Touch&Geaux (17 page)

hands to calm the other three. He turned to Ty and knelt

in front of him. “Tell us what happened. Please, Ty. You’ve

obviously been keeping this on yourself, it’s time to trust us.”

Ty straightened, both hands on his knees. He looked

down at Nick. “Once they had him declared dead and he’d

recovered enough to move, I think Liam pulled strings with

NIA. He convinced them we’d make a good asset, the whole

team, that we could be military assets for NIA just like he’d

been.”

“NIA made a deal with the Marine Corps?” Kelly asked.

Ty nodded, looking sick. “They tried to, from what I

was able to gather. I was never given the full briefing, but

I do know we were to be released into the umbrella of the

National Intelligence Agency to be used as part of a new ultra-

militarized arm of the CIA. We’d have had to jump whenever

they called. We wouldn’t have been real Marines anymore,

we would have been spooks in Marine uniforms. When I was

informed of the orders, I . . . I refused them.”

“You spoke for the whole team?” Zane asked.

“Yes, I did.”

“You’re telling me I got kicked out of the Corps because

you had a lover’s spat?” Owen growled.

Ty stood, baring his teeth like an animal. Nick stood with

him, just managing to stop him from advancing. He shoved

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him back to the bed. Ty bounced on the mattress, grabbing

his side and grunting.

“Shit, sorry!” Nick said. He patted Ty’s head but kept his

body between him and Owen. “Why would Bell be back here

for revenge?”

“I don’t know, but that’s what he told me in the hospital.

His plan all along was for me to join him. I chose the Corps,

all of you, over him. I can only assume.”

“And now you’re here with Zane,” Nick added. “Who is

the partner you never let Liam be.”

Zane’s stomach flipped to hear someone say that. He

probably should have been ashamed to be thrilled by the

words, but he wasn’t.

“So you think he’s here in New Orleans, murdering people

because he’s pissed at you?” Kelly asked. “Why?”

Ty shook his head.

Digger stood and ambled toward the balcony. “This

explains so much. I feel like I’ve just finished a crossword

puzzle.”

“How do you know what that feels like?” Kelly asked.

“I don’t.”

Kelly sniffed.

“This is why they paid us off, to keep quiet about the NIA.

And why they gave us those release terms,” Owen said. “Good

God, Ty, why didn’t you tell us any of this?”

“It was top secret,” Ty answered. He sounded and looked

exhausted. “I couldn’t.”

Zane stepped forward, frowning. “What terms?”

They all turned to look at him, as if they’d forgotten he

was there.

“Are you serious?” Owen blurted. He looked from Zane

to Ty. “You talk about how much you love this guy and you

haven’t even told him?”

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Ty pointed a finger at him and snarled, “Shut up.”

“Told me what?” Zane asked cautiously.

Owen glanced at him, curling his lip. “Ask your boyfriend.

He’s the one with all the secrets.”

Nick strode toward Owen, giving his shoulder a shove.

“Johns, shut your fucking mouth.”

But Zane turned his attention to Ty. The look on his

lover’s face didn’t do much to dispel the sudden bout of

nerves. “Ty?”

Ty stood. His hands balled into fists as he glanced from

Zane to Nick. Nick nodded.

“Tell him, Grady!” Owen shouted. Nick shoved Owen

into the wall and pointed a finger in his face, hissing.

“Get him out of here,” Ty growled. Nick grabbed Owen’s

shoulder, but the man shrugged him off.

“Don’t have to tell me twice. I’m fucking out of here.” He

stormed out, letting the door slam behind him.

Nick squared his shoulders, regaining his calming

demeanor with impressive speed. He gave them one last

glance, then headed for the door. Kelly and Digger followed,

murmuring good-byes to Zane as they passed.

As soon as the door closed, Zane heard Owen shouting

in the hal way. He turned to Ty, though. “What the hell is

going on?”

“Zane,” Ty said, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat.

