Rack & Ruin (THIRDS 3)

As soon as Sloane had shifted, Dex began the Postshift Trauma Care. He hoped whatever information Sloane was looking to get from Austen, he’d be able to get it quickly. Sloane needed to eat a hefty meal filled with meat and carbs if he was going to regain his full strength. With the power bars and Gatorade finished, Dex helped Sloane back into his uniform. Not long after, Sloane was on his feet. He gave Dex a wink and a playful smack on the ass before hitting the button for the screen.

“Why did you run, Austen?” Sloane asked as he took the seat Dex had vacated earlier. “Again.”

Across from him, Austen blinked at Sloane. “What do you mean, why? Because you guys are fucking scary, that’s why. I never know who’s gonna come after me. There are all these big dudes with guns running around these days and even bigger Therians with sharp teeth that could crush my tiny bones. Also, we cheetah Therians are skittish by nature, you know.” He looked up at Cael and held his fist out for a bump. “Am I right, bro?”

Cael scowled at him.

“Dude,” Austen whispered hoarsely. “You’re gonna leave me hanging in front of the fit jaguar Therian? Not cool.”

With a grunt, Cael bumped his fist against Austen’s, drawing a big grin from him.

“We small Felids gotta stick together.”

“You done socializing?” Sloane asked.

“Yep. What can I do for you, Agent Broody?”

Dex bit his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing at the nickname. Sounded like something he would come up with. It certainly described his sexy partner to a T.

“Don’t suppose you’re going to reconsider my offer for a private workout session?”

Cael hadn’t been kidding. Austen did have a crush on Sloane. Dex was still trying to get a read on the guy. Part of him wanted to like the cheeky cheetah; the other part wanted to dislike him for the sheer fact he wanted to get his grubby little paws on Sloane. The guy made no attempt to hide his attraction to the larger Felid. Then again, Austen wasn’t the first to have a crush on Destructive Delta’s Team Leader. Dex had heard plenty of talk around the office from both male and female agents attracted to his partner, though no one ever approached Sloane. Hell, if Dex hadn’t been partnered with him, he would have chalked Sloane up as being out of his league. There was also something about his sexy partner that screamed, “Approach with caution”.

Austen turned toward Dex, seeming to notice him for the first time. He opened his mouth to say something, then paused before leaning in Dex’s direction. “Damn. Look at those baby blues. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new pouty-lipped partner, Broody Bear?”

“That’s Agent Daley. I told you if you called me that again I was going to kick your ass. You wanna pay attention even a little?” It was as if Sloane hadn’t even spoken.

“Well hello, Agent Daley. You are one lucky dude. Destructive Delta has fine agents.” He lolled his head back to grin widely at Hobbs. “And I do mean fine.”

My God, it was like the guy was in heat. Hobbs smiled shyly before noticing his partner’s subtle glare, prompting him to drop his gaze to his tac pants and brush off some dust Dex doubted was even there.

Sloane sat back and laced his fingers over his stomach. He stretched his long legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. “Am I going to have to get you neutered?”

Austen gave such a start that he nearly fell off the bench. “That ain’t funny, man. You shouldn’t joke about shit like that.”

A wicked grin came onto Sloane’s face. “Who said I was joking?”

“I see. It’s business as usual, then. Fine. It’s getting ugly out there. I’ve got no sympathy for those bastards from the Order, but it’s pretty messed up the way the Coalition’s dealing with them. These dudes don’t fuck around. I mean, they hunt the Humans down, catch them, beat the tar out of them, then leave them somewhere visible to warn the others. That’s usually when someone calls you guys.”

“Any luck tracking the Coalition?” Sloane asked.

Austen shook his head. “I haven’t been able to get close enough. These guys aren’t like the Order. They’ve got training. Not official government training, but like they’ve been shown the basics by someone who’s trained. They know how to stay hidden. Wherever they go, they have two members in their Therian forms to sniff out anyone who might be stupid enough to follow them. And before you ask, it’s never the same two Therians. So cross-referencing their classification through your fancy computer will probably give you a hit on every Therian agent in your organization.”

“Great.”

“Sorry. I know it’s a big load of nada. But I can confirm you do have a traitor in your midst.”

Crap. Not that they hadn’t known, but having someone else confirm it made it doubly fucked up. “How do you know?” Dex asked.

“Like I said. These guys haven’t been officially trained. They’ve been shown the ropes by someone who has. An agent. There are two male Therians leading the Coalition. One of them communicates with someone several times a day and usually gives orders based on whatever he’s been told. I’ve seen him answer his phone several times and right after, tell his team to retreat. Seconds later, THIRDS agents show up.”

Sloane nodded his acknowledgment. “Are you able to identify any of them?”

“No. They wear black masks that cover their heads and necks. The kind tactical teams wear under their helmets. Makes it so you can’t see any distinctive features. The main guy I’ve seen only once. Well, all I saw was his figure. He’s fucking huge. He was wearing one of those black masks, a black long sleeve shirt with bulletproof vest, and black-and-gray camouflage pants. It’s no wonder the press keeps thinking they’re THIRDS agents the way they’re geared up. For all we know, your rat might be in there, but there’s no way to tell. They don’t let their guard down for a moment. I get the feeling they don’t reveal their identities to anyone, not even each other.”

“What about names?” Dex asked. “They have to call each other something, don’t they?”

Austen’s frown didn’t bode well. “They use numbered codes, like one-eleven and twenty-three twenty-six. Have fun trying to figure out what the hell they represent.”