Sloane’s frown deepened. “You would think that wouldn’t you. You’re weird.”
“And you’re a Therian who can purr while he’s Human.”
“Shut up.” He pinned Dex with a glare. “If you tell Ash, so help me I will reassign you and make you his partner.”
Dex put a hand up in promise, though he felt a hint of pride in the fact he was the only
one to have brought that out in his partner. Sloane was able to lose himself to the point where even his Therian form—no matter how deeply buried, was able to express its content. He leaned forward and kissed Sloane. Inside he was doing a jig. Sloane turned and sat up so he could pull Dex against him. Their kissing grew more urgent when Sloane’s phone went off. With a growl, Sloane snatched it up off the coffee table.
“Brodie here. Yep. We’re on it. Pick us up and bring our gear.” He hung up and sighed. “I’ve never worked for an organization so set against me getting laid.”
Dex laughed and got to his feet, pulling Sloane up with him. “Come on. Hobbs will be here any minute. I swear that dude was like a NASCAR champ in another life. Where are we heading anyway?”
“Someone called in a Coalition sighting.”
“If someone called it in, they’ll probably be long gone by the time we get there.”
“Either way, you be careful.” Sloane pulled him close, and they kissed until they heard a deep honking. Hobbs arrived in record time, stopping just long enough for Sloane and Dex to lock up, rush out into the street, and hop into the back of the truck. Once inside, they both got into their uniforms and gear.
According to Tony, the 911 dispatcher stated armed Therians in masks were spotted on Pitt Street just a block away from the HPF’s Seventh Precinct. These guys had balls. Even if the HPF didn’t have jurisdiction, it wasn’t as if they were going to sit back and twiddle their thumbs while a bunch of armed thugs gunned people down.
Hobbs parked the BearCat off Delancey and Clinton Street where the Williamsburg Bridge started, making sure to stay away from the parking spots right beside the stone structures, a.k.a. the pigeon crapper. Hobbs detested pigeons, mostly because they had a habit of shitting on the BearCat within moments of it getting washed and waxed. Everyone readied themselves while Sloane addressed the team.
“Cael, I want you and Hobbs in your Therian forms. Remember what Austen said. The Coalition always travels with two members in their Therians forms. I want to be prepared.”
Cael and Hobbs gave Sloane a curt nod before Cael hit the release button on the privacy screen and Rosa stood by to assist. They moved fast, with the rest of the team scrambling out of the truck while Cael and Hobbs finished shifting. Tony stayed behind to provide surveillance. Cael jumped down from the truck and circled Rosa, rubbing against her leg with a purr. She chuckled and scratched him behind the ear, giving it a playful tug when Hobbs joined them. Just as Calvin joined his partner, a series of pops resounded. Everyone quickly fell into formation behind Sloane who tapped his earpiece.
“Shots fired. Destructive Delta, we’re moving in.” They used the cars parked down the street to give them cover before crossing to the other side and rushing toward the gunfire. “Sarge, what can you see?”
Maddock’s voice came in over their earpieces. “Five Therian suspects are heading your way. They should be coming up on Delancey Street any minute. Looks like they’re chasing a couple of Humans. Be careful, two of the Therians are in their Therian forms. We’ve got a tiger Therian and cougar Therian.” As soon as Maddock finished talking, they saw two men sprint onto the street two blocks ahead of them. The two Felids and three Coalition members quickly followed them.
“Move out!” Sloane ordered, and they all broke into a run after their suspects with Cael speeding off ahead and Hobbs close behind. If Cael managed to get close enough to one of the Therians in their feral form to trip him up, Hobbs could move in. Since the rest of the team didn’t stand a chance of catching up to the tiger and cougar, they concentrated on the other members. A series of gunshots echoed through the air, and any pedestrians that were around cleared out. There was a loud roar, and the Coalition members split up. “Shit. Everyone fan out!”
Dex took off after one of the masked Coalition members running down Delancey Street. He was forced to duck behind a parked minivan when the large Therian aimed at him and shot off a round. Not hearing a second round of gunfire, Dex peeked out from behind his cover and saw the guy make a left onto Willett Street under the Williamsburg Bridge. Shit. He couldn’t lose this guy. Dex resumed the chase, spotting the Therian climbing the fence into the enclosed area under the bridge where there were plenty of places to hide. Dex followed, letting his tranq rifle hang from its strap so he could jump on the fence and climb up. He deftly scrambled over it, landing on his feet. His boots kicked up dust and dirt when he landed. For a moment he thought he’d lost the guy, but he caught movement up ahead of him and took off, his rifle once again in his hands.
“THIRDS! Stop or I’ll shoot!” Dex called out, speeding past rusted metal containers, parked trucks and street maintenance equipment. His warning went unheeded. In fact, Dex was forced to make a sudden detour to avoid getting struck by a bright orange cone. Fucker threw a traffic cone at him! Back on course, Dex came skidding to a halt, aimed his tranq gun, and fired. The roar of the Therian told Dex he’d hit his target. Unfortunately, he realized too late that one tranq wasn’t enough to bring the nearly seven-foot Therian down, only enough to give him a limp as the drug went through his system. Hoping to catch up, Dex made a run for his perp. He was close. A little more and—
A hard body slammed into him, knocking the wind out of him when Dex hit one of the metal containers. His adrenaline and training kicked in. Dex thrust an elbow up, catching the new masked Therian in the chin. Not allowing his larger opponent to recover, Dex delivered a right hook. He was going for a left when a fist came at him. Dex used his left arm to block the punch and came back with a right uppercut, satisfied by the painful growl released by the large Therian. The bulletproof vest the guy wore made it difficult for Dex to get a good shot in. In the distance, Dex saw his quarry. The guy had stopped to see what was going on, and that’s when Dex saw Ash coming his way. Dex struggled with the Therian in front of him but motioned frantically to the one he’d shot. “Suspect is tranqed!”
“Affirmative.”
Dex watched Ash take after the guy and ducked just as the Therian in front of him threw a punch at Dex’s head. The guy’s fist collided with the container instead, and he let out a fierce howl. Jackass. Austen had been right. These guys were trained but not officially. Had the guy really been expecting Dex to stand there and get punched in the head? He grabbed the guy’s wrist, sidestepped, and twisted his opponent’s arm behind his back before kicking the back of his knee and shoving him up against the container. He moved to grab his perp’s left arm to twist it behind his back when it came at him with a gleaming blade. Dex pushed out of the way, the edge of the blade slicing at Dex’s sleeve and leaving a sting behind. In that instant, Dex was kicked in the thigh with enough force for his leg to go dead. He hit the ground hard, but he refused to stay down. As he pushed himself to his feet, his assailant made a run for it and disappeared into the shadows.
“Motherfucker!” Dex punched the gravel beneath him and forced himself to sit up. Moments later, Ash showed up looking out of breath and sans Therian suspect. “What the hell happened?” Dex pushed himself onto his right leg, hopping back so he could use the container to steady him.
“I lost him.”
Dex stared at his teammate. “What do you mean you lost him?”
“Do I need to paint you some pretty pictures in crayon?” Ash snarled. “I fucking lost him.”
“How can you lose him? He was right in front of you!”
Ash got up in Dex’s face, pissing Dex off further. “Next time you go after the perp, and I’ll stay back to get my ass kicked. Oh wait, that won’t happen because I’m not a fucking Hobbit!”
“Fuck you, Simba!” Dex shoved Ash back away from him or at least attempted to.
Ash pulled back a fist when Sloane materialized between them. “All right you two. That’s enough.”