Hell & High Water (THIRDS 1)

That got Dex’s attention and he sat upright, getting a sick twisting feeling in his gut. In the back of his mind, he’d been waiting for it but now that it was happening, he wasn’t as prepared as he thought he’d be. “What?”

“The commissioner isn’t happy about finding the HPF in the middle of this shit-storm, especially with those unsolved HumaniTherian murders. I’ve been informed to advise you that it’s time for you to move on.”

“Move on? Move on to what?” The suits were pushing him out? Dex propelled out of his chair so fast it toppled backward. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? Votes? Ten years I’ve been busting my ass here, giving you blood, sweat, and tears, and they’re going to push me out for doing my goddamn job?” He slammed his hands on the desk, turning the tiny pistachio shells into launched projectiles. “This is bullshit, Cap!”

“Daley,” McGrier said with quiet emphasis, his brows set in a straight line as if he couldn’t fathom the reason for Dex’s hissy fit. Dex didn’t give a damn what his captain thought this was. They were talking about his career, a career that was being dismissed without so much as batting an eyelash, all so a bunch of bureaucratic assholes could bullshit their way through another election.

“There’s no way I’m taking this lying down. You hear me? I’ve seen some pretty fucked up shit in my time but this—”

“You’re not being pushed out. You’re being promoted. Sort of.”

“I—What?” Dex blinked a few times as he tried to decipher the words that had come out of McGrier’s wobbly mouth. “What do you mean I’m being promoted? Sort of.” Now he was really confused.

“What I said. So, why don’t you sit back down and relax before you have a stroke or something.”

After setting his chair back on its legs, Dex resumed his seat. Not because he had been told to do so, but because he was afraid if he didn’t, he might just have that stroke. “I’m being promoted to….”

Fill in the blank.

“It’s more like you’ve been recruited.” McGrier studied him closely. What kind of response was his captain expecting from him other than Huh?

“Huh?”

“As of this afternoon, you are a Defense Agent for the THIRDS.” The man grew quiet and Dex couldn’t help but wait for him to throw his arms out and shout “Ta-da!” with a show of jazz hands.

What was happening here? If he’d been told he was getting transferred, he would’ve understood. If he’d been told he was getting demoted, he would’ve understood. Hell, he would’ve understood being let go, but being recruited by the THIRDS? Nope. He couldn’t say he understood. Especially since he’d never applied for a position in the first place, as he’d recently found himself stating repeatedly.

“But… how? Why? Maybe you can, I don’t know, explain? I’m feeling a little slow today. One too many kicks to the head.”

McGrier stood and started pacing. “Daley, whatever you may think, I like you. You’re an honest young man with a good head on your shoulders. You were a damned good cop and became an even better detective. Things may die down around here, they might not, but I think your skills would be better suited to an organization with a different way of doing things. We both know if they tried to push you out or demote you, they’d lose the Therian vote, but if they promoted you to an organization with a reputation for supporting both Humans and Therians, it’d be a win/win situation for everyone.”

“Yeah, if I’d been trying to get in, which I hadn’t been. Right now it’s a win/what the hell situation.”

McGrier continued as if Dex hadn’t spoken. “I had a meeting with Lieutenant Sparks while you were on leave, and she happens to have a position open on her team. The fact that you scored top of your class during the training and have Sergeant Maddock to put in a good word for you, has made you a key candidate. You know Maddock has always wanted you over there with him and your brother. The THIRDS is the only organization I know of that allows family members to work together, so why not take advantage?”

Dex’s mouth moved but nothing came out, so he decided it best to shut it. Maybe he was concussed. Maybe he was in a hospital somewhere hopped up on meds and dreaming about getting recruited by the Therian Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron. Jesus Christ, the government loved their acronyms. Somewhere some government suit had jizzed his pants coming up with that one.

The Sixth Precinct had been Dex’s home for the last ten years. They were like family. Then again, his “family” had pretty much disowned him in the last few months. Should he fight to stick around where he wasn’t wanted? He’d already been beat up twice. If that wasn’t their way of flipping him off, he didn’t know what was.

McGrier was right, things might die down, or they might get worse. As it was, his presence alone had everyone on edge, and those same dickbags who’d cast him out were forcing everyone else to pick sides. He could spare a lot of good people a whole lot of grief if he took this position, not that he was being given much of a choice.

It all came down to whether he left quietly. He should be grateful for the opportunity. There were officers out there who’d clean toilets if it meant getting their foot through the THIRDS’ door. Plus, Dex would get to work with his real family. That didn’t make leaving his job behind any easier. It was the only

familiar thing he had left. He was—had been—one of the Sixth’s top homicide detectives, and he’d worked damn hard to get there. Of course, sitting in McGrier’s office with a tissue to his bleeding lip made it pretty obvious he didn’t have much of a career left to get back to. With a resigned sigh, he nodded.

“Okay. When do I start?

With a grim nod, his captain resumed his seat. “September twenty-third. They’re giving you a week to catch up on all the new policies and codes before your introduction.”

A knock sounded on the door and Dex tilted his head back to get a better look at the fair-haired detective hovering by the door. Ah, Pearce, his knight in tarnished armor. One of the selective few who didn’t feel the need to share his opinions about Dex’s so called “betrayal.” When Pearce noticed him sitting there, he smiled widely.

“Hey, Daley.”

“Pearce.” Dex returned his smile. It’s a shame he was leaving. He could see himself hanging out with Pearce, shooting the breeze over a couple slices of pizza, sharing a few beers on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yeah. Daley’s leaving us. He’s been recruited to the THIRDS.”