Divide & Conquer (Cut & Run #4)(3)
Author: Abigail Roux

“This time Im with you. It would be worth it.” Another agent swiped an ID card for them, and Zane opened the side door to the building, shoved Ty inside, and followed, pulling the solid steel door shut behind them and wincing because the alarm was still wailing.

Ty threw his arm over Zanes shoulders and hugged him close. His skin was cold against Zanes. “This is g-getting ugly,” he said, not looking at Zane. Zane knew he was referring to the situation at large, the unrest in the city. He continued to speak, lowering his voice until Zane couldnt hear him above the blaring warning.

“We need to go back to the showers. Hot water,” Zane said when he shuddered, and not in a good way. “Riot team will clear those ass**les out before we leave. And you know whoever pulled that fire alarm is in deep shit.”

Ty shook his head. His fingers dragged against Zanes skin as he removed his arm from Zanes shoulders. “Work, work, work,” he murmured, shaking his head.

“Im s-serious,” Zane said as the cold really started to set in. “Im too cold.” His fingers were almost numb as he tried to grasp the bottom of his wet T-shirt to pull it over his head.

“Ill warm you up later,” Ty promised. It was a nice thought, but not helpful right now. Ty had somehow mastered the shivering and teeth chattering already. Hed once told Zane that the best way to stop the shivering was to consciously relax your body, et voilà, no more shaking. But Zane had never gotten it to work.

Zane turned and led the way back to their lockers, managed to get his wet clothes off, and rubbed himself down roughly with his towel, trying to ward off the bone-aching chill.

The alarm abruptly cut off, but the ringing in Zanes ears still covered any sound Ty might have been making behind him. Then three fingers touched the nape of Zanes neck and dragged down his spine, between his shoulder blades, to the small of his back and across a hip as Ty moved past him. “Eight-hour workday to go, Lone Star. Suck it up,” Ty said as he popped open his own locker.

This time the shiver skittering across Zanes skin had nothing to do with a chill and everything to do with finding the patience to get through the day while looking forward to that night.

T HEblinking light on his phone drew Zanes attention away from the report he was trying to parse. He always muted his phone when he was in the office, especially at times like today when the whole team—like school kids at desks in a little pod shaped like the Pentagon—was stuck slogging through their casework.

He was sitting with Michelle Clancy, Scott Alston, Fred

Perrimore, and Harry Lassiter, the other members of their extended Bureau assignment team. Still, it could be a call from one of the other departments, a contact, or another agent. So Zane slid the cell out from under a pile of folders and thumbed off the key lock as he looked at the screen. It was a text message. Frowning a little, Zane hit the key to open the message.

Whats proper workplace etiquette for picking up computer and tossing out window? Open window first or break glass? Zane blinked and read the text again. Then he focused on the number and realized whod sent the message. He sighed and set his phone down, going back to his report. It wasnt a message that needed an answer. His partner wasnt more than ten feet away, sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen and repeatedly tapping the same error key on his keyboard. If Ty wanted a response from Zane, he could just open his mouth and speak. When Zane glanced at him, he saw Ty sit back in his chair and c**k his head at the computer. Hed stopped typing, and he looked listless and frustrated.

Tys computer never worked the way it was supposed to. The team joked that he had electromagnetic pulses going through him, because no matter what he touched, the machine nearly always messed up. The computer, the printer, the fax machine, sometimes even the automatic faucets in the bathrooms. They never worked correctly for him. He also hated paperwork with unusual passion, so it made it doubly funny.

Zane looked down at the files spread across the desk in front of him. He could sit and do detail-crunching all day; it appealed to his analytical brain. Ty, however, made no apologies for being bored by paperwork. He was definitely a man of action. Zane usually tried to at least send him out on errands, but today there wasnt even that to throw in front of him. With one last glance at Ty, Zane went back to reconciling suspected criminal bank account transfer data connected to a series of kidnappings.

Several minutes later, the light on his phone blinked again. Zane stopped typing as he looked at the phone and then across the desks at Ty. He didnt appear to have moved, and his phone was nowhere in sight. He wasnt looking at Zane, and there was no ghost of a smile on his lips like there would have been if hed been up to something. Zane had seen that smile too many times to miss even a hint of it. He picked up his phone and saw the second text message. Same phone number. Hed never gotten around to programming Tys name into the contact list.

He debated not even looking at the text; he wasnt sure he wanted to encourage Ty to distract him from work. Then, after a moment, Zane shook himself. There was no reason to be so seriously uptight about this. He activated the phone to read the message.

The last 3 calls on my phone are for backup and pizza and sex. In that order. Cant decide what that says about me. Zane almost forgot to repress his smile. The night before Ty had called him to say hed ordered pizza and that Zane should pick it up on his way over. They had intended to watch some football in front of Tys big-screen TV, but pointless playoff games not featuring any of Tys favored teams werent enough to hold Tys attention for long. After the pizza was gone, theyd wound up in front of the TV all right, doing something entirely different than watching it.

Zane sniffed. He very purposefully did not shift in his chair as he set his phone down without answering or looking up at his partner. Maybe hed pick up dinner tonight too. His phone almost immediately lit up again. Zane hadnt even picked his pen back up. This time he glanced around the desks at their team members—none of them were paying him or Ty a bit of attention—before he poked at the phone to read the message.

You realize I have free texting plan right? Obviously, ignoring Ty wasnt going to work. But Zane pushed away the phone, determined to do his level best. Simply because the struggle would amuse Ty, if he were being honest with himself. And keeping Ty amused was good for the rest of humanity.

The phone lit up again, and when Zanes eyes cut to look at Ty, his partner was leaning back in his chair, feet blatantly propped on his desk as he held his phone in his hands.

Zane kept typing with one hand as he unobtrusively shifted his phone across the papers strewn in front of him so he could hit the button and read the message without drawing attention to it.