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Question was… how did he feel about that? He thought Kell was an amazing man. He was captivating, controlled, intelligent, driven, and probably so much more. To his surprise, thinking of Kell’s many layers made Ty’s heart beat faster. He was the only one who’d made that happen.
Ford and Dana chose to walk outside at that moment, breaking the weird vibe that swirled around them. Ty gave them both a pound on their way past.
“Sup’ fellas. We’re on way to the magistrates in Fulton to do a bond. Duke will be ready for ya’ll in about an hour. There’s a slight change in the schedule today. The gym session was moved to the end of the week—probably to Quick’s dojo—because Knight-ninja-master over here got us banned from Jake’s place.” Dana pointed at Kell with a broad grin that turned into a robust laugh. One that was contagious and had him and Kell joining in as Dana mimicked Jake’s tantrum yesterday.
Kell’s smile began to fade. “You guys have been going to Jake’s for a while. Is sensei disappointed?”
“If Quick was mad… everyone would know,” Dana told him. “You’re good. Trust me. Besides. We didn’t really need to see any more of your skills and we’ve already told Duke how Ty reacts under pressure, so he and Quick pushed the hand-to-hand lessons back and decided to get to the good stuff. He said ya’ll were gonna start observing today. They got a bust at ten and a tip on another skipper this evening,” Dana informed them.
Kell’s eyes went impossibly large. “They’re gonna do a retrieval today?”
“You got it, young buck. Ya’ll about to see what this shit is really about.” Dana laughed. “And there’s always a retrieval to be done, so you guys will be watching for the first few weeks. No worries, though. It’ll be simple, non-violent offenders. I’m happy to sit this out and pull court duty today. How do I look?” Dana popped the collar on his leather coat. He looked exactly like he had the last three days. In all black with a tight black T-shirt displaying Duke’s business name.
Ford called for Dana to come on. When they were inside the large pickup, Ty watched as Ford aggressively gripped the back of Dana’s neck and damn near pulled his upper body over the center console and smashed his lips over his. Ty thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. How in the hell had he missed that? They’re a couple? The kiss was rough and full of passion, before it turned tender. Ford ran his hand down the side of Dana’s face, murmuring something he and Kell couldn’t hear. After one more lingering peck, Ford backed his truck up. Dana looked out of the window and gave them an arrogant smile while throwing up the peace symbol as they left the parking lot.
It was silent for a while. Ty was lost in thought. He’d been caught off guard, “I had no clue they were together. Are they married?”
“No,” Kell said. He wasn’t gazing up into Ty’s eyes any more, he was staring down at his feet as if he couldn’t even look at him.
Ty was still standing beside him and he suddenly had an urge to move closer. He wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong, but Kell’s lively demeanor had nose-dived. Now he was cautious. Ty stared at the side of his face, watching him. “You knew they were together?”
“Yes. It’s hard to miss.”
“So. Dana and Ford are gay?” Ty said more to himself. “Interesting.”
Kell snapped to attention. He was no longer unsure and timid, he was the man Ty had first encountered. “That’s right. They are. So is my sensei and his partner, who is also an amazing man. A healer. The man you’re about to sign on to work for is also gay. Duke’s been with his partner—hold on to your narrow mind—Quick’s only son, for three years. Every man in there is gay… even your hero, Brian.”
Narrow minded. Ty stiffened at that, but he kept himself in check. Kell was offering up a lot of personal information in the midst of his anger, so Ty stayed silent and let him have his say. When he was done, he’d set the small ninja back in his lane.
“You’re telling another man’s business,” Ty said casually, letting Kell know he was gonna have to give better than that if he wanted a rise out of him.
Kell squared off on him and Ty did everything he could to conceal his amusement. Kell was feisty as shit and he liked it. He wasn’t afraid to challenge Ty. “It’s not secret business. No one is in the damn closet around here. Those men are proud of their partners. Each one of them. They didn’t hide they were gay, you just didn’t see it. Maybe because you didn’t want to. Maybe because you think you’re too damn cool with your two-hundred dollar boots to associate yourself with queers. ”
