Stars & Stripes

“Yeah?”



“That’s ‘under control’?”



“Don’t judge me, Mac.”



“I don’t mind sending in the cavalry down there if it’ll hurry things along. I can make a call to the San Antonio division. Burns says I can’t call you back unless Baltimore is burning.”



“Is Baltimore burning?”



“No.”



“Then I’ll talk to you after the Fourth, Mac. Have a good night.” Ty hung up the phone with a grin. He slid it into his shirt pocket, thinking it would be easier to get it out next time, and tilted his head to look at Sadie.



Her eyelids were growing heavy as he rocked, her head resting on his shoulder as she stared at the setting sun. Ty drank down the last of his wine before putting his glass on the floor, then pulled her closer. He adjusted her until they could both be comfortable.



“Did you got eated by a tiger?” she asked as she poked her finger into one of the tooth marks in his cast.



“I guess I did. He was a good tiger, though.”



“Did he bite you?”



“Yeah, a little.”



“Then he was a bad tiger.”



“You think so?”



“Biting is bad,” Sadie said with a nod.



“I guess you’re right.”



She yawned, struggling to open her eyes again. “Will the tiger bite me?”



“No, sweet pea,” Ty said. He rested his chin on her head.



“Daddy will keep me safe.”



Ty stared off into the sunset, pushing at the floorboards with his toes to keep the chair rocking. He nodded and pulled her closer, rocking and holding the little girl to him to keep her bare arms and legs warm as the night grew cooler. If his suspicions about Mark were correct, Sadie’s daddy might not be around to keep her safe for a good long while.



“Have you seen Sadie?” Annie asked as she came into the den where Zane was sitting with his dad. “We can’t find her anywhere.”



Zane and Harrison stood to help look, Zane’s mind going immediately to the tiger on the loose. He pushed back the instinctive panic and chastised himself. It was a valid concern that the tiger would be attracted to the activity of the ranch. They’d been hearing his roars for two nights now. But Barnum was not going to start plucking the people Zane loved out of the house no matter how bad Zane’s luck was.



He found Ty and Sadie on the porch, and stopped short when he saw them. He hissed for Annie, who was walking through the foyer, and then moved closer.



Sadie was curled in Ty’s arms, sleeping peacefully, her long lashes dark against her cheeks. Her fingers were tangled in his hair where she’d been twirling it. She was tucked up under Ty’s chin, and he was resting his head on top of hers. He was sound asleep too. Zane wasn’t surprised; those tranquilizers would take a while to flush out of his system, and he’d consumed a good deal of wine at dinner to combat the stress. Zane was surprised, however, to see his lover snuggled up with the little girl.



He smiled and leaned against the porch railing.



“Oh my goodness, that is precious. Where’s my camera?” Annie whispered. When she went to look for it, Zane took his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture for himself. Whether he’d use it as blackmail or frame it when they got home was up for debate. Maybe both.



One thing was for sure, though. After being in Texas with him, Zane could see Ty as part of his family, and more importantly, he’d seen that most of his family would accept Ty for what he was: a quirky, brazen, possibly crazy, integral part of Zane’s life. The idea of “forever” with Ty was becoming more and more certain.



Ty opened one eye and looked up at Zane.



“Time to go,” Zane whispered.



Ty moved his arms until he was cradling Sadie and stood up carefully. His wide shoulders made her look tiny, but he was just as gentle with her as Zane knew Ty was with all fragile things. Her hand fell out of his hair and dragged down his face, over his nose and lips, to tuck up under her chin with her other hand. Zane watched in silence, trying not to laugh as Ty merely closed his eyes and let it happen.



Ty handed Sadie off to her daddy a few minutes later, and they said good-bye to Mark and Annie as they headed upstairs to bed.



Harrison stood with them on the porch, then bid Ty and Zane a good night and turned to go inside.



“Sir, I’m sorry for causing problems,” Ty said. He sounded sincere, one of his rare apologies. Harrison stopped at the door and looked him up and down.



