Chapter Three

Ty ledthewayoutoftheelevator,walkingintothetechlabwitha shift of his eyes towardhis partner.Zane didn't look much different outwardly. New haircut,new earring, manicure, but he was stillhimself underthepricey tailoredclothes.Ty couldn'thelpbutfeelslightly self-conscious about the changes he had undergone, but he was too good at hisjobtoshowthatoutwardly.Hehoped.Luckily,therewasn'tmuch of anyone at theoffice at sevenin the morning on a Saturday. They planned to board the shipby eleven.

"Good morning,gentlemen," Stacy Knightgreeted ashecame overtothem,trailedbyalackeywhosenameTycouldn't remember carrying a plastic storagebox. Knight held two files in his hand, one of which he handed to Ty.

"Good morning, Q," Ty drawled, smirking as he took the file. Knight handled most of the briefingand debriefingof agents when new orunusualtechnology was being used in a job. Ty didn't knowwhyheneededtoseethembeforetheyleftforthecruiseship, but he sort of dreaded what Knight wasgoing to show them.

"I don'thavetimeforyoutothinkyou'recleverthismorning, Grady," Knight returned dryly."Both ofyougive Terry yourguns, knives,garrotes,crossbows,andany otherunusualweaponsyoumight be carrying, please."

"What?Why?" Ty demanded.

"Youandyourbaggagewillgothroughsecurityjustlikeatthe airportsforX-rayandrandomsearch.Wehavetofigureouthowto hidetheweaponsandotherequipmentinyourluggage,andwe'llhave to be creative, since the bagswill go with a valet. So fork it all over."

Ty andZanebothgrudgingly pulledouttheirserviceweapons, followedbytheirbackupsandany otherweaponrythey hadhiddenon them.They placedeachpieceintotheplasticbox.WhenTy wasdone, he smoothed ahand over his jacket and nodded to Knight, butKnight merely sighedimpatientlyashewatchedthem.Tyshookhisheadand watched with a hint of amusement as Zane continued piling hidden knives into the bucket.

There wasa moment ofsilence afterthe last thinthrowing knife was placed inside."Is that all?" Knight drawled, unimpressed.

Zanerolledhiseyesandcrossedhisarms.Healwayscarried thosekniveswhenhewasworkingoutoftheoffice;itwasanodd quirkTyhadn'tseeninanyothercivilianagents.Theskillandhabit camecourtesy ofsomeextratrainingZanehadluckedintoatthe academy to makeupforhislackofpoliceormilitaryexperience. Ty approved, though he wouldn'ttell Zane that.

"Well. Now that we've established dominance, follow me," Knight said with a roll of his eyes.

"I feel naked now," Zane muttered.

Ty glancedatZaneandwinkedathim.Zanehadn'treally hada chancetomeetmanyofthesupportstaffintheBaltimoreofficeyet, andTyprobablywasn't thebestpersontointroducehimaround,not with the reputation Ty had garnered.

"You look likeyou hada rough night," Knightcommented over his shoulder as they trailed along behind him.

"Justdoingsomeresearchforthecase,"Tyrespondedwitha shrug of one shoulder.

"Sureyou were," Knightmuttered with a smile.

They followedKnighttoa smallconferenceroom,whereSpecial AgentinChargeDanMcCoysatwaitingforthem.McCoy stoodwhen they walked in, looking them both over critically.

"Ialmostdidn'tyourecognizeyoumyself,"hefinallysaidwith an approving nod."Letme see the arm," he saidashe heldhishandout to Ty.

Ty shruggedoutofhisjacketandrolledhissleeveup,turninghis bicep toward McCoy. His tattoo was no longer there. It was odd looking down at his arm and seeing nothing but skin.

"How'd they do it?" McCoy asked in real interest.

"Some sortof synthetic," Ty answeredunhappily."They glued it down."

"Looks pretty good ifyou don't knowyou're looking for it. We'll make certain to have spare parts inyour luggage somewhere," Knight commented asheleanedcloser and peeredat Ty'sarm. Ty puthishand on Knight's forehead and pushed him away.

"Personalspace,man,"Tytoldhimwithagood-naturedsmirk. He heard Zane stifle a snort.

"Speaking of personal space, let'sget rightdowntoyour toys for this one," McCoy said ashe nodded to Knight.

Knight turnedtoarolling table muchlike thekind on which surgeonskepttheirinstrumentsandpickedthroughanarray ofdevices sitting there.He liftedapair ofsunglassesand turned to hand themto Zane.HehandedanothertoTy.Theywereunusuallyheavyashe hefted them in his palm.

"Stylish," Ty commenteddryly.

"Shut up. They're embedded with a video feed here," Knighttold Ty ashepointedtotheupperleftportionoftheframes."Theotherside holdsabatterywithenoughjuiceforaboutanhourofrecordingor three hours of transmission. Use it sparingly. There's no recharging it."

"Okay,"Tymumbledasheturnedtheglassesoverandfrowned at them.

"I'm notsure whatgoodthese will be,"Zane murmured, setting them aside.

"Oneofyourgoalsistotakepicturesofthemeninvolved.We figuredaNikonmightraisesuspicion,"McCoy toldthem.Ty andZane both nodded slowly.

"And this isyour document scanner," Knight saidas he cradleda longdeviceinbothpalms. Itwasroughlythe sizeofaruler,just slightly thicker."Youknowhowtouseoneofthese,right?"Knight asked Ty dubiously.

"Push the button, scan the document," Ty answered obediently.

"And nousing itasa club.It'snotbuiltfor violence,"Knight admonished.

"I only didthatonetime!" Ty argued."AndtobefairI'mpretty sure it was already—"

"Can it, Grady. No more using sensitive techgear to maim, understood?" McCoy interrupted.

"Yes,sir," Ty saidin a disgruntledvoice.Zane wasn'teven trying to stifle his quiet laughter.

Knightcontinued."Wetriedtodevisesomewayforthetwoof youtocommunicateby radio,butwehavenothing inconspicuous enoughonsuchshortnotice.You'll beonyourownasfarasthat goes."

"Cell phones?" Zane asked dubiously.

"They're not reliable at sea, even if the cruise line claims they are. Not worth therisk of issuingyouany, andyoucan't takeyour own. You'll have the Porters' phones, with all their contacts. ButI'd be careful answering them if I wereyou," Knight rambled.

Ty lookedbetweenthe twomen. Noreliableway to communicate with his partner or withthe rest of the team while aboard ship. Great. Zane didn't look too happy either.

"You'llbereportingbacktousby secureserver,buttheonly accesswillbeonthepublicterminals.Youwillgo by thecodenames Punch and Judy."

"Punch and Judy," Zane repeated, voice devoid of emotion.

