Battle It Out

was getting up there in age. Of course, Bear’s steps had slowed through the years, but his zest for life still ran deep.
“Ugh,” Royce groaned next to him.
“Go on, Bear. Go lay down,” he said gently and pointed to the foam bed near the cracked leather couch.
“Sorry.” Royce pinched his nose. “You know I have allergies.”
Bear obeyed and wandered toward the other couch where his bed was located. Before settling down, the dog placed his head in Zane’s lap. The soldier bent forward and whispered sweet words—if the wagging of Bear’s tail was any indication. Zane’s strong fingers carefully caressed Bear’s head, neck, and back. It was hard not to imagine how those large hands would feel.
That’s it! He did what any sane person would do and ran for it.
“Don’t worry about it,” he told Royce and quickly stood. The guy was on his way out anyway. There was no spark left between them. When had there ever been?
“Anybody need another drink?” he called out, heading toward the back door.
A chorus of noise followed him into the kitchen. When he reached the sink, he gripped the edge of the counter. How the fuck was he going to endure this?
“You’ve done it for years with no problem,” he muttered beneath his breath and reminded himself that he’d never do anything to jeopardize their partnership and that he really did respect the fact that Zane was straight.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?” Lacy asked.
He tossed the rag into the sink, plastered on a smile, and slanted her a look.
“Nothing really.”
“Just got lost in the abyss?” she teased. Lacy had been a godsend over the past few months and when he’d needed someone to talk to, she’d been there.
“That’s my brain.” He gave her a quirky smile.
“I kind of like your brain.” She ruffled his hair.
“So?” She flipped her long, dark hair over one shoulder. “Are we liking Zane today or no?”
He rolled his eyes. “He’s actually behaving himself.”
“No snide comments?”
“You heard him make fun of Royce’s name.” He shrugged. Zane’s comments could cut deep, so what he’d said to Royce hadn’t been all that bad.
Lacy laughed and took off the lid to a big bowl of sour cream dip and snagged up a massive bag of potato chips.
“That’s nothing new.” She jerked her head to the den and the loud noise going on. “You want these in there? Or on the back porch with me?”
“Take them to the back porch. I’ll be right there.”
She kissed his cheek before disappearing out the door.
“Hell yeah,” his brother said. “Lacy, you can put those right here by me.”
The rest of the porch broke out in laughter, but the only sound he zeroed in on was Zane’s deep chuckle. He strained to hear if the man said anything.
“Isaac?” A hand touched his shoulder.
“Shit!” He whirled around and glowered.
“Sorry,” Bart apologized, backing up quickly.
“It’s okay, you just startled me.” He laughed, releasing a force of air.
Bart shuffled his feet and gazed at him through the long, black bangs that fell into his charcoal rimmed eyes.
“I don’t want to wear out our welcome,” Bart said, darting a quick look at the open back door.
“You’re not.”
“You sure? I seem to invite myself all the time,” Bart said, looking sheepish.
“Hey, if I didn’t want you here, I would tell you to leave. Trust me.” He clamped a gentle hand on the younger man’s shoulder.
“Thanks, Isaac.” Bart flashed him a quick smile and strode back into the den.
Turning back to the sink, he lifted the dishrag and ran it over the nozzle and dried the counter where water had gathered.
His phone buzzed with a reminder. Tomorrow would be his last appointment with the doc. He’d been working through the aftermath of the knife attack and the shit that came with it. When CPS agent Mayer had grabbed him and put a gun to his head, he’d disarmed the big sweaty man of the gun. It was his own fault he’d completely missed the knife, and then Zane had saved him.
He shivered, even now feeling those strong arms sweeping him up from the pavement as if he weighed nothing. Those same arms clutching him tight as Zane whispered against his temple not to die on him.
One thing became very clear during his time spent in that safe house with Zane. He really knew nothing about the guy. Only that Zane was a soldier, rock solid, fierce, and loyal, but he also had secrets. Everyone has secrets.
Yeah, but he wanted to know Zane’s.

Zane
After Isaac jumped up and disappeared into the house, Zane waited a minute and then casually leaned over to caress Bear’s soft fur before slowly shifting closer to the edge of the couch.
Pia’s legs suddenly draped over his lap, keeping him firmly in his seat.
He shot her a questioning look.
“Whatcha gonna do?” She quirked one eyebrow at him.
What was he going to do? He had no fucking clue what he was going to do. All he wanted was Isaac back in his life.
“Use the head, got a problem with it?” he squinted at her.
Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Try pulling my other leg.”
When Lacy followed Isaac into the house, he gnashed his teeth. He’d missed his window for that moment alone.
An elbow in the side drew his attention with a grunt. “Ouch, what?”
“I overheard the colonel talking about pairing you with Blade,” she whispered.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “Does Blade know?” He slid a glance to Blade. The soldier was Pia’s in-the-field partner.
“Not yet.”
What would drive Liam to pair him with Blade? Not that she wasn’t a hell of a soldier, but their jobs were very different. Blade and Pia were scalers, their climbing skills and ability to reach heights at a speed unseen gave the unit a tactical advantage. He, on the other hand, couldn’t climb worth a shit. His skills were better suited on the ground.
“She’s going to be pissed,” he muttered.
“That’s an understatement.” Pia chewed on her thumb nail. “He’ll probably pair