Chapter Eight

They 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 amusement 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 ass. 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 prickle because he knew damn 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 cocked 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 hell?

"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 impassive 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 impassively. 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 or Cameron was there. It was like waiting for two dogs to fight, sensing that they were about to lunge and 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 headspace 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-sized 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 classic 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 pissed 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 asskicking. 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 bloody 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 space 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.

"Goddamn it, 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 fucking 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 fucking 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 fucking good at... whatever the hell it is you've been doing... to just chuck it because of one asshole 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, letting themselves get pulled into an argument and dropping 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 back 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 hit 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 hoarse 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 God," 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 ménage à trois, so I hope you won't consider me a threat."

Ty looked up at him, his expression one of clear calculation. It passed 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 assigned 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 hell did you do to him?"

"Blood choke. Cut off blood flow to his brain. He'll be fine."

"Ty," Zane said in a whisper.

Ty looked back at him, his expression softening. "I'm sorry."

"I know. Me too."

Ty frowned. "What for?"

Zane shrugged. "Either for letting the secrets go on so long or for pushing about it now, I'm not sure. Either way, it puts you in a bad spot."

"Excuse me, can one of you please help me here!" Cameron said as he lifted Julian's head off the ground.

Ty rolled his eyes and bent to shoo Cameron's hands away. "Zane."

Zane moved closer, bending to help Ty lift the unconscious prisoner onto the bed. The man was solid and a deadweight, way too heavy for his frame. "Jesus, he's made of granite," Zane said in a strained voice.

Ty grunted in agreement as they flopped him onto the bed. "Bungee cords," he said, breathless.

Zane went to get them, and he could hear Cameron's tremulous voice, asking Ty questions and demanding more satisfactory answers than Ty was giving.

"You know if it was you, you'd be trying to escape too!" he was shouting as Zane came back into the room.

Ty's eyes flashed dangerously as he squared his shoulders on Cameron, and Zane stepped between them.

"Cool it. Get comfortable, we'll tie you two up together tonight," he said, hoping the consolation prize would keep Cameron from squawking all night about his "dead" boyfriend. They made a cursory job of tying Julian and Cameron down, then Zane grabbed Ty's elbow and dragged him out of the room.

"Okay, talk," he demanded, unwilling to let it stew any longer.

Ty nodded and his eyes shifted to the side to glance at the bedroom door before he looked back at Zane. "This is one of the things I wanted to tell you when we got home," he said in a low voice. "It wasn't my call to be able to tell you before. I wanted to, Zane, I don't like keeping secrets. But I couldn't."

"So what's so different about now?"

"Well, for one, I wasn't the one who spilled it."

"Granted. What about when we got home?"

Ty sighed. "While I was on the road I decided I didn't give a damn anymore. I'm not keeping anything from you from now on. I don't care if it's classified."

Something inside Zane started doing a Snoopy dance with Ty's words. He studied Ty for a long moment before saying, "I trust you."

"I know. That's what made it so hard."

He stood there for another moment, leaning forward as if perched on a precipice. Then he shook himself and reached for his gun. He drew it out of its holster and checked the magazine as he strode toward the bedroom. Zane blinked after him for a moment before jumping in front of him. He took Ty by the arm and swung him around, getting between him and the door. "Whoa, Bulldog. That's not going to help." Zane paused. "Well, okay, it would help you feel better. But it wouldn't help the situation here and now, and it certainly wouldn't help any situation later."

"I disagree," Ty said in a calm voice.

"I am sure you do," Zane said, keeping one hand on Ty's forearm, not holding, not squeezing.

"I'm not going to kill him, Zane, just threaten them both until I feel better."

"That's a relief, but please listen. You would have to shoot his ass to kingdom come to scare him when he wakes up, and then we'd have a worse mess. Can't we just... settle this first, and then you can deal with him about the other? Hell, maybe that's why Burns wants him to begin with! Maybe that's why he sent you."

Ty stared at him mutinously for a long moment, long enough that Zane began to suspect his gentle persuasion might not work.

But then Ty rolled his eyes and sighed, sliding his gun back home. "Yeah, okay," he mumbled. Zane felt his heart start back up, and he sagged against the wall as Ty glanced around the room and spoke. "I need to put a call into Burns. This just went over our pay grade."

"Okay," Zane said, regretting the need for Ty to go anywhere right then. "Say hi to him for me."

Ty turned away from him with a nod, going to grab his coat off the bed. He was almost to the door when he stopped and turned. "Zane. Nothing else has been a lie."

Zane nodded. He wasn't sure he'd say Ty had lied to him at all—Zane didn't consider lies of omission lies—but he didn't want to get into a long, circular logic puzzle with Ty, of all people. His head would explode.

"Be careful."

Ty stood there for a heartbeat longer, then he advanced on Zane just like Julian had on him earlier. He took Zane's face between his hands and he kissed him, pushing him back against the wall and holding him there, his lips demanding against Zane's. Then it was over as suddenly as it had begun, Hurricane Ty passing by. When he stepped back again, he jerked his head in a nod. Then he turned and headed for the door.