"Hilarious," Ty commented acerbically.

"I amuse myself.Getoverit,"McCoy shotback."Thecomputers are public, so rememberyou'll have to becareful and clever when accessing the server."

Ty pointed atZane. "His job." Zane shrugged.

"Right."McCoy handedthemboththickfolders."Andtheseare your itineraries."

"Our what?" Ty blurted in alarm. They hadn't been told about any itinerariesyesterday.Thatwasprettyhighuponthelistofshitthey needed to know about.

"How heavily are wescheduled?" Zaneasked,notsounding surprised. Ty looked at him sideways, butZane was studying the papers and paying him no attention.

"They'repretty firm,"McCoy toldthemapologetically."They found them in one of thePorters'bagsas they were searchingthemfor intel."

"How much planning haveyou put into this case, exactly?" Ty asked critically.

"Theinkisstilldrying,"McCoytoldhimwryly.Heheldupa handtocurtailany furtherprotests."Listen,thisopportunity practically dropped into ourlaps. We've managedto keepa lid on thearrest of the Porters. There are halfa dozen agencies that should be notified that haven't been.Interpol, Europol, Scotland Yard, and theItalian Guardia diFinanza,tonameafew.Every oneofthosewillbescreamingtoget their fingers in the pot, andyou both knowwhathappens whena case becomesajurisdictionalwar.Theonlywaytokeepthatlidonistogo in silent and go in fast."

"Which also means there's a very real chance of you being arrestedfortradinginstolenantiquitiesifyourunintoanagentofany of those organizations," Knight told them with a hint of childish glee.

Ty shothimadirty look,andZanesatforwardasheasked,"And if we run into one of those other agencies—"

McCoy cuthimoffloudly,calling theirattentionbacktohim. "Your goalis togather intel,understood?Do not attemptto apprehend, detain, capture, curtail, restrict, inhibit, or otherwise prevent the activities of any of the criminals. Understood?"

"Yes,sir," Ty andZaneansweredinunison,Ty notbotheringto hide how unimpressed he was with the inventory.

"Porterhastwopartners:anItalian by thenameofLorenzo BianchiandaTurknamedVartanArmen.Bianchiisthefaceofthe ring,theonly onewhosurfaces.Hedoesthebuying.Stolenantiquities, art, priceless relics,you name it."

"Where's this intel coming from?" Ty asked.

"Italy. They've had a bead on Bianchi for a fewyears now but no way togetafootinthedoor.Everythingabouthimonpaperislegit. That's where Armen and Porter come in. Armen targets and handles acquisitions; Porter arrangestransportand storage. There is absolutely no information in the wind about Armen. We don't even have a picture of him. Yet."

Tyliftedthecameraglassesandcheekilysalutedhisbosswith them.

"How'dyoucatch up to Porter?" Zane asked curiously.

"Traffic violation," McCoy said with a pleased smirk.

"Andyou'redamnsurethesemenhavenevermetinperson?"Ty demanded.

"Sureenoughtorisk yourlivesonit,"McCoyassuredthem. "Each manhasacarefully planneditinerarymeanttocoincideat intervalswiththe others'. That's how they plan to do their communicating. Or so we understand."

"Sowehavetosticktotheselikeglue,"Tyconcludedashe waved the file in his hand.

"Yes. Your objectives are simple. Get pictures of Vartan Armen. Gleanasmuchinformationasyoucanabouttheiroperations.And don't get killed."

ZanestoodatthefootofthecircularCaliforniakingwithitsfancy linen and coverlet, hands on hiships, looking down at the three open suitcases: one his, two Ty's. Correction: One Corbin's, two Del's. Therewere already clothes hanging in theclosetthat hadarrivedin garmentbags.Hewrinkledhisnoseandlookeddownatallthestuff and shook his head.

They'd beengreeted by a note fromthe maidon the footof their bed,tellingthemtheroomhadbeencleanedbyStellaandtheycould beassuredtherewerenobugsinit.Apparently someoneontheirteam was posing as a maid and had swept the room for electronic listening devices.Itgave them alittle freedom,anyway,and considering the entire ship was closed-circuitrecorded, they'd take what smallamount of privacy they couldget.

Ty stoodnotfaraway,beyondthepartitionsthatdividedthe lavishly decoratedOwner'sSuiteintobedroomandlivingareas, contemplating theirsurroundings.Their suite wasone of only sixlike it on the entire ship,with over five hundred square feetof space.Ithad to have cost the Portersa pretty penny.

Itwasalsocompletely deckedoutforthe holidays.A miniature Christmastreestoodinonecornernearthebalcony doors,andafruit basket of festive treats sat on the dresser opposite the bed. The entire ship was decorated in similar fashion. Much of the crew wore red Santa hats and ridiculous smiles. Christmas trees in pots andsprigs of mistletoe and white twinkle lights bedecked every area of the ship.

ZanehadbeensortofshockedtofindthatTy lovedtheholiday theme.He'd complainedallmorningaboutmissingChristmaswithhis family,buthe'd beendistractedbytheluxuriousappointmentsthey'd found when they entered the cabin.

"Well,it'sbetterthantheberthonthelastcruiseItook,"Tytold Zane with a slight smirk as he turned to face him.

Zane chuckled. "Bunks aboard an LST?" he joked.

"We hadtoshare,sleep inshifts," Ty answeredwryly.He waved atthecabinfullofebonywoodandPersianrugsonthefloor.Hiseyes wereshiningashemovedtowardZane."NowIgetanupgrade,andI still have to share a bed. A freaking round one."

"Ifyou'reuncomfortable,there'splenty ofroomonthathuge couchtostretchout,"Zaneteased,turningtofacehimwithonehand onhiship.Ty looked sostrangewiththatblondhair,butZanewas seeingpastitnow.Hefocusedonhow Ty moved,onthecolorofhis eyes,thetimbreofhisvoice,andhowitallstillmadehispulsespeed up a little.

"You'dcry ifIreally didthat," Ty toldhimwithalaugh.He turned away fromZaneagain,heading forthe lightstreaming through the balcony doors.

"Well,poutmaybe,"Zanedrawled,followingalongbehindhim through the stateroom.It was almost the same size as his apartment, actually. He shook his head over theextravagance.While certainly entertaining tohave oneof the largeststateroomson the entirecruise ship,itwasahellofawasteofmoney whenallthey'dbedoingwas sleeping there.But it wasn'ttheir money, so Zane shrugged it off.

"Ifyou'reoverfour,you'renotallowedtopout,"Ty claimed absently. He pushed through the doubleglass doors that led to their privatebalcony andletinarushofcoldoceanair.Itwasthemiddleof Decemberontheeasternseaboard.Itwascold.ButTy inhaleddeeply, putting his head back and smiling as he did so.

