Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

didn‟t want corpses of federal agents in
    their apartment. “Julian, please,” he asked plaintively.
    Julian waited another breathless moment before slowly lowering
    his weapon. He eased the hammer down and then held it up sideways
    as proof that he‟d done so. He slid it carefully back into its hiding spot.
    “My man on the roof stays trained on your partner while you show me
    a badge,” he bargained.
    He held up his hand in a signal to Preston. Cameron looked
    between Julian and Zane as Zane moved the hand bracing his gun and
    slowly slid it into his jacket. He pulled out a leather wallet and tossed it
    to Julian.
    Julian caught it deftly with one hand, flipping it over to look at
    the identification within. He stared at it for a moment before looking up
    at Zane darkly.
    He made a “quit” motion with his hand toward the balcony. “You
    can tell Richard Burns to stick it,” he finally said as he handed the
    wallet back.
    Zane snorted as he pocketed the wallet and lowered his weapon
    somewhat. “If you know Burns, you know that won‟t help.”
    Julian‟s eyes darted between the two men. “Get out,” he ordered.
    “Also won‟t help,” Zane said, sliding his gun under his jacket.
    “We‟re here to escort you to DC. If we don‟t get you there, someone
    else will, and much less comfortably, I assure you.”
    Julian‟s shoulders tightened. He lowered his head and shook it
    slightly. “I told them before. I will not be involved. I‟m sorry you‟ve
    wasted your time.” He glanced at Cameron, his expression softening.
    “Perhaps you should see the sights before you go home, make the trip
    worthwhile,” he told the two agents. His voice was polite, but he
    couldn‟t fool Cameron. He was angry and tense.
    Armed & Dangerous |

    Though Zane was the one talking now, Cameron paid more
    attention to Ty. He still had his gun out and in hand and was staring
    devotedly out the balcony doors.
    “No misunderstanding, Mr. Cross,” Zane said, his voice genial
    enough under such odd circumstances that it pulled Cameron‟s
    attention away from Ty. “This isn‟t a request.”
    Cameron stiffened when Zane‟s eyes turned to focus on him
    speculatively, and Cameron bit down on his tongue to keep from
    blurting out what was sure to be a stupid question.
    “Then so be it,” Julian finally answered stubbornly. “Anyone else
    looking for me will follow the bread crumbs you‟ve left behind you, no
    doubt. The longer you‟re here, the more you become my problem.”
    “Okay,” Ty said impatiently as he stuffed his gun into his holster
    and moved around the couch, approaching Cameron. “Mr. Cross, I
    understand you won‟t be accompanying us to Washington willingly, is
    that correct?” he asked brusquely, continuing before Julian could
    answer. He moved toward Cameron as he extracted a pair of handcuffs.
    “Cameron Jacobs, you are under arrest for harboring a federal
    fugitive.”
    “What?” Cameron yelped, putting his hands behind his back and
    backing away. “Harboring a fugitive? Julian, what is this?”
    “Stay calm, love,” Julian requested, though the undertone in his
    voice told Cameron he was having trouble following his own advice.
    Whoever these two men were, they knew physically threatening
    Julian would have no effect on him, and physically threatening
    Cameron would just piss him off. Arresting Cameron, however….
    Ty gripped Cameron‟s elbow and pulled at him, turning him
    around with alarming strength as he clasped one cuff on his wrist.
    Cameron looked up at Julian, hoping he knew what he was doing.
    “You‟re bluffing,” Julian said as he looked at Zane. “You have no
    grounds to arrest him, and you can‟t force me to Washington.”
    “Actually, yes, we do, and yes, we can,” Zane replied. “It would
    be a shame to find an unregistered firearm in Mr. Jacobs‟ possession,
    especially if he threatened a federal agent with it.”
    Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    Cameron gasped. “That‟s awful and you know it!”
    “Yeah, you‟re breaking my heart.” Ty‟s hand tightened on
    Cameron‟s shoulder as he secured the handcuffs, and his voice was low
    and gruff in Cameron‟s ear. “You have a good evening now, Mr.
    Cross,” he said in a louder voice, pushing Cameron in front of him
    toward the door.
    Cameron tried to dig in his heels, but he was no match for Ty.
    Both the FBI agents were closer to Julian‟s size than his, and since the
    top of his head did well to reach