Cut and Run 08 Ball & Chain (9 page)

“Don’t you ‘Hey, Ma,’ me! Why the hell didn’t you come see me as soon as you got here? Gone a year—”

“Less than six months.”

“—and can’t come see his mother,” she scolded, holding him by his broad shoulders and shaking him. Then she hugged him again, pressing her cheek against his chest and patting his back.

“Missed you too, Ma.”

Zane chuckled and moved closer.

Mara released Ty and practically shoved him aside as she stalked into the room. “Don’t you think you can hide from me,” she told Zane. “Get over here and give me a hug.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Zane said, and the smile on his face was honest when he hugged her.

“You boys both look so handsome!” Mara said, even though Zane was still wearing his robe and Ty was in a ratty pair of sweatpants.

Ty laughed, rubbing a hand over his chin as he closed the door. “Where’s Dad?”

“Still trying to convince your grandfather that we did
not
just hit the shore of Guadalcanal and he should
not
hit anyone on the head with that shovel.” Mara released Zane and put her hands on her hips.

Ty was biting his lip hard as he tried not to smile. “Did you come for reinforcements?”

“Well, no,” Mara said thoughtfully. “Might not be a bad idea.”

“Did he really bring the shovel? On the plane?” Zane asked, not suppressing his laughter very well.

Mara shrugged. “He wouldn’t come otherwise.”

“He should make an impression on the in-laws anyway,” Ty said under his breath. “Do you know where your room is, Ma?”

“We’re in the other wing. Old farts and married folks are over there. Young troublemakers are shacked up on this side.”

Zane laughed before he could stop himself.

“Speaking of troublemakers, where’s Nicholas? I’ve got a hug for him, too.”

“He and Doc are in the next room,” Ty answered.

“Doc? Which one was that?”

“The one who lost his parents when he was young. I brought him home for Thanksgiving one time. You told him you wanted to wrap him up and bake him in a pie and he never came back.”

“Oh, that one! Oh, he’s a cutie. Little skittish. Well, make sure Nick comes to say hello to me and your daddy, got it? Earl was asking after him.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay. I just wanted to come get a hug before you got into trouble,” she told them as she headed for the door.

“Why does everyone assume I’m going to get into trouble?” Ty asked, his brow creasing with frown lines.

“Because we know you, baby,” Mara told him. She walked by him, patting his cheek. “See you boys at dinner.”

After shutting the door, Ty shot Zane an evil grin that damn near caused them to be late. Thankfully, it was a casual affair, or they never would have gotten ready in time. As it was, Ty was still tucking his shirt in and fixing his tie as they made their way to the back patio of the massive house.

Someone whistled from behind them as they were hustling down the stairs. Zane glanced over his shoulder to find Nick and Kelly, both looking well rested and more relaxed than they had been. It was also the first time Zane had ever seen either man in a suit.

“You dirty whores,” Nick drawled quietly.

“Shut up,” Ty mumbled, still fussing with his tie.

Zane just smiled and gave Nick a cheeky wink. They headed for the party with a handful of other guests. Zane didn’t know the numbers, but he estimated there were roughly thirty people on the island, with another hundred due to show up the day of the ceremony. Not a large wedding for such a prominent family. It was just family and friends, perhaps, but no business associates. Zane knew how these affairs went, and he found that particularly odd.

He glanced at Ty, his body warming all over. Ty had asked him to marry him. He’d been entirely sincere, too, in the way only Ty could be when he thought of something spur of the moment. It brought a smile unbidden to Zane’s lips, and he quickly schooled his expression to something a little less giddy as they joined the crowd.

The patio was full of outdoor heaters and covered with a large party tent with plastic windows and ties to keep the doors closed against the wind. The tent protected parts of the garden, too, giving the space an outdoor feel without the outdoor frostbite to accompany it.

While Ty and Zane had been placed at the table of honor with Deuce and Livi, Nick and Kelly were at the next table over with the other members of the wedding party. They split off and took their seats just in time, beating Deuce and Livi by mere seconds.

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.”

Ty raised an eyebrow. He glanced over his shoulder at Nick and Kelly, who were both frowning hard but not yet looking defensive.

Stanton took a deep breath and looked at his daughter, his expression softening. “I’ve always believed in too much rather than too little, so thank you. And welcome.”

That surprised Ty, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Nick’s shoulders relax. They’d been expecting a little resistance.

Stanton continued. “My family has always received threats. That’s the way of the business, I’m afraid. But when news of Amelia’s birth got out, some of those threats turned their attention to her.”

“How so?” Ty practically growled.

“To be perfectly blunt: as leverage.”

Ty and Zane both turned to Deuce. He’d gone considerably paler. He met Ty’s eyes and nodded. “Kidnapping her and using her to force Theodore to make decisions for the company.”

Ty’s blood began to boil at the mere thought. These people had no fucking idea what kind of fire they were playing with if they came after Amelia.

“I’m sorry,” Kelly said. “But what do you do that’s so important to your competitors to warrant threats of that magnitude?”

“Two years ago, we bid on a defense contract. It was awarded to us over four other companies. There are some . . . sensitive projects being undertaken.”

“Has it escalated since then?” Nick asked.

“We received several specific threats regarding the wedding, yes,” Deuce said, his voice hoarse. “Not just to Amelia, but to Livi, myself, and Theodore and Susan. That’s why we moved the timetable and cut the guest list down to bare essentials.”

“So at its core, this is a corporate espionage issue,” Kelly muttered. He and Nick shared a look. “You should have asked Owen to be your date.”

Nick gave him a solemn nod. “But at least you put out.”

Ty glanced back at them with a frown. Neither man was laughing.

Zane was sitting on the edge of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. He’d been quiet so far, but he finally took the opportunity to speak. “Were there any specifics? Any indication of how they intended to strike or what they were after?”

“I brought the communications for you to look at,” Deuce said, and headed for the desk to retrieve a flash drive. He held it up, looking guilty. “I’m sorry, I know you’re not on the job right now. I feel bad putting this on you.”