Cut and Run 7 - Touch and Geaux

dangerous, and he advanced on Zane from across the room, heedless of the other men, no longer slow or shaky.
    “I don’t know, Ty, some guy who wanted a light.” Zane peered over Ty’s shoulder at the others. They were all growing uneasy, sharing wide-eyed glances and shifting where they sat. Even Ty wasn’t usually this overtly possessive or combative.
    Ty was oblivious to the discomfort in the room as he stalked up to Zane, cornering him in the little entryway. He held the paper up. “What did he look like?”
    “Ty,” Zane said gently. “It’s a piece of trash in my pocket. He pickpocketed my lighter and slipped it back in with that note. It’s not a big deal, okay? Maybe we can talk about it once the meds wear off.”
    Ty’s eyes flashed and he struck out at the wall next to Zane, slapping his palm and the piece of paper against it. Zane flinched away, eyes going wider.
    “What did he look like?” Ty shouted.
    “Grady!” Kelly called. “You need to sit down before the morphine gets the better of you.”
    Zane’s eyes stayed on Ty’s. He shook his head. He knew Ty wasn’t going to hurt him, but it was growing embarrassing. He just wanted to keep Ty calm until the drugs could wear off. “He was . . . blond. British. Blue eyes. I don’t know, it was dark.”
    “Was his name Liam Bell?” Ty growled.
    Zane heard a sharp inhalation from one of the others, and it distracted him enough to glance at them and see Nick and Kelly both standing. He met Ty’s eyes again and nodded. “Yeah. I think that was his name. How’d you know that?”
    Ty took a step back, releasing the paper. It fluttered to the ground at Zane’s feet. Ty put a hand over his mouth and turned away.
    “Liam Bell?” Nick asked, aghast. “How is that possible?”
    “Who is Liam Bell?” Zane asked. “How do you know him?”
    “How did you know it was him, Ty?” Owen demanded.
    Ty still had a hand over his mouth. He closed his eyes.
    “You saw him, didn’t you?” Nick said. “In the ER. That’s why you freaked out. You saw him there.”
    Ty nodded, eyes still closed. “I thought I was hallucinating.”
    “Who is Liam Bell?” Zane asked again.
    Kelly took a deep breath, looking between Ty and Zane. “He was . . . uh.”
    “He’s a ghost,” Digger answered. “He’s dead.”
    “We have to get out of here,” Ty muttered. “We have to leave town.”
    Zane barked a laugh. “Are you serious?”
    Ty turned on him. “What else did he say to you?”
    Zane sighed, far too aware of all the eyes on him. He shrugged it off. “He wanted a light. He sort of flirted with me. There was nothing.”
    Ty gritted his teeth, stepping closer. “Zane, the words he used. What did he say ?”
    Zane’s brow furrowed as he fought past the sense of urgency and confusion to remember exactly what the man had said to him. He shook his head, distracted by the look of near panic on Ty’s face. “He said something about looking forward to seeing me again.” He paused, taking a deep breath to steel himself for Ty’s reaction. “Without my boyfriend around.”
    Ty’s shoulders straightened and his features grew harder, more dangerous. He glanced over his shoulder. “He told me he wanted revenge.” He looked back at Zane, fear skittering through his eyes. “He’s coming after you.”
    “What the hell are you talking about, Ty?”
    Ty backed away, covering his face like he was trying to block out everything so he could think clearly. Those meds were still doing a number on him, and Zane wasn’t quite sure what to do. He wasn’t even sure if this warranted the kind of panic Ty had spiraled into, but the rest of them looked shocked as well.
    “Why is this guy so scary?” Zane asked, growing frustrated. He needed details, not more rambling hoodoo ghost talk.
    Ty sat down hard on the end of the bed and swiped a hand over his eyes. He glanced up at Zane, his head resting on his hand. “You remember me telling you about training with an SAS team?”
    Zane nodded, even as he tried to think back. It had been before they’d left for the cruise ship assignment and Ty had explained where he’d picked up the British accent he’d been forced to use.
    “Liam was the leader of the group we were assigned with. It was an advanced Coalition team.”
    “Okay,” Zane said, still confused. He sat in one of the chairs near the bed, watching Ty’s body language more than anything else. His knee was bouncing, he couldn’t stop fidgeting with