Chapter Eight

WhenZane woke,itwassudden.Hiseyessnappedopen ashe inhaled sharply,and he jerked upright to look around, heart already pounding.

"Morning," Ty greeteddryly fromwherehesatonthecouch.He woreathinpairofpajamabottomsandfuzzypairofslippersandhad hisheelsproppedonthetableinfrontofhim.Hewasflippingthrough a book of Sudoku puzzles.

Zane blinkedat him several times, trying to process through the adrenaline.He couldn'tremember if he'd beendreaming or whathad woken him.Ithad been a long time, weeks, since he'd awoken so abruptly.Hewassittingupinthebed,nudeunderthetangledsheet, and his chest and throathurt. He needed a drinkof water, because he was parched.

Then Zane rememberedwhy.

Hedrewinaslowbreathandlayrightbackdownsohecould stare at the ceiling.

"Waterandibuprofenonthetablethere," Ty offeredashesipped something out ofa delicate chinacup. The butler servicehad obviously already been there to deliver breakfast.

Zanetriedtoswallowandcouldn't,soherolledtohissideand reachedoutahandthatwasembarrassingly shaky topickuptheglass. In short order the ibuprofen was down, the glass was empty,and he was again looking at theceiling. "Thankyou."Hisvoice came out very raspy, even after the water.

Ty merely hummedinresponse,hisattentionbackontheSudoku bookinhishand.Hewasbeingsurprisingly cordialthismorning.Zane really hopeditwasn'ttocoverseriousanger. Tycouldstillbefurious, even after working off some of it during the debacle in the pool.Zane raised both arms and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. Not so much because his head hurt—he'd never really suffered classic hangover symptoms—but because remembering how upset Ty had been hurt more than any dunking.

Ty didn'tspeakagain.The only soundshe madewere the clinkof the china ashe set itaside and the shuffling of the pagesas he turned them.

Well,drawing outtheinevitable wouldonly give themboth heartburn. "How much trouble amI in?" Zane asked hoarsely.

"I'mnotyourkeeper,Garrett," Ty respondedevenly."Noone died."

Zanesighed.Heknewnoonehaddied.Heknewexactlywhat had happened last night. He justdidn't have perspective,becausewhen he drank, hefocused inon whateverhethoughthis goal was to the exclusion of everything else. Last night, Ty had been part of "everythingelse."Thatwastheproblem:Tywasn't hiskeeper—Ty was his conscience.

Zane sat upand scooted backto leanagainst the headboard. "Lorenzo Bianchi brought Corbin Porter a present," he rasped."A sign of goodwill and respect between friends, he said."

ThehardnessinTy'seyesdidn'tfitwiththefluffy bedroom slippers.Itwasalmostcomical."I supposetheword‘moderation'isn't in an alcoholic's vocabulary, hmm?" he asked easily.If he was still angry, he was hiding it well.

Despitethelackofoutwardsignsofanger,every commentcut deep. Zane felt hollow ashe met Ty's eyes. "I didn't think my tolerance wouldhave droppedsomuch," he saidsoftly."I thoughtI couldhandle it."

Ty continuedtolookathim,hisfaceexpressionless.Thelackof emotionwaswhollyunlikeTy;usuallyhecouldn'tbetrustedtohold histemper andhis eyeswereeasy to read.The lackof outward emotion simply meanthewastryingveryhardtohidewhateverhewasfeeling. Finally, he set the book aside and pulled his feet off the table."At least you know that for the next time," he observed.

Zane wrapped his arms around himself, knowing he wouldn't get any sympathy orcomfort.Ty hadnevergivenhimany reasontothink hesufferedaddictionslikeZanedid,anddespitemakinganeffortnot todrinkaroundhispartner,Ty'sreactionssuggestednosmallamount of disdain for Zane's substance-abuse problems—ever since his first snarky commenteonsagowhenthey'dfirst met:"What,you'rea recovering alcoholic?"

Ty certainly didn'twanttohearZaneboo-hooaboutit.Zane wished,though,sometimes,thatTywouldatleastacknowledgehow goddamnharditwasforZanetosaynotosomuchevery singledayof his life.

Ty wasstillwatchinghim."Youdorealizeyou'llprobably be expected to drink again, right?" he asked softly.

ThethoughthurtZane sobadly insidethatithadtoshowonthe outsidesomehow.Hecouldstilltastetheliquor,andhisthroatand belly burnedforit.Henoddedjerkily.Itwouldmakeeverythingeasier tohandle,clearertosee,smoothertoswallow.Itwouldcoolhimoff andsoothehisnerves.Andwithevery siphe'ddamnhimselffurther. Zane knew thatwhen that bottle was back in frontof him, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

"You'rejustgoingtoacceptthat?"Tyaskedhiminfrustration. Hestoodupquickly,oneofthefuzzyslippersinhishand.Heheldit up,wavedit,thentosseditangrilyatthewall."Why thehellamI the only one that cares aboutthat?" he shouted as he came closer.

"I care about it. There's just nothingI can doabout it,"Zane answered.

"Bullshit!"Tysnapped,jerkinghisheadasifhe'd justbittena piece out of something.

"Willyou listen to me for once! Just once!" Zane yelledangrily.

Ty stopped abruptly, staring at him for a moment before he breathedinquicklyandnodded.Helooked down andshookhisfoot, kickingofftheotherfuzzy slipperwithamutteredcurse.Helooked back up atZane and nodded again. "I'm listening," he said, sounding sincere and serious.

Zane tooka couple moments to pull himself together, becausehe figuredhewouldn'tgetanotherchancetotry toexplainthis. Whenhe spoke,itwasasrawandhonestashecouldmakeit."Youwantmeto be ableto drinkand handle it better.To be able to resist what it doesto meandpushitaway whenitgetstobetoomuch.Butthetruthisthat justone taste is too much. There is no handlingit, no matter how much youcare."Hestoppedforamoment,staringatTy andwillinghimto comprehend. "You have to believe me. Even ifyou don't understand," he begged.