Zane leaned against the doorframe and just watched. While the darkoceanwasgorgeousinthecrisp Decemberair,itwasTy whoheld his attention. Zane didn't even want a cigarette,which was a normal cravingthathithimcourtesy offreshairandstress.Ty wasdistracting like that, diverting in thought,word, and deedfor better or for worse, and that hadmade iteasier forZane toaltogether quit smoking—again—a few weeksago.Zane sighed silently. For better or for worse. Being "married" again was making him... sappy.

Foracoupleofmonthsnow,he'dbeencontenttohave Ty near, but Zane was waiting for Ty toget antsy. Ty wasn't the type ofguy you weresupposed togetattached to, because Ty couldn't, or wouldn't, settledown.Infact,Zanewasinaweofthefactthattheirfooling around was still holding Ty's interest at all.

Tymusthavesensedhiseyesonhim,andheturnedtolookover at Zane as his smile faded. "What?" he asked with a flop of his hand. "We're not ten minutes into this, andyou've already got that look like you left the stove on."

Zane smiledslightly andshookhishead,lifting one handto absently rub at the new earring. "Just wondering what we're in for."

Tymethiseyesforalongmoment,hisexpressiontelegraphing hisdesire to perhapssay somethingwithsincerity.The lookfaded though,and Ty smiledslowly."We'llbeinfor thenight,"hequipped suggestively.

Zane wondered what he'd been about to say, but what had come out was interesting enough. "There is room service," Zane drawled.It was an all-inclusive high-dollar cruise ship program, so they could have literally anything they wanted, aslong asitwasavailable. They'd taken the five-cent tour upon their arrival and had a quick-service lunch, but they'd wantedtogettotheirsuitequicklytoheadoffanyonewho mighttry togettherefirstandbugtheplace.Itwasjustpastone,and their first scheduledevent wasn't for twenty-four hours.

"At leastwith room serviceI don't haveto eat with a British accent,"Tysaid,tongue-in-cheekashetriednottosmile.Heleaned against the doorframe asthe wind brushed at his thin cotton shirt.

Zane watchedgoose bumps rise on Ty's skin and took the two smallstepstostandrightbeforehim,theirchestspracticallybrushing as Zane ran his hands up Ty'sarms. "Aren'tyou cold out here in the wind?"

"That's theworst come-on lineI'veever heard,Zane," Ty admonished blandly.He hooked a finger into oneofZane's belt loops. "It's a good thingyou're pretty oryou'd never getlaid."

"Pretty?"Zaneechoedinsurprise.Tymerelylaughed,thewide smilehighlightingthelaughlinesaroundhiseyesandmouth,lines Zanesawalltoorarely.Heshookhisheadandsaid,"Ihaveneverin my lifebeencalled‘pretty.'Andcometothinkofit,I don'tthinkI've ever had to use a come-on line, either."

"Thelatterisbecauseyou'repretty,"Tyclaimedwithahuffof airthatbrushedZane's cheek.Zanehadtochuckleashebowedhis head.Itwasjusttoosillytothinkofhimselfthatway,withatwice-broken nose healed a little crooked,wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, andahellofalotofscars.Tyturnedhisheadandpressedakissto Zane's cheek, and then he put both hands on Zane's chest and pushed himaway."Let'sgetthosebagsstraightenedout.I wanttoseehow many weapons they managed to slip in with us."

Zanereluctantly letgoandfollowedhimover totheridiculous round bed. Choosing oneof the suitcases, he picked up a heavy, zipped doppkit."I'malmostafraidtolook,"Zanemurmuredbeforeopening it.Itwasanold-fashionedshaving kitwitha marble bowl,horsehair brush, and twostraight-edge razors.Among other toiletries, there were also two long whetstones with elastic around them, and whenZane turned them over, he found one of his knives strapped to each heavy stone."Resourceful,"hesaidwitharaisedbrow."AlthoughI'm not sure how I'll wear them with walking shorts anda polo."

Ty glancedover tosee whatZane wasdoing andnoddedwhenhe lookedattheshaving kit."Hopefully they got morethanjustyourpig stickersin,"hemutteredashepokedhisfingerthroughoneofthe neatly packed suitcases."What the hell are walking shorts?You're such a geek,man.I guesswecanuse the straight-edgerazorsif we wantto make a horror show of it."

Hepulledoutaplainleathertoiletry bagandunzippedit,peering in for a second before merely letting itgo.

Itdroppedto the mattresswitha clatter of itscontentsas Ty stood frozen, his head turned away, eyes closed, his hands still out in front of him like he might be traumatized.

Zaneglancedup,andwhenhesawthemess,hechokedona laugh."Ah..."Heclearedhisthroatashelookedatthevariety ofsex toys spilled across the duvet: three different dildos, a set of metal cock rings,ascatteringofclamps,abottleoftoy cleaner,afewsilkscarves, and a couple of long boxes withclasps. He pickedone of the boxesup and opened it. Inside was an implement even Zane wasn't familiar with displayed on a slide of velvet. When he pulled up the small board, Zane found pieces of a disassembled gun inside.

"LikeIsaid,"Zanecontinued,thoughnowhewastryingnotto laugh, "resourceful. I wonder who laughed their asses off while packing this up."

"That's my gun," Ty saidin an offended voice."They hid my gun in the sex toys? That's not right, man." He shook his head and continued muttering to himself as he began pulling out pieces of clothing andtoiletries,carefully examining themfor anything elsethat might have been hidden for them.

"Good hiding place, ifyou ask me," Zane said as he picked up a jeweleddogcollarandglancedtowardTy'sneck,visuallyestimating thepossibility ofafitanddecidingitjustwouldn'tlookright."What securityguyis goingto takeapart avibrator to check for aslide barrel?"

Tydidn't respond,merelylookingaskanceatthecollarandthe appraising lookin Zane's eyes.He snorted athimand then pulled another smallbag towardhim, Del's designer satchel,unzipping it with ahintofdread.He looked inwarily,likemorerubberdongsmight jump outat him, butthen dumped the contentsontothe bed. There was an iPod, a set of headphones, a few puzzle books, two ear wigs, and three wireless listening devices. Ty looked up at Zane and shrugged.

"Myquestionwouldbe‘Aretheytheirsorours?'"Zanesaidas he opened a small drawstring bag and lookeddown into it. Aftera moment,hesimply pulledthestringstocloseitanddroppeditonthe bed. The fabric didn't muffle the soft clinking noise.

"What's that?" Ty askedas he nodded at the bag.

Zane picked the bag backup and pulledouta setof heavy-duty handcuffs."Thesemay beusefulifI can'tgetyoutositstill,"hesaid, dangling them on one finger.

