Chapter Eleven

While Ty was safely hidden away under the CIA vehicle, dismantling the GPS, Zane and Julian discussed their options. Cameron sat and listened, as he always did. They finally made the decision that they needed to get to DC as fast as possible, and to Cameron's surprise, Julian agreed that making it to DC was now what they wanted to do, rather than escaping.

"The enemy is too powerful. We need someone on our side. These two and their boss will have to do until we find someone bigger," he told Cameron to explain.

It made sense, in a very Julian sort of way.

They headed for the nearest airport, which happened to be Pittsburgh. Ty and Zane didn't flash their badges this time, going for low-key as they went through the security checks. They had ditched their guns and wallets. Julian behaved himself, staying close to Cameron. It all went smoothly, which immediately put all of them on edge.

While standing in line with Zane to get a sandwich, Cameron watched as Julian moved around the sizeable shopping area in the airport, Ty trailing only a few steps behind him. Julian had assured the FBI agents that he wasn't going anywhere, but Ty didn't trust him.

Cameron couldn't help but watch his lover. When other people noticed Julian, they tended to do one of three things: stare at him, hustle away, or some odd, jerky combination of the two. Cameron shook his head as a couple of teenage girls stopped and watched him pass.

"I really feel for people sometimes," Cameron said once Julian was within hearing.

Julian raised an eyebrow and gave Cameron a fond smile. "And why is that?"

"Oh God, don't make him talk about his feelings," Ty muttered as he joined them.

Cameron shook his head. "You're like a shark. You walk around and all the little minnows go swimming away."

Julian hummed and glanced around the room. Ty began to snicker quietly, and Julian looked over his shoulder at him.

"Dude," Ty said as their eyes met. "Your boyfriend just called you a shark. That's a besotted burn."

Cameron saw Julian just barely roll his eyes as he looked away from Ty and back at him. Cameron edged up a shoulder. He heard Zane laugh behind him.

"While I appreciate the spirit of the observation, there is a flaw in your theory," Julian told him, voice lowering as he took a step closer.

Cameron tried not to grin. "Really? Because you do like to bite."

"Oh Lord, TMI," Zane muttered.

"This whole trip has been TMI, Zane," Ty grumbled.

Julian ignored both of their comments, returning them with a mere smile before he explained. "A shark, while frightening to us, is not a threat to the minnow at first sight. We know what a shark can do, the minnow doesn't."

Behind him, Ty rubbed his eyes. "Oh God, now I'm actually agreeing with him."

Cameron shifted his weight to peer around Julian at Ty. "Excuse me?"

Ty looked up and waved a hand at the airport around them. "Sharks eat fish, right? Or seals or... whatever. But if a seal is afraid of a shark on sight, then the shark will never get close enough to the seal to do anything."

Julian was nodding, looking moderately surprised that Ty knew what he'd been talking about. "What he's saying is if the prey recognized the predator as a danger they would instantly flee. So the shark regulates its behavior. The majority of the time, a shark swims peacefully through schools of its prey, never causing trouble, never being pegged as a danger, barely noticed by the very things it hunts."

Cameron looked back and forth between them. "So... if you're not a shark, then what are you?"

Julian winced, and to Cameron's surprise, he flushed as he looked down at his shoes. "I've always associated myself more with a lion," he mumbled.

"I'll buy that," Ty said as he stepped away from the counter so Cameron could see him more fully.

"I'm not convinced," Cameron said, crossing his arms. He looked over his shoulder at Zane. "Does Julian look like a lion to you?"

"I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it's stupid," Zane said, mimicking Julian's way of speech, before stepping up to order his food.

Cameron turned back to Julian. "Well?"

"Big cats are the only predators on earth who are known to kill for fun," Ty provided almost merrily.

"Meow Mix," Zane said over his shoulder in a flat tone.

"You said that before, at the apartment," Cameron remembered. "When Ty picked up Wesson."

"Wait, he picked up Wesson?"

Cameron nodded.

"How?"

"Grady has a co-dependent relationship with big cats."

"Why?"

"One tried to eat me," Ty said, the answer flippant.

"Actually, that explains so much," Zane muttered to himself, looking between Ty and Julian.

Cameron rolled his eyes. "Why a lion, Julian?"

"They're large and territorial. They're feared on sight no matter if they're hunting or sunning on a rock. They take advantage of environmental factors to hunt and kill their prey. And they occasionally go rogue."

