Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run 6)

Mark shook his head. “He and his buddy both recovered pretty fast. But one of the other men in Grady’s secondary group, he went . . . he was stark raving mad. I mean real, certifiable crazy.”

Zane raised an eyebrow at that, but it didn’t surprise him. From what he knew of Ty, all Recon boys were certifiable to varying degrees. “That’s . . . kind of sad. But what does that have to do with Ty?”

Mark shook his head. “This guy started causing problems, on base and off. Word was a couple of them caught him trying to rape some girl in town, stopped him, and dragged him back to the brig before he could. Guys that saw him said he was beaten to a damn pulp. Rumor was Ty had done it.”

“Jesus,” Annie said. “I’m sorry, but what does that have to do with him being dangerous? He caught someone trying to rape a girl and beat him up. Good for him.”

“I know. But the Brass didn’t want it getting around that Recon assignments were literally driving Marines nuts, so they had to sweep it under the rug. Word around the camp was they called Grady and this other guy—Sanchez, I think?—in for a talk. A week later, twelve of them went out on a training mission. Eleven came back.”

For some reason, the implication went right over Zane’s head at first. But when he reviewed what Mark said, he couldn’t keep from frowning. Was he actually accusing Ty and his Recon group of murder?

“They said he jumped off a cliff,” Mark said with a snort. “I was transferred shortly after that, so I never heard what happened. But Ty said the Marines didn’t want him anymore. I have to wonder if that was why.”

“What’s your point, Mark?” Zane asked. The upset was roiling in his gut again, but he wasn’t sure why he was angry. Perhaps it was because he couldn’t say with conviction that Ty would never do that. In fact, Zane knew that if Ty perceived someone as a threat to him or something he loved, he’d definitely push that person off a cliff.

“My point is . . . he might have violent tendencies. And he follows orders above all else. You should know, and I think you should be careful,” Mark said, looking as if he hated the fact that he was saying it. “You know. Wary of his . . . mental state.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Annie grumbled. She went back to her sandwich. “People at Lejeune also said Blackbeard haunted the rescue helicopter.”

Mark shrugged. “I just . . . I wouldn’t want Z getting hurt.” He glanced over his shoulder to look at Ty one last time.

It hit Zane hard. Mark was unnerved by Ty—a fellow Marine—and he was concerned for Zane’s safety. Ty had saved Zane’s life many times over, in many different ways, and yet Mark was concerned for Zane’s safety. The harsh dichotomy almost made Zane sick. It wasn’t fair that people looked at Ty like that, not after all he’d been through and all he’d sacrificed.

“All right,” he managed to get out, though the words tried to stick in his throat. “Consider me warned.”

Mark nodded, then took another long drink of his water. All three of them sat watching Zane.

“I gotta admit, I was expecting more of a reaction,” Mark said.

Zane stared at him, unmoving even when Mark shifted uncomfortably. Finally, he said, “I don’t know. I know what Ty’s capable of, and I know he battles a few demons. Hell, we’ve even exchanged a few blows in the past. But I also know he loves me and I love him, and I think he’d die before he'd hurt me. So I guess I’ll take my chances.”

“Fair enough,” Mark said.

“We’ve missed you, Z,” Jamie said instead of commenting on it. “We’re glad you’re here. And most of us are glad to meet Ty, too.”

Zane considered him for a long moment. “I need to stay in touch better.”

Jamie grinned. “Absolutely. Even if your boyfriend is nuttier than squirrel shit.” Then he looked across the grass to where the other guys were sprawled. “So, you love him?”

Zane’s lips quirked. “Yes. I love him.”

“Then he’s a good guy,” Jamie said with a glance at Mark. “I can’t see you loving someone who’s not a good person.”

Zane almost choked on his sandwich. He turned an incredulous glance on his cousin.

“Well?” Jamie said, gesturing toward Ty and the others. Mark rolled his eyes and started massaging the bridge of his nose.

“He’s also really hot,” Annie added.

“Hey,” Mark grumbled.

“Hot is hot, baby.”

Zane laughed, and the uncertainty that had settled on his shoulders began to dissipate as his gaze shifted to Ty. His partner was leaning against a rock, eating and talking with the men around him. Cody and Joe had immediately taken a liking to Ty, and Ty to them. Zane smiled.

Annie whistled and Jamie broke out in a laugh. “He’s that good, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“Thank God for small favors.”

The conversation turned to the past, Zane reminiscing about their childhood adventures with his sister and cousin. Soon Harrison was moving them back toward the horses.

Zane met Ty at his horse. “Learn anything?”

“Cody and Marissa are having a thing. What were y’all talking about over there?”

Zane licked his lips and shrugged. “Mark thinks you’re crazy and dangerous.”

“Oh,” Ty said evenly, though his eyes gleamed with amusement. “He tell you about the time we killed one of our teammates by shoving him off a cliff?”

Zane blinked and nodded.

Ty laughed as he slid his sunglasses back on. “Yeah, good times.” He put one foot in the stirrup. The horse took a step, causing him to hop with it to keep from falling down. Then it took another, playing with him. “Hold on now, Elmer,” Ty growled as he pulled himself into the saddle.

Zane put a hand on Ty’s thigh and peered up at him. “Is it true?”

Ty stared at him for a moment, his expression hidden behind his sunglasses and the shade of his hat. He finally gave a curt nod. “He fell off a cliff, that’s for sure. But the only thing that pushed him was the ghost of Blackbeard.”

Zane shook his head, smiling. “I love you. Even if you are a crazy, cold-blooded murderer of your coworkers.”

Ty grinned and reached down to run his fingers through Zane’s hair. As soon as he let go of the reins, the horse danced sideways, taking Ty with him. Zane laughed as Ty cursed the horse and his lineage, trying to regain control.