew they were testing him to see if they could trust him, and he also knew that Ty hadn’t made it out of that brawl as easy as he was leading them to believe. He was hurt, and Zane had sequestered him in the hotel room as soon as they’d arrived.
    “We have a room to ourselves tonight,” Julian murmured to Cameron with a smirk. “I’m quite looking forward to it.”
    “Ty and Zane will still be next door,” Cameron said, but his smile didn’t fade. If anything, it grew wider.
    “Like I care at this point.” Julian allowed himself to grin as they came to the door of the first room. He gave Cameron a wink as he rapped his knuckles on the door three times.
    “You never cared,” Cameron murmured with a laugh. “About what they think, anyway.”
    “I maintain they’re both idiots,” Julian muttered, albeit more fondly than he would have a day ago.
    The door opened. “I heard that,” Zane said as he stepped back to let them in the room.
    “I know.” Julian waved for Cameron to go in first, then followed with a smirk at Zane as he passed.
    Zane shut the door behind them a little harder than strictly necessary, and he stalked past them to thump down in the chair at the desk. His face was set in a deep frown as he glared at Ty, who sat sprawled in a wingback chair near the bed, bottle of water in hand. He’d been bitching about the lack of Dr Pepper for a few days now. He was apparently going through some sort of caffeine withdrawal, and he refused to drink Coke or Pepsi or even Red Bull. They were going to have to force something caffeinated down his throat soon, or he was going to kill them all.
    Julian raised one eyebrow at Zane but didn’t comment on his crankiness. The room was thick with tension that almost buzzed between the two FBI agents.
    “What’d you find out?” Ty demanded of Julian.
    “Well, dinner is quite pricey in the tavern