Ball & Chain (Cut & Run 8)

Zane knew everyone at their table except the older couple he assumed were the Stantons, and a younger man who was probably Livi’s brother. They didn’t have time for introductions before a man approached the table to say hello. Ty and Deuce both stood abruptly, and it startled Zane and the Stantons into flinching when they did it. Zane glanced up to see Assistant Director Richard Burns standing there.

Ty reached out to shake Burns’s hand. “Sir.”

“Tyler. Deacon,” Burns said as he shook Ty’s and then Deuce’s hands. He turned to Ty’s father, Earl, who was in the process of pushing back his chair to stand. They embraced warmly.

Livi cleared her throat. “Mama, Daddy, this is Director Richard Burns, a dear friend of the Grady family.”

The tall, white-haired man stood and offered a hand to Burns. “Theodore Stanton. Pleased to meet you, Director. This is my wife, Susan.”

As they exchanged greetings, Livi continued. “And this is Tyler Grady, Deacon’s brother. And Special Agent Zane Garrett, Ty’s partner.”

“Pleased to meet you all,” Zane said, standing and shaking Stanton’s hand when it was offered, just as Ty had done.

Burns took Livi’s hand in a dainty, formal greeting. “Congratulations, my dear, you look lovely.”

“Thank you, Director, that’s very kind of you.”

Burns nodded to them all, then gave Earl a wink and patted his lapel pocket as he turned away. “Earl, I’ll find you later.”

Ty’s hand sought out Zane’s under the table, squeezing. Then his thumb stroked over Zane’s palm, and any anger or resentment aimed toward the director that had been bubbling inside Zane began to fade. He glanced at Ty to find the man watching him.

Ty mouthed a silent, “I love you.”

Zane couldn’t help but smile.

They engaged in only a couple minutes of small talk before Deuce and Livi stood and Deuce tapped his crystal glass with a knife. The room quickly went quiet, all eyes turning toward them.

“Good evening everyone,” Deuce said, just loud enough to reach all the tables. He possessed a certain presence, like a man accustomed to speaking to large crowds or being in the spotlight. He smiled as he spoke. “You are our nearest and dearest, and we want to thank you all for making this journey to be here with us.”

He waited a beat, and Livi took over. “Deacon and I decided that we wanted our families and friends to enjoy this as much as we will, which is why you were all invited to stay for the entire week with us.” She turned a loving smile up to Deacon. He hugged her around her slim waist. “Rehearsals and planning are being kept to a bare minimum.”

“Just enough to make sure we don’t make fools of ourselves,” Deuce assured everyone, drawing laughter.

“And so we can all get the most out of this experience. We ask you to please enjoy yourselves this week as our most beloved guests.”

“And if you partake of the open bar, please stay away from the cliffs.”

More laughter arose from the crowd, and as Deuce held his glass up to toast, it was followed by applause.

Waitstaff appeared to man the buffet. Zane stayed in his seat and watched as others got in line. He smiled when Deuce hugged Livi and kissed her forehead. He tried to remember what he’d felt like before his wedding, but he couldn’t recall much of anything beyond nerves. Deuce and Livi looked anything but nervous, despite whatever trouble was apparently brewing.

They were a good couple, and Zane was genuinely happy for them.

When his eyes met Ty’s, he found his partner relaxed in his seat and watching him with a small smile. Ty winked at him, flushing Zane’s body with the same convictions he’d experienced the first time that wink had hit him. He lifted his water glass and toasted Ty before pushing out of his chair to join the buffet line.

As soon as dinner wound down and people moved on to drinks and dancing, Deuce stood and tilted his head at Ty to indicate they should go inside.

Ty turned to seek out Nick or Kelly, and immediately found Nick’s sharp eyes on him. He waved at him to follow, and Nick nodded.

At the doorway to the study, a man was standing with a metal-detecting wand. Ty stopped and spread his legs, holding his hands out. Zane did the same as he followed Ty into the study. Ty was still glancing around the room when a commotion arose behind him.

“Why am I being wanded?” Kelly asked.

“Just stand still,” the guard ordered.

“I am standing still,” Kelly said. “What, does that thing not work when I’m talking? It gets distracted? It’s a metal detector with ADD?”

“Jesus Christ, Kels, just let him wand you,” Nick said, rubbing his eyes as he stood behind Kelly, waiting for his turn.

“I usually get dinner first. No, that’s a lie,” Kelly said as the man waved the wand over his chest.

Kelly cleared his throat and nodded, but his eyes were sparkling when he stepped into the room. Nick stood obediently and let the man wand him, but just as Ty knew it would, the wand went off at Nick’s thigh near his pocket.

“Do you have a weapon on you, sir?” the guard asked him.

“No.” Nick unbuttoned his jacket and turned his suit pocket inside out. “It’s shrapnel in my thigh. There are certain frequencies it sets off.”

The man patted Nick’s thigh down, then wanded him again after finding nothing in his pocket. Nick narrowed his eyes. When the man looked up at him, Nick shook his head.

“Not taking my pants off, man.”

The security guy snorted and waved him past.

They were joined in the study by Livi’s father, Theodore Stanton, and her brother, whose name had escaped Ty. Two other men followed along and positioned themselves at the door of the study, not being discreet at all about the fact that they were Stanton’s private security. They called each other English and Hardin. Ty had pegged them as ex-military as soon as he’d seen them, and he guessed the others had as well.

One more man joined them. Despite the casual evening, he was wearing a suit and vest. His movements were fast and nervous, and his forehead glistened with sweat. He carried a smooth worry stone in his hand, and he was almost continuously rubbing his thumb over it. Stanton introduced him as Ernest Milton, the company’s head of operations. He seemed pretty young for such a prestigious position, which probably explained his obvious stress-related issues.

“Gentlemen,” Stanton said as he poured himself a drink and took a thick cigar out of a humidor on a desk in the corner of the room. “I understand Deacon asked you to come here as added security.”