Hell & High Water (THIRDS 1)

“Sorry, I was expecting someone else.”

“You mean Dex?” Ash arched an eyebrow at him and waited, but not very long. “What was he doing here?”

Sloane closed the door behind him. “Cael asked me to take Dex home, but he was out of it. I realized too late that I didn’t know where he lived, so he crashed on my couch.”

“And you couldn’t call Cael?”

“It was late and I was tired, not to mention he was busy with you. What’s the problem, Ash?” Today was turning into one hell of a clusterfuck.

“Did you sleep with him?”

“What?” Sloane stared at his friend. “What the hell, man? Is that why you came over, to ask me if I’m fucking my partner?” How long had Ash been thinking this? How could his friend think it? He was the only one who’d known about Gabe, the only one who knew everything about Sloane.

“I came over because I was worried. When Maddock said you’d called in, I knew something was wrong. You never call in. Now I know why.” Ash’s expression grew stern. “Well did you?”

“No,” Sloane replied through his teeth. “I did not fuck my partner.”

“But you wanted to.” It was more a statement and less a question, which Sloane didn’t appreciate. Mostly because Ash was right, and they both knew it.

Sloane folded his arms over his chest. “You have five seconds to tell me what you want.”

“Fine. I thought I should let you know your lunatic of a partner went running after some punk on a bike.” Ash dug into his pocket and pulled out a rock. Sloane stiffened, his heart hammering when he saw faint blood stains. “Hit him in the head with this. He’s okay. Bled some, but nothing serious.”

Sloane grabbed his boots from the shoe rack. “Jesus, Ash, and you didn’t think to go with him?”

“He was fine. Besides, he can handle himself. It was some little prick. If you ask me, the guy deserves to get the shit kicked out of him for being a fucking Eagles fan.”

“Wait, what?” Sloane’s stomach plummeted. He grabbed Ash’s shoulders. “What did this guy look like?”

“About five nine, five ten, scruffy jeans, black hoodie, some lame ass band T-shirt, and a stupid Eagles cap.”

“Shit. That guy was at the bar last night. Call for backup!” Sloane threw his boots off and started stripping. He didn’t know what the hell was going on but it couldn’t be a coincidence. Had Eagles cap guy followed them home? Had he been watching them? How else would he know where to find Dex?

“Are you going to shift?”

“Dex is in trouble! And track him. He was wearing his com when he left.” As he quickly removed all his clothes, he prayed Dex was okay. He had to be.

Oh God, what if he got there and Dex was…. He couldn’t think that. He couldn’t think about anything else other than getting to Dex. As he stripped down completely, hearing Ash on his cell phone behind him, Sloane closed his eyes, took a deep breath and forced his Human side to retreat. His muscles tensed and pulled, his teeth gritted against the agonizing pain as his Therian side tore through him, clawing and twisting to come out. His vision blurred before it became sharper, his sense of smell intensifying as his mass shifted, his skin stretched and contracted, his fur piercing his flesh as it surfaced.

As the pain deepened, all he could think about was Dex. Please let me get to him in time.

DEX HAD taken two of the thugs down before half a dozen more jumped him. He had enough time to tighten his abs when the baseball bat collided with them, knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over and fell to his knees, hugging his abdomen. They didn’t give him a chance to get up, the bat hitting him on his back and sending him sprawling forward. He curled in on himself, protecting his head, the coppery taste of blood in his mouth as they kicked him in the ribs.

“Stay away from the HumaniTherians case, Daley.” It was the jerk he’d stupidly followed right into an ambush. How the hell had the guy found him? Smart move, Dex. “And stay away from Sloane Brodie.”

“What?” Dex wheezed, when the baseball bat collided with his arm. He let out a sharp cry, the pain in his side almost as bad as the one in his head. His face throbbed from where it had rubbed against the wooden planks of the pier when he’d hit it the first time. He felt sick, and he knew the only reason he hadn’t thrown up was because his stomach was empty. He’d promised Sloane he’d fight back, and he had, at first. They didn’t want to kill him, only beat the shit out of him. He was so tired of getting beat up.

There was no point in asking questions. These guys had been paid to hurt him, to warn him off. They clearly didn’t know him. Dex tried to move despite his bruised and battered body, but he didn’t get anywhere, a boot clamping down on his back and slamming him back into the pier. Dex sputtered rainwater, gasping as his lungs struggled to take in air. A roar shook the windows around them, and a large black body appeared in the distance. He couldn’t see very clearly, but he didn’t have to. He smiled through the sharp sting on his lip.

“You’re all fucked now,” Dex murmured as the black mass swiftly approached. He heard the thugs cursing and making a run for it, scrambling away as fast as they could in all directions. Sloane sped past, his roars and hisses echoing in Dex’s ears. There were sharp cries and pleas, and although Dex knew Sloane wouldn’t kill anyone, his partner wasn’t against delivering a few permanent scars.

His lids grew heavy as his world filled with sirens and shouting. Defense agents with rifles flooded out of trucks, HPF officers scoured the perimeter, guns in hand. His partner hadn’t just brought the cavalry out for him, but the whole fucking army. Something huffed over Dex, and he reached up, barely aware of how badly his hand was shaking. Sloane appeared before him and despite the pain it brought to his lips, Dex couldn’t keep from smiling when his partner put his muzzle to his hand, his chainsaw-like purr sending vibrations down Dex’s arm.

Despite his blurred vision and the darkness that crept in around him, Dex couldn’t understand how anyone could hate such a beautiful soul. He rolled slightly back, his whole body searing with pain as he shivered violently. Then all at once, he was warmer. Sloane lay against him, his tail curled protectively over Dex’s legs, his fur and mass emanating warmth. He laid his head gently against Dex’s. A raindrop landed awkwardly in Sloane’s ear and it twitched as if he were nothing more than a big house cat. Somewhere close by, he could hear Ash calling out to him, telling him to hang on, that help was coming.

“Not the Therian! He’s a THIRDS agent!” Ash shouted. “That’s his partner! Round up those assholes in the truck and don’t worry about being gentle. What’s that? Oh, he wants to bitch about being clawed? Bring him here. I’ll give him something to really bitch about!”

Sloane’s ears went flat, and he bared his teeth, hissing at the paramedics as they cautiously approached. Ash ran over and crouched down in front of them. He put his hand to Sloane’s head, receiving a soft mewl.