Julian was silent.
“You put a condom in the gas tank.”
Zane turned to look back at Julian. “How do you even do that?”
Julian looked away, meeting Cameron’s eyes.
“If we start freezing, we’re eating Cameron first,” Ty grunted before unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing out of the car.
JULIAN had to restrain a smirk as the two FBI agents got out of the car. He could feel the cold seeping through the glass of the windows, and while it wasn’t ideal to be stuck where they were, it would have to serve.
“Did you really kill the car?” Cameron asked in a low voice.
“You have to give me some credit for being subversive.”
“Yeah, freezing to death in the middle of Ohio really turns me on.”
Julian grinned, chuckling as he looked out the window at Ty and Zane. They stood at the front of the car, Zane calm as he spoke, Ty gesticulating wildly instead of using words. They were discussing something quite heatedly.
“What are they fighting about?”
Julian could take his guesses. “I would say Grady wants to shoot me. Garrett is telling him no, too much paperwork. Then Grady will move on to how to get help. Garrett will suggest calling for a rental, Grady will be more… illegal, and likely want to go steal one.”
Cameron laughed.
“Listen, Cam. When I make my move, I want you to aim for the pressure points like I taught you and then run.”
“Julian.”
“I’m serious, love. These men are delivering us to our end. Either I’ll be killed, or I’ll be conscripted back into service, and either way, you won’t be allowed to come with me. Do you understand?”
Cameron met his eyes, swallowing hard as he nodded.
Julian let his eyes linger on his lover for a few moments, and then looked back at Ty and Zane. To his surprise, Ty had turned and was walking off across the white field of snow toward a side road on the other side of a fence.
“I’ll be damned,” he whispered as he watched Ty put a hand on a fencepost and leap over the barbed wire.
“What?”
“He’s leaving.”
The front door popped open and Zane slid into the passenger seat. He brought a gust of cold air with him before he shut the door.
“You’re just going to let him walk off into the snow?” Cameron asked.
“He’ll be back,” Zane assured them, as calm and steady as ever.
Julian looked from him to the retreating figure of his partner in the distance. This hadn’t gone to plan at all. Julian had anticipated a rental being called, exchanging vehicles, the two agents being distracted and irritated enough that he could get the drop on them as he was transferred. He hadn’t expected Ty to storm off into the darkness alone.
“Agent Garrett, while I don’t pretend to particularly like your partner, I have to express some concern over this plan.”
“Your concern is noted,” Zane said, his voice stilted and curt.
“It’s below freezing out there, Garrett.”
“Julian,” Cameron whispered.
Julian glanced at him and licked his lips, trying to force his shoulders to relax. He wanted to get away, but he didn’t want to be responsible for the death of either of these men. They were only doing as they’d been ordered, just like Julian had done for so many years.
Zane turned his head to look back at them. “If either of you knew Ty like I do, you’d be more worried about us freezing than him.”
An hour later, a pair of headlights flashed behind them, rousting all of them from a cold-induced doze. Julian craned his neck to watch the car approach. It slowed as it neared them, revealing itself to be a truck or SUV of some sort. Julian would have guessed it was an older vehicle from the shape of the headlights. The driver flashed the lights again before pulling up behind their sedan. The lights didn’t shut off, and Julian could barely make out the figure that stepped out of the SUV and walked toward them.
Ty opened the driver’s side door and ducked in to look at them. “Got us a ride,” he said, voice hoarse and gruff.
Zane got out of the car and slammed the door. The trunk opened, and Julian could feel them removing things from the back to transfer. Julian flexed his fingers, trying to get the blood pumping. If they could catch Ty and Zane by surprise now, after the effects of the cold had made them slower and less aware, then they might be able to take whatever vehicle Ty had found and make a clean getaway.
His fingers were stiff and cold. His whole body was. He also realized, somewhat belatedly, that his mind wasn’t working at full speed either. Ty and Zane weren’t the only ones who’d gotten cold and sleepy.
“Shit.”