"What do you mean you know he knows me?" Ty asked Burns in outrage.

"Of course I know he knows you! Why do you think I sent you after him? He's listed as a possible contact on one of your old jobs."

Burns could hear Ty making a sputtering noise on the other end of the line that may or may not have been a minor hissy fit.

"You dealt with him in France!"

"No."

"Yes. I have the reports. His name was different, but this is the same guy. Julian Cross is a CIA codename. You worked together!"

"No! Dick! I have never seen this man in my life! I would remember that!"

Burns frowned, confused. Ty sounded genuinely upset and offended. "I don't understand," he muttered.

"Well join the fucking club!" Ty hollered on the other end of the line. "The guy from Paris that I worked with, the guy in that report, was a French guy, six-one, white blond hair. He was not a six foot five asshole Irishman!"

"That complicates things."

Burns could hear another series of sounds, culminating in a string of curses.

"Are you sure the man you have is Julian Cross?"

"I don't know, Dick, he doesn't have a fucking bar code I can scan!"

"This doesn't change your objective," Burns tried in a loud, authoritative voice, trying to pull Ty back on point. "You still need to get him to DC, understand?"

"Why?" Ty demanded in frustration. "What's this really about?"

Burns hesitated. "Need to know."

"Oh my God."

"Do whatever you have to do to get Cross here alive."

Ty was mutinously silent. Finally, Burns heard him exhale, a bid for calm. "Yes, sir," he said in a soft, composed voice.

Zane sat watching Julian, waiting for him to wake and thinking about Ty and what had just happened. Zane had never seen his partner, his lover, react to violence in such a cold and calculating way. It was a new side to Ty. Was that how he'd been able to handle himself all these years, by simply turning off his emotion and essentially finding a happy place when he worked? Zane shook his head. He tried not to dwell on what it would take to do that.

When Ty came back from making his call, he found Zane in the bedroom and stood at his side, looking down at the two men on the bed. They had used the twisted bungee cords to tie Julian down and handcuffed Cameron to him to give them just enough contact to keep them from trying to escape when Julian awoke. Not that they'd go far in a blizzard.

Cameron had his nose buried against the back of Julian's shoulder, looking up at them with one eye and hiding the other.

"Every time you two try something, it's one more bullet I put in his head in my dreams," Ty told Cameron. This time, Zane knew he wasn't acting.

Julian groaned. Cameron nodded, eyes wide. He scooted closer to Julian, looking genuinely upset.

"He'll be okay," Zane felt compelled to say. "He'll wake up in a few minutes."

Ty was already moving away from the bed and into the outer room. Zane stopped to turn the television to a different channel for Cameron before he followed, wondering what sort of damage control was needed here.

"I thought you were going to kill him back there."

Ty turned to face him. "Next time I will," he said, his voice cold and determined.

A shiver ran down Zane's spine, and he had to admit, a part of him liked it. "What is it about him that gets you so riled?"

"It's not him, Zane. It's you."

"Me? What'd I do?"

"He is a threat to both of us. You've seen what he's capable of, and I have to tell you, I don't think he's trying yet. I think he's just a fucking raptor testing the fences. When I look at him, I see him hurting you."

Zane's chest twisted in a way that wasn't unpleasant. He knew that feeling, being so protective and so desperate to keep his loved ones safe that it clouded his world. "I'm not worried."

"No?"

"I've got you here watching my back," Zane said with a serene smile. He didn't think he'd felt so calm inside in years. "And I've got yours."

Ty took a deep breath as he looked into Zane's eyes. Zane wondered what Ty saw when he looked into him like that. One day he would ask him.

"Okay," Ty finally said on a deep exhale.

"We've got a couple hours to wind down, get some real sleep." Zane waved his hand at the pullout couch.

Ty nodded, his movements not nearly as jerky or tense. He seemed to be coming to terms with what Zane had said, trying to assimilate it. "I'll be there in a minute. I just need a quick shower," he said as he pulled off his shirt and headed for the bathroom. The shower began running a moment later.

Zane turned and shut the bedroom door behind him. There was no telling when the storm would break. More privacy and space was better than less with the combined personalities in this little escapade.

He took the time to pull the couch out, then he went to the bedroom and stood beside the bed, looking own at the two men. Julian was awake, and he stared at up at him evilly, his dark eyes glazed. Zane reached to take his pulse, checking it against his watch to make sure it was fast enough.

"You'll live," he muttered.

"He won't," Julian whispered.

Zane stared at him, investigating the feeling the threat gave him. He found himself smiling. "I look forward to your next attempt. He'll tear you apart."

Julian didn't respond, and Zane couldn't read him. He left the prisoners, closing the door and balancing one of the glasses from the small wet bar on the doorknob. Then he sought out his partner in the shower.

