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He glanced up when the seat-belt light went on, and he looked over at Ty unhappily. The other man had dozed lightly in expectation of the long day ahead, and Zane decided that Ty sleeping was him at his most charming. But now he had to wake him up.
“Grady,” he muttered, voice clipped.
“Not again, sugar, m’tired,” Ty muttered as he flopped onto his side and jostled them both in the cramped seats.
Unamused, Zane pushed against the other man. “Grady,” he said more insistently. “Wake up.”
Ty huffed and opened his eyes slowly, looking around sleepily.
“Hmm?”
Zane looked down at him, mildly surprised by the momentary drop in the rough attitude. “We’re getting ready to land,” he murmured.
Ty groaned softly and rolled onto his back again. He stretched his arms high over his head, yawning as he turned his body slightly and reached one arm way out into the aisle. The air hostess who was making her last check down the aisle walked right into his hand and gasped as he grabbed her. Ty dropped his arms and twisted to look up at her. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he offered with a small, unrepentant smile.
She huffed slightly and gave him a wry smile as she turned in the aisle. “I’ve had worse,” she murmured in response as she bent and slowly buckled his seat belt for him. “Put yourself in the upright position, please,”
she said to him softly before moving away. Ty raised his seat obediently and grinned, watching her with a contented smirk as she turned and continued on down the aisle.
While Zane silently envied Ty’s free attitude and behavior, in the end, he just couldn’t believe the man’s gall. “How did you become such a total ass?” he asked, morbidly curious.
Ty cocked his head and watched the woman until she took her seat, then turned to look at Zane. “I didn’t mean to,” he insisted innocently. “C
cups can get in the way.”
Zane’s look was patently disbelieving. “I think you decide what a perfectly polite person would do and then do the absolute opposite. It’s like it’s your life’s goal to be the Antichrist.”
“The Antichrist,” Ty echoed, laughing as he shook his head. “Yeah. I bet you were head of the Drama Club in school, weren’t you?”
“You didn’t deny it.”
“And Lord knows I mean everything I say,” Ty responded with mock sincerity, pressing his hand to his heart and leaning closer to Zane earnestly.
“You just have that look,” Zane confirmed, face stilled to passivity.
Ty chuckled and turned to look back at the front of the plane as the wheels squealed on the tarmac and the plane decelerated rapidly. “You’re gonna have to dislodge that stick up your ass pretty damn quick if we’re going to be working together,” he added as the plane taxied to their gate. He unbuckled before the seat-belt light went off and rolled his neck.
“What’s the matter? Afraid it’s catching?” Zane asked. His patience was already wearing thin. He didn’t have the time or the luxury to deal with Ty’s antics.
“No, I’m not afraid of turning into you,” Ty answered wryly, laughing softly as he shook his head. He leaned closer to Zane, almost close enough to touch his cheek with his nose. “You smell like Feeb,” he explained in a low, serious voice. He was probably one of the only FBI agents who would actually utter the derogatory term other agencies used when talking about them.
When Zane turned his gaze on the other agent, his eyes glinted dangerously. His voice was frigid. “I bet you get off on it.”
Ty smiled slowly, his eyes glittering mischievously. “If I did, would you change?” he asked.
Zane merely shook his head as if he felt sorry for the other man, deciding not to comment as he stood. The words on his tongue were certainly ungracious and unbecoming, and he couldn’t afford it being reported. Not that his would rival Ty’s behavior.
Ty shrugged and stretched to retrieve his satchel from the overhead bin. He didn’t say another word as he followed the short line to the front of the plane and the exit. The stewardess stood there, smiling and saying goodbye to each passenger, and when Ty came up to her he grinned widely and nodded at her cheekily.
“You have a nice stay in New York, sir,” she said to him as she reached out and took his hand, discreetly pressing a piece of paper into his palm.
“Oh, it’s getting nicer already,” Ty responded brightly as he lingered there for a moment, looking her over rakishly, and then moved on to the exit.
“And just how is your image supposed to represent the Bureau better than mine?” Zane asked under his breath as they walked toward the concourse.
“It’s not,” Ty answered over his shoulder. “That’s the whole damn point, Shuffleboard.”
With his long legs, Zane easily caught up to walk alongside him. “So why the hell work for the Bureau at all if you don’t give a damn?”
“’Cause I ain’t in it for the status,” Ty answered blithely.
Zane stopped in his tracks, looking at Ty’s back with real hatred. The implication that the glory was Zane’s reason for working at the Bureau was way the hell over the line. He watched him walk away and seriously, seriously considered calling Burns and accepting whatever f**king demotion it would take to not have to deal with this bastard. His temper was already roiling, and that was not good. Not good at all. His hand clenched on his briefcase for a long moment as he stamped down on the anger, watching Ty walk toward the exit.
Ty knew Zane had fallen away, but he didn’t stop walking. If the dickhead wanted to sulk his way into being late for their meeting, that was his business. Ty was looking out for Number One. As always.
He also had a slightly more personal interest in this particular case.
Zane finally exited the main terminal and stepped out into the cool air as Ty was climbing into a black government Tahoe. Within a minute, he was seated inside as well, and the truck left the curb and pulled out into the airport traffic.
Ty slumped in the backseat, trying to shake off the grogginess and think up new ways to annoy his new partner. He looked at the driver in the rearview mirror, seeing brown eyes and high cheekbones and short, curly hair.
This guy was too pretty to be an agent. And he looked like he was about fifteen. The light-haired man in the passenger seat looked even younger.
“What are you two, the Hardy Boys?” he asked them with a huff.
Eyes flickering forward, Zane took in the two agents in front of them and frowned.
