Chapter Two

After checking in to a hotel just a block or two from the swanky establishment where they were supposed to be staying, Ty Grady immediately fell into the shower and went about washing the frustration of the day away. He had been a little surprised when his new partner had paid for his own room, but it suited him just fine. He didn't want to be within ten feet of the fucker if he didn't have to be. Arrogant priss. God, the man probably slept in his tie.

Having separate rooms would workwellifTyintended tostartinto this the way heusually did. He wasn't used tothe normal channels and hedid farbetterworkingacasefromtheunderbellyratherthaninconventional ways.HedoubtedZanewouldgowithhimtonight,andhe'djustassoongo onhisown,anyway.He'dalwaysbeenmorecomfortable slinkingaroundin the shadows than waving his authority around.

Inaroom down thehall,Zane Garrett sighed ashethrew down his duffel bags and briefcase. He ran his hands through his hair and then stretched.HeandTyendedupseveraldoorsdownfromeachother,butit wasn't far enough as far as Zane was concerned.

Ahotshower sounded good,sohestarted stripping down.Nextorder ofbusinesswasfood,andthenhe'dgobacktotheoffice.Hereminded himself thathe'datleastneed tocallTyandtellhim where hewas going. If they were real partners, they'd have stayed in the same room, but Zane sure as hell wasn't going to suggest it. He wasn't that masochistic.

Pullingoncomfortablewornjeansandarust-redV-necksweater aftercleaning up,Zanepicked uphisholster, checking italloverbefore settling itcomfortably onhisshoulders andbuckling itdown.Hechecked the thinsheaths hewore justinside hiswrists, thenknelt down andstrapped another sheath around hisankle. Completely armed,hefeltbetterthanhehad allday.Hehatedairplanes.Thesecuritytendedtogetalittlestridentwhen you tried totake knives through checkpoints, even ifyou were afederal agent who always carried a gun.

Hiscanvasjacketwentoverthat,andwithalookinthemirror,he rolled hiseyes. Tywould probably think hewastrying tocopyhim,looking less stuffy and more street-worthy.Zane sighed at the mirror, then grabbed his wallet,cigarettes, lighter,andkeycardandheadeddownthehalltotheother agent's door for a quick check-in.

Tyansweredthecurtknockinatowel,bodystilldrippingwetand steam roiling out of the bathroomdoor behind him.

Zane raised an eyebrow as his stomach flip-flopped in reaction. "Yeah. That's real safe," he commented,forcing his voice to sound wry.

"What?" Ty asked with a tilt of his head.

Zane looked significantlyup and down Ty's barely covered body.

Ty looked down at himself and then back up at Zane with a sniff as he realized whatZanewasblathering about."I'malethalweapon, man,"he grunted. Heturnedandgaveawaveoverhisshoulder, gesturing forhimto come in.

ZanewouldhavesnortedexcepthefiguredTywasn'toverstating all thatmuch.TherewasnotellingwhatTy'sbackgroundwas(althoughZane hadalready discerned hewasmilitary ofsomesort)buthedidindeedlook capable.Andfit.Veryfit.Zaneswallowedashesteppedinsideandpushed the door shut behind him, leaving the odd feelings in the hall and withdrawing back into his professionalpersona for safety.

"Ifigured you'd wanttoknow ifIwasn't going tobehomeby curfew," he said, sliding a hand into his jacket pocket.

"I'mnotyourfuckingkeeper,"Tygruntedasheshuckedthetowel andreached forhisbriefs. Heglanced backtoseeZane's handinhispocket and tensed instinctively.

Zane's eyesnarrowed, andheslowly pulled hishandfreetoletitfall limpathisside.Hispartnerwasobviouslytenserthanheleton."Iremind youofthe‘You're coming withme,Idon't planonlosing another agent' comment," hesaidmildly,oncemorestronglyscolding himself insidefor wantingtoogle—andgrope—when hegotafreeshow.Hesighedinwardly. Healways behaved thesedays.Maybe hewasapansyassnow, justlikeTy said. The thought made him slightly ill.

"Whatyoudoinyourfreetimeisnoneofmyconcern,"Tywas sayingashepulledupthebriefsandthentoweled offhiswetshoulders and arms. The towel passed over atattoo on Ty's right bicep, but Zane was too far awaytodiscernthedetailsotherthanthefactthatitwasafaceofsomething. He fought back the urge to squint in order to make it out.

"Areweevengoingtoattempttoworktogether,orshallwejust agree tomeet every few days to compare notes?" Zane asked, voice cool. "I'd rather know now than waste more of our precious time."

"You think thiscase isgonna beeasy foroneman?" Tyasked in responseashegrabbedhisjeans.HeturnedaroundtolookatZaneagainas he stepped into them. "Awful big leap, thinking you're smarter'n the killer."

"You've yet to actlike you want me around, Grady. Don't start now," Zane snapped.

"Idon'tact.AndIdidn'tsayIwantedyouaround,"Tyresponded calmly. "I implied that I needed you."