He seemed to be fighting to meet Zane’s eyes. “There’s

something . . . something I’ve been keeping from you.”

Zane’s stomach flipped. “I thought we got all the secrets

out.”Ty shook his head, looking sick. “Not this one.”

Zane took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with the

flicker of fear in Ty’s eyes. “So tell me.”

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Ty struggled to meet Zane’s eyes as he began to speak. “I

was never completely discharged from the Marines.”

Zane barked a laugh. “You’re so full of shit.”

“I’m not joking, Zane.”

Zane’s smile fell and he took a step toward Ty. “What are

you talking about?”

Ty glanced at the door. “The boys and me . . . the team.

We’re still obligated to the Marines.”

Zane stared, mouth hanging open. “What?”

Ty ran a hand through his hair. “It happens with a lot of

Special Ops crews; the military never really lets us go. We’re

too highly trained, too much money and time has been put

into us. And the terms we signed when they released us

compel us to go back if they order it. If they want us back . . .”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Zane.”

“No, Ty, I mean . . . what the hell are you talking about?”

“I was never discharged from the Marines. Sidewinder

wasn’t disbanded, even though the official paperwork cited

disobedience as the reason for leaving. We were just . . . put

on reserve because of the fuss the NIA made. They took my

refusal of the orders and used it as the excuse to put us all into

cold storage.”

Ty looked both riddled with nerves and relieved to have

said the words. Zane tried to speak, but nothing would come

out. He took a staggering step back and pressed his hand to

his stomach, feeling sick and dizzy.

After a few moments of tense silence, Ty leaned closer.

“Zane?”

“You’re saying you’re still a Marine.”

“Not technically. Sort of.”

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“You can’t be sort of technically a Marine, Ty. You either

are or you aren’t!”

Ty put a hand up to calm him, but Zane batted it away.

“You’re still a Marine! You’re telling me that any day, you

could be called back into service and you’d have to prance off

with your little go bag and be gone for months on the front

line?”

“You’re upset.”

“You’re damn right I’m upset!” Zane roared. “This is

something you stay prepared for, isn’t it? The bag in the

closet, never missing a morning run. When the fuck were you

planning on telling me this?”

“I was . . . I was hoping I wouldn’t need to. The contracts

expire in December.”

Zane sniffed in disgust. “Jesus Christ, Ty.”

Ty raised both hands. “It’s not like it’s something I can just

go around telling everyone.”

“I’m not everyone!”

“I know that! But Zane, there’s nothing we can do

about it.”

“And that makes it okay not to tell me?”

Ty shook his head.

“Give me details,” Zane demanded.

“I can’t tell you more. I wasn’t supposed to tell you that

much.”

“The fuck you can’t. You’re standing here telling me you’re

still a fucking Marine, that you and your team are still on some

sort of long-term fucking—”

“Zane, calm down.”

Zane slammed his fist into the wal . Blood was roaring

through his ears and he had to shout to hear himself. “I’ve

been living with you for a year and you can’t tell me more?”128

“I’m—”

“Bullshit!”

“I can’t tell you, Zane!” Ty shouted. “God! What I’ve said

already could get me thrown in the Disciplinary Barracks

at Leavenworth! Do you understand? I am still subject to

USMC laws and codes of conduct!”

Zane ran his hands through his hair.

“And frankly, Liam Bell scares me more right now than

any secrets I’ve been keeping from you.”

“Are there more?” Zane asked sarcastically.

Ty hesitated, and Zane caught a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

“Oh my God,” Zane whispered. “There’s more. There’s

something worse than this?”

“Zane.”

“Tell me what else you’re hiding.”

Ty raised his head and squared his shoulders, his nostrils

flaring. “No.”

Zane stared. His heart was pounding. He’d known they

had secrets between them, things they weren’t ready to share.