“What?” Cameron asked, his voice sluggish.
“I’m afraid my plan has backfired. I didn’t expect the exchange to take so long.”
“Are you cold?” Cameron whispered.
The trunk slammed. Julian turned his head just in time to see Ty and Zane standing in the light of the headlights, Zane’s hands on Ty’s face. For a brief moment, Julian thought they were kissing. He closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, Zane was merely feeling Ty’s cheeks, apparently to check that he was warm.
“I believe… I might be hallucinating,” Julian muttered as he tried to shift enough to get his blood flowing.
Cameron didn’t respond, he merely looked at Julian, his eyes glazing over. The door popped open at Julian’s elbow, and Ty reached in to unlock his handcuffs. Ty pulled him out of the car, and the blast of cold was enough to make Julian gasp.
“Cold, isn’t it?” Ty asked through gritted teeth as he pushed Julian chest-first against the sedan.
Julian waited until Zane had freed Cameron. Then he rammed his elbow into Ty, catching him on the chin. Ty stumbled back and Julian turned, finally having gotten the drop on the man. He swung at him and Ty leaned away from his fist, dodging the blow. Instead of squaring against him to prepare for the brawl, Ty lunged at him. He jumped, turning sideways in the air, kicking out at Julian. He wrapped his arm around Julian’s neck. One foot went between Julian’s legs, the other on the outside of his knee. Then he wrenched his body sideways as he fell, wrapping Julian up and taking him to the ground.
By the time they hit the snow, Julian was completely immobilized, his legs tangled in Ty’s, in a headlock as he struggled to free himself.
“Ty!”
“We’re okay,” Ty called back, his voice freakishly calm as Julian tried to find a pressure point or something to fight back with. “Get the kid in the car. I need your help.”
Julian gritted his teeth. “Why is an ex-Recon Marine trained in Russian Sambo?”
Ty didn’t answer, merely tightened his hold on Julian so he couldn’t speak as they both shivered with the cold seeping into them.
ZANE hastily secured Cameron in the sedan before rushing over to the other side of the car, his gun drawn.
Both men were on the ground, Ty wrapped around Julian and restraining him with his body. It looked a little too much like they were spooning.
Zane grumbled under his breath and bent over them. “Quit messing around. I’m freezing,” he told them, and then he put the muzzle of his gun to Julian’s forehead and grabbed him by his collar.
They stood him up, Zane keeping his gun on him as Ty bullied him over to the other vehicle.
Zane didn’t know where Ty had found the old Bronco II, but Zane was glad he had. Ty used every bit of bungee cord, rope, and handcuffs they had to strap Julian down in the back of the Bronco. Then they moved Cameron over and tied him down too.
When they were finally all in the car, the heat chugging, Zane felt like he could breathe easily again. He glanced at Ty.
“Where did you find this thing?” he asked, unable to keep from being amused.
“Old barn near that water tower we passed. It had a cracked cylinder head. I found one to replace it in a Ranger nearby and hotwired it. It won’t go far, but it’ll get us to a hotel.”
Zane stared at him for a second before glancing behind them. Both of their prisoners were tied down, blocked by the rear seat. Zane reached out and set his hand on Ty’s thigh, squeezing. “Nicely done,” he whispered.
Ty set his hand on Zane’s, letting their fingers lace together. He looked at Zane and gave him a tense smile. Zane didn’t move his hand as they drove on into the night.
“WE FOUND the car, sir,” Agent X told his boss as he stood on the side of the road in the freezing cold.
“They dumped it?”
“No, sir. It appears it broke down. I suspect the gas tank is the culprit.”
“Why?”
“The engine is fine. The car won’t start. I believe Cross sabotaged it. They left the keys in it, and there are signs of a struggle on the side of the road. Another car was here, possibly a truck or SUV. I believe they stole the car and switched over.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Yes, sir. They took their toll ticket. They have to have it to get off the highway. As soon as it comes up, we’ll know what exit they’ve taken and we’ll go from there.”