"Well,markmyluckystars,I'mflattered," Zanedrawled in annoyance. Tydidn'tseemtocareifhewasunprofessional, soZanetookthe opportunity tobe just that. Too bad Ty was so determined to be abastard. Off theclock,theymighthavegottenalong.Overabottleofwhiskey.Zane gritted his teeth.

"You look a little tense," Ty observed wryly.

Zanedidn'tmentionhislineofthought."Youimplied,sowhatdo you need?" he asked instead of respondingto Ty's comment.

"It'sokaytobetense. I'mtense," Tytoldhim withacareless shrug. "Yougoing backtoFederal Plaza?" heaskedinanswer toZane's question as hepulled onablackT-shirt thathadwriting inwhite block letters thatsaid I'M UNDERCOVER.

Zane blinked at the shirt before shaking his head slowly. "Yes. Why?"

"When you get back, will you come check on me?" Ty asked, unembarrassedbytherequestashesatontheedgeofthebedandpulledhis socks on.

"You going to do something that may make you not be here?"

"Hopefullynot,"Tyansweredwrylyashestompedhisfootdown intoonebeat-upcowboyboot."Afewblocksfromhereisprettycloseto where that hooker reportedly worked. I'm going to go talk to the ladies."

"Several responsescome to mind."

"And I'm sure allofthem arewildly clever," Tyresponded sarcasticallyas he stomped into his second boot and then stood and stretched.

Zanedeliberately looked awayfromthewirybodystretching outin front of him. "A couple," he acknowledged."You want me to come along?"

Ty raised an eyebrow and gave Zane aslow once-over. He cleared his throat andlicked hislipsashestretched hisarms over hishead, then flopped thembackdowntohissides."Haveyouever,umm . . .pickedupahooker?" he asked with a straight face.

"Yes." Both on and off the job, but that wasn't necessarily germane to the discussion.Zane tilted his head as Ty's eyebrows climbed in surprise. "So, yes or no? Either way, I'm eating first."

Ty tilted his head, thinking it over. This could be a good chance to see howZanewouldhandlehimselfonaninvestigation withouthurtingmuchof anythingasfarastheircurrentonewent."Yeah,okay,"heagreedfinallyas hereached forhismilitary surplus green canvas jacket. Hepicked itupand looked atit,then cut his gazeto look Zane over with narrowed eyes, taking in thewayhewasdressed."Yeah,okay,"hegrumbledagainashethrewthe jacketdownandwenttorummage through histhingsforhisotherjacketto wear. He didn't want them looking like fucking twins.

HestrippedhisT-shirtbackoffasZanewaited,pickingupaclean whitedressshirtinstead.Hewasveryconscious,ashechanged,ofthefact thatthelittleround scaronhislower backwasprobably visible, stillnewand pinkonhistanned skin. Heglanced overatZaneandcleared histhroat self-consciously, turning toward him again ashe slid into the shirt. He wasn't sure whyitbotheredhimthatZanecouldseethescar,butitdid.Perhapsbecause he hadn't been the only one that particular bullet had gone through.

The other agent just caught sight of thescar, recognizing itfor what it mostlikely was.While Zanehadbeenluckyenough toavoid being shot,he had plenty ofother scars, inside and out. Hemade nocomment and pretended not to have noticed.

"Sowherewegoingfordinner, gar?on?" Tyaskedashegrabbed his wallet and stuck it in his back pocket.

Dragging hiseyesawayfrom Ty'sbodyagain,Zaneignored yet anothernewnickname andanswered, "Morrison toldmeaboutabarbecue place down several blocks. Family-owned,original recipes."

"Mmm,NewYorkbarbeque," Tyresponded sarcastically witha wrinkle of his nose. "No go. I need . . . fish."

"Fish." Zane shrugged."Okay, we can find a place. Unless you alreadyhavesomething inmind?" Hereallydidn'tcare.He'deatanything. It was just the cocktails that got him in trouble.

"We'll walk," Tysuggested asheattached anankleholster and checked thathisbackup wasloaded. Hedragged outhisshoulder holster and did the same, then slipped his beaten leather jacket on and flexed his shoulders experimentallywith a frown.

"Strap'stwisted,"Zane offered. He walked over and reached up under thejackettoflip the buckle sothestrap laidflatalong the back ofTy's shoulder. Tyturnedhisheadwordlessly andraisedhiseyebrows asZane stepped into his space and fucked around with his weaponry.

Now, Zane wasn't astupid man. He'd seen Tytense earlierata slightlyperceived threat.Itwasn't ignorance onZane'spart,gettingsoclose without being invited. Buthewanted hisnewpartner toknow thathewasn't afraidofhim.Thathewasn'tquitethepaper-pusherhemadehimselfoutto be.

ZanestraightenedthelengthofstrapandpulledTy'sjacketback downtocoverit."Let'sgo.Icouldeatawhale,"hesaidabsently,already warringwithinhimself.Hadhetrulywantedtotelegraphamessage?Orhad hesimplytakenadvantage ofthechancetotouchthehardmuscles he'dbeen seeing? Danger zone, Garrett.