"And start killing for fun," Ty finished with a flourish of his hand.

Cameron turned up his nose. "And what about you, Mr. Killing for Fun?"

"I don't kill for fun."

"I meant what are you? A bulldog?"

Zane let out a sharp bark of laughter. Ty grunted at them both, no longer enjoying the game now that he was the focus.

Julian turned to look at him. He nodded, as if coming to a decision. "You see Cameron, of us all, Agent Grady is the real shark."

Ty looked at Julian in outrage.

Cameron narrowed his eyes, studying Ty, trying to fit the description Julian gave earlier to what he'd seen of Ty. Julian and Zane both turned heads with their imposing dark looks and brooding auras. They were both somber and controlled. Like sharks patrolling their territory as they weaved through a crowd. Ty, though, sort of struck Cameron as a playful puppy in comparison; flopping along, cracking jokes, handsome face usually open and smiling.

Maybe Julian was right.

"Do you play poker?" Cameron asked Ty.

"Sometimes," Ty answered distractedly, still looking at Julian. "What the hell do you mean, I'm the shark? I'm not a shark!"

"You're a shark," Zane said as he turned away from the counter with a drink in hand, though his words sounded begrudged.

Ty gave him a wounded look and Cameron almost felt sorry for him.

Julian nodded, satisfied. "Of all of us, he's the one someone in trouble would approach for help," he told Cameron. He waved a hand at Ty. "He doesn't seem outwardly dangerous, in fact, quite the opposite. So the wounded little fishies just swim right up to him."

"Okay, that's enough," Ty grunted, shoulders tightening.

"But he has probably killed more people than myself and Agent Garrett combined."

"Now you're just being mean," Ty muttered.

Zane shrugged. "You remember what Clancy said. You go around bitching and people still like you because you're charming. You can't help yourself."

"You're not helping, Zane!"

"Maybe Ty's a big cat too," Cameron said, not comfortable with the talk of kill counts and still feeling sorry for Ty and the wounded look in his eyes. Maybe Ty really was a shark; dangerous and dashing and still managing to make Cameron feel sorry for him.

"No," Julian murmured, still looking at Ty. "He's a shark."

Cameron glanced to Zane. "What about him?"

"I was born in the Year of the Horse," Zane said. He was leaning against the counter, waiting for their order.

"You're not a horse," Ty told him, sounding truly offended by the entire conversation now.

"I think maybe... a bear. A big grizzly bear," Cameron said as he studied Zane.

"A bear fits," Julian agreed.

"A bear?" Zane shrugged. "I've been called worse."

Ty was silent, looking at Zane with narrowed eyes. "Oh!" he said suddenly, pointing at his partner. "He's an elephant!"

Julian looked back at Ty and then at Zane, almost laughing, but then he nodded in surprise again. "That's... disturbingly fitting."

Cameron had to laugh when he saw the look on Zane's face. He was staring at his partner in clear disbelief. "An elephant?" Zane said.

"They're killers, man," Ty told him, voice trembling with laughter.

"As much as I hate to agree with him," Julian murmured, waving at Ty with a grimace.

"An elephant?" Zane repeated. "What the hell?"

"They lose their tempers and trample and gore and cause mayhem all the time," Ty said, his voice flippant but his eyes glittering.

Zane crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, glowering.

Cameron cleared his throat and whistled as he turned to look at Julian. Julian was trying desperately not to smile.

"Elephants are unpredictable creatures," Ty told Zane, voice lower and mockingly earnest.

Zane cocked his head to one side. "Do tell."

Cameron edged away from Zane and reached down to pick up the second tray of food they'd been waiting for. "How do you two know so much about killer animals, anyway? I know you don't watch Discovery Channel, Julian."

Julian licked his lips, sharing a look with Ty that was oddly familiar, as if they shared a secret. "Studying the way animals stalk is an effective way to... sell antiques."

"Yeah," Cameron drew out, keeping his eyes on Julian and shaking his head.

Zane groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"C'mon, Simba, go buy me some lemonade while I find a table," Cameron said, hooking his arm through Julian's.

Ty and Zane remained behind them for only the briefest of moments, glaring at each other, before Ty broke away to trail behind them. Cameron got the very distinct feeling that they were communicating silently, and that they would be discussing elephants the next time they were alone.