“Son, there’s not a problem here that’s your fault.” Harrison nodded to both of them and went back inside.



Ty could tell that something was weighing on Zane’s mind as they headed to the guesthouse, but he waited for Zane to speak up.



Zane didn’t. Ty lasted until after he’d showered and they were both up in the loft bedroom, getting ready for bed, before he lost his patience.



“What’s on your mind, darlin’?” he asked, drawling the affectionate name with a smirk because he knew that Zane loved to hear him say it.



Zane snorted and glanced at him as he folded the shirt he’d been wearing. “What makes you think something’s on my mind?”



“Because you’re Zane Garrett. And Zane Garrett always has something on his mind.” Ty stepped up to Zane and slid his hands onto his hips. Zane smiled at him, though Ty could tell he still wanted to talk about something. He didn’t, though, just wrapped his arms around Ty’s neck and started to move. It turned into a slow dance as Zane’s smile grew wider, and Ty kissed him and slid his hands up Zane’s back.



“I was so damn worried about you,” Zane said. “I promised myself I’d get a dance when you woke up.”



Ty smiled and hugged him tighter. “I’ve decided if I can’t get eaten by a tiger or killed by an animal tranquilizer, then I must be invincible.”



Zane laughed and kissed him again before resting his chin on Ty’s shoulder. “Tytanium.”



“Hovercraft is full of eels, huh?”



“That’s what you said.”



“I think you’re bullshitting.”



“God’s honest truth.”



Ty’s smile softened and he buried his nose in Zane’s neck. “You know you can get a dance anytime.”



“I know,” Zane whispered against his ear. “I wish we could have done this at the bar.”



Ty nodded, wondering if that was what Zane was thinking so hard over. He’d been told how Beverly had reacted to Zane’s news, but that she’d later softened and helped Zane spend the night with him at the hospital. And though Ty was angry and frustrated over the lack of acceptance, he suspected there were added layers.



“Next time we will, if you want to.”



Zane hummed. “I don’t know. I might be embarrassed for everyone to see how bad a dancer you are.”



Ty grunted and pushed his snickering lover away.



“Oh, don’t be like that,” Zane crooned as he reached for Ty again.



Ty turned Zane around in a simple box step to put him in front of the bed, then gave him a push to make him sit.



Zane huffed as he thumped down on the mattress. “What do you know that I don’t?” he demanded.



“So much,” Ty said with smirk as he sat beside Zane.



“Ty, come on. What did you find at the pump house? I know you were hiding something.”



Ty nodded. “Why would Mark tell you about what happened at LeJeune when he did?”



“What does that have to do with anything?”



“Think, Zane. Why would he tell you something meant to make you suspicious of your partner right before we’re riding out to look for evidence? It was a preemptive strike, like he was trying to give you a reason to doubt what I found when we got there.”



Zane frowned harder. It was obvious that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.



“Why would he do that unless he was afraid of what I’d find?”



Zane shook his head. “What did you find?”



“The ground was cold.”



“What?”



“It was cold. The pebble I picked up, the ground under it. It was cool. There’s something under there.”



Zane stared at him, then stood up to pace. “You tried to tell me that at the hospital.”



“In Dari?”



“Uh-huh. We need to go back out there.”



Ty waved at himself, looking offended. “Does this look like it’s going on a horse again?”



Zane stopped pacing and barked a laugh. He stalked closer and climbed into Ty’s lap, brushing his nose against Ty’s. “My apologies.”



“I know how you can make it up to me.”



“I’ll bet you do.” Zane pushed Ty onto his back. “Annie says you’re handsome.”



“Of course she does. Have you seen me?” Ty grinned crookedly, laughed and put his hands behind his head, lounging under Zane.



“You were sweet tonight, with Sadie.”



“It’s easy to be sweet with a cute kid in your lap.”