Tycleared histhroatandfollowed silently. Notmanypeoplehadthe nerve to step into his reach and touch him without his permission or some sort offorewarning. EitherZanereallydidn'tgiveashit—which wascontraryto hisdemeanor andactions—or hehadnocluehowdangerous Tyreallywas. Thethirdoptionwasthemostfrightening; thatheknewwhatTycoulddoto himandhewasn'tconcerned. Eitherway,itleftTyslightlyunsettled asthey went in search of food.

Theirhotel was located just ablock or two from LittleItaly, and they had no trouble finding arestaurant there,whichseemed tosuitTyjustfine.Zane followed alongastheywereledtothetable,eyeing thebaracross theroom withaninternalsigh.Hesatdownatthetableandimmediately openedthe menu.

Ty,however,leftthemenuinfrontofhimandturnedtothewaitress withagrin.HewentaboutorderinghisGuinnessanddinnerwithaseriesof well-honedinnuendoandrakishgrinsthathadthegirlgigglingathimasshe moved away.

Zaneignored whatwasbecoming hispartner's customary behavior. Sitting back,hereflected thatmaybetheyshould havekeptlooking fora different restaurant. Onewithtelevisions. Here,therewasnothingtodobut look at each other.

Ashesat,Tywasobserving theotherpatrons intherestaurant idly, noticing things about them thatmostpeople didn't notice. Histraining forced himtotakeinwholooked anxious, whoseemed tobewaiting forsomeone, whowaswearing acoattoolargeforthem thatmightconceal aweapon, who lookedoutofplace.Thelistwentonandon."So,"hehuffedashelooked back at Zane. "What now?"

"Asopposedtowhatthen?"Zanesaid,leaningbackinhischair. "You had the plan, remember?"

"Youhijackeditwithdinner,"Typointedoutasthelittlewaitress came back and slid Ty's drink onto the table. "Thankyou, darlin'," he drawledasshepassedby.Hetookonelongdrawfromthebottle,then glanced around andplacedhispalmflatontheopening ofthebottlebefore turning itupside down. Hepatted himself down withthebeerlike someone would havedonewithabottleofcologne, taking another gulpeverynowand thenashesmeared someonhisneckandchestandfinallyrubbed hishands together and patted down his scruffy face.

Zanejustwatched, stirring lemon intohistea,shaking hishead. "That's awaste ofgood beer. Youshould have ordered some shitlikeBud Light."

"DoIlooklikeIdrinkBudLight?"Tysneered before downing what was left of the beer. He raised his hand and called over the waitress again.

"You think the girls are going to be able to tell the difference?"

"You underestimatetheir prowess." Ty laughed as he leaned back and stretched hishandsoverhishead.Thewaitress sidledoverandTysmiled at her. "Bring my irritating friend here a Bud Light, would you, sweetheart?"

She repressed asnort and gave Zane anod before turning away again. "No," Zane said sharply, voice quite firm. "That's not necessary."

She turned around and raised her eyebrows inquestion. Typursed his lipsandthensmiled,shakinghis headandgesturingfor herto bringit anyway.

"Your irritating friendhasnointerest inabeer,Grady," Zaneground out.

"It's not to drink," Ty respondedwith an easy smile.

Zanerelaxedslightly,thoughhewasstillfrowning."Thenwhatdo youplantodowithit?"heaskedsuspiciously. Tymerelywavedahandat himselfinanswer.Zanerolledhiseyesbeforehecouldstophimselfand really wished Ty had waited until after dinner to "freshen up." It would be bad enough walking around with him without smelling it all through dinner too.

The waitress brought the ordered beer and smiled at Ty flirtatiously as shepassedby.Zanewatched herthoughtfully andwondered ifTyreallywas charmingorifhewasjustgood-looking enoughtopullitoff.Eitherway,it irritated Zane already.

Tyslidthebottleacrossthetableandwavedahand."Youcanwait till after we eat, if you like," he offered charitably.

Eyesnarrowing, ZanelookedatTy,thenthebottle,thenbackatTy. "Oh, hell no. One of us smelling like a drunk is plenty."

Tymerely shrugged. The man wasn't going with him without playing thepart.Whether hediditvoluntarily wasnotTy's concern. Itmight evenbe fun to douse him down, Ty pondered with a smile.

"So." Heleered asheleaned hiselbows onthetable again. "Tellme aboutyour hookers. Youdon'tseem thetype," hesaidwithapointed lookat the weddingband on Zane's finger.

Zane willfully ignored thebeerbottle."And whatismytype?" he asked in aclipped voice, his lefthand curling into aloose fist before he pulled itoffthetableandsettleditoutofsight,hidingthering.Hewondered how many new insults Tycould come upwith. Itreally was agame tohim, apparently,and it madeit moredifficultfor Zaneto maintainhis stony reserve.