When Ty joined Cameron at the table, it was just the two of them. Zane had gone off to find a restroom and Julian was waiting in line for a lemonade.

Cameron sat in the metal chair with his club sandwich as he watched Julian. It was always interesting to observe him interacting with strangers, whether he was a lion or a shark or a teddy bear. He was much the same as when Cameron had met him: mostly silent, otherwise soft-spoken and succinct. It had made for a challenge when Cameron served as his waiter at Tuesdays, the gourmet restaurant where they'd met. It still made him smile, thinking about how he'd been so sure Julian hadn't even known he existed.

Ty thumped down beside him and huffed, breaking his reverie. "You know how you can tell when someone's really in love?" Ty asked him out of the blue, his tone casual. He glanced sideways at Cameron, one eyebrow raised. "You're sitting here, watching him do something completely mundane, and you're grinning like an idiot."

"And what's wrong with that?" Cameron asked with a light laugh.

"Whatever, you make my teeth hurt," Ty grumbled, though Cameron could see the barest hint of something beneath the gruff exterior, perhaps amusement.

"I think you're just as sentimental as I am. You hide it better," Cameron claimed, remembering Ty's snappy response about being away from his loved ones. "I just don't have to hide it at all. It's really freeing."

"I bet," Ty murmured. Though his eyes still followed Julian's movements, they seemed to be staring off into the distance as well, as if he was seeing someone or something else. Cameron wondered, as he looked at Ty, what sort of person a man like him would love. Ty shook it off and glanced down, then looked away as if he sensed Cameron's eyes still on him.

Cameron took a bite of his sandwich. "Don't you get tired of it?" he asked. "This tough guy image?"

Ty didn't look at him, but Cameron could see his eyes gaining distance again. "It's all I've ever known," he answered, voice matter-of-fact and melancholy.

A glance showed Cameron that Julian was accepting the cups from the lady at the counter. Ty would totally clam up once Julian walked over. "It doesn't have to be that way. Julian was able to adapt," Cameron offered, hoping Ty might be able to see it could be done. "You just have to love the right person."

"What makes you think I don't?" Ty asked in an oddly distant voice.

Cameron was brought up short, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "I have a finely tuned macho bullshit detector, and it's shrieking," he said.

"You get a lot of macho bullshit from your boyfriend over there?" Ty asked in what seemed to be sincere curiosity. But with Ty, it was hard to tell what was said in seriousness and what wasn't.

Cameron shifted uncomfortably. "It doesn't bother you?" he asked, watching Ty.

"What? Bullshit? I work for the government, man." Ty laughed and shook his head.

Cameron repressed a smile. "No. That Julian and I are lovers."

Ty was already shaking his head, as if he'd known all along that was what Cameron had been referring to. "Now who's making generalizations? Just because I wear flannel doesn't mean I'm an asshole." His knee was no longer bouncing and he seemed to have finally relaxed a little as he sat there. "Guy's willing to charge into a room full of guns to protect you and then drag you across the country in handcuffs to keep you with him. Seems like a keeper to me."

"Yes. He's a keeper," Cameron agreed, even though Ty's words were sarcastic. He cleared his throat. "And Julian is indeed a master of macho bullshit."

"Yeah, he seems the type."

"So do you."

"Oh, I know it," Ty said. He didn't seem to take it as an insult, or anything else, really. Just a fact. That alone intrigued Cameron. The more Cameron got to know Ty, the more he realized that the guy seemed to have absolutely no shame.

"So you met him at a restaurant," Ty said almost to himself.

Cameron nodded. "Tuesdays is a very nice restaurant."

"Tuesdays," Ty repeated. He mulled over the name for a while and then nodded. "I can see why that name would draw a man like that. Wait, wait, let me guess," he said in amusement as he held out his hand to Cameron. "Man that named it was a friend of his."

"What makes you say that?" Cameron asked in shock, his hand straying to rub at his throat, where the necklace Julian had given him used to hang before it was lost. He still missed its reassuring weight, if not the symbolism of it.

"European criminals. They love their mythology. Tuesday was Mars, the god of war. That restaurant is like a beacon to anyone wanting to deal."

Cameron almost laughed. He'd had to Google the information when neither Julian nor Blake would tell him. "You know more than I did."

"Well, that's what a federal agent does when he's not watching other people," Ty told him with a smirk.

"Read up on European mythology?"

"That too."