Ty lookedathimsilently,his eyesdartingsidetosideashe studiedZane'sface.Hedidn'treally looklike Ty,notwiththe airbrushed sheen.Butthey couldn'tchange hiseyes.He tookanother step toward the bed andkneltbeside it, taking Zane's hand in his and looking upathim."I don'tunderstandwhatittakes,"headmitted, looking upatZaneearnestly."I don'tunderstandwhatitdoes toyou. ButI doknowthatyouarethemostincredibly stubbornhumanbeing I've ever met," he wenton with a hint of frustration. "You're stronger than last night."

Zane'sbreathcaught.He'dhadnoideathatwashowTythought ofhim.Itmadehimfeeltenfeettall... andatthesametimecutdown to size. The unvarnishedreality was that he was,and alwayswould be, analcoholicanddrugabuserwhohungonby hisfingertipsevery day tryingtostaysoberanddohisjob.HesqueezedTy'shand."IwishI waswhatyoubelieve,"hewhispered."IwishIwaswhatyouneedme to be."

Ty lookeddownathishandandsighedheavily.Heseemedtobe struggling withwhatto say or do,and seeing Ty indecisive wasanother novelexperience,thoughnotanentirely enjoyableone.Finally, Ty swallowed hard andlooked back up."Zane," he said hoarsely.Then he stoppedandlookeddownagainquickly beforemeetingZane's eyes again with determination. "You're everything I needyou to be," he whispered.

ThequietwordsstunnedZane.Howcould Ty saythatafter last night?Orrather,howcouldTysaysuchathingatall?Aslightshrug of helplessness wasall Zane could manage.

"I know it's hard," Ty murmured. "But you can't leave me hanging likeI waslastnight," he saidina hardervoice.Hewasstillon hisknees,holdingZane'shandbetweenhis."I hadagunin my mouth, and you were playing a drunk Corbin Porter at thetables."

Zane flinchedbutmetTy's eyesevenly."I know," he whispered. "Iwouldneverhaveforgivenmyselfifsomethinghadhappenedto you."

Ty actually smiledslightly."Well,atleastweagreeonthat,"he said wryly."Look,I... I gather that most ofyour undercover workwas spent drunk, amI right?"

"A big chunkof it,yeah," Zane admitted,hisdrawn-outwords advertising hisreluctance.He didn'tlike giving anyoneammotoshoot him with, even Ty."It wasn't exactly unusual,considering the locale."

Ty nodded.Zanehad toldhimaboutbeingaUCintheseedy underbelly ofMiami.Butthisundercoverassignmentcouldn'tbemore different.Itwas like comparing a burnt hamburgerto a Kobe filet.

Ty wenton,hisvoicemirroringthereluctanceZanewasfeeling. "AndI'mguessingwithyourtolerance,itwasneverreallyanissue." He heldhisbreath,looking up atZaneas if measuring how much more he wanted to say.Itwasobvioushe was having second thoughtsabout whatever he'd beengetting at.

"Yeah, that's right," Zane answered, willing Ty to keep talking.

"Ifyoutellanyonethis,I swearI'llkillyou,"Ty threatened suddenly, pointing hisfinger atZane warningly.

Despite his surprise, Zane immediately shook hishead.

Ty clearedhisthroatandwavedhishand."WhenI'mworking undercover,Ican't takeany kindsofmedsordrugs,mostly becauseI riskreacting badly tothem.Youknowaboutthat.ButI can'tdrink, either,thoughnotforthesamereasonsyoushouldn't.SoI hadtolearn waystofakeit.Icanshowyouhowtogetaroundit,ifyouwantme to."

Zane frowneda little while trying to followTy'sexplanation.It didn'tmake a lotof sense, buthe'd figure itoutlater. Ty wasextending a hell of apeaceoffering,and thatwaswhatwas important rightnow. "Yeah,I wantyou to."

Tynoddedinapparentrelief,andhepattedZane's knee."I'll show you today, in case we hit it at dinner. Okay?Now help me up."

Zane nodded and leanedover to kisshimgently before Ty could gettoofaraway."Sincewe'rebeing sobrutally honest,I havetosay this is a hell of a lot more difficult than it being just the job."

"Whatdoyoumean?"Tyaskedwithafrownandashakeofhis head.

"I careaboutthe job.I do.ButI care justasmuch—if notmore—about whatyou think of me."

Tyopenedhismouthasifheweregoingtorespond,thenclosed it again and pressed his lips into a tightline. "We'll deal with impressionslater,"hesaid,anditwaspainfully obviousthatitwasn't whathe'dintendedtosay. "I justwanttolive throughthisfucking case andgethomeandshavemyhead,"hetoldZanewithasinceritythat was almost amusing.

ZaneranhishandthroughTy's hairandwrinkledhisnose."I agree." Then he rubbed his hand fast and hard over Ty's head playfully.

Ty smackedathiswristandgruntedashepushedhimselftohis feet. "Quit it.It's worse than dragging your socks on the carpet," he mumbled as he stepped away.

Zanechuckledandleanedback,justenoughofthehugeweight off hischestto lethimbreathe again.There wasstillso, so much that couldgo wrong.ButTy hadlistened.And...Zanewatchedashis partner—hislover—movedaroundtheroom.AndTyhadgivenhim yetanotherchance.Afterthedanger,theanger,andthehurt,Tyhad dragged him out to that pool to sober him up instead of just kicking him out or dismissing him asa lostcause. He had made theeffort to help Zane, even if it had seemed like punishment and revenge at the time.

Ty mutteredtohimselfashewalkedaway.Hewasfiddlingwith theringonhishand,unconsciouslytryingtogetitoff.Zanewatched thepullofmuscleacrosshisshoulders,admiringtheway heheld himself upright and proud, even here when it wasjust the two of them. EvenasZanewatchedhim, Ty pushedatthebandofhispajama bottoms,kickingoutofthemsohecouldchange."Ideserveanother medal for dealing withyou," hetoldZanegrudgingly as he tossed the pants away, unaware of Zane's intense scrutiny.

Zanesighedandsilently acknowledgedthat Ty wasright. Clambering out of the bed, Zane ducked into the bathroom and emerged five minutes later cleaned up and in a pair of loose silk sleeping pants. "Any idea what's next?" he asked.

