They had stopped moving, and Burns guessed they had bedded down in the blizzard despite the early hour. A blizzard wouldn"t stop the men coming after them once the CIA caught their scent, though. Nor would it stop Julian Cross.
Chapter 8.
T HEY had the honeymoon suite. Two rooms with the bedroom in the back, no windows, and one door in and out. To escape that bedroom, you had to go through the other half of the suite. It was so perfect that Zane was afraid to find out what the catch was.
As soon as they entered the room, Zane went to the heater and cranked it up. Cameron kept his head down, fleeing for the bathroom. He was upset, but Zane couldn"t blame him.
Ty escorted Julian through the room to the bedroom, Zane trailing behind them to help secure Julian to whatever they could find. Ty had fished a handful of bungee cords out of the trunk with something close to unholy glee.
"Antiques dealer, huh?" Ty asked Julian, voice laced with amus.e.m.e.nt and contempt as he tossed his jacket onto the bed. He was still irritable and tense from the drive, and the target of his ire appeared to be Julian. Zane wondered what had been said in the car when he was gone to up the level of animosity between them.
"Yes."
"That"s original."
"I don"t strive to be original."
"And the kid?" Ty asked.
"What about him?" Julian asked, shoulders stiff.
Zane looked up at his partner as he flipped through channels on the muted television, trying to find the Weather Channel and wondering what it was about Julian Cross that annoyed Ty so. Ty had told him that parts of Julian reminded him of Zane. Well, parts of Ty and Julian reminded Zane of the way he and Ty had treated each other when they first met. The tension was palpable, but there was an added layer to it that Zane really didn"t want to ponder.
"You know you"re going to get him killed, dragging him all over the place like this."
"I wouldn"t say I"m dragging him anywhere," Julian said, utterly calm.
"He has no idea what you do or who you are. You"re doing nothing but putting him in danger," Ty said. "You really think he"d come willingly if he knew the truth about you?"
"Yes. And sometimes it"s safer that way."
"Safer, my a.s.s. Ignorance is not bliss, you know."
Cameron chose that moment to step out of the bathroom, unaware that he was the subject of their conversation.
Julian looked Ty up and down. "Are you telling me you"ve never lied to a loved one?"
Ty raised his eyebrows and shook his head, an entirely insolent look that would have made Zane want to smack him if it had been aimed at him.
"You"ve never kept something from your partner to keep him safe?" Julian asked, voice growing colder.
"No, I haven"t," Ty answered without a moment"s hesitation.
Julian"s eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer. He and Ty were too close now. Close enough that they couldn"t even look each other up and down without leaning away. Cameron shot Zane a nervous glance, and Zane stood, tensing.
Julian"s voice was low and mocking when he spoke to Ty. "You"ve never lied to someone to keep them safe? Wife? Mother? Boyfriend?"
"No," Ty said, not reacting to Julian"s last word.
"Fine, you"ve never done it. I"ll believe that out of someone like you. But have you ever lied to someone you loved because you were following orders, Special Agent Grady?"
Ty didn"t flinch, didn"t react in any way other than a jump in the muscles of his jaw. "No." His voice had dropped dangerously.
The hair on the back of Zane"s neck began to p.r.i.c.kle because he knew d.a.m.n well that was a lie, and Ty had managed it seamlessly.
Julian narrowed his eyes. They stood toe to toe, glaring evilly at each other, neither willing to cross that line and attack, whether verbally or physically. Zane stood back, watching them through wide eyes. He had no desire whatsoever to mix it up with Julian Cross, but if this continued he"d be happy to sit the man down.
"You"re an excellent liar, Agent Grady," Julian whispered, his voice deceptively calm and borderline seductive. He leaned just a little closer, close enough he could have touched their noses together. He c.o.c.ked his head. "You think I don"t recognize you? My memory is not as selective as yours."
Zane straightened as Julian"s words registered. He looked back and forth between the two men. They knew each other? What the h.e.l.l?
"Julian, what are you talking about?" Cameron asked.
Looking at Ty, Zane could see that he had stopped breathing and gone still, like a snake about to strike.
Julian continued, his voice disturbingly intimate. "When last I saw you, you were speaking flawless French, plying a wealthy Parisian with drinks, and selling... antiques. Do you remember me now?"
Outwardly Ty didn"t react. His face remained impa.s.sive and stony, revealing nothing. That alone was enough to tell Zane that what Julian said was the truth. But Zane hadn"t picked up on the fact that Ty knew Julian. It must have been at least a few years ago, or Ty would have remembered. And Ty hadn"t been to Paris since Zane had known him.
Unless Ty had been to Paris, and did remember, but hadn"t let on that he did. A heavy ball of doubt settled in Zane"s gut.
"I don"t know what you"re talking about," Ty finally said.