Ty shookhisheadandpointedonelongfingeratZanewarningly.

"You try it andI'll freakout," he said seriously.

"Freak out?"Zaneasked, brow furrowing. "Why?"He didn't think he'd ever seen Ty tied up, exceptfor whenZane had found him in that dark catacomb in New York City, almost suffocated... "Oh. Okay." He dropped the cuffs back into the bag and tossed it aside.

Typressedhislipstightlytogetherand looked downatthebag again."Maybe wecan usethemifwemake anarrest,"hefinally decidedwryly beforepullingmoreclothingoutofthesuitcase.There was a small stack of briefs and soft T-shirts, andhe set them aside, in frontofZane.They'd beenallowedtobringtheirownunderwear,at least.

"I've notreallythoughtaboutbuyingstufflikethis,"Zanesaid slowly, dropping another small boxlabeled Vacheron Constantin after openingitandfinding avery expensive watch.Other boxes heldcuff links, old-fashioned tie clips, and variousother high-dollar accouterments.

"On our salary,you can't affordto look at stuff like this." Ty licked his lips and looked over atZane with a frown. "These guysare way outof myleague,"hedeclaredashelookedbackdownat everything they'd spreadacross the bed.

Zane turnedand sat down on the edge of the thick mattress so he couldlookatTy.Moneywasn't somethingthey'd evertalkedabout, and considering how Ty was reacting to their pricey surroundings,Zane wasn't sure if now was a goodtime to broachthesubject, even in jest. "It's justforshow.Havingexpensivethingsdoesn't determinewho you are."

Ty shrugged."Notunlessyou'reanass,"heansweredcarelessly. He looked aroundtheluxuriouslyappointedcabin."I'vejustnever known anyone who livedlike this. Not sure if I can pull it off."

Zanelookedaroundandshrugged.He'dhadpricey clotheswith designerlabelsonceuponatime,andhe'dlivedinritzy placesbefore. Hepreferredhisratty sweatsandapartment,orbetter,Ty'srowhouse. "It'snobig deal.Justwindow dressing.Nobody needstolive like this. They justwanttobepampered.Money makes iteasy tobelazy." Ty lookedathimwithatiny frown,andZanesighedinwardlyand shrugged. "Personalexperience," he murmured,leaning back on one elbow.

"With being lazy?" Ty asked with a slight smile.

Zane shook his head slowly. "You know me better than that."

Ty smiledwider,butthenitfadedbackintoaconfusedfrown.He clearlywantedtoinquirefurther,buttheywerestillatastagewhere asking about each other's pasts was an uncomfortable venture.

Zane watched the emotionscross Ty's face and decided an answer was in order."My family hasmoney,"headmitted."Ranchingoperationsfor severalgenerations now."

Ty'sonly reactionwastoarchan eyebrow.Zaneknewhis normally expressivepartner wellenoughtoknowthatanexpressionof so little emotion was hiding a more natural response. Ty's pokerface wasimpressiveunlessyouknewhimwell."Howmuch?"Ty finally asked, exposing his curiosity.

"Inmyopinion,they've gotmoremoneythansense,"Zanesaid with a small shrug. "I don't really know."

"That'sprobably a lot,then," Ty concluded,a hintof ill-concealed discomfort in his voice.

"Probably,"Zaneallowed."I'mnotexactly muchapartofthe family anymore." The oldpainof it twingedalittle, and he pushed himself to sit up again. "So it's not something I deal with."

TyturnedhisheadtowatchZane,buthedidn'ttakeastepback ormoveaway togivehimspace.Itwasanoddly intimateinaction. "So... what,yougotcut off?"

Zane shook his head. "We just don't get along." He didn't really want toget into arehash of Dallas—too much potential for messy emotions he tried to keep buried with the rest of his past, not to mention the dreadedwailing violin section. He forceda smile and looked up at Ty."I likeyour family a lot better."

"They're that bad?" Ty asked disbelievingly.

Zanehadtolaugh."There'snowaytocompare,really.You've gotyour family baggage,right?Well,I'vegotmine.Andyouknow me and baggage," he tried to joke, but it came out flatto his ear.

Ty's eyesstrayedtothearray ofbagsandbelongingsonthebed; then he looked back atZane and nodded somberly. "Ifyoueverwant to talk about it," he offered slowly, a smile forming as he finished, "you've got Deacon's number, right?"

WarmthstolethroughZane'schest,anditwaseasy toreturnthe smile.CommentslikethatdidalottoremindZanethatTy really did careabouthim.EvenifTy wasshovinghimoffonhispsychiatrist brother."Yeah."Thenhelookeddownatthemesslitteringthebed. "So.Don'tworry aboutthisshit.Itdoesn'tmeananything.Andyou don't need to actany differently to deal with it."

"Yeah,yeah," Ty mutteredasheturnedawayandranahand throughhisbleached-blondhair.HemovedawayfromZaneandthe bedandbeganwalkingtowardthebalconyagain.Hestaredoutthe opendoorforalongmoment,apparentlytryingtosettlehimselfand find the right mentality to be Del Porter instead of Ty Grady.

AsZane watched him, he sawthe set of Ty's shoulders change, sawthetensionmeltoff him,sawhisgaitalterashe pacedtowardthe doors, and by the time hispartnergotto the balcony and turnedaround, Tyseemedcomfortableinhissurroundingsandinhisnewskin.Itwas asubtlechange,justliketheoneinZane'sbedlastnight.Ty seemedto be able to slide into a new persona quickly; he just didn't seem to be able to maintain it for very long.

He gaveZane a crooked smile. "I still need some practice," he said, assuming Del Porter's lyricalaccent.Itchanged the toneof his voice, the pitch. Even the hintof mountain graveland growling quality Zanehadgrownfondofwasgone,replacedbythesmoothBritish tones.

Theability againimpressedZane,thoughheimmediately missed Ty'snaturalvoice.ButifTy wantedtoplay thegamehereinthecabin fromtimetotimetohelpthemstayincharacter,he'dgoalongwithit. Itcouldn'thurt.Thebestway tostay safely undercoverwastoliveit, butheseriouslydoubtedtheyneededtogothatfaronthiscase,and Zane would much rather be with Ty than Del.

"Andjustwhatdoyousuggest?"heaskedinthehaughty tonehe used for Corbin.

Tymovedtowardhim,smilingashewalkeduptostandinfront of him and put one finger onZane'sshoulder.He let it slide upto Zane'sneckteasingly andgavehimachastekiss.Thenhesaidinhis normal voice, "I want a nap. And then food."

"Easy enough.Shovethiscrapoffthebed,andwehavenaptime. Then there are sixfull-service restaurants on board, two on the luxury level," Zane pointed outas he settledhis handson Ty'ships. "That doesn't count room service and all the other buffetand counter-service places."

