“I also think we should hold off on telling Dylan about his wife’s pregnancy. I recommend he be placed under observation. There’s a good chance he might try to harm himself.”
“Okay.”
Sloane was about to leave when Maddock caught hold of his arm. “Sloane, I’m worried about Dex. He’s acting like everything’s okay, but I know that boy is hurting. It kills me that he won’t confide in me. He’s never kept anything from me. The last few months… it’s been nothing but secrets.”
Sloane turned to face Maddock and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Tony, Dex loves you. If he hasn’t told you, it’s for a good reason. You have to believe that.”
Maddock shook his head. His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know how much longer he thinks he can keep me out of whatever the hell is going on.” He turned his hardened gaze on Sloane. “If I don’t get some answers soon, I’m going to find them on my own. Don’t suppose you have any answers for me?”
Sloane frowned, annoyed that Maddock would ask such a thing of him. “Are you asking me to betray Dex’s trust?”
“What I’m asking is, how far are you willing to go to keep Dex’s secrets? How much are you willing to risk? His life, maybe?” He got in Sloane’s face and jabbed a finger in his shoulder. “Because I’m not willing to let my son die for pride or whatever else the fuck he thinks he’s doing. His life is more important to me than anything, even my own. Even if it means him hating me for the rest of my goddamn life. I’m willing to pay that price. How about you, Sloane? Is his trust worth more to you than his life?”
“Yes.” Sloane swallowed hard, his inner Felid roaring inside him in protest. Much like Maddock, his feral half didn’t understand. It only understood the potential loss of its mate.
Maddock stared at him. When he spoke it was through his teeth. “Explain, before I start wondering why the hell Dex fell in love with you.”
Sloane straightened. He wasn’t about to back down, not on this. “Trust, like family, means everything to Dex. This is a man who would sacrifice himself for those he loves, for a cause he truly believed in. For him, betrayal from someone he loves would be worse than death. Your son is not afraid to die.” Sloane met Maddock’s gaze head-on. “He’s afraid of being abandoned. Of losing those most important to him. When he loves, he loves wholeheartedly. He’s given me his heart, and along with it, his trust. I won’t betray either. Not for you, Cael, or anyone.”
They stood facing off for what seemed like an eternity when something in Maddock’s eyes gave way.
Sloane was stunned by the emotion he saw there. Maddock was an unmovable mountain of a man. Always stoic, never faltering. Sloane had never seen him look so… vulnerable. He’d never seen this side of Anthony Maddock before.
“I guess I wasn’t as prepared for this day as I thought I would be.”
“What day is that?” Sloane asked, confused.
“The day my boys wouldn’t need me anymore.”
Sloane’s anger melted. “No matter what happens, or how old they get, they’ll never stop needing you, Tony. You’re their father, and they love you. The fact that Dex has me, and Cael has Ash, doesn’t mean for one second that they don’t need their dad. You know that.”
Maddock pressed his lips in a thin line and gave him a nod. “I’m happy for them. I really am. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for them, to be happy. Seeing him in pain and not knowing what’s causing it tears me up inside.”
Sloane nodded his understanding. “You’re right. I’ll talk to him about it, okay?”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Sloane gave him a smile and pressed his hand to the panel. The door opened, and Maddock called out to him.
“Sloane?”
“Yeah?” Sloane turned, finding Maddock’s lips twitching into a grin.
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For calling me Tony.”
Sloane hadn’t even realized he’d said it. He returned Maddock’s smile. “You’re welcome.”
After putting in the test requests with Hudson, Sloane met Dex in their office. “We need to talk.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Dylan Reynolds’s wife was marked.”
Dex’s eyes widened. “Shit.” He shook his head, as if trying to understand. “But… that doesn’t make any sense.”