Cameron shook his head, amused that he was constantly being surprised by both Ty and Zane. They were anything but what they appeared on the surface.

Ty didn't speak again. He didn't even move, not a twitch of a muscle or bat of an eye. Cameron frowned and tipped his head, then tried to follow Ty's line of sight. But it didn't seem that he was looking at anything but the blank terminal walls over by the restrooms. Cameron sat back and took another bite of sandwich, turning his chin to offer Julian a smile as he joined them at the tiny table.

For once Ty didn't have anything snappy or clever to say to Julian. He was still sitting stock still, now staring at the food counter where Julian had been standing.

Julian sat fluidly next to Cameron and handed him his lemonade. He glanced to the agent in mild surprise when he wasn't greeted with at least a derisive grunt, and Cameron saw him do a double take when he looked at Ty.

Cameron looked from Julian to Ty and back. "What?"

Ty inhaled deeply and turned to look at them. He shifted his shoulders so that he was facing Julian directly, and he met Julian's eyes with a look so grim that it almost scared Cameron. "To my five-thirty," Ty said to Julian, almost under his breath. "What do you see?"

Julian's black eyes carefully drifted to gaze over Ty's right shoulder. Outwardly he didn't change, he still looked relaxed and somber, but Cameron could almost feel the alteration come over the table when Julian spotted whatever Ty had pointed out to him.

They met each other's eyes again and sat staring at each other across the table.

Cameron cleared his throat. "What is it?" he whispered.

When Julian looked at him, there was a hint of apprehension in his lover's eyes. That alone terrified Cameron, and he had to try to swallow twice to get the last bite of his sandwich down.

Ty cleared his throat and stood. "Come on," he prompted as he slid one arm into his jacket and used the motion to glance over his shoulder.

"What about Zane?" Cameron asked as he stood, abandoning his pretzel and drink on the table. They left the tray of barely touched food.

"Take your things," Julian said under his breath. He held his cup in his hand, looking down as he stirred it with his straw.

"Zane should be okay, we'll circle back for him if we can," Ty answered as he led them out of the café's sitting area and into the crowded concourse. After Cameron shouldered his bag, Julian took Cameron's hand and followed, not even hinting that he might try to escape while Ty was distracted.

Cameron tried to ignore the tension and dread curling in his gut. If he wasn't safe with Julian and Ty, he wouldn't be safe anywhere. But it wasn't himself he worried for. He caught himself before he could glance behind them to check for Zane. Soon he'd be coming out to find them gone.

When Cameron gave in and turned his chin, he saw a man in a dark suit step away from a magazine rack and begin making his way after them. Another man moved out of the alcove of a service door, and yet another got up from a table at a deli further down the causeway.

"Julian," Cameron whispered.

"I know, love," Julian murmured, voice tight.

Ahead of them, Ty stopped abruptly. Julian drew up and pulled Cameron closer to him. Three more men in various shades of dark suit had materialized ahead of them. Julian turned to face behind them, putting Cameron between himself and Ty.

"FBI?" Julian asked doubtfully, though there was a hint of hope as well.

"Wrong letters," Ty answered.

Cameron didn't like not being able to see, but taking a quick look made him more scared, not less. "What now?"

Ty actually reached back and put a hand on Cameron's arm, turning just enough to look behind them. Cameron heard his breath catch. "You're not meant to get to DC, are you?" he whispered to Julian.

Julian glanced behind him and Cameron saw him lick his lips in a rare show of nerves. "I'm the last living witness to a high-level CIA man who was using CIA assets to carry out murder for hire. I'm the only person left who can identify him."

Ty cursed. "They're not here to take you into custody."

"Then what?" Cameron froze as one of the dark-suited men brushed up against a passing traveler. His jacket moved, revealing a gun stuck into the waistband of his pants. "Oh. We've got to get out of here."

"There's nowhere to go, love," Julian said, voice grim.

Ty was looking over the heads of the crowd milling around them, and Cameron could practically feel the man coiling against him, like a snake cornered and about to strike.

"They won't shoot us in the middle of the terminal and all these people," Cameron insisted. He cast around, desperate.

Ty turned around and grabbed Julian by the arm, yanking him closer until they were almost nose to nose. He didn't say a thing; they merely stared at each other for a moment before Ty let him go and turned to dart into the tiny gift shop several yards away.

Cameron gaped. Had Ty just cut and run on them? "What just happened?"