After watching Ty through the wavering plastic for a long moment, Zane reached out and pushed open the curtain. Ty jerked when the shower curtain squealed on its hooks. It was obvious that Zane had startled him, which was an unusual occurrence in itself. Zane stripped as Ty watched him, then stepped inside and closed the curtain behind him. Moving close, he raised a hand and slid it through Ty's hair, sluicing the water drops away.

Ty raised his head and lifted his face toward the ceiling. "Hey."

Zane didn't want to talk about what had happened. He didn't want anything but his lover to be relaxed and normal—as "normal" as Ty got, anyway. "Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, just... there are some things I need to tell you, Zane. And I want you to know from me, not by finding out from someone else like this. But I can't... I'm just wrestling with what's more important to me, my integrity or... you."

Zane blinked at him, taken aback by the subject. He'd thought Ty had been bothered by the fight, he'd had no idea this was what Ty had been thinking. But then, Zane supposed that was part of Ty's charm, the jumbled ball of yarn inside his brain that no one could unravel.

He took a deep breath to steady himself. "I think you need to go with what you can sleep with at night."

"It's you, Zane."

Zane smiled wanly as he reached for the soap. "I don't mean fuck at night, I mean sleep with. Whatever keeps your mind at rest."

"I know what you meant."

Zane's heart did a happy skip as he met Ty's eyes. He would never get tired of moments like this, when Ty proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Zane was the most important thing in his world.

"Tell me?"

Ty licked his lips, watching Zane even as the water beat down on them both. For once his expression wasn't guarded when Zane started asking questions. "Burns uses me on jobs he can't put the Bureau on, but the CIA doesn't list as priority. We call them Misfits."

Zane nodded, licking his lips.

"And I know that he used to use you the same way."

Zane's eyes shot up to meet Ty's, wide and shocked. Ty was looking at him, holding his breath. He nodded.

"How?"

"Jack Tanner."

"Jack Tanner told you?" Zane asked, aghast. Jack Tanner had been one of his instructors in the academy. He had single-handedly prevented Zane from dropping out and turned him into the agent he had become.

"No," Ty said. "You told me he used to eat dinner at your house."

"Yeah?" Zane said, confused.

"That's how he pulled me too. And then knowing what I do about Burns and the way he treats you... I put two and two together."

Zane's mouth was dry as he stared at Ty.

"How... Jesus, Ty. Why didn't you say something?"

Ty shook his head. "You've had so much trouble with your past and getting over it," he murmured as he let his hands snake around Zane's back. "I'd rather you live in the present."

Zane swallowed hard. Ty was right, for the most part. Those were days he didn't want to relive.

"I'm not asking to talk about it. I just figure it's out there now, it's not something we need to hide or skirt around anymore."

Zane nodded, feeling dizzy. He couldn't believe Ty had put that together with so little to go on, but then he supposed Ty never did get enough credit for being as smart as he was. "Okay."

"Okay."

Zane leaned over enough to catch Ty's lips in a gentle kiss. It didn't last long. "I know you love me. And you know I love you. The rest will wait a little longer."

"Feels good to say that, doesn't it?"

Zane dragged one finger along Ty's lower lip. "Yeah. And I intend to keep saying it. Often."

Ty smiled wanly, but then he looked away as if he was struggling with what to say next. Or perhaps wrestling with a difficult decision.

"Tell me?" Zane requested as he rubbed Ty's back, trying to soothe him. It was like working with a spooked horse, and it had been decades since Zane had tried to rein one in.

Ty hesitated before sighing. "Burns sent me—us—because he thought I knew Cross," he said in low, tense voice. "It was in a report that he was a contact from a Paris job six years ago."

"Yeah?"

"He wasn't working under the name Julian Cross, but that's the name the CIA put in the file. I'm telling you right now, though, the man from Paris was not Cross. Not this Cross anyway."

Zane frowned, mulling that over. "So either who we have isn't the original Cross, or the CIA guy you worked with said he was Cross but wasn't."

"We know our Cross is connected somehow, because he knew me," Ty said.

"Yeah. I don't know. Maybe he's like the Dread Pirate Roberts."

Ty looked at Zane warily.

Zane nodded and cocked his head at Ty. "What?"

"I'm just waiting for you to bust out the ‘double cross' pun so we can get it over with."

One corner of Zane's lips curled up. "Want me to come up with one real quick?"

"No. Stop it."

Zane laughed and pressed his lips to Ty's cheek. Ty's body was still tense against his, and Zane could feel that there was still more his lover wanted to say. He reached up to put his hand against Ty's cheek, looking into his eyes, feeling that tangle of warmth spread in his chest like it always did when Ty looked at him like that. "What else, baby?"

Ty shook his head and wrapped his arms around Zane's neck instead, kissing him messily. They were still kissing when the water began to cool, and Ty pulled away to meet Zane's eyes.

"We'll drop these two bozos off, then disappear for a night or two between DC and home, okay?" he whispered. "I'll tell you everything you want to know. And I'll make it up to you for bolting."

Zane nodded and smiled, fighting down his racing pulse as he looked into Ty's eyes. Now that was something to really look forward to.