Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

Sloane’s smile reassured him he hadn’t messed up. “I’m glad you’re here. Remind me to change my emergency contact form.”

“Okay.” Dex couldn’t keep his dopey smile off his face. At least until Sloane’s smile faded.

“What if my leg doesn’t regain its strength? Sparks can’t have a defense agent who can’t work out in the field. I’ll be transferred to God knows where and put behind a desk. I’m not qualified to work Intel. Algorithms drive your brother crazy, and he loves that shit. Recon still requires a hell of a lot of fieldwork. What’s left?” His eyes went wide. “Oh God, what if they try to stick me in Public Relations or Human Resources? I’ll have to talk to the public. The media. I can’t talk to the media. Just looking at them makes me want to shoot something.”

“Easy there.” Dex brushed his lips over Sloane’s knuckles, watching him relax. “Whatever happens, we’ll work through it together. And we both know no one in their right mind would stick you in either of those departments. You’re a defense agent. One of the best. It’ll be okay.”

“You’re right,” Sloane said, letting out a shaky breath. “Besides, I’ve been through worse.”

“Why don’t you get some rest?”

Sloane was reluctant at first but soon settled back against his pillow. “What would I do without you?”

“Lead a quiet, peaceful existence?” Dex teased.

Sloane frowned. “Sounds boring as hell.”

A few months ago, Sloane’s answer would have been different. Dex tried not to get too sappy over his partner’s reply. “Can I get that in writing and notarized?”

Sloane chuckled before letting out a yawn. “Shut up.” He closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep, his hand still holding tightly on to Dex’s. Whether it was the near-death experience, the meds, or something more, Dex wasn’t going to question it, simply enjoy it. He kissed Sloane and settled back into his chair, grateful his partner was on the mend. It could have turned out so much worse. Tomorrow Dex would have to report back to work, but until then, he’d spend the rest of the day offering his partner whatever he needed. Whatever came their way, Dex would face it with Sloane.

Chapter 2

“I’D LIKE to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your hard work, dedication, and perseverance. This has been a difficult month for Unit Alpha, especially for Destructive Delta. Sloane Brodie and Ash Keeler are two of our most experienced Therian Defense agents, and we wish them a speedy recovery.”

Lieutenant Sparks stood behind the sleek black podium at the front of the expansive conference room in her signature white pantsuit and five-inch heels giving a speech on Unit Alpha’s performance and how pleased the higher-ups were with the results. Thanks to Destructive Delta’s hard work, Reyes was behind bars, though not before handing Sloane a list of the remaining active members of the Order during their intense interrogation session. Because of Ash’s undercover work, the Coalition was disbanded, for the most part, and the members who’d been arrested the night of the trade-off were starting to crack under the pressure. So far none of them knew where to find Hogan as the guy never spent more than a couple of nights in the same place, but they were able to provide a list of previous hideouts along with interesting facts Dex hoped would turn into leads.

At the office, everything was business as usual. Not that he’d expected Unit Alpha to come to a standstill after what happened to Sloane and Ash, but it was an odd feeling, witnessing the world go on as if nothing had happened. Then again, that was the job. No matter what was going on around you, you had a duty to perform, and Dex was looking forward to getting on with his duty by catching that son of a bitch Beck Hogan.

“I’m happy to report agent Brodie has been transferred from ICU to a private room where he’ll be monitored until the doctor sees fit to discharge him. He has a long recovery ahead of him, and I’m certain he’ll appreciate your well wishes. HR will be arranging a party for him upon his return. They’ll be sending a memo closer to the time.

“Now, as you all know, this case was issued a Threat Level Red. Beck Hogan is our priority, and we’ve been given the all clear from the Chief of Therian Defense to bring Hogan in using any means necessary. Hogan and what remains of the Coalition have gone underground, but our SSA on this case has informed us they’re still in the city. We believe Hogan won’t be going anywhere until he’s finished what he started.”

Dex’s jaw muscles clenched. Well that made two of them. Until Hogan paid for what he’d done, Dex wasn’t going anywhere. There was no safe place for Hogan to hide.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and Dex tilted his head back to find his brother giving him a warm, sympathetic smile. Dex returned the gesture with an added wink to ease his little brother’s concern. They’d texted while Dex was at the hospital, but it had been days since they’d really talked, which wasn’t like them. He’d have to set some time aside to hang with his bro. The screen above Sparks came to life, catching Dex’s attention. It showed eight mug shots, a few of them already familiar to Dex and his team.

“Hogan and his followers have been hunting down these Humans. Former members of the Westward Creed who were responsible for the deaths of several Therians during the Riots of 1985. Among the Therians killed, we’ve discovered two of them were related to Hogan. His mother and sister. All except for two of the Westward Creed went on to become members of the Order. As it stands, Angel Reyes and Richard Esteban are in prison. Albert Cristo and Craig Martin are deceased, as is Toby Leith.” Sparks tapped the podium’s interactive surface zooming in on three of the mug shots, one of which was labeled deceased. Wait a minute. When the hell had that happened? As if reading his mind, Sparks answered.

“Leith was found by the HPF late last night over in the Bronx. A large Felid Therian mauled him to death. Evidence suggests it was Hogan himself. We expect Hogan to go after the remaining members, Ox Perry and Brick Jackson. We’re attempting to make contact, but it looks like they’ve caught on to Hogan’s plan and have gone underground as well. Since our SSA informs us Hogan and his crew are still somewhere in the city, it’s safe to assume the same goes for Perry and Jackson.”

Dex held a hand up. “Excuse me, Lieutenant? Why wasn’t Destructive Delta called out for Leith’s murder?” Even if he was in the hospital, he would have been called in, or at the very least his team, and he knew for a fact Destructive Delta hadn’t been out in the field since Ash had been shot. What the hell was going on?

“Because Destructive Delta is no longer working this case.”

Dex launched to his feet. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re to gather whatever intel you have on Perry and Jackson, finish any pending reports from this case, and submit them to Themis. As of this moment, Team Leader Sebastian Hobbs will handle Hogan and his crew. His team, Theta Destructive, will be the lead team on this. Destructive Delta is officially on leave.”

Cael gasped behind Dex. “On leave?”

“For how long?” Dex asked. He was having trouble processing the blow they’d been delivered.

“Until I feel the team is no longer under threat from Hogan and his crew. I want you all in secure locations watching your backs. Protective details will be assigned where necessary. You’ve nearly lost two agents. Let’s not go for a third. You and your team are dismissed. I expect those reports by the end of the week.”

“But—”

Sparks’s piercing blue eyes pinned Dex with a subtle warning, her tone firm. “Dismissed, Agent Daley.”