Divide & Conquer Read Free

sick leave when you get pneumonia!”
    “You say that now, but I"m n-not f-filling out any f-forms!” Ty yelled back, stuttering harder. He was watching one of the agents decked out in riot gear, specifically eyeing the gun filled with rubber bullets. Another volley of balloons, yellow and green and red and blue, pulsing with freezing water, sailed through the air toward them.
    If Ty had one of those rifles in hand, he could make an impressive show of those flying targets; that might clear these people out fast.
    Zane knew that was exactly what Ty was thinking. He also knew Ty wasn"t thinking about the PR aftermath. Even when Ty considered the public backlash of his actions, he rarely cared.
    “Fuck this,” Zane growled. He took Ty by the upper arm even as Ty took an impulsive step toward the man in riot gear. Zane turned them around and started pulling him back toward the building, dismissing the people watching and jeering at them.
    “Those little yellow f-forms with the rippy s-sides, and the blue ones th-that ask the s-same questions f-fourteen times, and the goddamn p-pink ones that make your fingers b-blue,” Ty rambled as he followed along without protest. He sounded like Porky Pig. “I"d f-fill all those out if I could sh-shoot someone right now.”
    “This time I"m with you. It would be worth it.” Another agent swiped an ID card for them, and Zane opened the side door to the building, shoved Ty inside, and followed, pulling the solid steel door shut behind them and wincing because the alarm was still wailing.
    Ty threw his arm over Zane"s shoulders and hugged him close.
    His skin was cold against Zane"s. “This is g-getting ugly,” he said, not looking at Zane. Zane knew he was referring to the situation at large, the unrest in the city. He continued to speak, lowering his voice until Zane couldn"t hear him above the blaring warning.
     
    8 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
     
    “We need to go back to the showers. Hot water,” Zane said when he shuddered, and not in a good way. “Riot team will clear those assholes out before we leave. And you know whoever pulled that fire alarm is in deep shit.”
    Ty shook his head. His fingers dragged against Zane"s skin as he removed his arm from Zane"s shoulders. “Work, work, work,” he murmured, shaking his head.
    “I"m sserious,” Zane said as the cold really started to set in. “I"m too cold.” His fingers were almost numb as he tried to grasp the bottom of his wet T-shirt to pull it over his head.
    “I"ll warm you up later,” Ty promised. It was a nice thought, but not helpful right now. Ty had somehow mastered the shivering and teeth chattering already. He"d once told Zane that the best way to stop the shivering was to consciously relax your body, et voilà, no more shaking. But Zane had never gotten it to work.
    Zane turned and led the way back to their lockers, managed to get his wet clothes off, and rubbed himself down roughly with his towel, trying to ward off the bone-aching chill.
    The alarm abruptly cut off, but the ringing in Zane"s ears still covered any sound Ty might have been making behind him. Then three fingers touched the nape of Zane"s neck and dragged down his spine, between his shoulder blades, to the small of his back and across a hip as Ty moved past him. “Eight-hour workday to go, Lone Star. Suck it up,”
    Ty said as he popped open his own locker.
    This time the shiver skittering across Zane"s skin had nothing to do with a chill and everything to do with finding the patience to get through the day while looking forward to that night.
     
    THE blinking light on his phone drew Zane"s attention away from the report he was trying to parse. He always muted his phone when he was in the office, especially at times like today when the whole team—like school kids at desks in a little pod shaped like the Pentagon—was stuck slogging through their casework.
     
    Divide & Conquer | 9
     
    He was sitting with Michelle Clancy, Scott