Ty hadchangedintoapairofstylishly distressed jeanswithholes atthekneesoftheworn,softdenim.Hehadn'tbotheredtoputona shirt.WithnothingbutDelPorter'swardrobeathisdisposal,Tyhad taken to wearing as little as possible. Zane hadto admithe selfishly enjoyedit.Ty wavedtheSudokubookhe'dbeenlookingatearlier. "I found some disturbing things last night," he told Zane. "We have a whole shitload of problems. Del Porter?Ain't as stupid as he looks."

"I didn'ttalktohim,butitdidn'tseemlikethatwouldtake too much," Zane commentedas he stopped next to him.

"Thesepuzzlebooksarefullofcodes,"Tytoldhim."Ihaven't cracked themyet.I found an iPodfull ofrecordingsI'mpretty surehe tookby usingthese,"hewenton,pointingtoapairofcufflinksand brokenreadingglasses."I'mnotsurewhy orforwho,buttheItalian authoritieshaveastakeinthistoo.AllIknowforsureistheFBIhas puttheirbootupsomebodyelse's assonthisone,andwe're fucked, because no matter how muchI want to,I still don't speak Italian."

ZanestaredatTyashetookitallin.ThiswaswhatTyhadtried to tell him last night.Zane rubbedone hand over his face."We're stuck in someone else's sting," he muttered. "Shit. This assignment has been totally fucked up from the beginning."

"Exactly," Ty muttered.Hetossedthebooksdownandthrew himselfontothesofagracelessly.Thetiredbenttohisshoulderswas more obvious, and it seemed like maybe he'd been up a lot longer than Zane had suspected.It was possible he'd nevergone to sleep.

"So now what?" Zane asked. "You look likeyouneed a nap, butI think we might want to find our team, have them look into the manifest for passports originating from Italy, and call back home to see if McCoy hasany clue about this fun little twist."

"I havesearchedfortheteam," Ty saidwithalow,precisegrowl. "They're apparentlyOlympic-levelstealthy,because Icouldn't find any trace of any of them."

Zane frowned. "Something's not right about that. They're supposed to be close enough for us to callfor backup. Calling outtheir names over the bullhorn isn't exactly subtle."

"If they were anywhere near us, they'd have calledout the cavalry last night when Dolce and Gabbana were feeding me a gun barrel," Ty muttered as he examined his fingernails critically.

"Did they really do that?" Zane asked carefully.

Tylookedupathimasifhehadn'texpectedhimtohaveheard and then wavedhimoffwith his typicaleasy attitude.It was frustrating attimes,knowing howmuch trauma Ty couldhide behinda smileora joke. "Dolce andGabbana took the iPod full ofrecordings," he told Zane,asif he were somehowuptospeed."ButthismorningI figured outDelwastakingnoteswiththese,"headdedashepointedatthe arrayofSudokuandcrosswordpuzzlebooks."Iunderstoodsomeof whatthey saidtomelastnightbeforethey startedwiththeEnglish,"he toldZane."Pretty sure one ofthemcalledmeaqueer,"headdedwitha wry smile.

"Howperceptiveofthem,Del,"Zanesaiddrollyashereached for one of the books. "What about the Sudoku?"

"Whatevermethodhewasusing,I don'tfollow," Ty admittedas heshowedthepagesto Zane."Ican't evendecideifIthinkhe's brilliant for having a coded backupor stupid forwriting shit down," he muttered.Hewassilentforamoment."They saiditwithmalice,"he finally added, obviously unable to let go of it.

Zane looked up from the squaresfull of letters to study his partner intently. "I toldyouyou're a damngood actor."

Ty returnedhislookseriously,hisgaze unwavering."I'mnot really acting muchanymore,Zane."

Zane swallowed onthenervous flutter that stirred to life in his chest. He sensed there was moreto this than justthe words."Andyou don'tlikeit,"hesaidneutrally,notwantingtoinfluence Ty oneway or the other.

Ty held his eyes, appearing to hold his breath too as he consideredhisanswer."Idon'tlikethewaysomepeoplelookatme," he admitted with difficulty. "But fuck them," headded with certainty. "I'm the oneI look at in the mirror at night."

Zane huffedquietly andmoved to standbehindTy,slidinghis armsaroundhiswaisttogatherhimclose,hoping desperately that Ty didn'tpushhimaway."I don'tliketheway somepeoplelookatyou either," he murmured against the side of Ty's neck.

Ty turnedhishead,hischeekpressingagainstZane'snose."I don't think we're talking about the same people," he saidwryly. His voicegrewmoreserious."Theoneswholookatuslikeweoffend them. Those are the onesI'd like to deck."

"I understand,"Zanesaid.Theusinthatsoundedpretty damn good,andthoughZanecouldsmellapossiblediscussionthere,he'd had enough of serious life topics for the month, much less theday. "Ignorethem.They don'tknowwhatthey'remissingouton."

Ty burst outlaughing,thenclappedhishandoverhismouthtostophimself.

Zane chuckledand nipped at Ty's neck before hesaid, "So they passon ogling the best-looking ass on the ship. My gain."

Ty snorted,thoughitwasobvioushewastryingnottosmile.His hand came torest onZane'sforearm, and he leanedhis head back against Zane's shoulder."Now I thinkyou're just trying to get laid."

"Idowatchyou,youknow,"Zanemurmured,slidingonehand up and down on Ty's chest and belly. "Did long before this case."

Ty jerkedhisheadtothesideandturnedinplace,givingZane's chest a half-hearted shove. "You're not getting out of trouble this easily. We have work to do."

Zane started to smile and tightened hisarms."One kiss," he bargained. He wanted to keep Ty's mind off whatothers thought of him and on whatZane thought of him.

Ty shookhishead,buthisarmstightenedaroundZane'swaistas Zanepulledhimcloser,and Ty wassmiling."Makeitagoodone,"he challenged playfully.

Oh, Zane was more than up for the challenge. Heraised one hand to gripthe back of Ty'sskull and claimedhismouth in a torridrush, literally plundering Tyinabruisingkiss.Itwentonandonashe expressed the possessiveness and desperation he felt, but then he slowed, appreciating Ty's kisslike he hadn'tina long time, andhe smoothed and gentled the movement of his lips as he cajoled Ty's tongueintoplay.Everytouchhegotbackturnedhimonmore,but since he wasgetting only one kiss, he wanted tomake the mostof it. Zanedidn'tletgoashedrewitout,tracingTy'slipswithhistongue andtenderly lappingatTy'sswollenbottomlipbeforefinally surrendering it and pulling back.