Tysnorted inresponse. "Yeah, okay," heresponded inamusement. "I guess you would need to pay someone to tolerate you."

Letting theinsult pass, formore reasons thanthetruth ofit,Zane proddedbackinstead."I'msureyouhaveaverywell-formedanddetailed profile ready to throw out there, proving how lacking I am."

Ty'seyebrowroseandheleanedforward."Haveyoureadmyfile?" he inquired curiously.

"Inwhattime,sincewe'vebeentogetherpracticallytheentirepast thirty-six hours?"Zaneaskedsarcastically. "That's nottosayIdidn'tthink about having it pulled."

Tynarrowed hiseyes,thenletitgoasacoincidence. "Profile ofyou, huh?" he drawled with a smirk instead.

"Despite your insistenceon being an utter asshole, you are undeniably educated and highly trained," Zane said, drawing on the minute clues and data he'd been gathering about Ty to make a strong guess. Number-crunching,as it were. "So, I'm betting you've assessed for threat, judged for education, gauged strengths and weaknesses...yes. A profile."

"Yourlogicisirrefutable,"Tycomplimented,stillgrinning."Ido have one," he answeredwith a matter-of-factnod. "I'm still waiting for you to change it."

Zane's interest in the line of conversationdissipated, as did any life or sparkinhisdarkeyesashisexpression wenthardagain.People werealways expectinghim to change. "Very charitable of you," he said curtly.

Tyshrugged. "Youwantmecontinuing tothinkyou'reacandy-ass content torideadesk, that's finewithme.Don't sayIdidn't give youa chance, though," he warned as he leaned back in his seat again and glanced to hisrightassomeone movedtooquickly inhisperipheral vision. Hewatched themsuspiciously foramomentinsilence,thesuddentenseness filtering through his entire body.

"There's nothing Icandotochange youropinion," Zanesaidsourly, not even noticing the change inTy's demeanor. "Besides, it's not toofaroff." Histonehadturneddecidedlybitter,andZanetookalongdrinkofhisiced tea to get the annoyance back under control.

"Ah,Ihearapastbubbling forth," Tyresponded withapointatZane ashepulledhisattentionawayfromtheirfellowdiners."There'sanother thing I don't wanna talk about."

"I've got no desire to hear violins wailing, anyway," Zane snapped.

Ty laughed joyously and nodded. "That's better," he said approvingly.

Zane's nose wrinkled ashereined inhistemper yetagain. Something about Tybrought outthepartsofhim hetriedtohidefrom thelightofday. Surely, thiswasheaded fordisaster. "Therewerefour,"hemuttered before thinking better of it.

"Four what?" Ty asked in apparent confusion.

Zaneclearedhisthroatinannoyance andglanced around them. "Hookers,"he said through gritted teeth.

"All at once?" Ty asked with a mocking sort of wide-eyedinnocence.

"Not all four, no," Zane said under his breath.

"Shame," Ty drawled with a smirk. "Why?"

Zane sighed inwardly. "One of them was busy with a john in the other bed," he said as he lifted his glass to callfor arefill. That had been one hell of a night—whathe rememberedof it.

"That'sfascinatingly kinky,"Tydrawled flatly."ButImeantwhy hookers,"hecorrectedwithanimpishgrin."Payingforitusuallymeans you're doing it to get out frustrations,not enjoy it."

"Orbeingtoodrunkoffyourasstoknowotherwise," Zanepointed out, taking another sip of tea.

Tyraisedhiseyebrows andinclined hisheadininterest. "Areyoua drunk?" he asked directly.

Zane'slipstwistedinwryamusement,andhetookadrinkoftea rather than answering.

"Well,thatshouldmakeanyfirefightswegetintointeresting,"Ty drawledsarcastically."Sorry,boss,Iaimedforthemiddleone!"hecried softly ashesquinted andraised hishandandwaved itinfrontofhim, mimickinga man who was seeing double as he tried to aim.

Zane'seyeswereflatandemotionless. "Idon'tdrinkanymore," he said after a long pause.

"Meaning?" Typroddedslowly."What,you'rearecovering alcoholic?"he asked with sarcasm lacing the words.

Trying veryhardtopush down asudden desire tocommit homicide, Zane's eyesnarrowed andbegan toglitterwithanger. Heshould haveknown Tywoulddisrespect eventhis."Alcoholics don'trecover," hesaidsharplyas hepushed outofhischair."I'llbeback,"hemuttered, heading tothefront door.

"Iknowtheydon't,"Tycalledafterhimwithoutgettingup."They mustnothaveasarcasmtranslatorinCyber,"hemutteredtohimselfwitha roll of his eyes.

Zaneheardhimbutwastooangrytoturnaround.Hehadtocalm downorhe'dlosehisgriponhiswell-practiced control.Hepushedoutthe doorsandontothesidewalk, walked afewyardsaway, pulledoutapackof cigarettes,and lit up, watching the foot traffic go by as he cooled off.

