Part 32 (1/2)

He didn't know Nick, but he knew Ty. He trusted Ty, and he knew Ty wouldn't do anything to hurt him. But hearing the words from Nick, receiving the promise that he wouldn't make another advance, that he regretted doing it in the first place, it did ease some of the worry in Zane's mind.

”Garrett. He's never looked at me like he looks at you,” Nick said in a soft voice. ”He's never looked at anything the way he looks at you. Besides. He hates the Sox. We'd never work.”

Zane huffed and shook his head. ”You're kind of a d.i.c.k, you know that?”

Nick shrugged.

”Thank you.”

”Least I could do,” Nick whispered.

Zane stared at him for another minute, trying to wrap his mind around all the things Nick had told him, and telling himself that this man was and would always be a huge part of Ty's life.

”I think I'm going to try to sleep.”

”Probably a good idea,” Nick said. ”I've got your back tonight.”

Zane stood and carefully didn't examine the feeling those words gave him as he pushed his gla.s.s toward Nick. ”Thanks,” he murmured as he turned away. He made his way back down the steps to the cabin where Ty lay asleep, but Zane knew he wouldn't be sleeping easily tonight, not after learning what he had.

He crawled into bed, seeing his lover with new eyes as he pulled the covers up around their shoulders.

Ty muttered something in the foreign language Zane was becoming used to, and rolled away from him, pus.h.i.+ng back at him so Zane would hold him. Zane scooted up behind him, wrapping him up and pressing against his warm body.

”Are you awake?” Zane asked, barely letting the words come out.

Ty hummed and pushed closer to Zane. ”No.”

Zane smiled, letting his fingers drag against Ty's skin. As conducive to romance as the setting may have been, all Zane wanted to do was hold Ty close and sleep with him in his arms.

Ty turned his head. ”Did you hear what you needed to hear?”

Zane pulled himcloser. ”I think so. Yeah.”

T HE next morning, Nick was guiding the yacht toward Was.h.i.+ngton, DC, and the rest of them were huddled in the booth where Zane had sat last night, trying to come up with a plan.

”Look, I don't care if you're the big bad a.s.sa.s.sin, and I'm not intimidated when you glower at me. You're not coming with me,” Ty was saying to Julian as the two men went in verbal circles.

”I refuse to be dragged along any longer. We will have a say in our next move, or I will leave you bound and gagged during the night for the Coast Guard to find,” Julian growled.

Ty slammed his hand against the table and pointed a finger in Julian's face. ”Why can't you talk like a normal person?” he shouted in frustration.

Julian snorted in disdain and crossed his arms.

”Fine! When we make port, you come with me to headquarters, Cam stays somewhere safe with Garrett, and you start using contractions when you talk to me or I swear to G.o.d-”

”Agreed,” Julian said in annoyance. Ty grumbled as he grabbed up his coat and stalked toward the steps that led to the flybridge, where there were more places to sit in the open air. ”I need air,” he snarled to the rest of them.

”What exactly is wrong with the way I talk?” Julian asked as he got up and followed him up the steps.

”I hate you and shut up. Why are you following me?”

”Because air is free,” Julian shot back before they slammed the hatch door closed and m.u.f.fled the rest of their argument.

Quiet reigned for a full minute before Zane started to chuckle, a wry smile on his face. He tipped his head sideways to look at Cameron. ”I really do think they enjoy it.”

Cameron shrugged. ”I know Julian does.”

”Reminds me of Thanksgiving with my parents,” Nick muttered as he sat at the wheel, still examining the nautical chart he'd been reading when Ty and Julian had started in on each other.

”As long as they both come back intact,” Cameron said, pus.h.i.+ng away his coffee cup and standing. ”I'm going to take a shower.” He disappeared down the steps It left Zane acutely aware that he was sitting alone with Nick.

There was silence for a long moment. Even the rustle of the paper had stopped. Finally, Nick turned and looked at Zane over his shoulder. ”Ty does love a good nemesis.”

”Ty could start an argument with Gandhi if he put his mind to it.”

”You should have heard him and Sanchez go at it. Four different languages, neither of them ever understood the other. A Latino guy screaming in German and a mountain hick shooting off French back at him.”

Zane snorted.

”Hey, listen.... You said last night that you wanted to understand him better.”

Zane looked up at Nick and nodded.

Nick reached into his jacket and pulled out a CD case. ”I dug this up. It's uh... it's a bunch of videos we took while we were in service.” He handed it to Zane. ”Thought maybe you and Ty could watch it together.”

Zane blinked at him, momentarily stunned by the simple gesture. He recognized it as the peace offering it was. He reached out to take the CD case and looked from it to Nick. ”Thank you.”

Nick nodded and then turned his attention back to the charts and navigating the waters toward DC.

”Sidewinder, right? Where'd the name come from?”

”That's just what they called us. I think it was because no matter what they sent us into, we always managed to slither out of it.”

Zane laughed. Yeah, that sounded like a team Ty would have led. ”Did Ty have a call sign?”

”Nah, that's just pilots,” Nick said after a minute or two. ”We had nicknames. They changed every couple months depending on who moved in and out. But Ty was team leader, meant we just called him Six.”

”He didn't have a nickname?” Zane asked.

”None he'd want me to repeat,” Nick muttered, a smile in his voice.”Just Six.”

” YOU better d.a.m.n well call me when you're safe,” Nick told Ty as they stood around Julian, s.h.i.+elding him as he jimmied the lock on a car parked in the parking lot of the public marina where Nick had rented a slip.

”Someone will. Check on Deacon for me, okay?”

”Done.”