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"And you can’t do it without a partner, either, Special Agent Grady,"

Burns responded with a hard glare

"Sir, it seee of disapproval out of his voice, "that this agent needs more than I can possibly provide to help him Frankly, it will take a miracle to make him even remotely professional No one will take him seriously"

"Take me seriously?" Ty echoed in disbelief "Christ, have those shoes ever even seen paveripped the arbehind the desk and grinning like a small child at Christ technological criht be below you," Zane said to hient "Perhaps you should consider requesting a transfer to professional staff Or subether"

"Hey, fuck you, candy ass," Ty snarled without looking over at him

"Quiet, both of you!" Burns barked suddenly "Grady, you’re staying in Crial even I can’t cover for you, understand? Garrett, you’re to s Is that clear? And you will both like it"

Ty’s eyes widened as he realized he was being assigned a bookkeeping babysitter, and there wasn’t a da he could do about it

His stoht, but he supposed it was better than being fired Or being in jail

The thought of being attached to this troubleh to make Zane lose his composure After all he’d done, all he’d worked for, this was all he was going to get Despair threatened for a moment, and he had to take a deep breath to push it aside He wanted to rail at Burns, but it wasn’t his place to object He’d ent behind, just as he had the Cyber Division That or go down in spectacular flah clenched teeth

"I expect you to learn fro out to Zane Garrett It was a shitty thing to do to hi him with a man like Ty Grady after he’d worked his way back up froent But for this particular case, these two men were unusually qualified "And the Bureau expects you to perfornment," he added as he tossed a file across the desk at Ty

"Respectfully, sir, I understand you need soritted out "But what a a disbelieving look Grady’s way

Burns gave Ty a dubious glance and then shrugged apologetically in answer to Zane’s query He ell-acquainted with Garrett’s past, but the man was resourceful He’d had to be He’d find a way to make this work

"You can learn to kiss my ass," Ty shot back as he fumbled with the file his boss had chucked at him "Just like you do everyone else’s," he htened in the face of Grady’s ridiculous assertions, leaving behind more than a trace of resentment He would have rolled his eyes if he weren’t aware of how it e was complete and purposeful insubordination It looked like his new partner was a real prize, one that had soained the favor of the Assistant Director of his new division--just as he himself was the focus of Burns’ ire

"Sir, if Imy partner?" he asked, the sarcasent B Tyler Grady," Burns answered as Ty scanned the file he had flipped open, ignoring theh it "Despite his appearance, he is unfortunately very good at his job"

"You’re putting us on the Tri-State case?" Ty asked suddenly, utter disbelief coloring his words as he looked up at Burns

Zane stiffened and inhaled sharply He knew all about the Tri-State case Hell, everyone in the Bureau knew all about the Tri-State case, even though they had only been working it for a feeeks A reallyserial killer kept popping up and going to ground every feeeks--for almost two months now--in New York City Two bodies were found just across state lines, near the Tri-State marker, and most involved seemed to think the killer deliberately left theo, the ents, so the Bureau was now more personally invested

Zane’s eyes shifted back to Grady Very good at his job, Burns had said Zane decided it anized crie would fit in His ht coht," Burns answered with a tap of his pen on his desk

"And you will report to the New York field office--appropriately attired, Grady--at eleven-hundred Monday Is that clear?"

Recognizing the dis, Zane nodded "Yes, sir," he said curtly Zane’s h-tech coood agent, and he knew it But he couldn’t help thinking of Tyler Grady as a snake that ile job security He could already tell this wasn’t going to be easy Actually, he could already tell it was going to be beyond hard as hell But while there was the chance that one whiff of the bat could collapse his carefully reconstructed career like a house of cards, he also had a prime opportunity here If he couldway And he wouldn’t let any scruffy agent who fancied hiet in his way

Ty sat and stared at Burns for a longtoward the desk He put two hands on the desk and leaned over, crulared down at his boss "You know me better than this, Dick," he "

"This one had better," Burns responded without blinking at the insubordinate tone