Leftbehindintherestaurant withseveral patronsglancing athim curiously, Tysimplyshrugged andreached forabreadstick tognawon.The alcoholism thingdidn'tmeshwiththementalprofilehe'dcreatedofhisnew partner. He'd have to reconsiderafter his task tonight.

Taking his timewith the cigarette, Zane jammed thebutt out when he wasdoneandtosseditinatrashcanoutsidetherestaurantbeforeheading back in.The salads wereonthetable, andhesatdown andstarted eating without saying a word.

"Bitofatemper,huh?"Tygreetedashechewed."That'sagood idea,"commented themanwhowasnotorious forlosinghistemperin explosive ways. "To walk away like that."

Zanegrunted inanswer asheateafewbitesofsalad,deciding ifhe wanted to answer. "Had to learn," he finally said as he nabbed a breadstick.

"Wereyouacop?"Tyaskedhiminreturn,hismindmakingleaps and bounds of logic as he continuedto chew.

"Areweplayingtwentyquestionsnow?"Zaneasked."No.Iwas never a cop."

"Iask'causebigcitycopsareusuallyplagued bydrinking andanger problems," Tyinformed him."AndIassume theystarted andweretakencare ofbefore youwereintheBureau because youwouldn't havestayedinafter developingthem. Military?" he asked dubiously.

Zane had tosmile alittleashelooked upand saw the wheels turning. "Not military. You get two more guesses."

"Funny, Ihad you pegged forAirForce," Tydrawled with ashake of his head and a smirk.

Asharpbarkoflaughter escaped Zanebeforehecouldrepress it. "Unfortunately, mycandy-assimageisonlyrecentlycultivated.I'mpleased thatit'ssoconvincing,"hesaid,notatallbrightly.Hestillwantedadrink, andhisitchyhandsandparchedthroatweregettingworse."You'remilitary, of course."

"Marines,"TyofferedashelookedupatZanewithoutmovinghis head, his fork stopping as he smiled slowly. "Force Recon."

Zane'sshouldersstiffened.SoTywasahighlyspecializedwarrior, trained to take the worst of a hostile environment.To be there and be invisible. Tobethereandbedeadly.Theknowledge madesomething inside Zanegocold."Makes sense," hesaidtightly. "Anyone whocould beso insubordinate couldonlyhavebeenthetotaloppositeatsomepointintime," heobserved. Zanepushedthesaladbowlawayandstrongly contemplated another cigarette.

Tysnortedandshookhisheadinamusement."Insubordinate," he echoed with a little snicker.

Glancing up,Zanewasalreadyresigned tobeing insulted. Modus operandi for Ty. "What?"

"If Iwere really allthat much ofaliability, do you think I'd stillbe around?" Ty inquired curiously."I mean, I'm good, but I ain't that good."

Zanedidn'tevenhavetothinkuphisanswer."Incorrect.Itmeans you're so good that you can be as insubordinateas you like and get away with it.We both know there's a difference between being a liability in the field and an asshole in the office."

"We certainly do," Ty agreed with a shit-eatinggrin. "Asshole."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."

Tymerelyshruggedandwentabouteatinghissaladhappily.Zane seemed tohaveahigher opinion ofhisabilitiesthanhedidofZane's. Which washowitshould be,asfarasTycould tell.Soon, themaindishes were brought outandTygavethewaitress awinkforhertrouble. "So, what'd you do?" he asked Zane finally.

ZaneknewwhatTywasasking.Hislipsliftedintoasmallsmile. "The hookers were informants."

"Oh, yeah?" Tyasked, histoneofvoicethatofapatient parent entertaininga child.

Theangerflaredagain,andtampingitdowntookseriouseffort."I don'tneedanother goddamn priest.Youwanttoknow ornot?Because if you're just going to humor me, then I'm shutting up," Zane growled.

"Temper, temper," Tytutted withawaveofhisforkinZane's face. "Whatsortofcybercrimes informants arehookers?" heasked,completely changing the direction.

"I didn't always work in the Cyber Division," Zane told Ty tightly.

"Huh,"Tycommenteddisinterestedly. "Andyouwerefuckingyour informantstoo?"

Zaneshruggedoneshoulder.WhatwasitaboutTythatmadehim want to fly off the handle?

Ty gave alow whistle, shaking his head. "No fucking wonder you got busted down."

Zanegavehimahateful look."Didn't thinkwhen theyputyouona leash it would be to a damn anchor, did you?" he asked testily.

"I was expecting an anvil with a little pink slip attached," Ty admitted. "Call me Wile E. Coyote."

Surprised bythecandor, Zaneleanedbackwhenthewaitress refilled histeapitcher, waiting untilshewasgone."Sowhat'd youdotopissthem off?"

Ty actually wincedas he took a sip of his waterand shrugged. "That's still classified,"he answered honestly.

"Ouch." Stillclassified usuallymeanttheshithitthefan,andthen some. "So the bricks, the anvil, and the ACME explosives."

