If Zane let himself feel more, if he let this want grow, it would drive Ty away. And it would hurt like hell when he lost him.

Chapter 10

SMUGGLING the spare scuba tank to the platforms where the boats were moored was not as easy as it had been to sneak in the ceramic knife he had used on his last attempt. He"d had to disembark at the last port and hire his way to this island to get ahead of the cruise ship, then track down the service that would be used for the scuba excursion. But he was quite good at his job, and he managed to slip past the attendants in the little shop and get to the staging area unmolested.

He had failed to kill or maim the blond man on the rock wall, and he had been shocked when he"d learned the man hadn"t even fallen when his rope broke, much less been injured. Before taking the assignment, he"d been informed his target might be easily underestimated, but he had fallen into the trap anyway. This time he did not intend to fail. He did not have to kill the man to succeed, merely put him out of commission.

The scuba gear lay lined up on the pier alongside the small boat that would be used to take the group to sea later today. The gear had been conveniently labeled with the names of the users, according to size and skill level. He scuttled along the bundles until he found the one for Del Porter. He hefted the tank he"d brought with him, checking its weight. It was filled with the correct amount of oxygen: approximately 21 percent. But the rest of the gasses were a dangerous mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Maybe it wasn"t lethal, but breathing it would induce a certain lethargy, courtesy of the poisonous carbon dioxide, and combined with the euphoric effect of the nitrous oxide, that certainly would be lethal when a person was underwater.

If the target realized his air was bad once he got down there, he might not care enough to try to surface before he drowned.

“HOW long has it been since you went diving?” Zane asked as he struggled to pull the skintight suit up his legs. The damn thing was rubber and kept sticking to him. He should have brought some baby powder.

“I get my certification re-upped every year,” Ty answered, the fake British accent in full force again today. He wasn"t struggling with the neoprene suit. There seemed to be a technique that Zane didn"t know. Ty looked up at Zane and smiled. He hadn"t shaved that morning, and the dark stubble contrasted alarmingly with his white-blond hair. The aviator glasses he"d snuck off and purchased, the ones almost exactly like the pair he"d left at home, gave him a slightly rakish air as he grinned crookedly and zipped up the suit. “Why?”

“Wondering if you"ll be bored while they give us refresher lessons,” Zane said of their “mixed experience” diving excursion. He huffed and finally worked the suit up over his thighs and hips. Now he just had to pull it up over his chest to squeeze his arms through the short sleeves. Getting into this thing was more work than the diving would be.

Ty shook his head and picked up his tank. “Instructor told us the experienced divers can go off on their own, farther down the shelf. Do you need help?” he asked bemusedly as he watched Zane struggle.

“An extra hand or three would be appreciated,” Zane said, although it seemed silly to ask. “It"s not like we"re going to get cold in Caribbean waters,” he groused about the heavy, insulating suit.

“At least it"s a three-quarter and not a steamer,” Ty said in a warm voice. He still wore the sunglasses, but Zane somehow knew that Ty was looking up at him instead of down as he rolled the wetsuit up Zane"s torso.

Zane let his smile grow a little shark-like. “I think it"s steamy enough for a public venue,” he agreed, his voice a low purr.

Ty inclined his chin, reaching to take his aviators off and peer at Zane studiously. He looked at home in the body-hugging wetsuit. His skin was a healthy brown in the sunshine, and the salty breeze playfully lifted his unnaturally colored hair off his brow. His eyes were a deep green in the sunlight. And Zane had no desire whatsoever to look away.

Ty leaned closer and kissed Zane briefly, a simple brush of their lips.

“Next time we should do this for real.”

“For real?” Zane repeated, slightly breathless.

“Time off,” Ty clarified, his voice dropping to a mere whisper.

“In a tropical place where we have no jurisdiction and won"t be bothered by murderers or thieves.”

Zane felt warmth flush through him, and it wasn"t because of being sealed into a wetsuit. He set his hands on Ty"s hips and pulled gently so their chests bumped. “I like that idea.”

Ty laughed softly and took Zane by both wrists, pulling his hands away. “A little decorum, please,” he said primly. He reached down and sealed Zane"s wetsuit up slowly, taking care not to catch his skin with the zipper.

“Decorum,” Zane muttered. “Sure.” He had to look away from Ty and out over the water to keep that concept in mind. Luckily, the instructor spoke up and gave him something else to focus on.

The man presented a basic review of technique and equipment, as well as more in-depth information about the man-made reef below for the more experienced divers, but Zane was only listening with half an ear. Ty checked over Zane"s tank, hoses, and gauges to make sure everything was in working order, then did the same to his own. He murmured to himself as he did this, explaining to Zane what he was doing, and that was much more interesting to listen to.

Once the instructor was done, Ty hefted his tank up and slung it over his shoulders, securing it with a level of familiarity and competence even a novice would have recognized.

“Ready to go?” he asked Zane brightly as he pulled his face mask over his head.

“Let"s go, hotshot,” Zane answered with an indulgent smile as they moved to sit on the edge of the dive boat with the other twenty or so people. He pulled his mask on and settled the breathing apparatus.

He figured the worst would be remembering he couldn"t breathe through his nose, and that wouldn"t be tough. This was kind of exciting, really, in a good way, for a change. He turned to look at Ty just as his partner fell back into the water and disappeared. After a deep breath, Zane followed.

It was suddenly quiet and calm around him, and all he had to focus on was his breathing. It was soothing. Zane sank slowly through layers of blue and green for what seemed like a long time, letting the weight on the belts he wore pull him down as he got used to the silence roaring in his ears and watched the water mute the glittering light above the surface. He drifted down past several divers who were staying closer to the surface, and one of the dive instructors wearing a bright yellow neoprene suit waved at him. Zane gave her a thumbs-up before righting himself and turning to peer through the shifting water.




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