Touch&Geaux (15 page)

attack a male nurse who came to take his vitals.”

107

Zane looked momentarily horrified, but he hid it quickly

and gripped Ty’s limp hand tighter.

“When he saw us, he calmed a little, but not enough. The

good news, though,” Kelly added, keeping his voice bright.

“He passed the stone.”

“Great,” Nick huffed. “Now we just have to wait for him

to fucking wake up. How long will that take?”

“Judging by the amount of sedative they gave him and the

way Ty reacts to medications?” Kelly looked at the watch on

his wrist. He shrugged. “I don’t have a fucking clue.”

Nick glared at him. “I hate you. We ran here. Sprinted.”

Kelly looked him up and down appraisingly. “Good job.”

Digger clucked his tongue and smacked a hand against

Nick’s arm. “The only sense we could make out of what he

was saying was to get you two the fuck away from the police.”

Nick nodded, looking from Digger to Ty, who lay

peacefully now. Zane sat on the chair beside the bed, holding

Ty’s hand in both of his. He was staring at Ty’s face, seemingly

oblivious to the rest of them.

“Well,” Nick said, at a loss. “Why don’t we, uh . . . we’ll

go get some breakfast and . . .” He gestured at Zane, and the

others filtered toward the door with him. They left Ty to his

sedation and Zane to his vigil.

108

y moved gingerly as Zane walked with him to the hotel

T
room. Zane had never passed a kidney stone, but he’d

heard the horror stories. All he knew was that Ty had been

lucky to be drugged and having a minor meltdown to distract

him during the process.

As they made their way down the hal , Ty reached out to

steady himself on Zane’s arm. The medicine he’d been given

was still in effect, and he was wobbly and uncertain of his

footing.

“Need help?”

Ty shook his head. “No, I’m good.” But he didn’t let go of

Zane’s arm. He kept his other hand on his side. Zane wasn’t

sure if he was hurting there, or it just made him feel better to

hold it.

When they reached their room, Zane wasn’t surprised

to see the other men already there. He’d called ahead to let

them know Ty was being released, and Nick had a key. They

all stood when Ty stepped into the room.

“You okay, Six?” Digger asked.

Ty nodded curtly.

“So,” Kelly said with a smirk. “Psychotic episode is the

new prescribed treatment for passing one of these things?”

Ty cleared his throat, his cheeks coloring. “Hal ucinations

are a bitch when they talk back.”

Zane put his hand on Ty’s arm, offering a modicum of

support. Ty’s hand trembled as it hung between them. He

clenched it to make it stop.

109

“I need a cigarette or something,” Ty mumbled.

“My pack’s in my jeans,” Zane offered.

Ty headed for the pile of clothing Zane had discarded the

night before. Zane recognized it as more of a distraction than

the actual need for a cigarette. It was something for Ty to do

with himself, with his hands and his mind, so he had a little

bit more time to figure out how to explain his behavior to the

rest of them.

He bent gingerly, holding his side as he dug through

Zane’s pockets. Everyone else was quiet, waiting, knowing

the silence itself would do more to force Ty to talk than any

pointed queries. Zane smiled. He kind of liked watching the

dynamic of Sidewinder, because even though he still felt like a

bit of an outcast, he also knew he was in a room with some of

the people who knew Ty best. He was no longer the only one

present who would call Ty on his bullshit.

Ty straightened with a grimace once he found the pack

and the lighter. He was frowning, holding the piece of paper

Zane had wadded up this morning. It took a moment for Zane

to remember what it was. He was pretty sure Ty was too high

to be bothered by it. He might even find it funny. Ty tapped

one of the cigarettes out of the pack and put it in his mouth,

then dropped the pack and idly flattened the paper to read.

Zane was expecting him to make a joke or a lewd comment

about someone slipping Zane a phone number in a bar, so he

was shocked by the change that came over Ty’s face. He took

the cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it to the floor. His

jaw tightened and his hard eyes darted to Zane.