"YougotACMEwrittenonyourforehead," Tymuttered. Heleaned back and cocked his head with an audible sigh. "I was in charge of the op," he explained, completelyunashamed ofwhatheknewprobably shouldhave gottenhim fired...and possiblyarrested."We skirtedsome cornersand whited out some of the rule book; then it all went to hell."

"FromwhatlittleIknowofyou,itshouldhaveworked,though, huh?"Zanesaidastheirdinnersweredelivered."Itwouldhavebeenworth it."

"Yes," Ty answered succinctly."It would have been worth it."

Zane raised his eyes to study the other man. "So what went wrong?" Ty looked up and met his eyes seriously, hazel eyes glinting angrily at justthememory."That'sclassified,"hemurmuredfinallybeforelooking back down.

TheclippedheatofTy'svoiceandthesnapinhiseyesgavehim away. "Sounds like you've got your own anger issues."

"Only when I'm pissed off," Ty answered with a forced smirk. Snorting,Zaneshookhishead."Andthat'swhat...onlyseventy-five percent of the time?" he asked seriously.

"I'mveryeasygoing," Tyhuffedwithapiousinclination ofhishead. "Mm-hmm," he hummed contentedly as he picked at his food.

Zaneshookhishead,stiflingsomething nearlyresembling asnicker. "You're notrightinthehead,Grady. AndImean thatinthemostrespectful way possible."

"What the hell?" Ty respondedwith a gesture of his hands.

"Easygoing,myass.Yougooutofyourwaytomakepeople'slives hell.Butnow,Iwonderifit'sbecauseyouenjoyitorifit'sbecauseyou honestly don'tcareaboutanything butthejobanymore." He'dseenitbefore. Hell, Zane had lived it before.

"Does it matter?"

Zanelowered hisforkandlookedacrossthetable,eyesfocusing on something over Ty's shoulder. "I didn't use to think so," he admitted.

Tywatched himwithoneexpressive eyebrow raised."And?"he invited with a wave of his hand.

Darkeyesrefocused andzeroedinonTy'sface."Thethreatof castration,unemployment, andhardjailtimemademerethinkthings,"Zane supplied.

"Yeah,well,hangoutwithhookersandyougetintosomekinky shit," Ty offered with a straight face.

ThecornersofZane'smouthturnedupslightly. "Everyone hastheir hobbies," he replied smoothly.

"Whatever floatsyourboat,man."Tyshrugged dismissively, obviously having lost interest in the conversation.

Zane went back to finishing his dinner. Ty wasn't just good at figuring outgames, hewasgoodatplaying them.Itwastiringtryingtokeep upwithhisbanter,butitwasalsoalmost fun.Zanewasreminded thatthis "partnership"mightnotlastsolong,andnowhecouldn'tdecideifhefelt ambivalent aboutit,orworse,disappointed. Therewastheslightpossibility thattheycouldhavebeenaformidableteam.ButitwasclearthatTy's obvious disdain wouldn't allow that to happen.

Theyateinsilence forawhile, andassoon ashewasdone with his dinner, Tywiped hishands onthelinennapkin andnodded atZane. "So,tell me about the case," he said without preamble.

Theotheragent's brainsnapped backtoitsgathered datawithout furtherprompting."Eightmurders,differentlocations,nothingtotiethem together. Nopattern ofvictim choice, causeofdeath, timeofdeath, orother establishable MO.Justthetokensleftatthescenes,noneofthemthesame. He's taunting us," Zane rattled off, pushing his empty plate away.

Tyclosedhiseyesandnoddedimpatiently. "Doesanythingringany bells?" he asked pointedly.

Zaneslowlystirredhistea,eyesdistantashereviewedlistsandlists ofdetailsinhishead."Idon'thaveanythingconcrete,butthestateofthe victims really catches my interest. He's being creative. That's unusual."

"Aside from the tokens, the dye job is what's getting me," Ty returned withanod."IfeellikeIshould know whyhedidit.Whydyea naturalblondejet-black, thentakeherdark-haired roommate andbleachher blonde?"

"Couldbehewastryingtoswitchthembeforehekilledthem,but theyweren'traped,"Zanesaid."I'llhavetogiveitsomethought.Chewon the details."

"That's what you're doing now, genius," Ty huffed.

"No, right now I'm just tossing stuff out. Working the details requires more concentrationand less distraction."Zane looked at him significantly.

Tyrolled hiseyes andleaned back inhischair. "You wanted towork together," he reminded.

"When did I say that?" Zane asked quietly.

"It's in the silent pleading in your eyes," Ty answered sarcastically.

"What's it going to be, Grady?" Zane asked, feeling very tired. "Decide now, so we can get to work. Together or not?"

Tylookedathimthoughtfully andthensmiledslowly."Well,I'm quite enjoying you so far."

Zanestudied thatsmileforalongmoment beforescooting hischair back. "Ready to go?"

TyreachedfortheemptybottleofGuinnessandtheflatBudLight and tucked them under his jacket. "Ready," he said cheerfully.