"Room service. We'll go over our game plan. But first, let's ‘shoveallthiscrapoffthebed,'" Ty parrotedwithasmirkashestood andhauledZaneoffthebed,thenhookedafootaroundZane'sankle and shoved him ever-so-gently to the floor.

"Hey!"Zaneobjected,buthelaughedashethumpedlightlyon the carpet. He drew his knees up and balanced hisforearms on them as he looked up athis partner. "Gee,I feel so loved.Thrown on the floor with the rest of the crap," he teased.

Ty nodded,pleasedwithhimself.Hereachedoverandsweptthe restofthestuffoffthebedaswell,sendingitofftheedgetoland behindZaneonthefloor.Thenheclimbedintotheroundbed,and Zane heard him flop down heavily.Zane huffedand shifted to his knees sohecouldcrawlupontothebedandrightovertopofTy."You're lucky you're pretty."

"Damnright," Ty agreedwitha cocky smirkashestretchedlike a cat and made himself comfortable on his back.

Zane chuckled before shifting and lying downnext to Ty. He lookedfromsidetoside.Forsuchabigbed, itwasactually pretty narrow onceyou took into account theround mattress and how tall and broadthey bothwere.Heshruggedslightly andfoldedhishandsover his waist. "I don't knowif I'll sleep," Zane murmured, although he was alittletired.Whilehesleptmuchbetternowthanacouplemonthsago, alatenight,areallyearlymorning,andnewstressdidn'tnecessarily offset his edginess on the job and strange surroundings.

Tydidn'trespond,andwhenZaneglancedoverathim,hesaw that his partner was already asleep, face relaxed, breathing evenly.Zane sighed in exasperation.Ty had the same ability asa lotof people who'd ever served in themilitary: he could sleepon command whenever and wherever.Zane enviedthe ability.He carefully turnedontohisside and scooted up againsthim, slid his arm over Ty's waist, and laid his head onthepillow,bracinghischeekboneonTy'sshoulder.Itwaseasyto lethiseyesclose,andhebrieflyentertainedthethoughtofTyashis own personal teddy bear as he fell asleep.

Theirpersonalized itineraries for each day, printed and slid under the doorthenightbefore,cameinafussygreenfoldertiedwithared ribbonandsupposedlymatchedthemoregeneraloverviewsMcCoy had given them that morning. Although they had reviewed the summary documentsbriefly, Ty intendedtogo throughthemagainas they ate dinner, just to assure himself there weren't any surprises.

He sat at the small marble-topped dining table in their cabin,knee bouncingasheperusedDelPorter's scheduledactivities."Iswearto God, if they have me down for another massageI'mdiving overboard," hemumbled as herubbed at his soreshoulder. Themasseuse had warned himhe'd be achy for a few days,butthiswasridiculous.He'd fallen out of helicopters and not been this sore afterward.

Zane forked up some salad as he lookedat Corbin's list. "Some vacation,"hecommented."Twoscheduledactivitiesaday plusmeals, someextraexcursionswhileinports.Althougheveningsarepretty clear, looks like."

Tynodded.Itwaseasytobuildaprofileofthetwomenthey were impersonating just by the activities they'd paid for. Rock climbing,waterskiing,cliffdiving,scubadiving,afairly tame"zip-line adventure over the jungles of Puerto Rico," and several other activities inthesamevein.Adrenalinejunkies.Orsuicidal,depending.Ty raised one eyebrow and smiled slightly. "I'm beginning to like these guys."

"I'mgoing toguess thatCorbin's the adventurer and Deltags along.Although he didlook like he worked out," Zane commented. "Are there any differences in the itineraries?"

Ty slidhisfoldercloserandpeeredatZane's,comparingthem side-by-side. "Looks like Corbin has a few nights reserved at the private-gamepokertables.Highstakes."Ty whistledlow."Ahundred thousand buy-in?Hopeyou're notplaying withgovernmentmoney, partner," he teased.

Zanepointedatanotestarredtoonesideofhisitinerary."The Porters'accounthasbeenpreloadedwiththeship'sbursar.Itdoesn't say how much, though."

"Doyou play poker?" Ty askedashesatbackandstudiedZane. He had a feeling Zane would be good at it. He had one hell of a poker face.

"Yes,"Zane saidabsently,taking another bite of salad ashe read through the activities list. "Did a lot of gambling in Miami." He glanced up with a smile. "Poker is all about statistics and luck."

"Uh-huh," Ty respondeddubiously."ButI'm talkinggambling with money, papi, notyour life," he said with a pat of Zane's knee. He knew all he wanted to know about whatZane haddone in Miami.

Zane's smile widened ashe set down his fork. "I'm good at both. ButI'll stick to money this time. Especially since it's not mine."

"I appreciate the assurance," Ty mumbled,privately thinking he'd believe that when he saw it.

"I don'tdissyouandyourguns.Don'tdissmeand my numbers," Zane said mildly as he went back to his dinner.

Ty glancedupathimandnarrowedhis eyes.He'd been thinking morealong thelinesofZanesticking togamblingwithmoney andnot life and limb,butapparently Zane wasstillself-conscious whenitcame to his what bordered on idiot savant levels of number-crunching ability.

Ty didn'treally envy theability,buthedidrespectit.Ty saw thingsin a jumbledmess, like a jigsaw puzzle that had been tossedonto a table.He could piecethat puzzle together without turning overthe pieces toseewhatwason the other side,simply going oninstinctand what felt right. ButZane's mind instead took those jumbled pieces and categorized them, turnedthem all right side up, top to bottom, labeled themby category rangingfromcolortothenameofthedudewhocut them out at the factory,and then methodically snapped them into place.

Thedifferencesinmethodsmadethemamostly compatible, daunting team, if not occasionally at odds.

Zaneglanced up from his plate and raisedan eyebrow, apparently waitingon Ty'sretortthathadn'tcome. Ty frownedathim,lookingto turn the conversation another direction. "What's wrong with my guns?"

Zanechuckled."There's nothing wrong withyourguns. And speakingof,we'll havetoseeiftheygotmineintheluggagetoo.I don't likebeingunarmed."Hereachedforthebreadbasket,thentooka fluffy yeast roll and offered it to Ty.

Tyshookhishead,smilingslightly.Itwassoeasytodistract Zanesometimesitwasshameful."You'regoingtohavetocarry mine mostofthetimeanyway,"hesaid."TheonlythingIhavetowear that'sthickenoughtoconcealagunisthattux." He noddedtowardthe garment bagsin thecloset. He pluckedat theshirt he was wearing. Asidefromtheshirtsbeing justalittle tightattheseamsaroundhis shoulders,hefoundthathekindoflikedDelPorter'swardrobe.Most of the clothing was made offine linenor light muslin or cotton, appropriate for tropicallocales. Butthere wasno hiding a .38 in the clinging folds.