“What?” Zane asked.

Ty held up the paper and crumpled it in his fist. “Where’d

you get this?”

“Last night, some guy slipped it into my pocket.”

110

“What guy?” Ty demanded. His voice had gone low and

dangerous, and he advanced on Zane from across the room,

heedless of the other men, no longer slow or shaky.

“I don’t know, Ty, some guy who wanted a light.” Zane

peered over Ty’s shoulder at the others. They were all growing

uneasy, sharing wide-eyed glances and shifting where they sat.

Even Ty wasn’t usually this overtly possessive or combative.

Ty was oblivious to the discomfort in the room as he

stalked up to Zane, cornering him in the little entryway. He

held the paper up. “What did he look like?”

“Ty,” Zane said gently. “It’s a piece of trash in my pocket.

He pickpocketed my lighter and slipped it back in with that

note. It’s not a big deal, okay? Maybe we can talk about it once

the meds wear off.”

Ty’s eyes flashed and he struck out at the wall next to

Zane, slapping his palm and the piece of paper against it. Zane

flinched away, eyes going wider.

“What did he look like?” Ty shouted.

“Grady!” Kelly called. “You need to sit down before the

morphine gets the better of you.”

Zane’s eyes stayed on Ty’s. He shook his head. He knew

Ty wasn’t going to hurt him, but it was growing embarrassing.

He just wanted to keep Ty calm until the drugs could wear

off. “He was . . . blond. British. Blue eyes. I don’t know, it was

dark.”

“Was his name Liam Bell?” Ty growled.

Zane heard a sharp inhalation from one of the others,

and it distracted him enough to glance at them and see Nick

and Kelly both standing. He met Ty’s eyes again and nodded.

“Yeah. I think that was his name. How’d you know that?”

Ty took a step back, releasing the paper. It fluttered to

the ground at Zane’s feet. Ty put a hand over his mouth and

turned away.

111

“Liam Bell?” Nick asked, aghast. “How is that possible?”

“Who is Liam Bell?” Zane asked. “How do you know

him?”

“How did you know it was him, Ty?” Owen demanded.

Ty still had a hand over his mouth. He closed his eyes.

“You saw him, didn’t you?” Nick said. “In the ER. That’s

why you freaked out. You saw him there.”

Ty nodded, eyes still closed. “I thought I was hal ucinating.”

“Who is Liam Bell?” Zane asked again.

Kelly took a deep breath, looking between Ty and Zane.

“He was . . . uh.”

“He’s a ghost,” Digger answered. “He’s dead.”

“We have to get out of here,” Ty muttered. “We have to

leave town.”

Zane barked a laugh. “Are you serious?”

Ty turned on him. “What else did he say to you?”

Zane sighed, far too aware of all the eyes on him. He

shrugged it off. “He wanted a light. He sort of flirted with

me. There was nothing.”

Ty gritted his teeth, stepping closer. “Zane, the words he

used. What did he say?”

Zane’s brow furrowed as he fought past the sense of

urgency and confusion to remember exactly what the man

had said to him. He shook his head, distracted by the look

of near panic on Ty’s face. “He said something about looking

forward to seeing me again.” He paused, taking a deep breath

to steel himself for Ty’s reaction. “Without my boyfriend

around.”

Ty’s shoulders straightened and his features grew harder,

more dangerous. He glanced over his shoulder. “He told me

he wanted revenge.” He looked back at Zane, fear skittering

through his eyes. “He’s coming after you.”

112

“What the hell are you talking about, Ty?”

Ty backed away, covering his face like he was trying to

block out everything so he could think clearly. Those meds

were still doing a number on him, and Zane wasn’t quite sure

what to do. He wasn’t even sure if this warranted the kind

of panic Ty had spiraled into, but the rest of them looked

shocked as well.

“Why is this guy so scary?” Zane asked, growing frustrated.

He needed details, not more rambling hoodoo ghost talk.

