Page 22 (1/2)

The other horse trotted up, Kelly and Ty in the saddle "Are you okay?" Kelly cried

"I shot dinner," Nick said

Kelly snorted "Look, Hannibal, you can shoot back if they’re shooting at you, but it’s still not okay to eat the it back into a flashlight and holding it up so they could see into the woods The stag Nick had shot was lying a few yards away, the bullet holes right at its heart, steaht

"Nice shot," Zane murmured

"It was a deer?" Ty asked "Goddamn, I would have sworn those were shots"

Nick squinted into the woods, shrugging That hy he’d started firing back, but he supposed the wet pop of the underbrush with the weight of a deer that size would be as loud as what they’d heard If not, they’d probably all still be taking fire

"Let’s get the fuck out of here," Zane said as he stood He took the reins and pulled himself into the saddle, then held his hand out to Nick "You okay to ride?"

Nick gave hiruntled nod and hefted hiot up, resting his forehead on the back of Zane’s shoulder "Corpsman up," he said pitifully

"Did you break your coccyx?" Kelly asked, just barely keeping the laughter out of his voice

"You can check it for ht," Nick said wryly

Ty made an offended sound and followed it with a si the horse into the darkness

Chapter 7

"It bothers you, doesn’t it?" Zane asked as Ty paced in front of the fireplace in their room Ty hadn’t even shed his dirty clothes yet; he’d been too busy thinking about what Nick and Kelly were probably doing next door

"No," Ty insisted He winced, realizing the lie in his answer He turned to Zane almost desperately "Yes A little Should it? I feel like it shouldn’t"

"I don’t know, Ty," Zane answered He was sitting at the little desk, booting his laptop up He still had the flash drive Deuce had given them, and it was the first chance they’d had to look at it

Ty stopped and ran his hands over his face "I thought I was okay with it, but it’s weird!"

Zane simply smiled and shook his head "No, it’s not"

"Maybe not for you But they’ve known each other for fifteen years, and suddenly they’re alland it’s" He waved his hand helplessly at the wall

"It’s not the fact that they’re fucking," Zane told him

Ty pointed at the wall "That is exactly what they’re doing!"

Zane s "Ty You’re upset because you know there’s so on with Nick, and he hasn’t talked to you about it"

"How could he not fucking tell me about them?"

Zane raised both eyebrows "Maybe he was afraid you’d react like this?"

"Well, I didn’t do it in front of hiether?" Zane continued "You’re pretty sure he’s told Kelly what’s bothering his with the doc that he used to reserve for you and that upsets you"

Ty sed hard "When you put it that way, it makes me sound like an asshole"

Zane chuckled He was silent for a moment, then cursed quietly "My laptop’s been fried!" Zane cried "Son of a bitch!"

"How’d that happen?"

"I don’t know, looks like it didn’t like the trip here; it’s coht, these islands are cursed"

"Told you to buy a Mac"

Zane slammed the lid of the laptop closed and turned away fro out of sync and a little desperate to understand why

Zane took pity on him and ran a hand over his head "He’s your best friend, Ty It hurts when you feel like your friends are pulling away, I know I lost every one of mine, but none of the you with anything Trust hi as he looked down at the USMC signet ring on his finger He twisted it, trying to find the truth in Zane’s words Aside from Deuce, Nick was the h everything together, shared everything together They’d lived in the same room in some fashion for almost seven years; in some ways they were closer than brothers, and they had no secrets

Or they hadn’t, until the last few years Ty shook his head No, it was earlier than that It hen he’d signed on for the FBI, for Burns’s work Ty had been so angry that Nick wouldn’t come with him, he’d just shut hi of the secrets The beginning of where they were now They’d reconciled, but their friendship had felt different ever since There had been ti in the canteen and seen Nick walk in, but Nick hadn’t coed hiathered his food and left anyway There had been moments they’d passed each other in camp and Nick had saluted and been on his ithout even a knowing sroaned and threw hi "I feel like I lost hi on his side so he was facing Ty "Did you ever think lanced at hied "Out of all the probleht, I think it’s kind of sweet that you’reabout your best friend"

Ty rolled his eyes He finally snorted and swiped his hand over his face