"Thereisthat,atleast.Corbin'sgothigh-fashiontaste,andthat meanslong sleeves,evenifthey aresilkshirts.I mightgetaway with one blade." Zane shrugged. "Silk is hot," he tacked on.

Ty noddedandlookedbackdownathisfolderbeforeZanecould see the smile onhislips. Silk alsostuck to skin like glue. He'd spent a fewvery sweaty nightsonsilksheetsthathedidn'trememberfondly. Mainly becausetheownerofthosesilksheetshadtriedtokillhim later...

Anyway, he also didn'tconsider silk shirts high fashion, unless you were aguido and liked lots of bling, too, buthe wasn'tgoing toget into that with Mr. Walking Shorts.

"Corbin has a manicure five days in," Zane said as he pushed his plate slightly away,mostof thefood he'd spoonedonto itgone."Does Del have any salon appointments?"

Ty flippedthroughtheitinerary quickly,wincingashecaught sight of the hot stone massage. He rolled his shoulders unconsciously, trying to ease the throbbing ache in them.

"Ifyou'realready hurting,justtellthemyouwantsomething different," Zane said.

"It's justuparoundmyshoulders.Iguessthat's whereallthe knots were," Ty muttered as he jerked his thumboverhis shoulder.He flippedthepage.Themassageandsaunatimeondayfivewerethe only spatreatmentsscheduled.ThankChrist."Areyoudivecertified?" heaskedabruptly ashelookedoverthedetailsoftheirscubadiving session.

"No.I'veneverbeenscubadiving.Doesn't matter,though. Corbin'scertified.Whereisthat?"Zanepulledhisitinerary closerand ran his finger down the list.

"St.Maarten," Ty grumbled. He was watchingZane thoughtfully, unhappy withthefactthatevenafterallthemonthsthey'dbeen partnered, he'dhad toask Zane about so small a fact. How well did he really knowhispartner,amanhewasfairly surehewasfallinginlove with?He'd beenponderingthateversinceZanerevealedhisfamily wasapparently very wealthy. Ty hadneversuspected,neverevenbeen particularlycuriousaboutZane's familyorwhyheneverspokeof them.Couldhereally beinlovewithsomeonehewasafraidtoask about his past?

Zane flipped through the folder of materialsand pulled out the activitiesbooklet.Ty hadalreadyglancedatit,buthe'dsetitasidein favorofwhatthey actually hadscheduled.Thebookletincluded descriptions of all theevents, event length, how much exerciseit included,andprices.Zanepagedthroughthebookletbeforestopping and reading."Says beginner to advanced level can be accommodated.I shouldbeokay,right?" Hisnosewrinkled."Scubadiving,"hesaidina speculative tone.

Tysatbackinhischair,bottleofwaterinhand,ashecontinued towatchZanewhilehispartnerwasdistracted.Ithadtakenhima while, buthe'd finally overcome theembarrassmentwhenZane occasionallycaughthimwatching.Hestillpreferredtobecovertabout itmerelybecauseitwasmoreentertaining.Zanewasintriguingwhen he wasn'taware of it. Such as now. Hisattentionappeared to be completely focusedonthebookletashe lookeduptheirvarious activities. He murmured to himself, sometimes frowning, his long fingers wrapped around a slim ink pen as he made notes. Brow furrowed, black eyes intent.

Tykindofwantedtojumphim.Hesmiledandtookalongdrink of water tocurtail the urge. He cockedhis head to one sideas he watchedZane go still and frown deeply. Now he wanted to jump him ever more. But instead he made himself ask,"What's wrong?"

Zane's facialexpression morphed into one of disbelief. "Cliff diving?"

"I gatheryou've never been cliff diving either?" Ty asked wryly.

"Or waterskiing." Zane turned up his nose. "Maybe I'll be sick on cliff diving day."

"Maybe we won't have to keep it up that long," Ty offered kindly.

"If we're done early, think the Bureau will have usgo backbefore the end of the cruise?" Zane asked as he leaned back in his chair.

Tyshruggednegligently."Probablynot.Toocostlytocomeget us. Why,youlooking for another vacation sosoon?" he asked witha wicked glint to his eyes.

Zane's eyes widened. "You bite your tongue or—"

TylaughedatZane's predictablyhorrifiedreaction.Hepushed his chair back to balanceon its back legs,grinning widely."That never gets old."

Zanemadeanaggrievedsoundashetossedthe itinerary backon the table. "We're not close enough to a decent hospital for any nonsense like a... stretchof several days with no work," he improvised awkwardly."There's no telling whatkindof medicalfacilitiesthese islands have."

Ty lethischairthumpbackdownandstoodinonegraceful motion.HebentandkissedZanesoundly,smilingevenastheirlips met. He felt Zane relaxunder histouch, and hislips opened under Ty's. Ty lingeredoverthekiss,enjoyingthedowntimewhilethey hadthe opportunity. When he finally pulled away, he pressed his nose to Zane's cheek, still grinning as he mumbled, "You're so easy to rile."

Zaneturnedhishead,seekingTy's lipsagainasheliftedhis hands to hold onto Ty ratherthan the chair."I could start hiding it again,butyouseemtoenjoyseeingitsomuch,"hesaidbetween kisses.

"I do," Ty allowed,dragging hislipsoverZane'sbefore kissing him one last time and standing.

AlongsighprecededZane's words."So,ifCorbinandDelare doing allthis stuff, it'sagoodbetthe others aredoing someofit. And according totheship'smap, allthe stateroomsatthis levelare righton theendofthisdeck.There's nottoomanyofthem,thoughIdon't know what it matters. This entire ship is high-class."

"Sixof them,in fact," Ty said ashe satdown heavily. "Plusa few familysuitesandonebig-assRoyalSuite,allofwhicharecrowded hereatthesternonDeckEight.It's adamngoodbetourquarryis across the hall or next door."

Zaneglancedtoward thebedroomarea witha frown. "I wonder how well soundproofed these walls are," he muttered.

"I haven'theardany idleconversationthroughthemsincewe've beenhere," Ty offered.Andhehadindeedbeenlistening,paying attentionforthatveryreason.Hesmiledslowly."Itwouldn't hurtto givethemapassionatescreamortwoatnight,though.Tosellour cover, of course," he said with false sincerity.

"Hopeyou brought cough drops, then, 'causeyou're gonna be hoarse," Zane drawled.