The six men were closing in, and the crowd seemed to teem with danger now that Cameron was aware of them. Julian squeezed his hand, squaring his shoulders like a lion might fluff its mane, trying to appear bigger as it was attacked.

A second later Ty came strolling out of the gift shop with a brown paper bag held to his lips. He was blowing it full of air. He calmly held it up, then shouted at the top of his voice, "He's got a gun!" and slammed the paper bag into his open palm.

Utter chaos ensued. Shrieks and yells filled the air, and the crowd stampeded every which way, creating a jumble of confusion and fear. Mothers snatched their children up and ran. Senior citizens ducked behind pillars and newsstands.

Cameron didn't think Ty could have caused more of a ruckus if he'd gotten up on a table and danced naked in front of the arrivals and departures sign. Apparently, disorder was Ty's specialty.

A moment later Ty was at Cameron's side, urging both of them to move through the panicking crowd. He and Julian both ducked to hide their height, but it didn't take long until they were confronted with a charcoal suit amidst the zig-zagging crowd.

Ty reached out for the man, who was drawing his gun, and he pulled him closer by his shoulder. He shoved the heel of his hand into the man's chin, snapping his head back, then rounded on him with his left and sent him to the ground. Has actions were remarkably quick and powerful, all done in a split second and hard to follow. Cameron had only ever seen Julian move like that. Ty held up something he'd taken from the man, showing it to Julian over his shoulder. Julian still held Cameron's hand as they vaulted over the fallen man and broke into a run.

Cameron chanced a glance over his shoulder as Julian dragged him down the concourse, looking back at the mess and the agents coming out this side of the crowd. "They're still coming!"

The crowd was too thick and there were just too many men after them for Cameron to see how they could get away. The exits were a logjam of people and confused airport security. There seemed to be nowhere to go.

Julian glanced back and turned, putting himself between Cameron and the pursuers. Ty was looking around the concourse, and Cameron caught a glimpse of the wild cast to his oddly colored eyes. He looked like a cornered animal, wily and dangerous.

"We're trapped," Julian said.

After a last look at their paltry options, Ty pointed a finger into Julian's chest then waved them toward the exits. "Go," he snarled.

"What?"

"Go! Find Zane. I'll hold them off." Then he turned his back on them, facing the men coming after them with a roll of his shoulders and a tilt of his head.

Julian took a step back, momentarily stunned, but then he gripped Cameron's hand harder and pulled him, turning and running, leaving Ty behind them to stem the tide of the oncoming suits. Cameron managed to glance back in time to see Ty launch himself into the first man, then they were obscured by the panicking crowd around them.

"But . . . Julian! They'll kill him!"

"They'll kill us, Cam!"

Stopping him was impossible against Julian's size and determination. They darted in and out of pockets of confused people, weaving their way through the masses and finally finding a side hallway that had an emergency exit at the end. Julian started toward it, but he hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. Cameron jumped on the vacillation.

"Julian, I know you two didn't get along, but please! He and Zane could have just given you to them, but instead they're trying to help us," Cameron said, pulling on Julian's hand, the upset getting stronger the longer they'd been away. Every second was a second Ty could be dying. "He doesn't deserve to die for trying to help us."

Julian met his eyes, and Cameron could see the indecision there. Then he shook his head and turned for the exit.

"Please! He'd come back for you, and you know it!"

Julian stopped and turned again, an anguished expression passing over his face. "Goddamn it all to hell, Cam," he finally growled, the words rolling out beautifully in his Irish accent. "Stay here." And with that he launched himself back into the crowd.

Now both desperately afraid and insanely relieved, Cameron followed despite what Julian had said. The concourse had cleared some, but the space where they'd left Ty to make his last stand was a jumble of people and suitcases and café chairs. Tables were overturned, magazines littered the floor, and the contents of suitcases were strewn about where they'd been dropped.

Two men lay on the floor as well, one bleeding and motionless, the other writhing and screaming as he held his arm at an odd angle.

They reached the melee just in time to witness an impressive roundhouse kick to a charcoal suit's head that sent the man sprawling. But then a gun was pulled behind Ty, drawing his attention long enough for two more suits to swamp him. He disappeared under a hail of fists and expensive wool and silk. Cameron could see Ty lashing out, being held down and fighting like a wild horse trying to be roped. He was kicked in the ribs, stomped on the side of the head as he tried and failed to roll away. Another gun was pulled and put to the back of his head.

