“I’m not playing games,” Ty assured him. “Look, Garrett,” he sighed as he turned and leaned over him. “Wouldn’t you rather talk with Deuce than some random Bureau shrink?” he asked, wincing inwardly as he waited for Zane’s reaction.
Zane sighed, reached up to curl his hand over Ty’s nape, and tugged down gently. Ty allowed it warily, not certain what to expect. When Ty was close enough, Zane kissed him gently for mere seconds and then released him.
“Thanks,” Zane whispered.
Ty pressed his forehead to Zane’s with a hint of relief. This was one step in the right direction, anyway. The sooner he got Zane back on track, the sooner they’d be in the field again. He cocked his head, looking into Zane’s exhausted eyes. He wanted to say more. He wanted to ask Zane what he’d meant earlier when he’d mentioned “them” as if they were a unit. But he supposed his father was right; he was too much of a coward to ask.
“I can see your thoughts running in circles in your eyes,” Zane said softly, his fingers ruffling in the hair at the base of Ty’s neck.
Ty pulled back, his eyes darting back and forth as he looked into Zane’s. He was too worn out to think of anything to say in return other than to ask, “What?”
“You’re thinking hard about something,” Zane said. “Something you’re not happy about. It shows. To me at least.” He smiled, but it immediately faded. “Probably because I’ve seen it so much lately.”
Ty sighed and shook his head. “Usually I hide the thinking thing better,” he tried in a wry voice.
“You don’t have to hide from me,” Zane told him quietly. “Lord knows I’ve probably seen you near your worst.”
Ty gave that a small smile. “You’re right,” he acknowledged. “But I’m not hiding from you.”
“So what are you thinking about? Will you tell me?”
Ty held his breath as he considered the request. It wasn’t out of line. And Zane was right; he’d seen Ty at his very worst. Any opinions he might form about Ty’s weaknesses, either physical or mental, had long ago been formed.
“I was thinking about being afraid of things,” he admitted.
Zane didn’t say anything right away. He tipped his head slightly to one side as he studied Ty, and then he moved, scooting over on the bed and drawing Ty down to lay next to him. “Things like dark rooms,” he said softly. “Small spaces,” he clarified. “You seemed to handle being out on the mountain in the dark okay.”
Ty was already shaking his head in answer. “Do you… do you think turning back up there would have been cowardice?” he asked slowly.
“No,” Zane answered immediately. “You heard me disagree with Earl from the start. We were four men of various capabilities, very lightly armed, in unknown territory with no resources and no idea who or what we were facing. We should have gotten to safety and sent back people who were equipped to handle it.” His fingers clenched where they draped over Ty’s hip. “We were lucky. Real damn lucky.”
Ty didn’t respond as he met Zane’s eyes. Those were the same things he’d been telling himself up until he’d run into bigger things to worry about. But the hint of doubt lingered. He was too tired to try and conceal the emotion.
Zane lifted his hand and cupped Ty’s cheek, turning Ty’s chin so he couldn’t look away. “You listen to me, Beaumont Tyler Grady. You are a wise-cracking, stubborn, annoying pain in the ass who lives to cause trouble. You’re also a brave, courageous, and valiant Marine who puts his life on the line for what he believes and for those he loves. There is no way you have ever been or ever will be a coward. It simply isn’t in you.”
Ty stared at him in shock. It was the nicest thing Zane had ever said to him. Possibly the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. He had no idea how to respond, and he realized his mouth was hanging open slightly as he tried to think of something to say. The corner of Zane’s mouth curled up into a half-smile, and he moved one hand to slide his fingers lightly over Ty’s lips. Ty blinked rapidly at him. “Thanks, Zane,” he finally managed to say. It felt silly to say it. But it was the only thing coming to mind. At least he was no longer afraid of making a fool of himself in front of Zane. He wouldn’t be able to function at this point if he worried about that.
Zane hummed slightly, and his eyes remained trained on Ty. When he spoke, it came out a little deeper. “Well, don’t get used to it. I expect a lot more fighting in our future. That’s how we get along best, remember?”
Ty gave him a weak smile and nodded.
Zane shook his head and poked Ty in the ribs. “Quit thinking so hard,” he said as he tried to muffle a yawn. He curled his arm around Ty’s waist and dragged him close enough that their bodies bumped gently from chest to knee. “Sleep,” he murmured, his lips close to Ty’s temple.
Ty swallowed hard and closed his eyes, turning his face into Zane’s and inhaling his scent deeply. Just as it always did, it sent a thrill through him and caused a dull ache to start in his chest.
What he was afraid of, he’d come to realize, was not dark spaces or falling from great heights or being buried alive. His greatest fears, in the end, were letting down those he loved and saying the words “I love you” without any hope of hearing them in return.
He knew, deep down somewhere, that if he fell for Zane Garrett, he’d be falling alone.
RICHARD BURNS sat back in his chair with a long sigh. He waited a few moments to ponder what Earl Grady had related to him on the phone. It had been a week since Earl and the boys had made it off the mountain, but he was just now getting the full story. At first blush, it was hard to tell whether the debacle would fall under FBI jurisdiction. It might be handled by the Parks Department or the local law enforcement. Hell, treasure hunters and a booby-trapped mountain could even fall to the National Guard. Burns really hoped the Bureau wouldn’t need to deal with it.
A team of rangers had located two of the dead men, although they’d had to comb several miles down a ravine for one of them. The shooting was being half-heartedly investigated, but Burns had no doubt Zane would be cleared. He had three good men vouching that he’d saved Ty’s life and that deadly force had been required. There was no trace of the third hunter. And so far four bodies of missing hikers had been found in the area of the main camp.