Sticks and Stones (7 page)

“Those damn kids are gonna blow themselves up down there,” the man who entered pronounced as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on a hook beside the door. “Morning, boys,” he said, as if having his sons there for breakfast was nothing unusual.

“Morning, sir,” both men responded in unison.

“Dad, this is Zane Garrett,” Ty added with a nod to his partner. “Zane, Earl Grady,” he introduced as Ty’s father came over and patted Ty on the shoulder in greeting.

Earl was an imposing man, tall and broad-shouldered. The man made Ty look like the runt of the litter. His graying hair was cut short and neat, and he was clean-shaven and almost as devoid of wrinkles as his wife. Zane decided it must be the altitude.

Earl reached across the table to offer his callused hand to Zane. “Hello, sir,” Zane greeted as he stood to shake Earl’s hand.

“Good to meet you, son,” Earl responded as he shook Zane’s hand. His voice was deep and gravelly, with the same twanging, almost hoarse quality Ty’s was apt to have at times. His accent was more pronounced. “Ty has told us absolutely nothing about you,” he informed Zane as he sat at the other end of the table, opposite his wife.

Zane’s brows rose. He was mildly surprised, first by being addressed as “son” and second by Earl’s comment about his presence. “Ah.” He looked to his partner sitting across the table from him. “You
did
tell them I was coming, right?”

“Yes,” Ty answered defensively.

“Oh, don’t you worry, dear,” his mother said with a pat of Zane’s hand. “Earl, say grace so Zane doesn’t starve,” she ordered. She bowed her head again as Earl said a few words over the food, and then as soon as he was done she lifted her head and started passing around the dishes. “Eat up,” she invited.

Giving Ty a dubious glare, Zane picked up the serving fork and started filling his plate and then offered the platter to Deuce, who took it with a murmur of thanks and dished out his own breakfast before passing it to his father.

“So Zane, Richard tells me you two have had some interesting times,” Earl Grady said as he took the platter.

“Richard? Richard… Burns?” Zane asked, his fork pausing over his plate. Earl looked up from his plate and raised one eyebrow. “Interesting times,” Zane quickly answered. “If you were reading about them, I guess,” he added.

“Reading about them,” Earl repeated as his eyes traveled to Ty. “That what you been doing, son? Sitting behind a desk and reading about them?” he asked his son.

Ty sighed and sat forward to lean his elbows on the table. “Dad, don’t be silly,” he said with practiced patience and sarcasm. “You know I don’t read,” he assured his father.

Earl smiled slowly before passing the platter on around to Chester. “You like desk work, Zane?” he asked, his voice still mildly curious.

Zane screwed up his face in distaste. “I’ve done more than my fair share.”

“Earl, leave the boys alone,” Mara ordered.

“Hell, Mara, I’m just being friendly,” Earl protested.

“You’re interrogating them,” Mara corrected. “Eat your bacon,” she ordered. She patted Ty on the head protectively as he took the platter from Chester and started scooping food onto to his plate. He didn’t even react to the gesture.

Zane wondered if Ty was a mama’s boy. He tipped his head to the side, watching them as he picked out a piece of warm bread, and thought maybe so. Not that he would ever voice that opinion to Ty until he was good and ready to die. He supposed, though, with a father as imposing as Earl Grady seemed to be, his sons would need a protective and loving mother. With a soft hum, he started picking up jelly jars and examining them.

“That there’s plum jelly, and the other’s cherry, honey, you help yourself,” Mara told him. “You like hiking, Zane? I’ve never met one of the boys’ friends who could keep up with them on the mountain,” she went on cheerfully.

“Haven’t done much hiking, I’m afraid, unless you count running around out on the flats,” Zane said as he peered into the jars and finally chose the cherry. “And that was a long time ago.”

Earl and Mara both stopped what they were doing and looked at him in surprise. Chester began to laugh delightedly as he continued eating. Zane glanced among them, waiting for an explanation.

“You’ve never been out on the trail?” Earl asked dubiously.

“Sure I have. Just not in the mountains,” Zane said, glancing between Earl and Ty.

“He’ll be fine, Dad,” Deuce said through a mouthful of food. “If I can do it, so can he,” he pointed out with a tap of his knuckles on the table.

“Gonna be cold out there,” Chester interjected gleefully.

“Maybe you boys should think about not going,” Mara said. She sounded worried.

“Zane’ll be fine, Ma,” Ty assured her, unconcerned as he looked at Zane. Zane shrugged with one shoulder, not sure what Ty wanted him to say. Ty cocked his head and gave him a quick wink, and Zane gave him a small smile in response.