“Sadie’s way too pretty for my peace of mind. I’m glad I’m not her daddy.”



“She already knows how to wield the batting eyelashes. Teach her to handle a gun, give her a classic muscle car, she’ll take over the world.”



Zane chuckled. “At least you’re true to type. If she’s raised like I was, she’ll have at least two guns before she’s a teenager. More likely a truck than a muscle car, though.”



“Shame.”



“My uncle taught me to shoot.”



Ty ran his fingers down Zane’s cheek. “You could teach her, you know.”



Furrows appeared on Zane’s brow. “If we end up putting her daddy in jail, there might be some strain there.”



Ty nodded. He didn’t like suspecting Mark any more than Zane did, but there was a lot that wasn’t adding up.



“Run it through for me, okay?”



Ty nodded again. He held up his hand and pointed a finger to count. “He knew Stuart’s name in the bar. He tried to throw you off the scent by telling you about LeJeune. He dogged my steps out there, tried to convince you and I to go after the tiger instead of the poachers, and he’d have access to the kind of information and type of tranqs he needed through Annie’s vet practice.”



Zane looked at Ty’s hand, now displaying all five fingers with the points he’d listed. “Jesus, Ty,” he said, and he ran his hand through his hair.



“I’ve been wrong before.”



Zane shook his head. “How are we going to explain to Sadie that her daddy’s in jail because Uncle Z put him there?”



“She’d have you, Zane.”



Zane met his eyes and took in a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t know. I’ve never really been around kids. I’m not sure I’d know what to do.”



“They’re just little people. They can be charmed like anyone else. Be a little silly, let them know what they’re saying is the most important thing in the world, teach them right from wrong. You’d be fine.”



Zane met his eyes, thoughtful. “You like kids, don’t you?”



“Some of them, yeah,” Ty answered with a shrug. “I love the little ones, when they still look at the world with stars.”



Zane smiled wistfully at the sentiment. “I’ve seen you with Elaina. And now with Sadie. She’s an outgoing kid, but she took to you like glue. You’re really good with them.”



Ty just nodded, wondering why Zane was lingering over it.



Zane glanced away, then back to meet his eyes. “Did you think about having kids?” He paused a moment before adding, “With Ava?”



Ty blinked at him. Ava Gaudet had been a near-miss of Ty’s while undercover in New Orleans. Probably the last serious relationship he’d had before Zane. He was glad Zane had asked, though. There was too much between them they still kept hidden, either on purpose or subconsciously. It was high time they started asking each other questions any normal couple would ask.



Ty nodded. “She wanted kids. Not when we were together, but eventually. It was never really an option for us, though.”



“Well, you were still undercover. And hadn’t told her about it.”



Ty winced and looked past Zane’s shoulder to the ceiling. “That didn’t really factor in.”



Zane frowned. “I don’t follow.”



“When I was younger, I took a bullet in the wrong place.”



“Is there a right place to take a bullet?” Zane asked with a smirk.



“No, but for the purposes of having kids, there is definitely a wrong one.” Ty pulled the hem of his shirt up and pushed his pants down to show Zane a faded white scar, right at the juncture of his hip, that he knew Zane had seen before. Hell, Zane had licked it before. “Even if I wanted kids . . .” He shook his head and put his hands under his head again. “The doctor that did the surgery said nothing doing.”



Zane’s eyes widened before his expression settled into something sadder. “Tytanium,” he whispered as he ran his fingertip across the scar. “You can’t tell me that doesn’t bother you.”



Ty shrugged. “It did for a while, at first. I mean hell, I was twenty-two. But I never lived the life of someone who could be a good daddy. It was never in my cards.”



“I guess that’s true,” Zane said before turning his gaze toward the windows.



“Tell me what you’re thinking, Zane.”



Zane inhaled deeply and let it out in a soft sigh. “Becky and I never talked about having kids,” he said. “Not real seriously. We were both working a lot. I was a rising star, she was doing charity work.”