Whenhedid,TygroanedsoftlyandtookZane's faceinboth hands to keep him frommoving away.

"Damnyou,"hemutteredindefeat,pullingZaneclosertokiss him again.

Ty satononeofthemanyloungechairssetupalongthewidedeck, looking out over thechoppy water.Heheldhissunglassesin hishand, theroilingcloudsoverheadmakingittoodarktoneedthem.He'd pulled both feetup into the seatand was resting one elbow on hisknee, his eyes on the water but his mind elsewhere.

Heprobably wouldhavelookedlikeamodelwaitingforhis picturetobetakenifithadn't beenforthegarishredSantahathewas wearing.Heactuallyfeltlessself-consciouswithitonbecauseithid the platinum blond hair.

Zane had gone off to yet another poker game after an early dinner.Hehadseriouslybalkedattheideaatfirst,fearinganother bottle of Scotch,but when Bianchi had called,there had been hintsthat businessmightbeconductedatthisone.Ty hadwantedtoaccompany him,butagain,itwastoorisky.Plus,ZaneneededtoknowTy trusted him.Ty wasn'tactuallysurethathedid—atleastwhenitcametothe drinking—but now was as good a time asany to find out.

So with Zane gone, he'dcome out here to clear his mind and hide from Norina Bianchi,who seemeddetermined to force him tohave another massage. He'd been outhere for abouthalf an hour, staring off into nowhere andenjoying simply being there for once.

Everyoneelse hadcleared off thedeck soonafter his arrival, scrambling inside with their arms full of beachtowelsand books, expecting thequickly approaching darkcloudstobring rainwiththem. Tyknewbetter,though.He'dseenenoughonthewatertoknowwhen astormwascoming.Astormwasdefinitely coming,butitwasn't coming with these clouds.

Hesatmotionless,enjoyingtheuttersilenceoftheapproaching front and the cool breeze on his salty skin. The ominous clouds reflected off the water, turning the surface silver. It was an otherworldly seascape,onethattookTy toplaceshehadn'tvisitedin some time. He was so lostin thoughtthathe didn'thear anyone approaching.

"Doyou notsupposeyou should get inside?" a voice asked from behind him.

Ty'sexpression didn't change even thoughthe sudden appearance ofthemanhadstartledhim.Hemerely tiltedhisheadfromonesideto the other, watching Vartan Armen move in his peripheral vision.

"It's notgoingtorain,"Tyansweredslowly,theBritishaccent coming outsatisfactorily.He stillneededtoworkonit.And he needed toknowwhy inthefuckArmenwasoutherewhenhewassupposedto be playing poker inside.

Armen remained silent,and he sat in thechair next to Ty, seemingly contenttowatchtheoceanrolljustasTy was.Theclouds passing overheadwere moving fast,the reflectedlightturning the water adeepsea-greennow.WhenArmendidfinallyspeak,hisvoicewas low and serious. "You've taken to your role quite astonishingly well."

Ty felthisbodygocold,butagainhedidn'treactoutwardly, continuing to stareat thegreenwater withoutcomment.If Armen had foundthemoutasfrauds,thiswasasurprisingly civilway of announcing it.

"I hiredyoutospy ontheman,notfallinlovewithhim,"Armen said calmly, though his clipped tones betrayed hisannoyance.

Ty turnedhisheadtolookathim,forcinghimselftoskillfully conceal his shock with a blank expression. Armen met his eyesand raisedone eyebrowasifexpecting Ty tosaysomething. Ty staredat himwithoutany intentionofspeaking.Anythinghesaidrightnow would give him away asan imposter.

"Well?" Armenasked expectantly. "Areyou merely more capable thanIeversupposed,orwillittruly beaproblemifyou'reforcedto harm him?"

"Itwon't be a problem," Ty answered immediately.

"Good," Armen said with a pleased sneer that made Ty feel greasy ashelookedatit.Armenlookedhimover critically."Whenyou toldmeyou'dhave tochangeyour appearanceI admitI wasn't expecting this," he saidwith a gesture at Ty'sface. "I quite approve."

Ty merely nodded,hismindracingashelookedbackatthewater again.Hefounditwasslightly moredifficulttocatchhisbreaththanit had been five minutes ago.

"I have theflashdriveyouleftfor me atthe hotel.I assumeyou receivedyourpaymentpromptly?Good.I want theother drivebefore the cruise is over. The money will be wired toyour accountas before."

Ty swallowedhardanddecidedtotakeachanceondiggingfora little more information. "And the Italians?"

"Theyarenoneofyourconcern,"Armensaidsharply."Yourjob is Corbin Porter.Let those blasted,feeble Guardia agents handle the Bianchis."

Ty nodded obediently, his jaw clenching.

"Ifhecatcheswindofyourplotting,Iassumeyouwilltakecare of things," Armen ordered abruptly as he stood. "Good day, Mr. Porter."

Andthenhewasgone,strollingoffdownthelengthofthedeck as the wind kicked up and plucked at his tie.

Ty lickedhislips,tastingsaltasheruminatedoverthisnew development.Hewaitedcalmly untilArmenwasoutofsight,andthen he pushed out of his chair and sprinted for the doors.

Zanehadjust tosseda couple $1,000chips into the pot tocalland leaned backin his chairwhen he saw a familiar faceappear at thedoor to the private lounge where the serious poker players congregated.A glance at his watch confirmed that he'd not evenbeen at the table for thirty minutes,andZanewasstartingtowonderifhe'dbeableto leave Ty alone at all without something disastrous happening.

Ty hesitatedatthedoor,lookingaroundtheroomasifsearching for someoneelse before he tooka single stepinto the room.Zane frownedslightlybutkepthiseyeon Ty whilealsowatchingthecards dealtoutinthehandoffivecardstudonthe table. Ty didn'tmove closer,though.Hemerely stayedattheentranceandwatched.After thirty secondsdraggedby,Zanethrewinhiscards,pickeduphishalf-empty glass,andexcused himself, nodding to thedealerwho saidhe'd hold back Zane's chips for the time being. Within another few breaths, Zane joined Ty at the door just as another couple passed by.

