“Good evening, Mrs. Bauman.”
The tiny old lady and her equally tiny dog huffed as they went on their way. The poor woman must think he was on something, though she didn’t so much as blink at the rifle lying across his chest. It seemed every time she saw him he was either standing half-naked on his front steps or lying on the sidewalk, contemplating his life and the utter clusterfuck it was. He sat up and tapped his phone.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Dex? Where the hell are you? Are you okay? We lost your signal.”
“Yeah, I’m uh, I’m home.” He felt like an idiot, but just the sound of Sloane’s voice helped soothe him.
There was a long pause. “What do you mean you’re home?”
“I’m home. My house.”
Another pause. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Do I need to call for backup? Medics?”
“No.”
“Okay, then. Hang tight.”
Hanging up, Dex headed inside to wait for Sloane. He locked the door, and when he went to sit on his couch, he realized he was still in his uniform and had all his equipment. He removed his rifle from its clip and laid it on the coffee table, followed by his thigh rig. Piece by piece he removed his equipment, the process calming his nerves.
There was a pounding on the door, and Dex gave a start. “Who’s there?” What was he expecting? Like the Coalition was going to knock on his door and answer.
“It’s Sloane. Open up.”
Dex had been expecting to be chewed out when Sloane came barging through the front door. Instead, his partner closed the door and threw his arms around Dex, squeezing him tight before changing gears. He pulled back and inspected Dex, caressing the bruise on Dex’s cheek. “Jesus, Dex. What the hell happened to you? You scared the shit out of me.”
As much as Dex wanted to give in to Sloane’s embrace, he had to get it out. “I got knocked out, ended up… somewhere. I was blindfolded, bound, and gagged.”
“You really need to stop getting yourself kidnapped.” The words were soft spoken, even if Sloane meant it as a tease.
Dex gave a sniff. “You started it.”
“It happened once. You’re going on three now.”
“Okay, we can debate my amazing luck later. I need to talk to you.” He took Sloane’s hand and led him over to the couch where they sat.
“What is it?”
“First, did you manage to catch up to any of the Coalition members?”
“No. We went after them when they split up but lost them after they ran into the Con Ed Plant. They must have had a getaway plan. I’m surprised they were still there when we showed up. What happened to you?”
Dex held fast onto Sloane’s hand, grateful his partner didn’t pull away or question it. “I saw an opportunity to go after one of the Coalition members, and I chased him into the plant. At first, I wondered why the hell he was running when he could have been shooting at me. Then I tackled him, managed to unmask him, and saw why.”
Sloane stared at him. “You saw his face?”
“Yeah. He’s one of ours all right.”
“Shit. You found the mole? We have to tell Lieutenant Sparks.” Sloane grabbed for his phone, and Dex stopped him, his gaze never leaving his partner’s. “What aren’t you telling me?”
It took Dex a moment to find his spine. He so didn’t want to do this, but Sloane deserved to know. Whatever happened after that was anyone’s guess. “It’s Ash.”
Sloane frowned, looking puzzled. “What about Ash?”
“The mole is Ash.”
“That’s impossible. Ash would never—” Sloane shook his head, his expression unfaltering. “No.”