Julian continued to stare at him, and Ty still hadn"t moved. Julian raised his chin, snorting. "What sort of man must it take to make even his eyes lie?" he asked, the words dripping with disdain and scorn. As far as he"d experienced, Zane knew Julian got a good read on people. But what had he seen in Ty to make him say something that cruel?
Ty continued to look at Julian, the anger and combativeness leaching out of his expression to leave him staring impa.s.sively. Not only had he gotten control of his temper, it had disappeared. Zane had never seen his partner like this.
"You call me a monster," Julian said, voice low. "At least I know what I am."
"I know what you are you too," Ty whispered back, not acknowledging the hit in any way.
The room fell into tense silence. Zane shifted his eyes toward Ty and waited. But Ty stood staring at Julian, face expressionless and body relaxed. He neither looked Zane"s way nor even acknowledged that he and Cameron were there. It was like waiting for two dogs to fight, sensing that they were about to lunge and being helpless to stop it. Zane walked in a half circle to put himself in Ty"s line of sight, perhaps six feet away. Until Ty came out of whatever heads.p.a.ce this was, it was better not to get too close.
Julian sensed him moving, and he gave Ty one last disdainful look and moved to sit beside Cameron on the end of the king-size bed.
All three of them watched Ty expectantly, and Ty stood glaring at them all. It was time for some kind of explanation. Zane could imagine Julian making something like that up; it would serve the purpose of driving a wedge of suspicion between Ty and Zane if they began fighting over it. It was a cla.s.sic psychological technique. But Zane"s gut told him that it felt like the truth.
Ty"s eyes moved to meet his. His jaw tightened and he squared his shoulders, as if expecting Zane to launch his own attack. Instead, Zane slid one hand into a pocket and held out the other, palm up. He didn"t want to fight about it. He just wanted to know; to know if Ty was in danger, to know if they were in danger because of this. As much as being kept in the dark p.i.s.sed him off, Zane knew better than to demand answers from his lover and partner, especially in front of Julian and Cameron. That was a quick trip to an a.s.s-kicking. Or worse, a stonewalling.
"Go ahead," Ty said, his voice grim.
Zane tried to keep his voice calm. "Do you want to fight? Because I don"t. But there"s a lot of numbers not adding up, and you know me and numbers."
"I don"t want to fight," Ty answered. His eyes shifted to Julian again, a spark of anger in them.
"Then forget about him and focus on me," Zane said, letting his hand start to lower.
Ty looked back and raised his chin. "I swear to you, Zane, I"d never seen him before this case."
"You"re a b.l.o.o.d.y liar," Julian muttered.
When Zane met those hazel eyes, he tried to see what Julian must have seen, but he just didn"t. All he saw was the man he knew and loved telling him the truth. Everything in Zane confirmed it. "Then that means he"s seen you. In Paris?"
"I"ve never been to Paris."
"Don"t let him lie to you, Agent Garrett," Julian said.
"Shut up," Zane snapped.
Ty lowered his head, but his eyes remained on Zane"s. It gave him a predatory look.
Zane knew that Ty was wound up too tight about this for it to be a simple matter. "This is one of those things you can"t tell me about. That"s crystal clear."
Ty exhaled sharply and turned away, running his hand through his hair as he headed for the door. Ty always aimed for open s.p.a.ce when he was agitated, windows and doors and balconies. Like he was making certain he had an escape route. Only now it struck Zane as Ty wanting to get away from him.
Zane took a step to go after him.
Ty swept his hand out and grabbed the lamp off the dresser, then turned, ripping the cord from the base, and threw it against the nearest wall with a wordless shout of frustration that was lost in the shattering of the ceramic.
Zane flinched but didn"t move. Julian stood but remained by the bed, where Cameron sat cringing away from the debris. Zane took a step toward them. It registered with him that he was afraid of what Ty was going to do, because Zane couldn"t tell, and he"d gotten pretty adept at that. This was just one of so many unspoken truths between them. Maybe Ty feared them as much as Zane did.
"G.o.ddammit, Zane!" Ty shouted as he continued to pace like a caged animal. As he ranted he waved one hand in the air, pointing accusingly at Zane and Julian and even Cameron as he did so. "What are the f.u.c.king odds of him knowing me? I worked that job for eighteen months without so much as a hint of trouble, and now of all people it"s that f.u.c.king Irishman that"s going to get that cover blown. Why couldn"t you have just let me shoot him like I wanted to in the first place?"
Zane"s brows rose higher the longer Ty ranted, and that rigid ball in his chest relaxed. If Ty could yell, it would be okay. It always was. What he was saying didn"t help Zane feel any better, though. "Nothing"s blown."
"Everything is blown! Forget whatever Burns wants with him, Zane! He knows me from Paris, and he just made me as a Fed!"
"Who is he going to tell? Who"ll believe him?"
"Hey!" Julian said, affronted.
"Don"t borrow trouble. We have enough as it is," Zane continued as he waved a hand at Julian.