"Miss me, doll?" Zane asked casually, staying in character.

"I definitely missed something," Ty murmured as his eyes searched the room again furtively. "We need to get to a computer. Now."

Zane raised one brow and slid his arm around Ty's waist, turning themouttothegameroom."By allmeans,leadtheway."Thenhe lowered his voice."And who are we looking for?"

"Armen," Ty hissedinanswer."Ifheseesmeherewithyouright now, we're both in deep shit."

"I've not seen him tonight," Zane saidas he dropped his arm and movedtoputhimselfbetweenTyandthebulkofthegameroomas they walked, just in case.

"Ihave," Ty saidgrimly.HetookZane'shandandbeganpulling himthroughthecasinofaster,barely slowing whensomeonegotinhis way.

Zane pressed his lips together hard as they wound their way out of theroomandoutintothepromenade. Ty wouldn'tsoundsogrimifit didn't havetodowithadeaththreat.Delsurewasatarget.Zane quickly angled Ty offinto the nexthallway,which wasthankfully empty."Wecancutaroundthebackway tothelibraryandavoidthe public areas. What'sgoing on?"

Ty stoppedandputhisbacktothenearestwall,lookingover Zane'sshoulderfirstandthenmeetingZane'seyes."Iwassittingout on the deck watching the stormroll in," he started in a lowvoice. "Armen found me out there. The short of it is that he hired Del to get closetoCorbin,tospyonhim.HecametometomakecertainIwas stilluptothejob.WantedtomakesureIwasn't tooattachedtomy mark," he spat out.

Zane swallowed on his surprise and cleared his throat. "He hired Deltospy onCorbin—onhisownhusband?AndDelagreedtoit? Jesus."Hesethishandsonhiships."Canthiscasegetanymore fucked up?"

Ty closed his eyesin frustration."Delisamerc,Zane," he said throughgrittedteeth."He's notmarriedtoCorbinbecauseheloves him. He married himbecausehewas hired toseduce him. We haveto contact Baltimore and letthem know he's dangerous."

Zanewentabsolutely coldasfury threatened.Yes,CorbinPorter was a thief, a thug, andan asshole. But no one should be taken in and playedlikethat.Notwithmarriage.Zaneforcedhimselftotakeeven breathsandlook Ty over."You'reokay?"hechecked,justincase.For all they knew, Del turnedtricks for Vartan Armentoo.

"I'mpissed,"Tyansweredemphatically.Whetherhewasangry forthesamereasonasZanewasanyone's guess,though."AndI'm worried that if Del isable to contact Armen, our cover will be blownall to hell. Which is why we need toget to a computer."

"Let's go.IfDelturnedonCorbin,hemighthaveweaseledhis way outofcustody,"Zanesaidasheturnedtoleadtheway tothe satelliteinternetterminalsinthelibrary.Thenathoughtoccurredand he stopped still. "Is it possible Armen wasplayingyou?Trying to make you flip cover?That he already knows?"

"Anything's possibleatthispoint,"Tymutteredunhappily."I played it as straight asI could."

"I know you did," Zane said, already trying to think of contingency plans. "Come on."

They werein thelibraryinunder ten minutes,andZanesatdown atoneoftheterminalsintheback.Hequickly loggedin,paidforthe accounttime,andlaunchedananonymousbrowsersession,andwithin a couple of minuteshad gottenthroughthe umpteenlayers of encrypted andpassword-protectedservergatewaystolaunchasecuree-mailon the Bureau'sextended system.

Assoonasthee-mailwassentoff, Ty leanedoverthecomputer desk and banged his head on the table.The little white ball on the tip of his Santa hat flopped over disconsolately. "That's the most anticlimactic SOSI've ever seen sent," he muttered against the table.

Zane chuckledwryly andleanedbackinthechair. Allthey could do was wait here foran answer. "You should have broughtyour crossword puzzle book."

Ty sighedheavily andsanktohisknees,thenturnedandflopped ontotheground,effectively hiding underthedesksonoone couldsee himtherewithZane.Heproppedhiselbowsonhiskneesandlooked upatZane,ready towait,andZanereachedoverandpushedthetipof the hat off the desk.

Itdidn'tmatter thatthey were inwhatmightbealife-threatening situation. Zane's thoughts focused sharplyon just exactlywhat Ty couldbedoingwhileonhiskneesunderthatdesk,ifhe'd justscoot overbetweenZane'slegs.Ittookahellofalotofwillpowertotry to banish that thought.

They watchedeachothersilently foracoupleofminutesbefore Zanespokeup,moretodistracthimselffromtheurgetogetonhis knees too. "Want to watch a football game?"

That got Ty's attention. He perked up and leaned forward.

"How?" he asked eagerly.

Zane shrugged and turned back to the terminal.He minimized the e-mail windowafter making sure itwould alert them to anewmessage and launcheda new window. After several clicks,he was scanning throughavailablestreaming videofromtheNFLNetwork."We'vegot Jacksonville versus Buffalo, Atlanta and Cleveland, Broncosat the Ravens, and... Arizona at New Orleans. Takeyour pick."

"GivemeSaints,"Ty demandedashegottohiskneesagainand turnedtolookupatthecomputer.Hisarmswerefoldedovertheedge of the table, and he stayed on theground,content to kneel there at Zane's knee.

"Not Baltimore?"

"Ravensarelikestep-children," Ty answeredashesquintedupat thescreen."Ilovethem,butthey'restillsleepingonthecouchwhen the house is full."

"So what team didyou grow up watching?From West Virginia... theSteelers?"Itonly tookafewkeystrokestopay forthesatellite access,andthegamefromthepastSundaypoppeduponthescreen, just before kickoff.

"Weweresortofaperfectstorm,"Ty answeredasherestedhis chinonhishands."With baseballitwasallBravesalltheway onTBS. But football, we caughtCincinnati, Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, Cleveland.Whoeverwasonnetworkthatweek.I waspartialtothe Redskins. ButI got attached to the Saints whenI was in Louisiana."