Frowningattheconcealedbeer,Zanestoodandflippedalargebill from hiswallet onto thetable. Hefigured therestofthenight would be interesting.Ty was enjoying him so far. Well, whoop-dee-doo.

Assoonastheyhitthestreet, Tyextracted thebeerandreached out andtookholdofZane'selbow,pullinghimtoahalt.Thetallermanstopped andlookedbackathim,eyebrowraisedinquestion.Tyraisedthefullbottle and sloshed the beer around, the scent wafting on the cool night breeze.

Zane blinked, and then he raised his chin sharply. "Hell, no."

"You do it or I will," Ty told him matter-of-factly.

Zane'slipspressedtogetherfirmlyonthesimmeringanger.There wasnodoubtinhismindthatTywouldfollowthrough. "Asshole," he muttered, snatching thebottlefromTy'shand.HeknewwhyTywantedthis; iftheylooked like cops theywouldn't get close enough toask aquestion. But that didn't mean heliked itone littlebit. Pouring the beer messily out into his lefthand, hesmeared theliquid onhisshirtandthroat,andupunderhischin, likewhereadrunkwouldhavedregstrailing.Wipinghishandoffonhis jeans, hestalked over tothenearest binandthrew thebottle intoitsohard it shattered as it hit bottom. "Let's go."

Tywouldneverletthemanknowit,butthesacrificeearnedhimjust alittlebitofrespect. Henodded andfellinbesideZane,beginning towhistle ashewalked. Astheygotcloser totheworking girls,hebegan tosingsoftly, thewords slightly slurred andoff-key asheswung hisempty beerbottle happily at his side.

After thefifth street corner, Zane and Tyfound agirlwho knew the second victim. Ittook acouple ofC-notes togethertotalkinthealleywhere sheusuallyworked,andtheycameoutwithnothingmorethanfindingout thatthevictimhadbeenfromOklahoma andhadrunfromherabusive husband.

"Anyreasonshe'dhavesomeexpensivesheetsathome?"Tyasked the girl as she glanced around nervously.

"She ain't made themoney tobuy things like that," thegirl answered asshekickedherplatform heelagainst thepavement. "Sheain'tnearlymade the money to feed herself," she added with a shrug.

Tyjust nodded and looked her over carefully. She looked back athim defiantly, seeming to think he was contemplating taking her up on her services afterall.Instead, hereached intohisbackpocket andtookoutthree morebillsandhanded themtoher."Buyyourself acouple daysoff,huh? Safer," hegrunted asheturned around andbegan making hiswaybackdown the alleyway.

Zane turned silently away as the girl stared atthe money in her hands. Stalking after Ty, he litacigarette and pulled the collar up on his jacket as the windpicked up.Itjustmadehimcrankier, blowing thestalesmellofthebeer off his shirt into his face.

HenearlyranintoTy,whowasstanding andwatching acouplewalk slowly down the sidewalk, scowling impressivelyas they neared him.

"Looking foradate,sugar?" thewoman askedTy.Themanwithher snorted and shook his head, looking away and sighing.

"You look a little too official to be throwing out hooks," Ty respondedwryly.Thewomansmirkedandnodded,tossingherblondehair overhershoulder."Theytailedus,"TymutteredasheturnedtoZaneand sneered.

Zanegrimaced, hismoodgoingevenfurthersouthwithyetmore trampling onhisnerves. Heshould have known theBureau would golooking for them when theydidn't show upattheir prearranged hotel room. Annoyed, heturned totheside, watching theareaaround them,leaving Tytotalktothe newcomers.

"Special Agent Marian Sears," the woman introduced herself, showing her badge tothem. Tyreached outandsnagged itquickly, taking the woman's armandnonetoogentlyescorting herawayfrom thealley."And that'sSpecialAgentGaryRoss,"thewomancontinued, unfazed bytherude and slightly violent handling.

"Do you have any concept of how much you stand out?" Ty asked the womanconversationally, notevenacknowledging theintroductions. "Orhow very much I hate you both already?"

"Myfeelingsarehurt,theyreallyare,"Rossmutteredashefollowed along.

SearsextricatedherselffromTy'sgripandstopped,turningtoface him."Weunderstandtheneedforsecrecyincertaincircumstances, Special Agent Grady," shesaidinclipped tones. "But when thenewdetailonacase thatjustlosttwoagentstoaserialkillerdoesn'tshowupwhenandwhere they're supposed to, we tend to get concerned."

"Next time I'll have Momma write a note," Ty drawled. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Youtwoareoutsideorders,"Rosssneeredinresponsetotheirrude welcome.

"Yourassignmentdoesnotincludegoingundercoveramongstthe working girls," Sears added.

"Ifyou'reevenworkingthecaseouthere,"Rossmutteredashe looked down the alley and shook his head in disgust.

Searslookedatherpartnerinapparentdisapproval. Rossshrugged at her and then looked past Ty to glower at Zane.

"Publicdrunkenness,huh?"Rosssnappedathim."Icansmellthe beer on you from here."

"So arrest me," Zane growled.

"Wiseass,"Ross grumbled.

