Ty sighed again and pulled Zane closer, scooting up until he could rest his chin on top of Zane’s head and Zane was snuggled up against his chest. “Go to sleep if I can’t grope you. I’ll stay awake.”

Zane snorted but didn’t twitch a muscle to move. “That’ll be a pretty picture for Cameron to see if he wakes up.”

Ty held his breath for a few moments and then let it out in an irritated rush. “Fine.”

He pulled his hand out from under Zane’s neck and rolled over, and then sat up and rolled his head from side to side. The immediate chill made Zane shiver, and he wrapped his arms around himself, watching Ty. He wished he hadn’t said anything. He didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to be awake, to soak Ty in. He reached out to trail his fingers down Ty’s arm.

Ty turned his arm and let Zane’s fingers glide over his palm. He pushed himself off the bed and stretched, then turned and leaned over Zane, pulling the comforter up over him as he kissed him. “Go to sleep.”

Zane sighed, warmed by Ty’s quiet affection, and reached for his gun. Then he pulled one of the pillows partway under his chest and tucked the hand holding the gun underneath it, a security measure made second nature after his time undercover in the seedy Miami underbelly. Even the past several months sleeping unarmed with Ty hadn’t made the position feel strange. “Don’t kill Cross.”

“No promises,” Ty muttered. He moved away and clicked off the light Zane had been using.

It made the room mostly dark, just the light spilling under the room door to see by, and Zane watched Ty’s silhouette for long minutes before closing his eyes. He’d just rest for a little bit.

He didn’t know how long he slept, but there was gray light coming through the curtains when a noise awakened him.

There was a bang and a rattle like plastic rolling across tile, and then Ty shouted: “Where is it?”

Zane was out of the bed and at the bathroom door, gun in hand, in three seconds flat, pulse racing.

Ty stood in the middle of the bathroom, glaring down at Julian and holding a roll of toilet paper in his hand. Julian sat in the bathtub, handcuffed to the safety rail on the shower enclosure. He was looking at Ty like he thought he had lost his mind. Zane narrowed his eyes as he sized up the scene. He glanced at the wall where the toilet paper should have been, then back at Ty’s hands, before turning a questioning look on Julian.

“Where is it?” Ty said again.

“I have no idea what you’re blathering on about,” Julian said, the epitome of calm. “Agent Garrett, I believe he needs more rest. Or perhaps it’s time for his medication,” he said, mimicking someone drinking.

“Shut up. Where’s what?” Zane asked as he studied Julian and the cuffs. They looked intact.

Ty whirled around to look at him. His entire body was tense. His eyes were a sparkling green, and they flashed angrily. Zane’s breath caught before he could help himself. His partner was stunning when he was like this. “The toilet paper holder,” Ty said in quick bursts of words. He turned back on Julian. “Hand it over or I’ll search for it myself.”

Zane glanced around again, and he caught sight of the two plastic halves of the holder on the floor behind the toilet and next to the sink. He looked back at Julian and had to repress a smile. The man was clever, and an excellent liar. Zane didn’t figure he would have thought of that himself. “You took the spring.”

“I tried to take the spring, but it didn’t have one,” Julian told him. He didn’t seem at all perturbed to have been caught.

Ty growled and reached into the tub to grab Julian’s neck and yank him to his feet.

Zane put his hand on Ty’s shoulder. “You can’t just strip him down.”

“Watch me,” Ty said, and he pushed Julian face-first against the shower wall, then stepped into the tub with him.

Julian cleared his throat as he tried to reposition his hands in a way that his wrists weren’t being torqued by the handcuffs, but he didn’t protest the rough treatment.

Zane was torn between the urge to laugh and the more professional need to pull Ty off their prisoner. He also wasn’t fond of watching Ty manhandle anyone like that unless it was him. He realized he was more tired than he’d thought if the sight of Ty searching a criminal had him jealous.

“Grady.”

Ty was already patting Julian down. Quite thoroughly. He glanced back at Zane and jerked his head. He continued the pat down, and Julian moved his head so he could glance over his shoulder at them. He didn’t show any emotion, merely looked at Ty.

“In most countries you’d have to pay for that.”

Zane stifled a sigh and took a step back. It wasn’t exactly kosher, what Ty was doing, but the assignment gave them unusual latitude to deal with such a dangerous asset. And maybe it would help Ty work off some of that extra energy. He turned in the doorway to glance out into the main room. Cameron was sitting up, turned toward the bathroom, peering Zane’s way with a worried look on his face.

Zane heard Ty whuff from within the bathroom, and by the time he looked back, Ty had shoved Julian’s face against the shower wall and was holding him there by the back of his head.

“Watch the elbows.”

“Watch your fingers,” Julian snapped.

“Welcome to TSA training, bitch.”

“Want the other set of cuffs?” Zane asked, hoping to appease his cranky partner. “You could spread his arms out.”

“Will someone please tell me the safe word?” Julian asked.

Zane snorted and leaned against the door, but he was watching Ty carefully. Something about Julian seemed to rub him wrong, and Ty’s short patience was nonexistent with this man.

A moment later Ty reached around and slid his fingers under his belt.

“Agent Garrett, I really must protest,” Julian said, though his voice was still calm.

Yeah, Zane wanted to protest too. Too much of Ty’s bare skin was too close to another man for Zane’s taste.

Julian started to speak again, but his words were choked off as Ty moved his hand further under his belt. Julian did react then, throwing his head to the side and beginning to fight as Ty pulled at the waistband of his pants.

“Ha!” Ty yanked something out of Julian’s pants and held it up. It was a long, thin piece of metal. It had once been a spiral, but it had been straightened out. Julian cursed. Ty put a hand in the center of his back and shoved him against the wall, holding him there as he stepped out of the shower.




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