AnotherpieceofTy's lifecasuallyrevealed."Ineverwatched any teambuttheCowboysbeforeI livedinMiami,"Zanecommented, storing away the new little bits of information about his partner.

"Well,I've always beena whore," Ty said wryly.

ZanelookeddownatTy insurprise,andhiscommentpoppedout beforehethoughtaboutit."Wow.I amsotruetoform."Ty stillrazzed Zane forfucking aroundwith prostitutes-turned-informants on the job, eventhoughithadhappenedwaybeforetheyevermet.Zanehadbeen a serious mess at the time, but he sure wasn't now.

Tyglaredupathimbriefly,buthedidn't takeexceptiontothe comment. Not vocally,anyway. He just pointed at the screenand wagged his fingers urgently.

Zaneturnedupthevolumeastheplayerslinedup."Thereyou go," he said, happy with himself.

Ty pattedZane'sknee,appearingjustaspleased,andhelefthis hand resting there as hewatched the screen devotedly.Zane smiled and spentjustasmuchtimewatching Ty ashedidthegameandthe minimized tab.

They were partway throughthe second quarterbefore the little tab started flashing.

"Aboutdamntime,"Tysaidashepointedattheflashingicon. "Click it, click it!"

Zane paused the video and clicked over to the e-mail. He opened the RE: and started reading:

Thanks for the update. The Punch and Judy show's still on.

"That's it?"Tyaskedincredulously."I'm gonnakillMacwhen we get home."

Zaneleanedbackandrubbedhiseyes."I'mcertainly starting to feel like a damn puppet," he muttered.

Ty sighedloudly, andhisshoulders slumped."Well," he drewout reluctantly.He looked upat Zanewith ashrug. "Iguesswekeep going." His fingers tightened againstZane's kneeas he pushed himself off the floor.

Zane watched him stand. "Aren'tyou forgetting something?"

Ty lookeddownathimwithwideeyesandpattedhispockets absently, then noddedas if remembering whathe was forgetting.He bentovertokiss Zanesquarely.Whenhestoodbackup,hesaid, "Saints win it 17-9. Come on." And he turnedand started toward the exit.

It tookZane ten keystrokes to shut down the terminal, and he was on Ty's heels out the door.

Tyledthewaytoaloungesomewaysfromthepromenade.It wasn't asbusyasmanyofthebiggerrestaurants.Zaneglancedaround atthelowlighting,leathercouches,andtiny tables,andhewondered what Ty was thinking.

"Arewehaving a snack?"Zaneaskedas Ty walked toagrouping of overstuffed armchairs in an out-of-the-way corner.

"IamkeepingawayfromplacesIknowArmenmightberight now,"Tyansweredasheraisedhishandtogettheattentionofa waiter."And..."HehesitatedandlookedatZaneworriedly."Itold youI'd go over some tricks withthe drinking on duty.I figure now's as good a time as any. Because I sure as hell need a drink."

Zaneraisedabrow,thenshrugged,andsatdown."Soundsgood to me."

"What can I get for you, gentlemen?" a waiter asked as he appeared at their chairs.

Ty helduptwofingers."Twoglasses,bucketofice,bottleof water,andaScotch,please,"herattledoffquickly beforeZanecould even open his mouth. The waiter nodded and moved away.

Ty appearedunsettled,soZanedecided tositclosetohim.He settledinthechairnexttoTy, crossedhislegs easily,and leaned toward hislover."We're notinview of the door,"he pointed out."You can ease up a little."

Tyglancedattheentryway,thenmetZane's eyes.Heappeared somber and worried, theodd look in his eyes one that was singularly arresting.Zane heldhisgazefor alongmomentbeforereaching outto touchTy's forearmandrubitgentlyashewaitedforTytocalm.His partnerwasusually prettylaidback—despitehisinnatetwitchiness—but when Ty got riled up, itcould be a difficultproposition to gear him down.Zanewasalltooawareofhowhe'd beencontributingtoTy's most recent stress.

Ty tooka deep breathand leanedclosertohim. "You stillwantto do this?"

Zane frowned a little. "Why wouldn'tI?"

Ty smiledslightly."Okay.Webothknowyouhavetodrink sometimestosellacover.AndIthinkwe'reinagreementthatyou shouldn't. Atall.Afriendofminetaughtmesometricksyearsagofor those situations. I... didn'treally handle them well at first."

Zanethoughtthatsoundedabitominous."Okay,"hereplied, dragging the word out a bit.

Ty continued to look at him guardedly.

"What?"Zaneasked,abitexasperated."I'm notgoingtomake fun ofyou. I'vecertainly got no place throwing stones about this."

Tyworked his jawback and forth and thensnorted. Hewas smiling as he looked away. "I'm a goofy drunk," he admitted.

Zanedidn't seewhatwassobadaboutthat."Thatwouldaffect work,yeah, but why is that so awful in general?"

Tylaughed."OnedayI'llshowyou,"hepromised,lookingback at Zane with a hint of that old mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

ThatwaspromiseenoughtomakeZanesmileandrelax."All right. On with the lesson."

"First: always order extra ice.Let it melt inyour drink and dilute it."AsTytalkedthewaiterreturnedwithatrayandtherequested items.Thetinytableattheirkneeswasmoreforshowthananything, but he managed tofit the threeglasseson it. Ty placed theicebucket andthecarafeofwaterontheground.Oncethey werealoneagain, Ty said,"Andorderthenextroundbeforeyou'redone.Thewaiterwill clear outyour old drink when he bringsyour new one."

"Makessense,"ZanecommentedashewatchedTymovethings around.

Ty tooktheglassofScotchandwedgeditintotheseatbesidehis leg. Then he moved theremaining twoglassesaround on the table and poured water into bothof them, filling both almost to the brim. He picked one up and mockingly toasted Zane with it.

"Thebestwaytostaysoberistobeasloppydrunk,"hesaid under his breath. He jerked his hand to the side and sat forward suddenly,as if he was excited about what he was about to say. Water sloshed out of hisglassonto the floor.His eyes were bigger ashe grabbedforZanewithhisfree hand."Bevery excitedwhenyoutalk," he said emphatically, waving his hand again.