"No!" Cameron yelled, just as Julian went for the gun, knocking it and its owner to the ground. Zane appeared on the other side of the dog pile, wading in as if they weren't outnumbered and weaponless.

Julian's movements were quick and efficient, hands grabbing the suit's neck and chin and twisting with a vicious, sickening crunch. He shoved the man aside and reached to the bottom of the pile, pulling Ty out by his collar like he was scruffing a kitten.

"How did I know this commotion was your doing?" Zane yelled at them.

"Come on!" Cameron called. Before he could get more words out, he was shocked into crying out when he was grabbed around the shoulders from behind. He immediately started to struggle against whoever held him. "Julian!" Cameron called out in real terror.

Julian looked up, dropped Ty's nearly limp body back into the fray, and raised the gun he'd confiscated. The shot was deafening, and the warm spray on Cameron's ear and cheek was evidence that Julian's aim was true. The hands released him and the bulk that had been behind him fell away. Cameron reflexively lifted his hand to wipe at the splatter across his cheek.

Then Julian reached back down and grabbed Ty again, jerking him off the floor. "Come on!" he shouted at Zane. Zane knocked down the man with whom he'd been grappling with a vicious punch to the midsection, grabbed a gun off one of the unconscious men, and was only a couple of steps behind them as they ran toward Cameron, Julian dragging Ty with him.

The gunshot had caused more panic, and now TSA and other airport security were starting to appear, rushing into the wrecked causeway, trying to get people out of the way and ascertain the situation.

Julian wrapped his arm around Ty and supported some of his weight, ducking his head and hiding his face as they made their way past the overwhelmed security checkpoint. They followed the crowd, letting it sweep them toward the exits. Cameron ducked under Zane's arm to hide as they shuffled out. Zane flashed his badge at the man who tried to stop them to hasten their exit.

"There. Government-issue SUV at the curb," Julian said as he pointed through the glass doors. "I managed to get the keys off one of them."

Zane headed that way without even questioning it, and he went to the back door to try the handle. It popped open and Julian shoved Ty inside, and then climbed in after him, leaving the front for Cameron and Zane. Cameron scrambled in through the driver's side and over the console. Zane glanced around them before climbing in, calmly shutting the door and driving away into traffic.

Cameron turned in his seat to look at the two men in the back seat. "Ty? Are you okay?"

"Feels like somebody shoved a boot between my ribs," Ty answered, voice strained.

"That's actually exactly what happened," Cameron told him.

Ty hissed and then growled at Julian. "Quit touching me."

"I'm trying to make sure you're not dying," Julian shot back.

"Well, that hurts!"

"All the more reason to poke it!"

"Play nice," Zane said, but there was too much edge in his tone for it to be funny.

Cameron watched how he kept checking the rearview mirror. He wondered if Zane was checking for a tail or trying to get a look at his roughed-up partner.

"Will we get away?"

"For now," Zane said. "It'll take them some time to figure out who's where and what's missing, enough time for us to get somewhere and disable the GPS in this thing. But it won't last."

"That was fucking stupid," Ty muttered from the back seat. "I told you to go."

"Yes, well, unfortunately my conscience is a little more willful than most," Julian grumbled, and Cameron knew his lover was talking about him.

"They were CIA again, Zane," Ty said, voice soft and hoarse. He pulled a badge from his coat, waving it at them. He had lifted it from one of the men in the airport. "I identified myself and they didn't care."

"Rogue cell," Julian murmured. "They've got to be acting under his orders."

"Whose orders?"

Julian took a moment to explain what was going on to Zane, and it was mostly news to Cameron too.

"Burns must be protecting someone," Ty said, voice still strained. "Or investigating on the down low."

"Rogue or not, they've had the resources and the manpower to stay on us this long. I don't see that mess stopping them from keeping after us," Zane said as he shifted his attention back and forth from traffic and the rearview.

"We need to get somewhere safe. Unexpected," Ty said. Cameron couldn't see him, but he sounded worn and beaten.

"And soon. Your partner is bleeding," Julian informed Zane without a hint of sympathy.

Zane finally looked over his shoulder back at Ty. "How serious?"

"Shut up, that's not my blood," Ty murmured. His voice sounded weak.

"Ty," Zane said, his voice brooking no humorous pushover. Cameron heard leather squeak, and when he looked, he saw Zane's hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white.

