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To Tys mild surprise, Zane didnt flinch away. “You could say that,” he replied as he waved a hand at his eyes. “Work hazard. Got caught a little too close to the explosion at the shopping complex,” he added in a very short explanation.
Ty watched Zane and the handsome waiter converse, knowing he had one eyebrow raised and his mouth hanging open. He couldnt help it.
“Thats terrible!” the man exclaimed. “You cant see anything?” Zane shook his head. “Nothing at all. So I have to have help to get around.” He gestured across the table at Ty. “Ryan, this is my partner, Ty Grady. Ty, this is Ryan Morelli.”
“Hi,” Ty said unenthusiastically. “Welcome to Chiapparellis,” Ryan said with a pleasant smile. “Thanks for bringing Zane by. If I dont see him every few days, I wonder if hes sitting at home starving.”
“Gee, thanks,” Zane muttered.
“Thats… thats… nice,” Ty managed to get out. He cleared his throat and reached for his napkin. Ryan laughed and pushed at Zanes shoulder. “Ive seen that kitchen. Its a travesty. Mine is much better. Now, what can I get you gentlemen for dinner? Zane, weve got the gnocchi today,” he said, clearly trying to tempt him.
“So its either sit at home and starve or eat here and spend an extra hour at the gym every night to work off the calories,” Zane said ruefully. “Yes, the gnocchi sounds good. And some fried provolone to start.”
“Ill bring you some iced tea.” Ryan turned his attention to Ty. “Can I bring you a drink? We have a wine list and a fully stocked bar. And Im happy to describe anything on the menu for you.”
Ty was glaring at Zane, and he had a hard time wiping it off his face before he looked up at the waiter. He smiled woodenly and nodded. “You have Guinness?”
“Yeah, we have to cater to the other Europeans too,” Ryan said with a grin. “A pint, then?”
Ty nodded and shot another glare at Zane, irritated that his partner couldnt even see it. “Weve got all your traditional Italian favorites,” Ryan said, gesturing at the menu. “We also got in fresh fish today, if that sounds good.”
Zane chuckled quietly and covered his mouth with his hand, probably to hide a grin. Ty hadnt been fond of fish since the cruise debacle.
Ty cleared his throat again and offered the waiter another smile that probably came across as more of a snarl. “Anything with white sauce,” he ordered as he handed the man his menu.
“Can do. That comes with our house salad, unless youd like to substitute?” Ryan asked. He glanced at Zane briefly for about the third time.
Ty bit his lip and shook his head. He offered the man another forced smile, then returned his death glare to Zane.
“Okay, then,” Ryan continued. “Ill be back with your drinks and appetizer.” He patted Zanes shoulder again.
“Thanks,” Zane said, tipping his head back to smile in Ryans general direction. As soon as Ryan moved away, Ty leaned his elbows on the table and kicked Zanes shin under the white linen tablecloth. Zane yelped and jostled the table, setting the ice water in the glasses to rocking. “Whats that for?” he asked, a wounded look on his face.
“You eat here three times a week,” Ty said through gritted teeth. “Sometimes,” Zane said, brow furrowing. “So?” “So? Jersey Shore over there is awfully pretty,” Ty grumbled. “„My kitchen is better than yours,” he mimicked under his breath as he reached for his water glass.
Zane tipped his head to one side, looking thoughtful. “He brought my carry-out a few weeks ago when I called in an order and then forgot because I was talking to Freddy about a search warrant.”
“How thoughtful of him,” Ty said drily.
Zane shrugged. “Hes a nice guy. I guess Ive been a pretty good customer lately.” Ty continued to glare at him evilly. And Zane continued to be oblivious, since he couldnt see it. Damn him. “Thats not why he did it. Youre lucky I feel sorry for you right now or Id kick your ass,” he muttered as he looked out the window.
Zane stopped picking apart the bread he had in hand. “What for?” Ty continued to grumble at him as he sipped at his water. Although Zane couldnt see, he was sitting right across from Ty, so it looked like his partner was peering right at him.
Then Zane blinked a couple of times and sat back. “Okay, I just caught up with the „pretty comment.”
“Little slow on the uptake?” Ty challenged. Mischief chased across Zanes face before he cleared his throat and hid it. “Youd probably kick me again if I said the scenery here was as good as the food, huh?”
“Zane,” Ty said warningly.
Zane rolled his eyes and shook his head. “The food really is good,” he insisted. “It better be,” Ty warned. He peered at Zane, letting himself investigate the feeling rippling through him. It wasnt that he suspected anything was going on, because he knew Zane better than that. But the sensation of being jealous, no matter how slight it was, was something foreign to Ty. He almost liked it, safe in the knowledge that Zane was completely unaware of the attention.
“He delivers, huh?” Ty said to Zane quietly. “Im burning every little brown bag I find in your fridge from now on.”
Zane just smiled innocently. “Even the cheesecake?” Ty liked that damn cheesecake; of course it came from here. “Dont push me, Stevie Wonder,” he growled. “Y EAH,I understand,” Graham whispered into the cell phone, trying to cover his annoyance. Pierce was getting on his nerves with all his damn orders, and in Grahams opinion, he was taking this shit too seriously.
It was one thing to steal money from big banks to pad his wallet. The banks were insured. It didnt hurt anybody. But the bombs were real now and getting bigger and meaner. Pierce liked the destruction. He wanted to hurt people, especially cops. He said they were making some kind of statement now, not just creating a diversion to keep the cops distracted. It was making Graham and the others nervous. He hadnt signed up for a manifesto; he just wanted the extra cash
“This is the big one, man. We need all hands on deck,” Pierce was saying furtively. “The best way to expose societys corruption is to split it open bit by bit and show everyone—everyone!—just what were dealing with here. The government pigs—”
Graham rolled his eyes. Who talked like that? “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Ill be there, okay? I have to go or Im gonna get fired.” He hung up before Pierce could start into his “manifesto” again.