Zane tried to hold back his smile, because really, this was supposed tobe serious.He nodded piously instead. Ty heldhisglass up to show him that nearly a quarter of the water was gone already.

Hedrankdownafewgulpsofthewateruntilonlyathirdofit remained,thenhesetitonthetable."Bestway todrainyourglassisto spill," he said ashe reached for theglass of Scotch and tooka sip of it. He set it on the ground at his feet. Then he lookedup at Zane. "Nice to meetyou, Mr. Porter," he saidsuddenly, half standing and sticking his armoutasifhewasabouttoshakeZane's hand.Heknockedthewater glass over with his hand, sending it skidding offthe table into Zane's lap.

Zanecouldonlyflinchasthewatersplashedoverhispantsand theglassthumpedtothefloor."Andhopetheguydoesn't wantyouto pay forhisdry cleaning,"hesaidwryly ashebrushedathisthighs. "Effective, though."

"Sorry aboutthat!" Ty exclaimed, moving closerand grabbing for the nearest napkin and helping Zane dry his lap. Zane noticed he'deven added a slur to his words as he mumbled apologies.

"You can helpme like that as long asyou want,"Zane drawledas Ty draggedthenapkinacrossthefrontofhispants."AndI'll orderyou another drink," he pointed out.

"Clumsy,clumsy,"Tymutteredwithasadshakeofhishead. "I've probablyhadenough,"heclaimedashesatbackinhisseat.He smiledslowlyandheldupZane's keycard."It's usefulforother ventures as well."

Zane hadn't even noticed. "Well, that's embarrassing," he muttered as he shook his head. But he still smiled.

Tyhandeditbacktohim."That'sadifferentlesson."Hetook another sip from his glass of Scotch and then picked up the glass he'd droppedandsetitonthetableagain.Hedroppedafewicecubesinto it,thenpouredoutsomeofhisScotchintoit.Thenheaddedmoreice.

He gestured to the glass. "One drink is two."

"IfIletthatmuchicemeltintoit,there's nowayI'dgetevena remote buzz," Zane observed.

"Andthat's thepoint,"Tymurmured.Hegulpeddownwhathe'd justpouredintothewaterglass."NowI'veorderedand,intheory, consumedthreedrinks.StillonlyhalfaglassofScotchisgone.You get the drift?"

Zanenodded."Yeah,noproblem,"hesaidquietly ashestudied Ty'sface. He still looked worried. It was a simple set of ideas, butZane figured he could put them into use without much trouble. The poker room was busy enough for him to move drinks around undetected.

"Sometimes,ifyougetthere first,youcangetanempty glass. Switch themoutsomehow, likeI justdid,or dumpdrinksundertables orinplantsordecorations.Alotofit's situational.Yourbestfriends are extraiceand clumsiness."Tyshot back what remained ofthe Scotchhehadordered."Okay,let'sgofindyousomedrypants,"he said in a hoarse voice as he set the glass down on the table with a clank.

"I'm thinkingyou'll feelbetterbehindalockeddoor,"Zane agreed as he stood up. "And then tonightI get to practice my lessons."

Tystood and stepped overto Zane. Heslid his hand around Zane's waistandpulledhimcloser."Iknowit's hard,"hewhispered. "But next time you thinkyou mightneed a second glass, just remember thatI willkickyourasswhenyougethome." Hepunctuatedthethreat with a forceful kiss.

The words flowed over and into Zane and sank indeep as hegave inunderTy's lips.He'dalreadyknownhe'danswertoTy,anytime, anywhere.But nowZanebelieved,for the first time in so long, that he had someone who truly cared about him.

After the climbingwall scareand the Del Porternonemergency, Zanehadbeensuretheywouldbeplaguedbyotheraccidentsand loudlyinsistedtheyshouldavoidexcursionsthatinvolvedgravity.But thepastthreedayshadbeenoddly threat-free,enoughsothat Ty had started wondering if the rope at the rock wall had really been an accidentafterall.Ifithadn'tbeenforthatvisitfromArmen, Ty might have been able to convince himself.

AfterArmen'slittle "discussion," though,neither Ty norZane could relax.It made what might have beenan enjoyable few days tense and frustrating.

Amongotheractivitiesontheiritinerary,theywentwaterskiing andkayakingoffaprivateislandnearHaiti,oneowned by thecruise line. The first was not toTy's tastes, butZane hadcalled it exhilarating and said hewouldn't mind trying itagain. The kayaking wasenjoyable fornootherreasonthanTy couldbeginhumming"DuelingBanjos"at Zanewheneverhewanted,andZanecouldn't managetosmackhim with his paddle without tipping the kayak over.

Zane played pokerwith Armen,Bianchi, and some other high rollerseveryeveningforanhourortwo.Hewasabletopryafew vague details out of Bianchi about his part of the business, butArmen remained close-lipped.So Zane contentedhimself with winning modestly,and Ty had been honestly surprisedwhenZane had handed hima$10,000pokerchiponenight.Apparently10Kwasmodestfor thePorters.Itwasn'tlikely they'dgettokeepit—theFBI hadaway of collecting everything it could get after an assignment—but the money wasn'tthepoint.TyknewthatZanejustlikedtheraremomentswhen he succeeded in surprising him. And he had.

Onyesterday'sexcursion,they hadhikedforfivehoursthrougha rainforest in Puerto Rico to the "Exciting Jungle andZip-line Adventure,"whichreallywasn'tallthatexcitingoradventurous,since it turned out to be a thirty-minute harness ride through the treetops. The hike itself hadbeenmorefun. Ty would have preferredto have kepton into the dense tropical forest, but he'd been assured the jungles weren't safe for going out on hisown. Ty had barely restrained a snort when the seriousyoungguidehadsaidthosewords.Ty waspretty surehecould have shown the kid what an unsafe jungle really looked like.

Ontoday's agendawasthe"thrillingcliffdivingexperiencefor swimmersyoung andold," achanceto plungefifty-fivefeetfroma natural rocky cliff into the protected cove below.Now this Ty couldget behind. He seemed to be among the few, though,because there were a lotofpeoplegoingtothetopofthecliffandalmostasmany walking back down.

