Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

“Every day.”

“Man, what is it with you Felid Therians? You can face down an army of feral Therians and not bat an eyelash, but a cute boy tells you he likes you, and you’re running for the hills like someone set your tails on fire.”

“I’m not running,” Hobbs mumbled.

“Wow. So convincing.” He hated seeing the big guy so torn. Standing, he gave Hobbs a hearty pat on the back

. “Come on. Let’s chat over a bagel and coffee.” Maybe he couldn’t meddle in his brother’s relationship, but he could certainly meddle in his other teammates’.

As they walked through Unit Alpha toward the elevator, Dex considered Calvin and Hobbs’s situation. The problem was most certainly on Hobbs’s end. Calvin had put himself out there plenty of times. He’d made the first move at the hospital by kissing Hobbs. In usual Felid fashion, Hobbs reacted like a deer caught in headlights each and every time. Though he had returned Calvin’s kiss, so there was clearly something strong at work under all the fear and hesitation. Like most large Felids Dex knew, Hobbs was kind of crap at communicating his feelings, which wasn’t exactly a surprise considering the guy barely spoke. But he’d never had a problem talking to Calvin, who was the only one capable of confronting Hobbs, purposefully pissing him off, and pushing his buttons. Their deep friendship spoke volumes, so it was understandable the guy would be hesitant.

Stepping into the elevator, Dex gave Hobbs a reassuring pat on the arm. “Don’t worry, big guy. We’ll figure this out.” He only wished he could say the same about his own situation.

BECK HOGAN was royally pissed off.

He sat on a dusty, beat-up armchair in the middle of a dimly lit, shitty, derelict schoolhouse listening to what remained of his organization spouting off a bunch of useless intel and piss-poor excuses.

“It’s like they have nine lives or something,” one of them muttered.

Hogan stood, marched over, snatched a fistful of the guy’s shirt, and lifted him off his feet with a snarl. “Are you fucking kidding me? They don’t have nine lives, you stupid shit! They have one life. One life you can’t seem to put an end to.” He shoved the guy away from him and paced in front of the dozen Therians lounging on the dusty floorboards. The more he thought about it, the more pissed off he got. They’d had the bastard right in front of them.

“Yeah, but it’s not our fault Keeler survived,” someone else added. “The guy was bleeding all over the fucking place.”

“Yeah,” another member piped up. “And how the hell were we supposed to know Brodie would be the one to go out to Keeler’s car?”

“I can’t believe Brodie survived,” someone else muttered, the others murmuring their agreement.

“Christ.” Hogan rounded on them. “Do you all realize what fucking amateurs we look like? First, we let Reyes slip through our fucking fingers, then those THIRDS bastards. Three times!”

Drew Collins—the only one who seemed to have any brains—came to stand beside him. At least he had someone at his side he could count on. It was disgusting and humiliating how his once fierce group of freedom fighters had been reduced to a few reliable Therians and a bunch of brainless thugs. Damn it. He’d told Merritt not to take their best Therians to the exchange with the THIRDS, but Merritt had been confident. Now his friend was dead, the best of his crew were behind bars, and he was left with the rabble.

“Hey, you have to keep in mind Brodie and Keeler have been doing this shit for years. Plus they’re Alpha Therians. Felid Therians.”

“And traitors to their species,” Hogan spat out. “Working with those Human pieces of shit.” Hogan shook his head. How could their own brethren turn on them? Working with Humans to cage their own kind in the back of a truck? It was unforgiveable. Humans were beneath them. Therians were the next step in evolution. Genetic mistake my ass. It explained why Humans were so damn scared of Therians. Why they forced them to get marked like cattle and passed laws to keep them from shifting when they pleased. It was in their nature to be free. To let loose the wild beasts inside them. Humans were weak, and they knew it. One calculated swipe of his claw, and a Human wouldn’t stand a chance.

Hogan resumed his seat. If it weren’t for the THIRDS, no one could stop Therians from taking their rightful place as the dominant species. As much as he hated to admit it, the THIRDS were winning. Not only did they have military-grade weaponry, but agents like Brodie and Keeler posed the biggest problems. From what he remembered, there was a tiger Therian on the team as well. Fucking great.

“So what are we going to do?” someone asked.

“We’ve crippled Destructive Delta,” Collins said, coming to take a seat on Hogan’s armrest. “Without their two strongest members, they’re left with the tiger Therian and three Human agents.”

“Four,” someone piped up. “The female partnered with the twink cheetah Therian.”

Hogan sat up. “What did you say?”

“The uh, the cheetah Therian. The one Keeler insisted wasn’t his boyfriend.”

Hogan’s smile grew wide. “The one he took a bullet for.” Hogan looked up at Collins, feeling his resolve strengthening. “Merritt said something about the kid having a brother. Wasn’t he the guy Stone knocked out and brought back to the base? Keeler refused to let Merritt even go near him. What was the guy’s name?”

“Hold on a sec.” Collins reached into his pocket and drew out a small tablet. A few taps later, and he had his information. “Dexter J. Daley. Brodie’s Human partner.”

“So we have two Alpha members of the team recuperating from injuries and vulnerable, both tied to these brothers.” Hogan sat quietly thinking while everyone observed in silence. Attacking Keeler and Brodie head-on would be stupid. Vulnerable didn’t mean accessible. The THIRDS were expecting Hogan and his crew to make a move. They were watching the streets and most likely their recovering agents. Keeler would be on alert after the second attempt on his life.

Collins interrupted the silence with his concerns. “With Keeler and Brodie out of commission, we’re likely to be facing a new team and I imagine backup. There’s no way the THIRDS would send four Human agents after us. The cheetah Therian wouldn’t last. Besides, he’s Recon. What are you thinking?”

Hogan drummed his fingers on the chair’s armrest as he thought. “Have some of the guys keep an eye on the brothers. I want two guys on Brodie and another two on Keeler. Don’t approach them, watch them. I need time to come up with a plan. I want everyone else looking for those Westward Creed assholes. And remember, I want them brought to me alive. I’ll deal with them personally.”

Collins gave him a nod and rounded everyone up, issuing orders and leaving Hogan in blissful silence. They had to find those Westward Creed bastards first, and if any THIRDS agents got in their way, they’d deal with them. Then he’d come up with a way to make that son of a bitch Keeler pay. The guy had pretended to care for their cause only to betray them. His act had been good. They’d all fallen for it. Having an agent like Keeler on their side would have taken them to a whole new level. Now look where they were. Keeler had gotten Merritt killed, their men imprisoned, and then the prick had the audacity not to fucking die when he was supposed to.