Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

“Thanks, Dex.” Cael gave him a small smile. He walked over and gave Dex a hug. “Be careful.”

Dex returned his brother’s embrace. “I will,” he promised. Cael left, and Dex sat in the silent office on his own, his gaze landing on the empty chair across from him. Right now, Sloane should have been sitting there, telling Dex he hadn’t had enough coffee to deal with his shenanigans. Damn it, he needed answers.

Determined, he left the office and made his way through Unit Alpha’s bullpen, aware of the concerned gazes following him. The door to Lieutenant Sparks’s office was open, and she was typing away at her desk’s interface. Before he could knock, she addressed him without having to look up.

“Come in, Agent Daley. Please close the door behind you.”

“How…?”

“Your scent.” She stopped typing and met his gaze. “You’re the only agent in Unit Alpha who uses a Citrus Splash and Berry Fusion body wash.”

Damn. His eyes landed on the mark on her neck. Right. Cougar Therian. Smell. He wondered if she recognized every agent by their shower gel or if his was weird enough to stand out. Most likely the latter.

“Can I speak with you a moment?”

“Of course.” She motioned to one of the two empty chairs in front of her sleek black desk. “I know you don’t agree with my decision.”

Dex sat and pretended he wasn’t as nervous as he felt. Sparks wasn’t just intimidating as a Therian and commanding officer. She had a way about her and a gaze that made him feel like she could uncover his deepest darkest secrets. Sloane was mysterious. Sparks was an enigma. It was like she was made up of the job and nothing else.

“With all due respect, Lieutenant, no I don’t. How can you pull us off the case after all the work we put into it, after everything we’ve been through?”

“That’s precisely why I’m reassigning the case, Agent Daley. You’re two agents down, and one of those agents is your Team Leader. They’re also the most experienced members of your team.”

Agents were shuffled around where they were needed, when they were needed. When Hobbs and Cael had been in the hospital, Taylor had been called in to back up Destructive Delta. Couldn’t she do it now? “Yes, but you can temporarily assign someone.”

“I can, but I’m not going to.”

“Why?” He tried not to come off as insubordinate, but he needed to understand. It would seem needing to know ran in the family. Not a great trait to have when working for an organization often insisting they didn’t need to know. To his surprise, Sparks’s expression turned sympathetic.

“I’ve been doing this job a long time, Agent Daley. When a team is hit this close to home, it’s difficult to maintain objectivity. I assure you, it has no bearing on your professionalism. Over two years ago, Destructive Delta suffered the loss of one of their own, a loss they found difficult to recover from. They performed their duties admirably, but the strain was beginning to show. Then you came along and inspired them. From the moment Sergeant Maddock suggested you as a possible candidate, I knew I’d found the right fit for Destructive Delta. However, you’ve also had an intense first year. Not many rookies have endured what you have in such a short period of time. I should have sent you on leave earlier, but you possess a resilience and ability to endure I admire. You have a lot of potential.”

“Then why not let me work this case?”

“Because Hogan has issued a threat against your team, two members of which he’s successfully put out of commission. I won’t put the rest of the team at risk. Destructive Delta needs a break whether you agree or not. Sebastian Hobbs is more than capable. Go home, check on your partner, make sure you’re both safe. Maddock informed me Sloane will be staying with you. I’m putting a protective detail one block away from your residence. If at any point you feel you’re in danger, call it in. I know this is difficult, but my decision is final. You’ll have access to Themis until the end of the week. Finish your reports, and Maddock will notify you the moment anything changes.”

Ther

e was no point in arguing. Lieutenant Sparks had made up her mind, and nothing Dex could say would change it. Her argument was sound but didn’t change the way Dex felt about it. Feeling annoyed and pissed off, he opened his mouth before thinking.

“And the decision to withhold vital medical information that nearly killed Sloane? Whose decision was that?”

Something flashed in Sparks’s steel blue eyes, and Dex realized only too late he’d stuck his foot in it. Again.

“Agent Daley, I highly recommend you use caution when challenging decisions against your superiors. The Chief of Therian Defense is not a patient Therian. I understand your anger and frustration. Agent Brodie is your partner, and I hope you believe me when I say I fight tooth and nail to protect my agents. However, I will remind you there is an order to things. One we may not understand or agree with, but necessary nonetheless. I assure you, the decision did not come lightly.”

In other words, Sparks had no say in the matter. It hardly eased his mind or made it any less fucked-up, but the last thing he wanted to do was piss off his lieutenant. With a curt nod, he got up and headed for the door when Sparks called out to him.

“Oh, and you’ll be receiving a call from PR. They’d like to set up a meeting to discuss possible campaigns. I approved the request. It’ll be good for you and the department in light of recent events. Plus it’ll keep your mind off the case.”

Are you fucking kidding me? He turned to her and mustered up a smile. “Sure.” He excused himself and left before he could explode. They’d taken him off the case, but they wanted him to go out there, smile, put on the charm, and tell everyone how awesome and shiny everything was? This day was getting better and better.

He headed for the locker room in Unit Alpha. It would be a lot less crowded than the one down in Sparta’s training bays. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about training for a while, though he should probably make use of the free gym membership the THIRDS provided. With Sloane staying with him, Dex had no doubt his partner would attempt to convince him to swap his yummy snacks for something healthy. When had vegetables become a snack? It was bad enough they’d forced their way onto dinner plates, now they wanted to take over snack time too? He was so lost in his thoughts he almost ran right into Seb.

“Shit. Sorry, man.”

“No problem, Dex. I was coming to find you. I gave you clearance to access the intel on Leith in case you needed to add any additional information.” Seb gave him a sympathetic smile. “If you need anything at all, I’m here to help.”

“Thanks.”