Read Online Sticks and Stones by Madeleine Urban ; Abigail Roux - Free Book Online

informed them in annoyance.
    Zane’s chin turned toward Deuce. “You’re a shrink?” was out of his mouth before he could stop it.
    “I’m a psychiatrist, yes,” Deuce answered. “Ty didn’t tell you?”
    Zane snorted. “I know as little or less about you all than you know about me. I didn’t even know Ty had a brother ’til this morning.”
    Ty’s fork clattered into his plate, and he held up his hand. “Can we stop sharing, please?” he requested in frustration.
    “Why do you need a shrink?” Earl asked him again.
    “I have daddy issues,” Ty answered with a smirk.
    Earl pointed his fork at him and narrowed his eyes as he chewed, though there was a hint of amusement in his expression. It seemed all of them enjoyed brandishing that quick wit. If Zane weren’t so off balance, it would have almost been fun to see Ty bested by someone else.
    “If Richard said you needed a shrink, then you need a shrink,” Mara told Ty with certainty.
    “I don’t need a shrink,” Ty insisted with a gesture of his hand to calm his mother.
    “We really don’t like to be called shrinks,” Deuce repeated again in annoyance.
    “Honey, you’re lucky that’s all we call you,” Mara told Deuce as she dished out more grits.
    Ty snorted, and Deuce grumbled at them both.
    “I think Burns just enjoys yanking us around,” Zane said under his breath.
    “He doesn’t enjoy much about either of you lately, son,” Earl told him, growing serious once more.
    Zane glanced up at him, surprised. He wondered what the two men could legally even talk about. Ty—maybe. But certainly not himself, except in the most general of terms. With a quick look, he saw that Ty wasn’t paying him any attention. His eyes were closed, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose.
    “Ty?” Zane said significantly. He hated the thought of someone checking up on him without his knowledge. Especially if it was someone who might really care and be upset by hearing about Zane’s ups and downs. He could imagine that Ty didn’t like the idea, either.
    Ty opened his eyes and looked at Zane through his fingers as he covered his face with his hand. He shrugged helplessly, as if to say he had absolutely no control over what was happening. Zane wrinkled his nose and resisted the urge to reach across the table and smack him one for being absolutely no help. Instead he turned his attention back to Earl. “Just how well do you know Assistant Director Burns, Mr. Grady?” he asked curiously.
    “You’re welcome to call me Earl, son. And I’ve known Richard for almost forty years,” Earl answered. “We went into Vietnam together, and we came out together,” he said with a hint of pride.
    Very good friends, then. Zane sighed and sat back. Earl might not know much of anything about him. But he also might know more than Zane would want to admit to anyone, much less Ty’s father, of all people. He leveled his eyes on his partner and waited.
    “What?” Ty asked defensively. “It’s not my fault,” he protested as Earl chuckled.
    Zane felt his lips curl up. It was actually amusing to see Ty’s reactions to his family. “What isn’t he enjoying about us?” he asked, going back to Earl’s first comment.
    Earl shrugged as he handed his plate to his wife, who was now rounding the table collecting dishes. “Apparently you’re making him do more paperwork than he wants to be doing. He mentioned something about throwing handguns and blue paint,” he said with a bemused frown. Ty snorted and covered the laugh with a cough. Earl looked at him with narrowed eyes and then back at Zane. Zane was hard-pressed not to chuckle. “He also told me he was worried about you both,” Earl continued. “He’s always worried about Ty, but him saying he’s worried about Ty’s partner is new,” he informed Zane as he studied him closely. “Ty usually takes care of his partners.”
    Zane automatically handed his plate up when Mara held her hand out for it, but he kept