Looking upatthe heightfromwhich the few brave soulswere leaping, Ty had doubts that Zane would be able to handle it.

"It'salonghikeupthere," Ty triedcasually,glancingsidelongat hispartner."Beenalongday too.Wecanskipitandheadbacktothe ship if you want."

"Idon't mindhikingupthere,"Zaneansweredwithashrug."I know you've been looking forward to this all week."

Tysnorted.He'dknownZanewouldpassontheeasyoutifhe offered it. "It'sa long climb, darling," he saidin a low voice, still mindful of those around them who could overhear. "No needforyou to make it if you just plan to walk back down."

Zanestudiedhimfor a momentbeforeglancing upthecliff."I'd rather have thecompany for at least part of the time, doll."

Ty lookedhimovercarefully foralongmomentbeforenodding. "Ifyouinsist,"hesaidwithasmile,thenbeganmaking hisway toward the narrow trail.

Theclimbwasn'tterribly steep,sincethepathwascutinto switchbacks up the mountainside to preserve the natural flora, so it took alittletimetogetup there.They walkedquietly forafewminutes before Zane spoke up. "It's not the height,you know."

"It's the falling," Ty finished for him with a nod.

"Yeah,"Zane murmured. "You know me; always want to be in control." He snorted like he'd made a joke.

Ty watchedhisfootingdiligently,smilingtohimselfwhileZane couldn't see hisexpression. He knew all too wellhow anythingZane couldn't control, or at least figure out, drove the man to unbearable reachesofcrazy."Yeah,"hefinallysaidsoftly."Butsometimesyou miss the best things because youcan'tcontrol them."

"Like what?" Zane's voice was relaxed and reflected some curiosity.

Ty smiledwider,glancingbehindhimtogeta lookatZane."If you have to ask..."

"TherearethingsIdoeventhoughIcan't controlthem,"Zane saidpointedlyasheswattedatTy'sass."Butchoosingfreefall?No. I'd ratherface... snakesin the mountains," hesaid with a little chuckle at the end.

Ty snortedderogatorily,unappreciativeoftheattemptathumor. Hestillfoundverylittleaboutthatepisodeofmountainhikinggone wrong funny.

"Right.It's the difference between something justedgy enough to getahighandsomethingtrulyscary,"Zanesaidastheyslowednear the top of the cliff.

Tyshookhisheadandsighed.Theviewupherewasbeautiful, butitwas often depressingfor Tyto catch a glimpse into Zane's thought processes.He would much rather stare at the ocean beyond the cliff. "You're all about the high," he said sadly.

Zane edged one shoulder up. "Can't deny that,I guess."

Ty wouldhavehadtocallbullshitif he'deventried.Ty turnedto look at him. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over everything, includingZane.SometimesTy wishedheknewwhattosay tohelp Zane,butthenheremindedhimselfhewasn'texactly whatonecould call stable, either. There was a lot of pot and kettle going on here.

Insteadofanythingparticularlyinspiring,hejustwavedhishand atthe cliff'sedge."Endorphin rush isone hell of a high. Sureyoudon't want to jump?"

Zaneraisedabrowandwalkedovertotherailing,wherehe peered over the side and watched another manjump, screaming and flailingallthewaydowntothedarkpoolofwaterfarbelow.He turned,awrysmileinplace,andrejoined Ty withapleasant,"Hellno. You go rightahead."

"Fair enough. Areyou going to freak out if I do it?"

The smile stayed, but Ty could see Zane's shoulders tense slightly. "No."

"Ifyou'regoingtolie,baby,atleastdoitwithflair," Ty said wryly.

Zanerolledhiseyes."Ohdoll,ifsomethingweretogowrong, how wouldI evergoonwithoutyou?" he drawled in a melodramatic singsong.Thenheshookhishead."Iwon't freakout,"hesaidmore seriously."I don't like it, butI'll deal."

Tygavehimathoroughappraisal,notcertainwhyhewanted Zanetotakethechanceandjumpwithhim.Buthedid.Healsoknew hewouldn'tbeconvincinghimtodoit.Heknewthatwiththesame certainty heknewZanewasn'tinlovewithhim.Thecomparison dampened the thrill of jumping, that was for sure.

Zane reached out, clasped Ty's wrist, and pulled him gently closer. Then he dipped his head to brush theirlips together for a few bare seconds. When he straightened, the smile was Zane's, not the fake smirk he'd been using to play Corbin. "Go on. You'll enjoy it."

Ty found himself smiling wanly, appreciating the effort. "I'd enjoyitmoreifIcouldshoveyouofffirst,"hesaidinateasing, coaxing voice.

Zane's physicalreactionwasn't oneTyrecognizedrightoff.It wasalmostawince,barely there,acaughtbreaththathe overcompensated for, eyes blinking hard.It wasgone in a couple of seconds, butwhenZane's gaze darted totheedgeof thecliff andback, Ty realizedZane was truly scared.He hid it well,but not well enough.

"I'llhavetoseewhatI candotonightto make itup toyou,"Zane said after a little too long of a pause.

"Youdothat," Ty saidsoftly,regrettingtheteasing.Hestepped discreetlytothesidetoblockZane'sviewofthecliff,andhekissed him quickly. "Now head back down soyou don't see me jump. I'm not walking back down that freaking hill when there'sa faster route."

Zanenoddedslowly andbackedawayacouplesteps.Hepaused, as if he was going to say something, but he managed a pretty convincing smile before he turned and followed the path down.

Ty waitedabreath,thenturnedtofindtheattendantneartheedge ofthecliffwatchinghimexpectantly.Therewereafewpeoplestill millingabout,buttheyallseemedreadytoturnbackratherthangoing through with it.

"My turn?" Ty askedtheattendantbrightly.Theman smiledand nodded.

Tytookonelastglancedownthepath,pattingdownhispockets to make certainhe'd left everything withZane, spending thoselast seconds to steel himself.

He'dtoldZaneonce,buthewasn'tsureifZanerememberedthat Ty was afraid of heightstoo.

Withonelasthesitation,Tyturnedandsprintedforthecliff's edge,throwinghimself overbeforehecouldhavesecondthoughts about the jump.

ThepartTy bothdreadedandlovedaboutfalling wastherushof fear itself.