Catch A Tiger By The Tail (THIRDS 6)

“You don’t really need Hobbs to be there, right? I mean, you just need a Therian to help subdue Thomas?”

“Yeah.”

“So spare him the pain.” Sloane put his hand on Calvin’s shoulder. “Don’t tell him, and I’ll come with you.”

Calvin didn’t hesitate. “Okay.” He walked over to Ethan and smiled, hoping his best friend wouldn’t want to come with him. Ethan seemed comfortable nestled between Letty and Rosa, his right arm hooked with Letty’s as she teased Rosa. “Hey, I’m going to pop out with Sloane for a few minutes. We’ll be back soon.”

Ethan nodded, a wide, dopey smile on his face. He put his thumbs up, and it took everything Calvin had not to let his own smile falter. That smile meant everything to Calvin. With a wink, he turned and left, with Sloane following quietly. When they were sitting inside Sloane’s Impala, Calvin let out an unsteady breath.

“You okay?” Sloane asked as he turned on the ignition.

“Yeah, sorry.” He blinked away his tears and laughed at himself. “God, look at me. I’m such a dork.” He wiped his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Sloane put a hand to his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“Hey, whatever it is, you can talk to me.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Really. Thanks.”

Sloane didn’t look too convinced, but he nodded. “Okay.”

Calvin was grateful Sloane didn’t push him. He didn’t want Sloane knowing about his selfish thoughts. About how sometimes he wished he could hide Ethan away from the world so it was the two of them, nothing to set off Ethan’s anxieties. Just one day where his best friend could be happy without the threat of fear. Where some asshole wasn’t screaming at him on the street for not ordering his food fast enough, where someone wasn’t looking at him like he was some kind of freak, with pity or disgust because he was having a panic attack. Where looking at his own father was painful enough to bring him nightmares.

“Thank you. I really appreciate this, Sloane.”

“No problem.”

In twenty minutes they were pulling up in front of Julia Hobbs’s brownstone. His mom’s house was a couple of doors down, but she spent most of her time around Julia’s. The two had been best friends as long as Calvin and Ethan. Calvin had paid far more than asking price for his mom’s house so she could live on the same block as Julia. His mom and Julia’s happiness had been priceless. After years of shitty—and at times dangerous—jobs, his mom was able to retire and get the break she deserved in a house all her own. No crackhead neighbors, no drunks in the stairwell, and no scumbag landlord making inappropriate offers in exchange for skipping a month’s rent.

“Will Julia be okay with me there? I can imagine that sort of thing is pretty personal, and with what happened with Seb and the team….”

“It’s fine. Julia never held it against you,” Calvin assured Sloane. “She understood Seb had a choice, and he chose to save the man he loved. Don’t for a second think she doesn’t know that it was thanks to you and Dex that Seb got promoted to Team Leader.”

Sloane held his hands up. “That was all Seb’s doing. He worked his ass off for that promotion.” As soon as they stepped out onto the sidewalk, they could hear the screams. “Jesus.” Sloane stared up at the house. “Poor guy. No one’s called the cops?”

Calvin shook his head. “Eve

ryone on the block knows what the Hobbses have been through. They’re really good about it. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to.” He pulled out his keys to the Hobbs residence and quickly went inside. Calvin’s mom came running and gave him a kiss.

“Hello, darling. Thank you so much for coming.”

“I brought Sloane. I couldn’t….”

She placed her hand to his cheek. “You did good, baby. Ethan doesn’t need to see this.” She turned to Sloane and gave him a big hug. “Thank you, Sloane. This means so much to us.”

“Of course, Darla. Anytime.”

“They’re upstairs in the bedroom.”

Calvin and Sloane followed her upstairs, the screaming getting louder as they neared Julia and Thomas’s bedroom. No matter how much he was used to hearing Thomas’s screams, it still sent a chill through him. Calvin stepped into the room and couldn’t stop himself from turning away. Jesus Christ. Thomas was thrashing around on the bed, his cries turning Calvin’s blood to ice. He looked as if he was possessed, his body and limbs contorting, his muscles strained, his black hair soaked in sweat from the exertion.

“Cal.” Julia ran over and hugged him. “Thank you so much.” She looked up at Sloane and smiled. “Sloane, it’s been too long.”

Sloane hugged her close. “Julia. It’s good to see you again.”

“Okay.” Calvin turned to Sloane. “We need to hold him down and keep him from lashing out. It’s going to take three injections. The one to his spine is always the worst.”

Sloane nodded and took a deep breath. They went over to the bed, and Calvin spoke to Thomas, his voice loud yet gentle.

“Thomas, it’s Cal. Sloane’s here with me. We’re going to help Julia.”