Rack & Ruin (THIRDS 3)

Sloane entered first, moving through the yard of the building. It was nothing but cracked concrete slabs, weeds, and dry leaves. He held out three fingers, and Ash appeared beside him.

“I thought we were going to pick up, Reyes?”

“We are. Find us a way in.”

Ash quickly surveyed the area before pointing up to the second floor. “Fire escape. Sliding-glass doors. No bars.” Sloane gave him a curt nod and motioned for Hobbs to come over. He pointed to the fire escape’s ladder.

“Grab that will you?”

Hobbs reached up without any effort and carefully pulled down the ladder. With thanks, Sloane gave the signal, and Dex went up to breach. He kept an eye on his partner along with the surrounding area for any signs of movement. The neighborhood was quiet at this time of day. Dex leaned over the rail and held a thumb up. He’d gotten through the lock. Sloane went up next to watch his partner’s back. Seconds later, his team was inside the empty room. The boarded up sliding-glass door was closed behind them. Sloane gathered his team close.

“Calvin and Hobbs, you’re team one. Rosa and Letty, you’re team two. Ash and Dex, you’re with me. According to our SSA, there are only a few members of the Order left here since Reyes has been moving everything to a new location. If anyone calls asking about Reyes or our location, you tell them we’re working on it and will get back to them. I want to be notified of everyone who mentions his name. Watch your backs.”

The three teams split up with Ash and Dex, sticking close to Sloane. Once the rest of the team had left the room, Sloane turned to Ash. “I want your com off. Leave only the emergency line open.” If Ash turned it back on, Sloane would know.

Ash arched an eyebrow at him. “So much for the benefit of the doubt.”

“Sorry, buddy, but I can’t take any chances on this.”

With a nod, Ash tapped his earpiece, and the tiny blue light turned amber. With a pat on Ash’s shoulder, Sloane resumed his formation with Dex at his back and Ash bringing up the rear. They checked the hall before making their way down through the three-story building, leaving the rooms to the rest of the team. Sloane wanted the sub-basement. They found the stairwell down without any trouble and in minutes were at a large steel door. Dex stepped around Sloane and took hold of the handle, pulling slowly. The door was unlocked. His partner pulled the door open and assessed the area. He held a hand up, signaling the stairs were clear. Sloane once again took the lead, and they made their way down the grimy, stone staircase. At the bottom, they faced a set of double steel doors. Sloane turned to Ash. “Ready?” They both knew what he was implying.

Ash put his hand on Sloane’s shoulder, his amber gaze unwavering. “I know I’ve disappointed you, but believe me when I say I’ll always have your back.”

“That’s all I need to know.” Sloane grabbed the back of Ash’s collar and they bumped their heads together. “Let’s do this.” He took position to the left of the doors while Ash took the right. Sloane gave Dex a nod, and his partner took hold of one of the door handles. He opened it slowly and just enough to sneak a quick glance. With a nod, he opened it wider and went in, his rifle aimed ahead of him. Sloane and Ash were at his back ready to neutralize any and all threats. Rosa’s voice came in over Sloane’s earpiece.

“We’re heading your way. The first, second, and third floors are clear. Negative on the suspects.”

“Copy that.” Sloane signaled forward, and they continued down the wide concrete corridor. It was empty except for the Order propaganda posters littering the walls and a few empty tin drums lined up against one side. They followed the thick cables attached to the walls, which appeared to supply the place with lighting and possibly electricity. It smelled of damp and dirt. Ahead of them was a set of doors with small windows. Sloane held a hand up behind him, bringing them to a stop. He turned to Dex and drew a square in the air. With a nod, Dex crouched low and approached the doors with caution. He carefully rose and glanced through one of the windows. Dropping back down, he held his hand up, his thumb holding down his middle finger. Eight perps. A handgun sign followed.

Sloane’s earpiece beeped, and once again Rosa’s voice came over the line. “Sloane, we see you. We’re coming in behind you.”

“Copy that. We’re going in. Eight armed Humans.”

“Copy that.”

Sloane and Ash approached the doors, making sure to stay away from the windows. On his signal, Dex swung open one of the doors, and Destructive Delta charged in.

“Hands in the air!” Sloane demanded. “Put down your weapons, or we will open fire!”

Three of the men immediately dropped their guns while the others scrambled. Ash and Hobbs moved in, and Calvin shot a tranq into one man stupid enough to raise his gun at Calvin. The guy fell to the floor instantly. The team rounded everyone up, pushing them to the ground and securing them with Therian grade zip ties just in case. A half a dozen steel tables laid out with firearms and lethal weapons along with materials for explosives lined the room. Sloane was about to notify Maddock when a door slammed open at the far side of the room.

“What the fuck is going—” Reyes took one look at them and bolted. Sloane gave chase through the door and down another corridor. Either Reyes wasn’t as smart as he thought he was, or he hadn’t expected an infiltration. He ran right into a room

with no windows, doors, or way out. As if realizing he was trapped, Reyes whipped out his sidearm and spun, pointing it at Sloane. Ash and Dex were soon at his side, their rifles aimed at the tattooed man.

“Put it down, Reyes,” Sloane advised him. He needed Reyes alive, but Reyes didn’t know that. “You might get one shot off, but there are three of us. Think carefully.”

Reyes gritted his teeth. His dark eyes filled with hate and anger. He spit at Sloane’s feet, muttering something about Sloane being nothing but a filthy animal. Then he slowly lowered his gun and placed it on the floor. Sloane moved in and forced him onto the concrete. He held Reyes’s arms behind his back while Dex drew a zip tie over his wrists.

“Sergeant, we’ve got him. As soon as we get him in the BearCat, have Beta Pride and Beta Ambush pick up the others.” Sloane dragged Reyes to his feet and pulled him along, Dex and Ash following. On the way out, Sloane instructed the rest of his team to stay with their suspects. They quickly got Reyes into the back of the BearCat where Maddock and Ash cuffed Reyes’s wrists and legs with chains and secured them to the iron hook in the floor. Seconds later, Beta Ambush and Beta Pride rolled up. The two Team Leaders came running, both looking mighty pissed off.

Taylor reached Sloane first. “What the fuck happened?”

“There was a miscommunication in the location,” Sloane replied. “When we took the detour, we came up on this church. We didn’t know there were two Baptist churches on the same street.”

“A miscommunication?” Taylor craned his neck to peer around Sloane, his eyes going wide when he saw the chained up perp. “Is that Reyes?”

“Yes.” Sloane could see Taylor bristle.