Ty's smile warmed,andhe winked at Zane cheekily. His little experiment last night had obviously gone over very well with the guineapig. Ty hadlikeditaswell,thoughithaddefinitely beenastep outofhiscomfortzone."Don't knowifIcouldhandlethatevery night," headmitted with unusual candor.Hewas stillsore from what Zanehaddonetohim,butmostly inpleasantways. Ty didn'tbottom often, forreasons hehad neveractually contemplated.Heenjoyedit quite a bit.

"Idon'tthinkitwillmatterwhichofusisyelling,"Zanesaidas he shifted in his chair.

Ty cockedhisheadplayfully."Statementslikethatmakeme wonder ifyou've been doing it right," he teased.

Zane groanedand let hishead fallback sohe was looking atthe ceiling."Don't tempt me with that challenge. We have work to do."

"Okay," Ty murmured,holdingupbothhandsapologetically.He pulled his folder back toward himand flipped the page over, trying to concentrateagain."What the hell istheQueenof the Mediterranean doing cruising the Caribbean, anyway?"

"Billy Ocean owns the rights to the other name."

"Why wouldthey name theshipBilly?"Ty askedwithasidelong look at Zane.

Zane ignored him, though the corner of his mouth curled up slightly."Arethereanyoftheseactivitiesthatweseriouslydon'tneed tobedoing,regardlessoftheschedule?Ireallydon'tthinkcliffdiving is a good idea," he said, the reluctance clear in hisvoice.

"Why?"Ty askedashelookedupatZanecuriously.Helooked uncomfortable.Itwasanoddlookonamanwho'dgonethroughthe things Ty knew Zane had gone through. "What?" Ty insisted after another silent moment.

"It's scary, okay?" Zane muttered. "Unnerving.I hate free fall."

Tyfoughthardnottosmileorletanyamusementshowinhis eyes,althoughheknewhecouldrarely hideemotionsfromZane anymore. He nodded andreached out to pet Zane's knee. "Me too," he said simply.

Zane letout a slow breathand nodded before returning his attentiontothepapers."Anyway,"hestarted,buthedidn't sayany more than that.

"Ithelpsifsomeoneshovesyouovertheedge," Ty toldhim seriously, thinking Zane's fear of falling might go beyond simply falling offa cliff.It was the lossof control.It wasjustone more reason Ty knew that falling in love with his partner was a solo endeavor.

"I'llpass,thanks," Zaneansweredimmediately."I canhandle this kindofstuffaslongasI'mattachedtoaline.Butdivingoffacliffis just like losing my grip on a knotted rope."

The knotted climbing rope at the FBI Academy represented Zane's physicalwashout his first time through.He'dgraduated the secondtime,butTyknewhestillthoughtoftheacademyanditsrope ashell."There'salwaysrockclimbing," Ty offered,buthe couldn'tput much effort behindit. The conversation had struck a tender nerve,and he'd lost the relatively good mood he'd been in. He perused his itinerary silently, not really seeing it anymore.

"I washoping fora breakfromdangeroussituations," Zane explained after a quiet moment. "We're ona goddamn cruise ship,you know? What could happen?Who would goon a nice,relaxing cruise to take a fucking zip-line ride through the jungle treetops?"

Ty hummedthoughtfully,focusingonthequestion."I'dbereally interested to see theotherguys' itineraries, see which outings match up with all three," he said suddenly."What if these adventures havea purpose?Like,they'regoingscubadiving,butthey'rereally collecting some antiquity off the ocean floor they mean to sell?"

"There's a shopping extravaganza planned on Tortola, British VirginIslands," Zane said. "Maybe a meeting off-ship to make a sale?"

"Orabuy,"Tysaidwithanod.Hestoodwithhisfolderand beganmovingtowardthebalcony again,unconsciously drawntothe fresh airand light despite the frigid temperatureoutside. He reached over one shoulderandbeganrubbing the sore muscleatthe base of his neck, his frown growing,his mood gone sour as he grew restless. This waswhyhetriedtoavoidanytopicsthatevokedthethoughtofbeing in love.It alwaysendedwith the depressing knowledge that it was very much a free fall. A solo one.

"How aboutwe take a break andgo walkaround while it's still light out?" Zane suggested from behind him.

"Sounds good to me," Ty muttered. He threw the folder onto the small sofa in the sitting area.

"Well, let's go, then, doll," Zane drew out in Corbin's voice.

Tywincedandmadeaderogatorysoundasheturnedandlooked atZane."Holdon,I havetoputon my British,"hesaidwithalong-suffering sigh.

Zane's smile reappeared."I'll wait."

Ty snorted.He'dbeenstrugglingwiththepersonaofDelPorter, flitting in and out of it when he attemptedto sink himself into it, worryingabouttheaccentandhisabilitytomaintainitwhenaround other passengers. He slid his feetinto acomfortable pair ofloafers and wavedZanetowardthedoor."I'llget it," hetold Zanewith false confidence.

Zane appeared at his side rather than walking away, and he reached to curlhis fingers around each of Ty'swrists, capturing them firmlyandslowlypullingthemdownand aroundTy's backashe leaned in close.

Ty raised one eyebrow,flexing hisfingersagainstZane'sgrasp. Hedidn'ttry togetloosethough,andhedidn'tfeeltheedgeofpanic threatening thathe once wouldhave,if hishands hadbeenrestrained. The handcuffs he knew he couldn't handle.

But he trustedZane.

"Maybeyou should change into something nice,"Zane suggested smoothly. "Give me something gorgeous to look at while we walk around." He kissed the soft skin under Ty's chin.

Ty liftedhischinforthekiss,then lookedbackdownhisnoseat Zane carefully,trying to decide if he was helping himbecome Delor making fun of him. Then Ty's expression warmed, and he smiled wryly. Therewasa partof himthat was almostenjoying the idea of the rolesthey weresupposedtoplay,eventhoughhe'dspentmostofthe morning griping.It wascertainly a far cry from who he really was.

"What would you like to see, darling?" heasked,the British accent back in full force.

A gentle tug on Ty's arms had him arching back enough thatZane could nip at his throat."Something that willgetyou noticed," Zane murmured beforehe bit down and then lickedover the abused skin. "You know how muchI like that."

Ty laughedevenashetriednottolosehisbalanceandtakethem both down. "You hate that," he corrected wryly.

Pursinghislips,Zanemadeanoiseofagreement."Isuppose what I reallylike is seeing people covet you and knowing you're mine."HenippedatTy'searlobebeforehereleasedTy'swrists."Go on, then."

Tysnorted,smilingalmostsadlyashemetZane'seyes.Hesort of wished Zane meantit, rather than saying itaspart of the characterhe was supposed tobe playing.Butwishing would get himnothing but heartbroken, and they had a case to concentrate on.

"We can do this," he assured them both in a low voice.