Ty was silent; Zane couldn"t even hear him breathing.
"Don"t consider a year and a half of work thrown away before you know for sure," Zane said. "You"re too f.u.c.king good at... whatever the h.e.l.l it is you"ve been doing... to just chuck it because of one a.s.shole with a bad accent."
"Hey!" Julian repeated.
Zane turned to face him as Julian took a step toward him. He realized their mistake too late. They had let themselves get pulled into an argument and dropped their guard before Julian was fully secured.
He attacked without further warning, launching himself at Zane and knocking them both to the ground. Zane heard Cameron cry out. Julian"s body was solid and heavy on his as Zane hit the ground hard. Zane rolled as soon as his back hit the floor, flipping them over and kicking Julian over his head. He barely had time to gain his knees before Julian hit him from behind. They rolled across the floor.
Zane landed on his back again, Julian pinning him. He managed a jab to Zane"s ribs, and he pulled his fist back again, aiming for a blow to Zane"s temple that was sure to knock out the lights.
Zane flicked a wrist and a knife shot from its sheath. He palmed it, prepared to do real damage to Julian"s midsection.
Ty stepped into his vision, catching Julian"s fist in one palm before it could land against Zane"s face. He twisted Julian"s arm, and Julian arched his back and shouted in pain and anger. Ty turned gracefully until he was kneeling behind Julian with one arm wrapped around his neck, the other twisting Julian"s hand back and up.
"Stop! Please!" Cameron cried as he stood up and stepped forward.
Zane pushed himself off the floor and grabbed Cameron, holding him back as they both watched Julian struggle against Ty"s arms.
Ty clasped his hands together over Julian"s shoulder, closing the choke hold as Julian tried to reach his face to find something tender to jab his thumb into. Ty closed his eyes and lowered his head, hiding his face against Julian"s neck, making it almost seem intimate. They were too close for Julian to hurt Ty enough to loosen his grip. His elbows landed uselessly on hard muscle, his fists. .h.i.t Ty"s hips instead of his groin. Ty was too heavy and too low for Julian to flip over his shoulder.
Zane realized that Ty was whispering to Julian as he tightened the chokehold. "It"s okay, you"ll be okay," he was repeating to Julian even as he rendered him unconscious.
"He"s killing him!"
"No," Zane said in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
There was something fascinating and morbidly beautiful about watching it, though. Ty held tight to the larger man, wrapping him up, head bowed and expression calm when he opened his eyes again. It was perhaps the first time Zane had ever seen Ty"s eyes go blank like that; he seemed almost meditative. Zen-like.
Julian tried to duck his head, attempting to open his airway, but Ty had closed the hold too quickly. After a few more seconds of struggling, Julian"s body went limp. Ty continued to hold him for another few breaths, and then he released him and let him thump to the ground. When he stood he looked up at them, meeting Zane"s eyes. Everything about Ty, from his body to the look in his eyes, felt calm and still.
It was like seeing a new person.
"Oh G.o.d," Cameron whispered. Zane let him go. He fell on Julian, taking his face between his hands and calling to him.
"He"ll be fine," Ty muttered. He stood stock-still, staring at Zane. The stillness was unnerving; Ty was never still. He fidgeted and paced and vibrated and bounced and twitched and rocked when there was no other outlet for all the nervous energy he stored up. But now he was so still it was like looking at a statue.
Zane closed his eyes and counted heartbeats, just breathing, trying to hold onto composure that was cracking. Ty was scaring him, and Zane had no idea what to do about it.
"You"re right," Ty said, the words stirring the tension in the air and cutting through it.
Zane blinked his eyes open and raised his head to look at Ty. He was still standing motionless, hands at his sides. He was looking down and his lips were parted, tongue pushing against the corner of his mouth as if he was deep in thought. Zane had seen the expression before, right before copiers started blowing up. He statistically had a very small percentage of heading that off, but Zane didn"t know if he was up to it with so much uncertainty suddenly flowing between them.
"Well," Zane said with forced lightness, "the extent of my French is voulez-vous coucher avec moi and menage a trois, so I hope you won"t consider me a threat."
Ty looked up at him, his expression one of clear calculation. It pa.s.sed and his shoulders slumped. "Don"t be like that, Zane, come on. You had to know the kind of stuff I was up to on some level. And I haven"t worked a job since we got a.s.signed together."
Zane sighed. "Of course I did, Ty." He was sure Ty had no idea how much Zane knew about that kind of stuff. He shifted his weight back and forth, trying to shake off the discomfort this entire week had caused.
"Will someone please tell me what just happened?" Cameron shouted, his voice high and wavering.
Ty shook his head, looking down at Cameron and Julian"s limp form. "He"ll be awake in five minutes."
"What the h.e.l.l did you do to him?"
"Blood choke. Cut off blood flow to his brain. He"ll be fine."
"Ty," Zane said in a whisper.