"What? It's not my blood!"

"Let me see it," Julian demanded, and a moment later there were sounds of a scuffle from the back seat.

"I am AB positive and this is distinctly type-O blood!" Ty finally shouted at him. "Look at the little O's!"

"Jesus Christ, Grady, can you not take one fucking thing seriously?" Julian yelled back in utter frustration. Cameron wondered what it was about Ty that made Julian lose his composure so easily. If he weren't so secure in their relationship, he might actually be jealous of it.

Cameron gasped as the SUV jerked over to the shoulder of the road and came to a sudden stop. Zane threw it into park and turned in his seat. "Enough!" he shouted, grabbing Ty's wrist when it flailed within reach. Cameron shrank back, leaning against the passenger-side door as Zane growled. "Grady, give me a clear answer, damn it!"

"I'm not bleeding!" Ty insisted, sounding a mixture of exasperated and hurt that Zane didn't believe him. "Would you put the car back in drive before we're strafed by CIA fighter jets or something?"

"I swear to fucking God," Zane cursed under his breath as he let go, turned back around, and got the SUV moving again.

Cameron leaned his head back against the leather headrest and closed his eyes. This was like National Lampoon's Vacation, but with death, property destruction, and an Irish accent. He groaned and covered his face with one hand, only to touch sticky blood all down his cheek and jaw line. He groaned again. The second time it sounded pitiful, even to his ears.

There was a tense silence for several seconds, and then Ty opened his mouth one last time. "I think the kid is bleeding."

"Who are these people?" Agent X asked his superior in utter frustration.

"We've finally discerned their identities. They're FBI."

"Real FBI?"

"It would appear so. Richard Burns is pulling no punches when it comes to old friends."

"Do you wish us to continue? They killed two of my men."

"And stole two of your vehicles."

"I don't mourn the cars."

"Now that we know the names of the men involved, it will be easier to find them."

"If you say so, sir."

"Keep on them."

"Yes, sir."

He hung up and looked around the concourse of Pittsburgh International Airport. FBI agents. They had done this with two prisoners in tow and no weapons. He was beginning to wish he'd been sent to Alaska instead of this assignment.

"Okay, if this is the CIA, what else are they doing?" Ty asked Julian as soon as they were satisfied that they'd lost any tails and disassembled the GPS in their stolen car.

"What do you mean?"

"We know they were pinging the GPS in the bureau car."

"Wait, I thought you dismantled that," Cameron said as he turned around.

"Bureau issue vehicles have two types of GPS. The backup is covert, meaning it's passive," Ty said.

"The Agency was pinging us with their remote systems," Julian explained.

"You knew," Zane said as he looked in the mirror at Julian.

"Well, at the time I was hoping to pit the sides against each other and escape."

"At least he's honest," Ty grumbled.

Zane glared at both of them for a moment.

Cameron waved a hand. "Okay, I get how they found us in the car you stole."

"Borrowed," Ty said.

"Whatever, psychopath. But how did they find us after?"

"Any number of ways," Julian said in a troubled voice. "Credit cards. The tolls when we passed through. Our cell phones. Depending on how high this goes, they could have even diverted a satellite."

"How high does it go?" Zane asked.

"I don't know his name, I just know his voice."

"You said cell phones," Ty murmured.

"Yes. You turned the GPS off, but again, if it goes high enough, they can turn it back on remotely."

"Right. But do they have the firepower to listen in on calls?" Ty asked.

"Yes," Julian said with a simple nod.

Ty looked from Julian to Zane, and Zane had to take his eyes off the road long enough to meet Ty's eyes in the mirror. He could tell Ty was formulating a plan, and the fear behind those hazel eyes told Zane that Ty didn't like what he was thinking.

"What?" Zane asked with a growing sense of dread.

"If they're picking up on our calls, maybe we can call for help."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I believe you lost me as well," Julian said.

"At least I'm not the only one," Cameron muttered.

"They're big, we're little. Their strength is the information they gather and how they do it. We have to turn that against them."

"A skewer," Julian said in a surprised voice.

"A what?" Ty asked.

"Chess. A skewer is a chess move. Use their strength against them. Their queen is opposite our rook. They're supported by their knight, and we only have a pawn. But if their queen takes our rook, our pawn takes their queen."

"I'm sorry, was that English?" Ty asked in exasperation.

