Cut & Run (Cut & Run #1)(57)
Author: Abigail Roux

Ty glared at him from his side of the cab for a moment and then looked away with a long sigh. Obviously there was more to it than that, and Ty found himself annoyed that he even gave a damn. He wouldn’t ask again, though.

After another long silence, Zane gave a quiet sigh. “Becky died this time of year,” Zane said quietly. “Weather’s about the same. Fancy graveyard.” He shrugged.

“Who is Becky?” Ty asked in exasperation.

Zane kept his eyes focused out the window. “My wife.”

Ty stared at him for a long moment, eyes drifting down to the wedding ring Zane still wore but they’d never talked about, then he looked away without commenting. He pressed his lips together tightly as they rode in silence. “I’m sorry,” he finally offered.

Nodding slowly, Zane finally said, “Thanks.” It was almost inaudible.

Ty didn’t respond. His immediate reaction was to point out that if Zane had a f**king problem with graveyards he should have said something instead of wasting their time by zoning out in there. He would have been better off leaving Zane at the gate and taking his time. A day ago he would have said it out loud, but now he held his tongue. It was an action he wasn’t accustomed to or comfortable with. Forcing himself not to say anything too harsh to the man fueled the resentment Ty felt building.

A few minutes passed. “Need to go back?” Zane asked neutrally.

Ty watched the architecture pass by and sighed inaudibly. “We’ll see,” he finally answered curtly.

Zane turned off the portion of himself that felt bad that he’d apparently messed with Ty’s work. It just didn’t compare to the thoughts and dreams and dying lights that swirled through his mind. He’d need some time to clear those cobwebs away. Then he could get back to work.

The rest of the taxi ride passed in tense silence.

y was undeniably pissed off, and he spent the rest of the day distracted by it. The more distracted he became with his and Zane’s little T personal interactions, the angrier he found himself. They had a murderer to find and Ty had the death of a brother to avenge’ he didn’t need to be absorbed in this little fling they had started up. And he couldn’t even shout at Zane to release the frustration anymore. It didn’t seem right after what had happened between them. He wasn’t used to being angry without an outlet, and it was wearing him down.

They had finally returned to Federal Plaza and given their accounts of what had happened with the exploding computer. They were questioned about the bruises both men displayed, and about why they had left the scene when they knew they would have to be questioned. Ty had been forced to put in a call to Dick Burns in order to get the disgruntled investigators off their backs, and they had been sent on their way.

The rest of the day had been spent at the hotel, combing over files and notes as they searched for a thread.

It was beginning to rain once more, the drops hitting the hotel window lazily when Ty finally put his work down and rested his elbows on the table. He rubbed his hands over his face and groaned plaintively. “Did we eat lunch?” he asked sulkily.

“Nope,” Zane answered distractedly. He’d finally managed to sink himself in autopsy reports a couple hours ago, and that subject matter was more than enough to quash any physical urges; hunger, sex, or otherwise.

“Can we eat lunch now?” Ty asked sarcastically.

Zane threw down his pen with a soft sigh. “Sure,” he agreed.

Ty leaned back in his chair, watching Zane studiously like he would a lion in the zoo. He was irritated with him, for more reasons than the fact that he had been made to leave his site early. Mostly, Ty was irritated because now when Zane did something, he found himself wondering why.

Pushing the file folders away before scooting back from the table, Zane stretched once he was standing, arms above his head, eyes closed as he rolled his neck. He’d been tense all morning, and sitting hunched over case files all afternoon hadn’t helped either.

“Want to call it a day?” Ty asked neutrally.

Zane arched his back and several vertebrae popped. He relaxed in relief before opening his eyes. “I’ll be fine after a break. All this shit is swimming around right now,” he muttered with a wave of his hand at his head.

Ty merely nodded, watching Zane impatiently.

Zane returned the look impassively. “So. Room service? Going out?”

The thought of a cigarette was reassuring, since it didn’t look like he’d be having another f**k anytime soon. The fact that Ty was pissed was pretty easy to decipher.

Ty pressed his lips tightly together and cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. “Going out could be risky,” he observed in a flat tone. “I haven’t spotted a tail yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have one.”

Zane nodded absently and walked over to the dresser where he’d tossed the hotel book with the menu in it. He’d thought Ty would want to get out and roam, as restless as the man obviously was. But he’d learned yesterday that there was no telling what Ty would do. Trying to anticipate him was an effort in futility, one that often produced a headache. He paged through the book where it lay on the top of the piece of furniture. Ty’s eyes stayed on him as he moved. He seemed to be waiting for something. The silence stretched thin as Zane did his best to ignore it.

“Should I go back to my room tonight?” Ty asked out of the blue. “Or will we be able to work together and f**k each other senseless at the same time?”

Zane jerked his chin around to stare at Ty with wide eyes for a long moment. He opened his mouth to say something and closed it right back before trying again. “I can work with the f**king,” he said. Jesus Christ, he sounded like an idiot!

Ty snorted. “Good,” he said flatly, the smile dropping again. “As long as we keep it at that, we’re fine.”

Narrowing his eyes, Zane turned toward Ty, bringing the menu with him. “Keep it at that?” he asked curiously. Yeah, they seemed to have a hell of a lot of chemistry, and there had been a few scarily tender moments, but 168

Zane knew better than to read anything into it.

“Right,” Ty answered, either oblivious to the implied question or not caring to elaborate.

Rather than pushing for an answer, Zane held out the menu, but he kept his eyes on Ty, watching him.

“I’ll take what I had last night,” Ty answered as he looked down at the menu and back up at Zane with a small smirk.

The other man raised an eyebrow, giving Ty a look of wry amusement as he yanked the menu back. “I figured you’d want what you had for breakfast,” he tossed out as he walked over to the phone.