Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

Hogan wasn’t stupid. Even if they managed to find those Westward Creed assholes and make them pay, they wouldn’t make it out of this city alive. There was no way in hell he was going to prison. He’d made peace with his decision. What the hell did he have left to lose anyway? The Humans had taken everything from him. But if he was going down, he was going to take some of those THIRDS bastards with him. He’d do more than make Keeler bleed. He was going to destroy him. And he had an idea how he could do it.

Chapter 3

SLOANE HAD been moved into a private room with simple but modern décor. It had a great panoramic view of the East River and Manhattan skyline from its two huge floor-to-ceiling windows. The room was mostly white with a few wood accents. A dark gray armchair sat in front of the window at the far end, a matching sleeper sofa was positioned in front of the second window, and between them sat a small, round, white table with two gray chairs. The room had free Wi-Fi and a flat-screen TV, a private bathroom with shower, and meal service. They were nice digs, but Dex was glad it wasn’t a long-term setup.

His partner still looked banged up, but at least the color had returned to his cheeks. The cuts and scrapes were healing, as were the bruises. Dex closed the door behind him and

left his shoes on the mat to one side before walking over to Sloane’s bed. He placed the insulated lunch bag on the small bedside table.

“Hey, sexy-pants. What have you been up to today?”

Sloane turned his attention away from the TV and smiled at him. It was amazing how one little smile could disarm him. “Watching Indiana Jones and eating chocolate pudding.”

“The high life, huh?”

Sloane chuckled. His gaze landed on the lunch bag. “Are those what I think they are?”

“Yep. Rosa made you your favorite empanadas.” Dex tried not to laugh at the way his partner’s eyes lit up. Like a little kid who’d been told he could order whatever he wanted from the ice cream parlor. Dex hardly blamed the guy. Rosa was an amazing cook, and she loved to feed their team. Between Rosa’s Puerto Rican food, Letty’s Cuban food, and Lou’s Dominican food, it was amazing their team fit in the BearCat.

“Meat?”

“Yep, plus a couple of guavas, some chicken, and beef with sweet plantains.”

“Oh God, those are so good.”

It was amusing how even the most steadfast of health nuts had their vices. Dex leaned over to give Sloane’s lips a kiss. “How are you feeling?” Sloane had no idea how much his smile affected Dex. Hobbs had been right. Dex never saw Sloane give that smile to anyone else.

“Better, now that you’re here.”

Dex was caught off guard by the affectionate admission. “Aw, painkillers be making you sappy,” he teased. “I like it.” He kissed Sloane again, loving the taste of him.

“Mm, I like that,” Sloane murmured against Dex’s lips.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Come ’ere.” Sloane carefully shifted over and patted the bed. Good thing it was Therian-sized. Dex was happy to oblige. He removed his leather jacket and draped it across the side table, followed by the off-duty holster attached to his belt securing his Glock, and his badge clipped beside it. He didn’t want to unintentionally hurt Sloane. Soon as he was done, he climbed up with care and huddled close to Sloane, resting his hand on his partner’s chest. Sloane’s larger hand promptly covered Dex’s, making him smile. It also made him think of how close he’d come to losing this.

“God, Sloane, when I saw you lying there… I thought—” Dex closed his eyes. He’d known there were risks, but he hadn’t expected his resolve to be put to the test so early on in their relationship. He felt Sloane’s hand on his cheek, and Dex leaned into the warmth, not quite ready to open his eyes yet. He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. Man, he was such a goner.

“Listen to me. I’m glad it was me.”

Dex shifted so he could look up at Sloane, and the intensity he saw in his partner’s eyes amazed him. “How can you say that? Look at you. You were almost killed.”

“If it had been you, Dex, you would have been killed. The only reason I survived is because I’m a Therian. An explosion of that magnitude would have killed any Human who’d been as close to it as I was.”

“So because you’re a Therian, you should automatically be the one to risk your life every time? I had the keys. I was the one who was supposed to have gone out there.”

“And for whatever reason, I decided to go instead, and I’m thankful for it.” Sloane was serious. There was also something else in his eyes. Something Dex wanted to know more about but knew now was not the time. Seeming to sense this, Sloane cleared his throat and averted his gaze. “How’s Ash taking it?”

“Man….” Dex sighed. Where did he even start?

Sloane groaned. “What did he do now?”

“You know, when I think I’ve got him figured out, he does something that completely screws with my head.”

“Dex.”

Sloane was going to be so pissed at him. Maybe. Dex gave his sweetest smile, but it only earned him a frown. Yep, definitely gonna get pissed. Might as well get it over with.