Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

The room was deadly silent with none of the other agents daring to make eye contact with him. This couldn’t be happening. Dex left the room with the rest of his team on his heels. He headed for his office, not giving a second thought to the fact everyone was following him. Numbly, he dropped down into his chair. The door to his and Sloane’s office swished closed, and the walls went white, sending the room into privacy mode before Letty exploded, startling Dex.

“This is motherfucking bullshit!” Letty fumed, pacing from one end of the office to the other, her sparkling brown eyes ablaze. “How can she pull us off the case? She saw what those assholes did to Ash! They fucking shot him. Son of a bitch ordered his little bitches to kill him, and then they almost killed Sloane! Mierda. Carajo!” She let out a frustrated growl, looking like she was about to punch something. Rosa grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her pacing to a halt.

“Oye, calmate,” Rosa ordered in Spanish. She said something else to Letty in Spanish Dex couldn’t understand, but there were definitely some colorful expletives thrown in there. She subtly nodded toward Dex, but he’d caught on to it. Letty inhaled deeply and let it out slowly before turning to him.

“I’m sorry, Dex. This is fucked up.”

All Dex could do was nod. He glanced up to find his team standing behind Sloane’s desk, all watching him.

“What?”

“Are you okay?” Calvin asked from beside Hobbs who looked equally worried. “You’re quiet. I thought you’d be….”

“Flipping your shit,” Letty finished.

“Leave him alone,” Rosa huffed and came around the desk to wrap her arms around Dex’s neck. She gave him a comforting squeeze before pulling away. “Come on. There’s nothing we can do. Sparks gave her orders. You all best watch your backs. I don’t trust any of those putas.” Rosa turned to Cael, asking him where he was going to stay. Cael mentioned something about hanging out at Tony’s, and Dex might have heard his brother say his name, but he was too focused on trying to remain calm and not flipping his shit as Letty had suggested. The rest of his team left the office one by one, each giving Dex a reassuring pat on the shoulder, insisting he call if he or Sloane needed anything. Cael was the only one who stayed behind.

This had to be a mistake. Sparks couldn’t take them off the case. They’d been working this thing for months. First they’d gone up against the Order. Then Ash had risked his life to infiltrate the Coalition. The bastards had tried to kill him for it. And what they did to Sloane….

“Sparks.” Dex shot to his feet. “I need to talk to Sparks. This has to be a mistake.” He turned for the door when Cael stepped

in front of him, his hands to Dex’s chest to stop him.

“Don’t.” His little brother looked up at him, his big silver eyes pleading. “Don’t do anything stupid, Dex. Sparks isn’t Dad. She’ll suspend you if she thinks you’re going to be a problem. She’s done it before.”

“I need to know why.” Besides, what would be the point of suspending him if he was already on leave and off duty? Surely she wouldn’t ask for his badge and gun for a simple question. She might be a hard-ass, but she was fair and reasonable. “I need to know why.”

Cael’s arms dropped to his side, his voice quiet. “Sometimes we don’t get a why, Dex, no matter how bad we want one.”

Dex hated seeing his brother looking so miserable. Cael was referring to more than their current situation. His brother was still hurting over Ash’s rejection. Even after admitting there was more than friendship between them. Hell, the guy had taken a bullet for Cael. Ash obviously had his reasons, but why wouldn’t he share those reasons with the guy he was so crazy about he would die for?

“Lieutenant Sparks rarely pulls a team from a case,” Cael added, seeming to gather himself. “If she does, it’s for a good reason.”

Dex didn’t reply. Mostly because he refused to accept the decision or whatever reason was behind it.

Cael motioned to the door behind him. “I’m heading home to pack. I’m gonna hang at Dad’s for a while. You know his place is like a fortress. If the Zombie Apocalypse ever comes, you know where to find me. Sparks will probably reassign him until we’re brought back in. You should stay with us. It’ll be fun.”

“Thanks, bro, but Sloane’s staying with me while he recovers.” Dex was really looking forward to spending some time with his partner, just the two of them. Looked like he was going to have a little more free time than he’d expected.

“Right. Sorry. Dad mentioned it. How is Sloane?”

Dex felt his heart squeeze in his chest and his anger flaring up, but he tamped it down. He didn’t want to end up snapping at his brother. It wasn’t Cael’s fault, and he had his own worries. He didn’t need Dex being an asshat. “He’s pretty banged up, and he’s got muscle weakness in his right leg, so he’s going to be placed on a mobility plan, plus therapy.”

“Shit. How long?”

“Doctor said in Sloane’s shape it should take a month at most. If not it could be two to three months before strength in his leg muscles return. Sloane’s really worried about it.”

“Of course he is,” Cael said, shoving his hands in his pockets, his expression turning somber. “Large Felids don’t do well in small enclosures for extended periods of time. They need space.” He seemed to drift off into his thoughts again, and Dex had no doubt which Felid Cael was thinking about.

Dex took a seat on the edge of his desk, reminding himself his little brother wasn’t so little anymore. Cael didn’t need him riding in and fighting his wars for him, making a fuss and coddling him. But nothing was going to stop Dex from being there for his brother like he’d always been. “How are you holding up?”

Cael shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m trying to keep myself busy. I don’t want to think about it. It’s easier with him not being here.”

“You miss him, don’t you?” Falling fast and hard was a trait he and his brother shared, and despite Cael’s initial reaction to Ash’s rejection, his brother had put away his claws—for the time being anyway. Dex had expected Cael to shred Ash to pieces for breaking his heart, but instead, Cael was licking his wounds and regrouping. It would appear his brother knew how to handle Ash better than anyone. Dex had witnessed it himself countless times and been stunned stupid. If Cael could manage before, he’d do it again. It was only a matter of time.

Cael let out a heart-wrenching sigh. “I’ve wanted to call him so many times, but I kept thinking about that day in the hospital. Whatever it is he’s dealing with, it’s important to him. I wish he’d confide in me.”

“Give him some time.”