Theitineraries told them which classy restaurant they were expectedat forwhichmeals,sopickingaplaceforlunch thenextdaywas a decisiontheydidn't havetomake.Zanemadeaquickstudyofthe finely appointeddining room—alsodecoratedingreensandgoldsfor theholidays—asthehostessledthemtoatableseatingfourother diners.Thatwouldleavetwoempty seatsbesidesthem,andthey'dbe able to socialize with relative ease.Zane pulled out a chairand nodded forTytositdown.HislipstwitchedashewatchedTyandwaitedfor theshowtostart.Zanedidn'tintendtostay quiet,buthedefinitely imagined "Del" as the bigger talker of the two.

Ty glancedathimandgavehimawickedgrin,silently saying watch this as he sat down in the seatZane hadpicked for him.Zane wouldn'tconsider Ty anattentionwhore,buthedefinitely didn'tmind havingthespotlighteither.Inanotherlife,heprobablywouldhave made a great actor.

Ty greetedtheotherdinershappily,smilingwidely atthemand receivingthe same sort ofwarmresponseTyalways gotwhenhe turned on the charm. This was a whole new levelof charisma, though, uninhibitedandunfetteredby Ty'susualtough-guy image.Zanedidn't try to hold in theamusement or the smile—no reason to. He sat down, a bitbackfromthetablesohecouldproponearmontheedgeand casually crosshislong legs,andrubbedhishandstogetherabit.They weredry fromthe bitofubiquitoushand sanitizer he'dgottenfroma dispenser when they got out of the elevator.

Tymade a production of introducing them to the rest of the peopleatthetable,receivingthenamesoftheirfellowdinersinreturn. Itwas,afterall,partoftheirjobtoidentifytheshortlistofnames they'd beengiven. Two names, to be precise: Vartan Armen and Lorenzo Bianchi, the other two majorplayers of the smuggling ring besidesCorbinPorter.Zanecertainlydidn't expecttogothroughthe listofafewthousandpassengersone by one,butthey hadtostart somewhere. Lunch was as good a place as any.

"Andhowiseveryonethisafternoon?"Ty asked themgrandly as he reached over and took Zane's hand in hisbeneath the table. They weren'tbeing overly obviouswithpublicdisplays,simply because Ty hadclaimed itlackedclasstobe all over eachother allthe time. Sofar they hadmanagedtoexudemerely asubtleclosenessthatwasalltoo familiar, the samekindthey sharedwheninprivate.IfZane's eyes happened to linger a little longer while watching his "husband"... well, who would blame him? Even with the garish blond hair, Ty was striking.

Ty continuedtochat idly withtheothers,askingabouttheir favorite thingstodoonboard, including the Christmas parties throughoutthecruise,andplacestovisitwhentheymadeport.Zane tried not to smile too much.Itreally wasfunny,ifnot somewhat shocking, listening to "Del" chatter. Ty was not what one would classifyasachatterbox.Onthecontraryhewas—andZaneshould haveknownbetter thantobesurprised—avery competent conversationalist.

Zaneturnedhisattentiontotheroomatlarge,actingcontentto takeinthescenery ashestudiedtheirsurroundings:emergency exits, windows,safetymeasures,hiddencameras,othervacationers,loads and loads of decorations. He listened with halfanear until a waiter of Hispanicextraction,dressedneatly inthekhaki-coloredpants,white button-downOxford,andnavy bluesweaterthatwasthecrewuniform, approachedandstartedtakingdrinkordersafterhandingoutasingle sheet luncheon menu.

Afterhearingavarietyofrequestsrattledoffby theother passengers,thewaiterstoppedandlookedat Tyexpectantly. Ty looked up at him and hesitated, obviously having forgotten to peruse the menu.

"Anythingyou like, doll," Zane spoke up smoothly,his low voice carrying.

Tyglancedtohimandbackatthewaiter,quicklyorderinga three-course mealfromthe menu that includeda beverage meant to complementthemeal.Zanewasn'tsureifTyhadactuallylookedatit or just pointed.

Zane skimmed the choices, picked a simpleentrée and salad,and askedspecifically forEvianratherthanacocktail.Thewaiternodded, completed the other orders, and left. The conversation still went on aroundthem, Ty speaking intheaccenthe'dalmostperfected.Zane wasn't hearingasmanyslipsnowaswhenthey'd leftthecabin.Ty even had thecolloquialismsdown whenhe used them. Hemight not have fooled a native, buthe could have fooled Zane.

WhenTylethisfingersslideoverZane's palmashesmiledat oneoftheirtablemates,Zanepredictedthat by thetimethislunchwas over, Ty's face wasgoing to hurt from smiling so much.

A member of the wait staff appeared with their beverages, placing a frozen,pale pinkdrink in frontof Ty before moving on. Ty blinkedat it, hisnearly flawlessfa?ade wavering justslightly,butthen he smiled and thanked the waiter ashe reachedfor the peachBellini.

Zane leanedtowardhimand practically purred,"Enjoy it, doll, we're here to celebrate,right?" He laid hishand on Ty's forearm and squeezedgently.He figured they were doing pretty well assuming these identities,evenifthey weremakingitupleftandright.They were playingoffeachotherwell.Likearealmarriedcouple.Something about that made Zane feel better than he thought he should.

Tysqueezedhishandunderthetable,asifheknewwhatZane hadbeenthinking.Afewmomentslater,Tyleanedtowardhimand said, "These pink thingsare actually pretty good."

Zanelaughedquietly,andTy leanedawayagain.Fromthenon, Zane relaxed and smiledas he talkedwith thegentleman nearby about recent politics, assuming what he thought of as Corbin's cocksure drawl.WhenheshiftedhisgazetolooktowardTy someminuteslater, Zanefound himselfwondering where this charming talker had come from and how he'd be able to keep him after the case. And that surprised him enough that he didn't hear the waiter speak to him.

Zaneblinkedandrealizedhe'dbeenstaringwhenTy nudgedhis knee expectantly under the table to prompt him. Then one of the womenatthetabletitteredbehindherhand,andinstincttookover. Zanereached outto brush his knuckles lightly across Ty'scheekas he smiledwarmly andthenturnedhisattentiontothewaiter,whowas confirminghisorderbeforesettingdownhisplate. Ty shivered involuntarily and shook his head, leaning away from Zane as the woman next to him asked him a question.

Zane could hear the twoother couples at the tablemurmuring, but he didn't acknowledge it. He hadgotten caught,after all.It seemed to him from his quick study that Corbin wouldn'tcare about what other people thought.Only Del—Ty—mattered,andhishand stayedin Zane's, his thumb rubbing Zane's fingers gently, sliding over the smooth metal of his fake wedding ring.It was oddly soothing.

ItwaseasytowatchTy'smasterfulperformancefortherestof lunch, and Zane let himself enjoy it.