Hell & High Water (THIRDS 1)

Dex wriggled his eyebrows. “You’re right. It’s better. I don’t have to pay.”

Sloane stopped in the middle of pulling off his shirt and glowered at him.

“All right,” Dex said with a sigh. He reached into his back pocket and pulled a ten dollar bill out of his wallet, waving it at Sloane as he walked over. “Just so you have an idea what this partnership means to me. This would have gotten me at least a lap dance at Papi Chulo’s.” Sloane arched an eyebrow at him and Dex grinned broadly as he stuck his finger in the waistband of Sloane’s pants and gave it a tug. Sloane let out a low grunt and Dex very neatly slipped the bill in partway.

“You’re an idiot.”

Dex stepped back and waited. “Well, come on. I expect to get my money’s worth.”

Sloane plucked the bill from his pants, removed his wallet from his back pocket, stuck it in, returned it to his pants, and then went for his belt.

“Now we’re talking.” Dex could see Sloane was trying his hardest not to smile. He was biting down on his bottom lip as he removed his belt and unzipped. “Do you need music? I can provide music.” He broke off into a throaty rendition of “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” and Sloane burst into laughter.

“What the fuck are you singing?”

“You’re right,” Dex chastised himself. “‘Black Velvet’ is more appropriate for this moment. I should’ve gone with that first.” He snickered as Sloane doubled over laughing. The sound was rich and deep, and Dex found it infectious. He liked it when Sloane laughed. It made his amber eyes light up and little creases form at the sides, lines that proved Sloane used to laugh a lot more than he did, though the guy wasn’t doing too badly these days.

“What in the hell is going on in here?”

They both spun to Tony who was gaping at them. “We’re in the middle of a hunt and you two are… I don’t even know what you’re doing, but it sure as hell isn’t what you’re supposed to be doing.”

Dex opened his mouth when Sloane held up a hand. “It’s my fault, sir.”

“I don’t care whose fault it is, get your asses in gear. Dex, get down here and let your partner shift, now.”

“Yes, sir.” Dex quickly snatched his ballistic shield off the wall, along with his helmet, and made his way to the end of the truck. He waited for Tony to turn around before looking over his shoulder at Sloane who was watching him in amusement. He gave him a thumbs-up and whispered hoarsely. “I’ll make you a playlist.” When he jumped down, he could hear Sloane snickering from inside the truck. Dex put his helmet on and secured the straps under his chin as he joined Letty, Rosa, and Calvin.

“What were you two doing?” Calvin’s voice was low so Tony wouldn’t hear.

“Paying Sloane to strip for me.” Dex grinned, lowering his visor. “Best ten bucks I ever spent.”

Something huge and black leapt out of the back of the truck, and Dex nearly fell over his own feet from the surprise. When he found his balance, he found himself gawking at the huge black jaguar. “Sloane….”

Sloane turned his head, his amber eyes glowing bright before he darted off down the street, Ash and Cael taking off after him. Dex stood there for a moment, his heart racing. Sloane was a Therian, but finally seeing the animal inside him come out was a strange experience. He wished he’d had more time to really see him. He’d been impressive, that was for sure. His black coat glossy, with the faintest hints of rosettes visible on his

fur. He wasn’t as big as Hobbs, and Ash’s mane made him appear bigger, but Sloane was all bulk and sleek muscle, and his black fur made him stand out among his fair-haired teammates.

“Okay, team. Good luck and be careful.” With that said, Tony climbed into the back of the BearCat. The boom of the doors when they shut echoed around them. Well, this was it. Calvin moved first, with Hobbs moving silently beside him, the rest of them following down Cayler Street. They stuck close to each other, shields in hand and rifles at the ready. When they got to the end and made a right, things got a whole lot rougher.

“You see a black jaguar running that isn’t Sloane, you shoot,” Rosa told him.

Crap. He seriously hoped he didn’t end up tranqing his partner. That would really piss Sloane off. Speaking of, his partner had been right when he said they’d be going into battle. The place looked like a war zone. He couldn’t say he’d been here more than a handful of times, maybe fewer, and that had been many years ago when he’d been a kid, before the place had turned into the desolate ruins it was. It had once been filled with families, homes, and businesses. Cars and business vans once lined the streets. Now the streets were empty, and the buildings around them were all abandoned and dilapidated, their exposed ironwork rusting away.

When they got to Noble Street, things got worse. With little imagination, Dex could see himself in some foreign territory waiting to fall under heavy fire. Around them was nothing but dirt, rock, dead shrubs and weeds growing through the cracks in the asphalt. The buildings were crumbling around them, those still standing tagged with graffiti. Piles of debris littered the streets, and the only sounds were the ones coming from the crushed gravel and pieces of broken glass underneath their boots as they moved steadily onward.

Although Dex couldn’t see anything through the windowless, darkened spaces of the many buildings, he could feel eyes on him. They were being watched. As long as the Therians didn’t come out to play, Dex was cool with anyone watching.

Hobbs stopped in his tracks, and everyone else did the same, watching the tiger Therian as he lifted his head and sniffed the air. He trotted ahead, and they all quickly trailed after him. When Hobbs picked up speed, so did they, until they were jogging after him. Something lunged at Hobbs from the darkness, knocking him over. Hobbs rolled, landing on his feet and hissing, his jaws opening wide and baring huge fangs. He clawed at the large cougar, catching it in the side of the neck, drawing blood and a painful hiss.

Another Therian leapt out from the shadows onto Hobbs’s back, attempting to bite his neck, but again Hobbs rolled, crushing the smaller Felid under him. It was two against one, and Dex cursed under his breath when another Felid appeared and lunged at Hobbs, this time snapping his jaws around Hobbs’s back leg. Hobbs let out a fierce cry, twisting his body to snap at the just out of reach leopard.

“Hobbs!” Calvin bolted after his partner. Shit, it was exactly what Dex had feared. So much for tight formation.

The wounded cougar set his sights on Calvin, and Dex took aim, following the cougar as he charged. When he lunged, Dex fired, and Calvin ducked out of the way. The dart from Dex’s tranq rifle plunged itself into the Felid’s neck, sending it scrambling away.

Movement from Dex’s left caught his eye, and he swallowed hard when several Therians emerged slowly from the shadows, their teeth bared as they hissed or growled. It was a mixture of wolf and Felid Therians. Dex breathed in deeply, telling himself to calm down, to steady his heart rate. His gloved fingers tightened on his rifle as more Therians materialized. If any of them made a move toward him, Dex was ready to take them down. He heard shots fired and saw Calvin taking on a small pack of wolf Therians. Two of them lunged at Calvin from behind, knocking him down and his helmet hit the ground hard. Calvin didn’t get up.

“Calvin!” Dex, Letty, and Rosa shot at everything moving that wasn’t Hobbs, who was busy keeping his unconscious partner safe. “He’s in trouble,” Dex said, hitting another Therian in the neck. Shit, he was going to have to reload soon.