“Very good. Keep me apprised. We have to get Cross before they deliver him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Chapter 10
TWENTY minutes after Ty had dropped them off and told them he was going to stash the stolen car, Ty still wasn’t back. How long did it take to dump a broken-down Bronco in rural Macedonia, Ohio? Zane sighed and looked at Cameron, who was sitting uneasily on the other bed, looking toward the bathroom where Ty had left Julian cuffed to the plumbing again.
“Go on,” Zane said gruffly, waving a hand toward the bathroom.
Cameron blinked at him and then smiled gratefully. “Thanks,” he said, and he hurried to join Julian.
“Leave the door open,” Zane said as Cameron disappeared inside. “Just remember I can shoot him before he can get to the door.”
Zane took off his jacket and slung it into the sink of the tiny kitchenette before thumping down on the end of the bed. He was tired. This trip was testing his patience. And what the hell was taking Ty so goddamn long?
It was another ten minutes, maybe more, before there was a scratch at the door and Zane heard the key card swipe. Ty pushed into the room, face flushed from the cold, flecks of snow melting on his shoulders. He was carrying a small paper bag.
He looked around the room as he stepped in. “Where are they?”
Zane gritted his teeth and swallowed the sharp remark that was his gut response. “In the bathroom,” he said instead.
Ty nodded curtly. “That won’t hold him all night,” he said, not even bothering to try explaining why walking a mile or two in the snow had taken him nearly an hour to manage. Zane played the whole prospective explanation and resulting argument through in his head and decided to just not go there. Ty had done a lot of walking in the snow tonight.
“Our options are rather limited.”
“What have you come up with?” Ty asked. He shrugged out of his coat, then tossed it onto the tiny table between the television and the kitchenette.
“I thought about cuffing him to the underpinning of the bed, but it’s junk. He’d probably break it,” Zane answered.
Ty stared at him, waiting for him to continue, and Zane resisted the urge to snap at him. Tempers were getting shorter, and it didn’t help that they couldn’t touch or even speak openly to each other in front of their prisoners. Zane reminded himself to stay calm. “We could attach him to the refrigerator. Even if he did get out, he wouldn’t be going anywhere fast.”
Ty was nodding slowly as Zane spoke. “How?” he asked in a flat voice.
Zane shrugged, mind churning. “Use his belt and the chill grate? Fasten it behind his back.”
“And essentially give him a nice sharp metal weapon when he gets lose,” Ty said, sounding disgusted. He picked up the bag he’d been carrying and opened it up to extract a gas station box of Benadryl. He held it up, looking at Zane grimly. “How many of these things would it take to put you down?”
Zane looked at the package, then up at Ty, and it was all too clear how far Ty had been pushed: too far. “Absolutely not. You’re not drugging him.”
“And he’s not smothering one of us in our sleep,” Ty said, voice sharp and serious. “I don’t know about you, Zane, but I’m tired. I’m too fucking tired, and I’m afraid I’m going to fall asleep tonight, let down my guard, and not wake up.”
“That’s not going to happen. If you need to sleep, sleep. I can stay awake.”
“No, you can’t. You are just as exhausted as I am!” Ty tossed the box of Benadryl onto the table and pulled his gun out of its holster to check the clip.
Zane took in a deep breath through his nose, hanging on to his patience with everything he had. “You do need sleep, because you’d never try this in your right mind. Knock him out, tie him up, hell, strip him nude, but you’re not drugging him.” What if Cross had some crazy reaction to the drugs like Ty often did, and died? Burns would forgive them some surface damage to the asset, but dead wouldn’t go over well at all.
Ty rammed the clip home, the noise unmistakable in the otherwise quiet hotel room. “You’re right. Plan B then,” he said in a deceptively calm voice. He pushed away from the table and headed for the bathroom, gun still in his hand.
Zane wasn’t sure what was worse. He was certain—all right, almost certain—Ty wouldn’t just shoot Julian. Well, kind of certain. Maybe. “Grady… what are you going to do?” he called, hearing the dread in his own voice.