“Well, Zane, you must have proved yourself somehow,” Earl observed wryly. “The last person Ty took on the mountain was Recon. And we carried
his
ass back home.”

“He got bit by a snake, dad,” Ty said in protest.

“Well, hell, you told the dumbass not to poke it,” Earl argued. Ty pressed his lips together tightly, trying not to laugh as he looked back at Zane.

“I’m betting it’s cool enough not too many snakes will be out,” Zane said dryly. “But I’ll do my best not to poke them.”

“You do that,” Earl said with a nod.

“Probably don’t want to poke at the wild boar either,” Deuce added helpfully. “Or the bats. Or the bears.”

“Sounds like lions and tigers and bears, oh my,” Zane said as he helped himself to more scrambled eggs.

“Bears, sure. Lots of coyotes. And you just might see yourself a lion if you’re really lucky,” Earl said while he buttered a piece of toast.

“We have varying definitions of lucky,” Deuce interjected.

“Seen a black panther out there once,” Chester offered, unconcerned.

“Was that through the end of a moonshine jug?” Ty asked him with a smirk.

“Watch that tongue, sonny,” Chester warned with a wag of his crooked finger in Ty’s face.

“Better if you plan to restrict your poking,” Deuce told Zane helpfully. “Lots of endangered animals up here aside from Ty. Snails. Peregrines and a lot of other birds, mostly. And a salamander.”

“Don’t forget the freshwater mussel,” Ty drawled.

Deuce toasted him with his orange juice. “And the freshwater mussel.”

“How do you even know where to walk?” Zane asked flatly. Ty rolled his eyes and waved Zane off.

“What’s the plan today?” Deuce asked Ty as they ate.

Ty shrugged. “Haven’t really got that far,” he answered. “What about you, Garrett? Got anything you wanna do before we take you up there and leave you?”

“Sleep?” Zane suggested, ignoring the playful threat. “Or something equally relaxing. We’re supposed to be on vacation, remember?”

“Vacation?” Deuce asked in surprise. “I thought you used up all your vacation already.”

Ty looked at him, pursing his lips. The two brothers stared at each other expectantly for a tense moment. “I don’t wanna talk about it,” Ty said finally.

“Neither do I,” Deuce assured him gratefully as he went back to eating.

“Talk about what?” Mara asked distractedly.

“Nothing,” Ty insisted.

“Ty and his partner are on punishment,” Earl told her, frowning. Zane’s head popped up in surprise.

“Did Dick tell you that?” Ty demanded angrily.

“No, Ty, I figured that one out all by myself,” Earl answered with a tap to the side of his head. Eyes darting from side to side, Zane leaned back a little out of the line of fire.

“If you two are gonna fight, you take it outside,” Mara told them, unaffected by the suddenly tense atmosphere. “Zane, honey, how long have you been with the Bureau?” she asked.

“A little over twenty years, ma’am,” Zane said hesitantly.

”You’d think twenty years would get you better than Ty,” Deuce muttered as he reached for the orange juice.

“Well…” Zane drew out, smiling a little, “no. Afraid not.”

Ty glared at them both. Earl watched Zane with his head slightly cocked. He had the same quality Ty did, the one that always made it look like he knew something more than he was letting on.

“I believe it was more Ty getting stuck with me than me getting stuck with him,” Zane clarified as Ty gave him a gesture that probably meant for him to shut the hell up.

“Why do you say that?” Deuce asked curiously.

“I was transferred from another division, and Assistant Director Burns dumped me on him with no warning,” Zane said, trying to talk around it enough that Ty might not kick his ass later.

“So you consider each other punishment?” Deuce asked as he set his elbow on the table and leaned forward in interest.

No way was Zane touching that one. He’d let Ty throw the first insult.

Ty wagged his fork in his brother’s direction. “Stop psychoanalyzing us,” he warned.

“But that’s my job,” Deuce protested.

“If I wanted to see a shrink, I’d go to the one Dick told me to,” Ty told him. Zane did a double take between the brothers.

“Why do you need a shrink?” Earl asked Ty.

“We really don’t like to be called shrinks,” Deuce informed them in annoyance.

Zane’s chin turned toward Deuce. “You’re a shrink?” was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

“I’m a psychiatrist, yes,” Deuce answered. “Ty didn’t tell you?”

Zane snorted. “I know as little or less about you all than you know about me. I didn’t even know Ty
had
a brother ’til this morning.”