Zane looked up at the mirror to see Julian again. He was a fascinating person once he opened up enough to allow them insight into his mind. Zane was glad he was on their side now.

"I'm agreeing with you, you wanker," Julian snapped.

"Well, stop, it's weird."

Julian grunted and sat back with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I have no idea how to play chess," Ty said in a flat voice. Zane glanced at his partner. Talk about fascinating, though, Zane didn't have to go further than Ty. Zane would never get tired of watching the way Ty's mind worked. "But yeah, I guess, that's exactly what I'm talking about. We need a pawn."

"A rook."

"Whatever!"

"You want to make a phone call to someone and make the Agency think we're heading there for help," Zane surmised, voice grim.

"Basically. Yeah."

"And where would we go instead? To DC?" Cameron asked.

Ty nodded, remaining silent as the sound of the tires on asphalt seeped into the quiet car.

"It's sound, in theory," Julian said with a frown.

"Who would you call? I mean..." Cameron trailed off, sounding troubled. "Whoever you call will be in just as much danger as we are."

Ty was still looking into Zane's eyes. Zane nodded, knowing exactly what his partner was thinking.

"I know a few guys who can handle themselves."

Zane waited a breath. He knew Ty was talking about his Recon team. And probably Nick fucking O'Flaherty.

"Call one of them."

Julian sat in the back seat of the stolen CIA Tahoe, watching Ty as he made the call. He was surprised when Ty spoke in French. He was quite fluent, even using a convincing accent. He sounded almost like a native speaker.

Julian blinked at him in shock, looking at the two men in the front seat to see if either of them was surprised. Cameron glanced back, but he didn't seem to comprehend anything other than it was a foreign language and it was far too dainty for a man like Ty to speak. Zane glanced up, eyes on Ty more than the road.

Julian had known Ty could speak French. He hadn't seen him in Paris like he'd led them to believe, but he knew from a reliable source that he had indeed been there. It was still a shock to hear him speak it. Julian knew enough of the language to decipher that Ty was basically telling the other man, "We're in trouble, we're coming to you to lay low."

Ty switched the phone from one ear to the other, clearing his throat. He spoke in English. "And Digger? Make sure you have coconuts when we get there, okay? Lots of them."

Julian could hear the tiny voice on the phone responding, and then Ty ended the call. He glanced at Julian and narrowed his eyes as he rolled down the window. The frigid wind whipped through the car, ruffling Julian's hair, tugging at his coat. Ty tossed the phone out the window and rolled it back up.

Julian stared at him, and Ty ignored him like only children and felines were typically capable of doing.

"Coconuts?"

"It's... Monty Python. Coconuts were the fake horse. It'll make sense to him."

"Right."

"I was telling him it was a ruse."

"Got it."

"Where to?" Zane asked in a solemn voice. The heavy sense of impending doom hung over them, making everything sedate and surreal.

Ty shook his head. "I feel like I just threw one of my best friends under a bus."

"You said the bayou would handle it, right?"

"Yeah," Ty whispered.

Julian looked between them. For the first time the two FBI agents were beginning to take on an air of defeat. He had formed a grudging respect for both men, and he wasn't so blind that he couldn't see what they'd done. They could easily have handed him and Cameron over when they realized they were being followed and were outgunned. They had no vested interest in getting Julian to DC, other than they had orders. They were fighting and running and risking their lives simply because Julian and Cameron now needed their help. There was no other reason for it.

"I might know someone who can help us get to DC," he said after a few more moments of silence to ponder it.

He saw Zane's dark eyes looking at him in the mirror, and Ty was looking at him as well, messing around with his belt as if something was jabbing him.

"He retired several years ago, bought a ... an antique store in Gettysburg."

"A real antique store, or the kind that can help us?" Ty asked.

"A real one, unfortunately. But I believe he could still help us. He flew biplanes, it was his hobby. He would loan us one for a price."

"Loan us one?" Zane asked as he kept his eyes on the road.

"A biplane? What are we supposed to do, duct tape ourselves to the wings all the way to DC?" Ty grunted. "I'm not a fucking Wright brother, okay?"

"Well no, but this will all be over when I get to DC. Two of us could go, the other stay with Cameron."

"Can you fly a plane?" Ty asked with an incredulous glance at Julian.

"No. I was hoping you could."

"Do 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, McGuffin, 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.