Ty sat down hard on the end of the bed and swiped a hand

over his eyes. He glanced up at Zane, his head resting on his

hand. “You remember me telling you about training with an

SAS team?”

Zane nodded, even as he tried to think back. It had been

before they’d left for the cruise ship assignment and Ty had

explained where he’d picked up the British accent he’d been

forced to use.

“Liam was the leader of the group we were assigned with.

It was an advanced Coalition team.”

“Okay,” Zane said, still confused. He sat in one of the

chairs near the bed, watching Ty’s body language more than

anything else. His knee was bouncing, he couldn’t stop

fidgeting with his hands, and he wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

“We were each buddied to our counterpart of the SAS

team for the duration,” Nick explained when Ty remained

silent. “We lived together, ate together, went on missions

together. They said it was a test to see how it would work,

Spec Ops integration or some shit. They were trying to form

an international first-strike team.”

Zane glanced around the room at the five men. “With the

SAS?”

113

Nick nodded. “There were others. SEALs and Aussies,

Green Berets and Canadians. Two months in, we discovered

a mole. We hunted him as a team. For months.”

“Canadians are shifty, man,” Digger muttered.

Zane rolled his eyes. “So, if Liam Bell was the team leader,

he was buddied with Ty.”

“Yes,” Ty answered curtly. His knee was bouncing faster,

and he had his hands clasped between his thighs, trying not

to fidget.

Zane stared at him, waiting for him to make eye contact.

When the silence began to stretch too thin and Ty was still

staring at the floor, Zane sighed. He knew Ty’s M.O. “Were

you involved with him?”

Ty finally looked up and met his eyes. He nodded jerkily.

Zane wasn’t surprised, but the other four men burst into a

chorus of shock and anger. Ty winced as they each expressed

themselves.

Kelly and Digger both shouted, “What?”

Nick ran a hand through his hair and turned away.

Zane raised his voice to be heard. “Why is that a problem?”

“Because Ty’s the one who fucking shot him!” Owen

blurted.

Zane’s eyes widened and he gaped at Ty, unable to conceal

his surprise. Ty had his hand over his mouth and his eyes were

closed again.

“Ty?” Zane whispered. “Was he the mole?”

Ty ran his fingers over his lips and took a deep breath, his

eyes still closed. He finally opened them as he nodded.

“You fucking shot a guy you were sleeping with?” Owen

asked, and it was hard to tell which part scandalized him

more.

“It’s not what you think it was,” Ty explained, voice hoarse.

114

“Jesus,” Kelly whispered. He sank to a chair, brow

furrowed.

“That’s cold, man. Even for you, that’s some shit,” Digger

muttered. He paced toward the balcony, shaking his head.

Nick was still standing in the little entryway near the

bathroom with his back to them. His head was down and

he had one hand on his hip. Zane’s eyes were drawn to him.

Why did he seem so betrayed by the knowledge? What Ty

had done was harsh, Zane had no illusions about it. But it

didn’t necessarily bother him. He knew how Ty felt about

treachery, and he was a dangerous man, quick to action and

rarely looking back. Nick and the others had to know that

too. Once you turned on Ty, your time was up.

Nick finally raised his head, but he didn’t turn around.

“You hit center mass,” he said, his voice low.

Ty turned, but Zane couldn’t see his expression as he

stared at Nick’s back. His entire body trembled, and Zane

wondered if it was the meds, the nerves, or both.

Nick turned to face him, looking grim. “You fired at

center mass from seven yards away, but you missed almost

every vital organ.”

“How do you know that?” Kelly asked.

“Because I wrote up the report,” Nick snarled. He pointed

a finger at Ty. “You missed on purpose.”

Ty stared at him, unmoving. The trembling had stopped

almost as if Ty had shut it off with a switch.

Nick took a step. “You helped him escape. Didn’t you?

That’s why you know he’s alive.”

Ty hesitated before giving a curt nod.

The group erupted in another round of protests.