Ty’s fork clattered into his plate, and he held up his hand. “Can we stop sharing, please?” he requested in frustration.

“Why do you need a shrink?” Earl asked him again.

“I have daddy issues,” Ty answered with a smirk.

Earl pointed his fork at him and narrowed his eyes as he chewed, though there was a hint of amusement in his expression. It seemed all of them enjoyed brandishing that quick wit. If Zane weren’t so off balance, it would have almost been fun to see Ty bested by someone else.

“If Richard said you needed a shrink, then you need a shrink,” Mara told Ty with certainty.

“I don’t need a shrink,” Ty insisted with a gesture of his hand to calm his mother.

“We really don’t like to be called shrinks,” Deuce repeated again in annoyance.

“Honey, you’re lucky that’s all we call you,” Mara told Deuce as she dished out more grits.

Ty snorted, and Deuce grumbled at them both.

“I think Burns just enjoys yanking us around,” Zane said under his breath.

“He doesn’t enjoy much about either of you lately, son,” Earl told him, growing serious once more.

Zane glanced up at him, surprised. He wondered what the two men could legally even talk about. Ty—maybe. But certainly not himself, except in the most general of terms. With a quick look, he saw that Ty wasn’t paying him any attention. His eyes were closed, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Ty?” Zane said significantly. He hated the thought of someone checking up on him without his knowledge. Especially if it was someone who might really care and be upset by hearing about Zane’s ups and downs. He could imagine that Ty didn’t like the idea, either.

Ty opened his eyes and looked at Zane through his fingers as he covered his face with his hand. He shrugged helplessly, as if to say he had absolutely no control over what was happening. Zane wrinkled his nose and resisted the urge to reach across the table and smack him one for being absolutely no help. Instead he turned his attention back to Earl. “Just how well do you know Assistant Director Burns, Mr. Grady?” he asked curiously.

“You’re welcome to call me Earl, son. And I’ve known Richard for almost forty years,” Earl answered. “We went into Vietnam together, and we came out together,” he said with a hint of pride.

Very good friends, then. Zane sighed and sat back. Earl might not know much of anything about him. But he also might know more than Zane would want to admit to anyone, much less Ty’s father, of all people. He leveled his eyes on his partner and waited.

“What?” Ty asked defensively. “It’s not my fault,” he protested as Earl chuckled.

Zane felt his lips curl up. It was actually amusing to see Ty’s reactions to his family. “What isn’t he enjoying about us?” he asked, going back to Earl’s first comment.

Earl shrugged as he handed his plate to his wife, who was now rounding the table collecting dishes. “Apparently you’re making him do more paperwork than he wants to be doing. He mentioned something about throwing handguns and blue paint,” he said with a bemused frown. Ty snorted and covered the laugh with a cough. Earl looked at him with narrowed eyes and then back at Zane. Zane was hard-pressed not to chuckle. “He also told me he was worried about you both,” Earl continued. “He’s always worried about Ty, but him saying he’s worried about Ty’s partner is new,” he informed Zane as he studied him closely. “Ty usually takes care of his partners.”

Zane automatically handed his plate up when Mara held her hand out for it, but he kept his eyes on Earl, not sure if there was more to hear.

“Why’s he worried?” Earl asked him pleasantly.

“Dad,” Ty said in warning, but Earl continued to look at Zane expectantly.

After a long moment of silent standoff, Zane just shrugged one shoulder. He didn’t know what the man wanted him to say. Anything he could think of was far too personal. Earl’s eyes transferred from Zane to Ty without a word. Ty merely raised an eyebrow at him and bit into a piece of bacon with a loud crunch, obviously more immune to the gaze than Zane was.

Deuce gave Zane’s arm a gentle pat, and he scooted his chair back noisily. “Come on, Zane, I’ll show you the mountain,” he offered under his breath.

Zane glanced to Ty before moving to follow Deuce out. His partner was on his own with this one, and Zane wanted out from under Earl’s knowing eyes before he said something he shouldn’t. It wasn’t really Earl’s reaction he was worried about. Zane didn’t have to go home with
him
.

They went through the back door, which was the nearest exit, and Deuce had to grip the railing as he thumped down the old wooden steps that led into the back yard. The grassy part of the yard rolled slightly and then dropped off suddenly into a deep ravine just twenty yards from the back of the house. The thick woods started at the edge of the far side, seeming to enclose the area with a wall of trees. Deuce took a few steps toward the ravine and waved at the land beyond it. “And there’s the mountain,” he told Zane with a small smile.