"We're working thiscasebeside you, notunder you,"Tysnarled to themboth,losingthegood-humoredglintinhiseyesasheinterruptedthe sniping. "Don't gotailing uswhen you've gotmore important shittodo.You want us, you fucking call us on the phone."

"Got acard?" Sears asked with alittlesmile, stillcompletely unintimidated.

Ty'slipstwitched inslightamusement again,andhereached outand took her hand. He reached under his jacket with the other, finding a pen in one oftheinnerpocketsasRossbristledangrily.Tyignoredhimandheldthe woman's handinhis,writing anumber onthepalm ofherhandandthen sliding the pen back into place slowly without releasing her.

She smirked athim, looking him over in amusement and just ahint of interest, before sheslidherhandoutofhisandtookherpartner's armtopull him physicallyaway as Ty smirked after them.

Zanetookthefewstepstostopbeside Tyandwatched themgo, simmering."They're going to be trouble," he muttered.

"No,they're not." Tygrinned ashewatched them walkaway. Ross's handnowgripped Sears's elbowratherthantheotherwayaround, preventing herfrom looking overhershoulder atthemashegriped aboutsexual harassment. "Theydon'tthinkmuchofus,whichisjusthowwewantit. They'll want towork this case ontheir own, keep usout ofthe loop. Plus, see howpossessive heis?Hewon'tlethernearusagain,"Tychuckled darklyas he cocked his head to admire the sway of her hips.

Zanelookedafterher."Hewon't,huh?Whatdidyoudo?Copa feel?"

"MightneedmeaSearscatalogwhenwegethome,"Tydrawledout with a sly smile.

"Bastard," Zanemurmured. Hedroppedthecigarette butttothe concrete and ground it out under his heel.

Tysighed andlooked around attheemptystreet corners. "Looks like ourquarryhasgonetoground." Hegrowled inannoyance, beginning towalk slowlyinthedirection fromwhich they'd come."Didyouhappen tolookat the report on that sheet the body was wrapped in?"

"BleachedEgyptiancotton,six-hundred-countking-sizeflatsheet, onlysoldattwoplacesinNewYork:Bloomingdale'sandHenriBendel. Retailcostfourhundred fifty dollars. Nocatches, nopulls,notears,nostains besides blood, still smelled like plastic, thought to be fresh out of the package,"Zane rattled off as he lit up another cigarette.

"Didanyonefollowthatup?"Tyaskedbeforetheycrossedthestreet at a jog.

"I'llcallMorrisonandaskhimtohavesomeonecallthestores.All the report says isthat neither had them in stock for afive-day span around the discovery of the body. Bendel's had alinen sale the weekend before," he said. "I'm sure they were flying off the shelves."

"Great," Tygroaned. "We'llgobytomorrow andtalktowhoever. Whatelse?Werethesheetschangedwiththetwodyegirls?Wasitinthe report?"

"Nothing in the report said they were."

"Goddamn it," Tymuttered. Therehadtobeaconnecting factor. "We'll find the damn thing," he muttered to himself.

Zanestoppedfortraffic,workinghiswaythroughthecigarette."I still want to go back to the office."

Ty exhaled heavily. "Do you understand what we were doing tonight?" he asked softly.

Zanelookedat him, not sure if he shouldbe offended,but still irritated merelyonprinciple. Tylooked overathimandraisedaquestioning eyebrow. "Enlightenme," Zane invited tightly.

"Ifit's aninsider that got Reilly and Sanchez, then hemayalready be tailing us," Ty explained quietly. "I wanted to see if I could spot anyone."

"You're using yourself as bait?" Zane asked disbelievingly.

"Are you getting hysterical?"Ty asked eagerly. "Can I smack you?"

Zanemerelysighed andlooked away before hecould giveanacerbic response.

Tygruntedinmockdisappointment. "Anyway,ifyoudogobackto Federal Plaza,makesureyou're notalone, andkeep aneyeonyoursix.I'm crashing,"he admitted.

"Icantakecareofmyself,"Zanesaidcurtly.Hegroundhisteethas Tysnorted, andtheyeach loped across thestreet tocometothefront oftheir hotel. "I usually get going about seven in the morning,"Zane told Ty. "You?"

"Nights," Ty grunted as he headed toward the lobby doors. "I've been workingnights.I'monhourthirtysomething tryingtorightthem,soIreally couldn't say."

Zanenodded, stubbing outthecigarette onthebrickwalloutside the doors and tossing it in an ashtray sitting outside the doors. "Just come bang on thedoor when you're ready inthemorning. I've got plenty tokeep mebusy." He walked toward the parking garage, hands in his jacket pockets.

Ty just grunted in return as they parted ways.

ZanestoppedandturnedtowatchTystalkthelastseveralfeetinto thehotel.PonderingthepuzzleofTyGrady,Zanemadehiswaytothecar. Hewasinfuriatingatbest.Anabsolutebastardatworst.AndZanehadto grudginglyadmit that he might just be good at his job.