They’d discussed these things, shady parts of their pasts they’d

rather not take out of the box. But Zane had never expected

Ty’s secrets to be something that could hurt him. Hurt them.

Zane studied his lover, letting that truth settle somewhere

deep inside him.

“Tell me now, tell me everything I need to know.”

Ty’s jaw muscles jumped, but he stayed straight and tal ,

matching Zane’s glare with his own. When he spoke, though,

it came out broken. “No.”

Zane gritted his teeth and slammed his palm against the

wal . “Tell me the truth or I walk!”

Ty swallowed hard, but it was obvious that he was

weighing whether or not he should speak.

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“You really have to think about it?” Zane shoved away

from Ty, unable to tear his eyes from him even as the pain

twisted in his chest like a knife. “I guess we finally found the

one thing more important to you than I am.”

Ty’s face hardened. “You know that’s not true.”

“Fuck you, Ty! I feel like I don’t know a goddamned thing

now!” Zane jabbed his finger toward Ty. “I tell you I’m going

to walk and you have to fucking think about it? Just fuck

you!”Ty took a deep breath, but it didn’t help the strength of

his words when he tried to speak. “If I told you . . . I’m afraid

you’d walk anyway.”

Zane threw his hands out. “What have you got to lose?”

Ty’s jaw tightened. Zane held his breath, waiting, giving

him a last chance to come clean, unable to imagine what Ty

could have been keeping from him that he was so afraid to

admit to.

Ty shook his head, his jaw set.

Zane took a step back. He was devastated to have been

backed down, called on his bluff. He had no idea where to go

from here.

Only one place came to mind, one place to retreat from

the stone wall Ty had just raised. It wasn’t just a wall to protect

Ty or his secrets. It was a wall to protect Ty’s secrets from Zane.

He turned on his heel and grabbed up his cigarettes and

lighter from the floor. He brushed past Ty as he headed for

the door.

“Zane.”

Zane turned.

“There’s a man out there who wants to hurt you. And he’s

good. Please don’t go off alone.”

“Go to Hell, Ty,” Zane grunted, and he wrenched the

door open and stalked out.

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ick was waiting when the door opened, but Zane

N
brushed past him when he tried to stop him. He had

to jog to catch up with Zane’s angry strides, and he felt like

a puppy hopping along with its master as he tried to keep

abreast of the man stalking down the hal .

“I know you’re pissed, man, I am too. But Ty keeps secrets,

that’s what he does. That’s what he’s trained to do.”

“You don’t have to defend him,” Zane snarled. “Is that

what you’ve done for twenty years? Defend Ty? You must be

goddamned exhausted.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Nick reached out and took Zane’s

arm. “Would you slow down? Jesus.”

Zane stopped and turned to face him. Nick could tell

he had about two seconds to make his case. “Look, I’m

not stepping into this, okay? Whatever he said in there, it’s

between you and him. But I knew Liam Bell. And if Ty says

he’s out to get you, I believe him. Don’t go out there alone just

because you’re pissed.”

Zane rolled his eyes and huffed. Nick tightened his grip

on Zane’s arm, hard enough that Zane looked down at it

pointedly.

“Imagine that you’re out there in this city, and Ty is

hunting you down,” Nick said.

Zane’s nostrils flared and his eyes darkened.

“Now imagine him smarter. Faster. Imagine him more

ruthless and with less to lose. Now imagine that Ty, and he

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wants revenge. I don’t know about you, man, but that scares

the living hell out of me.”

Zane swallowed hard. He looked mutinous for a moment,

but then nodded. “I see your point.”

“Will you let me go with you?”

Zane grumbled and glanced down the hall at the door to

their room.

“Let me tail you, then,” Nick tried. “You’ll never know I

was there and I’ll watch your six while you do whatever it is

you need to do to cool down.”

Zane laughed and finally wrenched his arm out of Nick’s

grasp. “Just leave me alone, all right?”

He stalked away before Nick could argue. Nick stood and