Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

“I need you to get some equipment ready. Tranq guns, vests, whatever you can get together under the radar, but I want to keep the real firepower minimal. The last thing we need is to start a shootout and draw attention to ourselves. I’ll fill Rosa in, and if she agrees, I’ll ask her to have her medical kit ready. Ash will call you and keep you informed. We’ll let you know the moment we locate Collins. No sense in having everyone here tonight.”

“Got it.” Letty headed for the door when Ash followed her.

“I need a ride.”

“Well let’s go, then, partner. What happened to your face?” Letty inspected Ash’s jaw on the way out, and Dex heard him grumble about how he cut himself shaving or something, which made no sense considering his jaw was full of stubble. With only Hobbs left, Dex motioned toward the front of the van.

“We can drop it off and catch some dinner. What do you say?”

Hobbs gave him a nod as he slipped in behind the wheel and buckled up. Dex took a seat beside him and did the same. He turned the radio to his favorite station, though he kept the volume low.

“I’ll call you after it’s over and let you know what information we get. I can take care of the surveillance with Austen tomorrow.”

“No.”

Dex blinked at Hobbs. “I’m sorry?”

“I’m going to be here.”

“Hobbs, why are you torturing yourself, man? You know he’s going to have to… get close to Bautista.” Dex studied his teammate. It was hard to tell what Hobbs was thinking. Despite his inability to speak most of the time, Hobbs was one of the most expressive guys Dex knew, but it only applied when Hobbs wanted you to know something; otherwise his poker face had those Easter Island dudes beat. His stern expression gave away nothing, but his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel as he drove told another story.

“I know.”

“So why torture yourself?”

“He’s my partner,” Hobbs said solemnly. “I need to make sure he’s safe.”

“We’ve got his back.”

They stopped at a red light, and Hobbs sat quietly. Seconds ticked past before Hobbs spoke up. “I’ve had his back longer. And I always will.”

There was no point in arguing. Felid Therians were some of the most stubborn around. Dex gave in, telling himself he needed to be on alert. Every time he was around Calvin and Hobbs, it felt like a storm was brewing. One of these days, one of them was going to snap, and Dex had no idea what kind of fallout it would lead to. He hoped the two would find a way to work it out before it started hurting their friendship. As they headed for Cael’s apartment, he realized he wasn’t the only one whose relationship this mission was risking. By the end, it would either strengthen their bonds or destroy it.

IT WAS time.

After they’d dropped off the van and left Cael to do his thing—which meant staying far away since his little brother had his fur all bristled—Dex and Hobbs had gone out for some dinner. It wasn’t any more pleasant, with Hobbs spending most of the time brooding. Dex did his best to cheer Hobbs up and distract him, but the tiger Therian always ended up lost in thought. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what—or rather whom—he was thinking about.

A couple of hours later, they all sat in the back of the van while Hobbs drove. Everyone was dressed in dark colors except for Calvin who was looking all smooth and ready for a night on the town in his trendy jeans, white shirt, and preppy gray vest.

The surveillance console Cael had installed was impressive, complete with two flat-screen monitors, digital drives, keyboard, earpieces, a wireless digital printer, a carbon monoxide and oxygen level alarm, and a joystick for controlling the periscope in the roof. Speaking of roof….

“Holy shit!” Dex’s hand flew to his head. Oh my God, Lou was going to kill him. “Bro, you cut a hole in the roof of Lou’s van!”

Cael blinked at him. “Yeah, but it’s retractable. From the outside it looks like a small fan.”

“You cut a hole in the roof of Lou’s van!”

“You wanted a surveillance van,” Cael grumbled, “you got one. Give me your phone?”

“Why?” Dex reached into his pocket and took out his phone only to have his brother snatch it away from him.

“Because I forgot something.” He tapped away at Dex’s phone, not bothering to ask Dex for his secret code to get past the main screen. Damn computer nerds. Several speedy taps later, and he was shoving Dex’s phone back at him.

Calvin looked the console over and whistled. “Damn, Cael. You had all this in your apartment?”

“Well, yeah. Where else would I have it?”

Hobbs parked the van a few doors down from Candy Bar, then came to join Dex, where Cael proceeded to go through all the equipment with them before testing it out. His little brother had “borrowed” several camera feeds from local businesses using encrypted coding, so every time Dex or Hobbs moved one, it would seem like it was part of the camera’s regular rotation.