Hell & High Water (THIRDS 1)

“There!”

One of the journalists saw them and the rest descended, shrouding them like a thick fog. Sloane held onto Dex’s vest so as not to lose him. The BearCat was only a few feet away. Questions flew at them from every direction, and Sloane tried his hardest not to put anyone’s lights out as they carefully pushed their way through the crowd.

“Agent Brodie, when is the THIRDS going to catch this murderer?”

As soon as you get the hell out of our way. “We’re following up on all possible leads. Excuse us, please.”

“How do the THIRDS justify sending killers to catch a killer?”

The question had Sloane gritting his teeth, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard a hundred times over. As if Therians were the only ones capable of killing. Homicides had existed long before his kind. Dex made to stop when Sloane gave his vest a tug, keeping him walking. He leaned over so his partner could hear over the buzz of reporters and equipment. “Don’t stop.” The last thing they needed was to give the vultures any more ammunition, and after everything Dex had been through during the trial of his partner, Sloane had no idea how the guy would react to any of the callous questions thrown at them. When one of the reporters shoved a recording device under Sloane’s visor from somewhere over his shoulder, Dex became the least of his worries.

“Agent Brodie, you don’t seem to have much luck when it comes to partners. What do you think are the chances of this one ending up like Agent Pearce?”

Sloane came to an abrupt halt, the reporters around him stumbling and running into each other so as not to bump into him. He turned, his fists curled at his sides. With a growl, he took a step forward, ready to plant one into the son of a bitch when Dex materialized before him.

“Hey, partner.” Dex maneuvered him into the nearest open shop doorway, closing it on the swarming reporters and locking it. To Sloane’s surprise, Dex lifted both their visors before gently taking hold of Sloane’s face and pulling him close. He was ready to snap at Dex, but having those pale blue eyes staring intently into his own stopped him cold. He didn’t know why, but he found himself unable to look away. More disturbing was the knowledge a part of him didn’t want to. He stood, focusing on the pools of crystal blue. When Dex spoke, his voice was soothing.

“Come on. Focus. Focus on me. Not them. Me.”

Sloane gritted his teeth, his anger fluctuating. He wanted to stay outraged, but the more he looked into Dex’s eyes, the harder he found it.

“Look at me. Breathe. That’s it. Just breathe. They don’t know you.”

“You don’t know me either,” Sloane replied roughly.

“I know enough. I also know the job. It’s easy for them to talk shit when they’re not the ones out there, putting their lives on the line, making the tough decisions. They don’t see the faces when they close their eyes. They don’t have to live with the guilt. All they want is to see you as some dangerous animal, to watch you fail and prove them right. Don’t give them the satisfaction. You’re better than those assholes and you know it.”

Dex was right. Sloane was playing i

nto their hands. It was a cheap shot, using his dead partner to stir a reaction out of him, but it wasn’t the first time they’d stooped that low over the last year. He breathed in deeply and released it slowly. Maddock’s voice came in over their earpieces.

“Where are you two?”

Dex looked around them. “We’re in a café. Vultures got too close. They’re swarming outside. We’re going to need a distraction.”

“How long?” Maddock asked.

Dex craned his neck, and Sloane turned, not surprised to see the large glass display filled with all kinds of baked goods. When he turned back to Dex, his partner was looking up at him with big puppy eyes. No. Absolutely not. He was not going to….

“Okay, fine,” Sloane muttered. “But hurry up.”

Dex tapped his earpiece. “Ten minutes, Sarge.”

“Fine.”

With an excited bounce, Dex rushed to the counter, and Sloane stared after him. He’d never met anyone who got as excited about food as Dex. From the grin he had on his face, you’d think the guy had hit the lottery or something. Lucky for them, there were only a couple of customers inside, one wearing headphones and so engrossed in whatever was on his tablet that he hadn’t even noticed them come in, and a tiny wisp of a girl who smiled at him, turned in her seat, held up her phone and snapped a picture of Dex bending over to point at something behind the display. When she turned around, Sloane arched an eyebrow at her.

She gave him a shrug. “Your boy’s got a fine ass.”

Seriously? She tapped away at her phone and Sloane wondered if he should tell his partner his ass was about to get its fifteen minutes. Nah. It was a pretty fine ass.

Dex turned to Sloane, a look of sheer joy on his face. “You want anything?”

Why the hell not. “A bear claw.”

“Nice choice, partner.” Dex turned back to the counter and put in his order with the startled looking barista. From the sounds of it, Dex was ordering for the whole team.

“Don’t get anything with nuts for Ash. He’s allergic,” Sloane called out.