Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

“Ash!” Dex tried to pry Ash’s hand off Collins’s neck. “We’re not going to get any answers if he’s fucking dead!”

Dex’s words seemed to get through, and Ash lowered Collins, placing him back on his feet, but he didn’t let go. He let out a low feral growl as he shoved him into Hobbs. Dex walked up to Collins who was awkwardly holding on to his bloodied neck, glaring at them.

“Tell me where he took my brother, or I swear I will let him beat it out of you.”

Collins let out a scoff. “I’m dead anyway, Daley. I’ll never fucking talk.”

“Have it your way,” Dex replied through his teeth. He stepped back and nodded to Hobbs. “Bring him.”

Seb’s voice came in over his earpiece. “You said you were going to hand him over.”

“When I was done with him,” Dex said. “And I’m not done.”

“Jesus Christ, Daley. What the hell are you going to do?” Seb’s irritated voice was swiftly followed up by Sloane’s concerned one.

“Dex, what the hell is going on?”

“Hogan has Cael.”

“Shit.”

“We’re taking Collins back to the van to interrogate him.” They headed for the van when there was a commotion behind him. He spun around in time to see Collins swipe Ash’s gun from his holster. Theta Destructives agents pulled their weapons, aiming at Collins who took aim at Dex. Hobbs was quick, clamping down Collins’s arm and twisting it, forcing the man to cry out while Ash threw an arm around Collins’s neck. The expression on Ash’s face had Dex bolting toward him, shouting out an order. It came too late. Dex watched, horrified, as Ash jerked his arm back, snapping Collins’s neck. The cougar Therian crumbled to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Dex dropped to his knees beside Collins, checking his vitals for some miracle. His gaze shot up to Ash whose amber eyes were filled with quiet fury. “What did you do?”

“He was a threat, and I neutralized him.” Ash swiped his gun up and returned it to his holster.

Dex jumped to his feet and shoved Ash. “You snapped his fucking neck!”

“They were about to take him out. I saved them the bullets.”

Seb and his team came running, stopping beside Collins’s body. “What the fuck happened?” He turned to one of his undercover agents who quickly relayed the events as they occurred with no hint of emotion or concern. Collins had swiped Ash’s gun, meant to shoot Dex, agents were going to open fire, and Ash neutraliz

ed the threat. The agent made it sound like a drill, just a regular procedure. Dex’s eyes landed on Ash. His stillness scared the hell out of Dex, but it was superseded by a greater fear.

“How are we supposed to find Cael now? We’re running out of time.”

“Come on.” Ash motioned toward their van. “Your brother’s smart. He would have left something behind for us. Seb, take care of Collins. We’ll call you.”

Before Seb had a chance to answer, Ash walked off. Fuck. Dex’s earpiece beeped, and he knew Sloane was calling him, undoubtedly wondering what the fuck had happened. Seb would fill him in, and while he did, Dex wanted some answers from Ash. The team followed Ash to the van, and they all climbed in. Dex stopped cold when he saw all the equipment on the floor. It took everything he had not to lose it. He shook his head and turned to Ash.

“He wouldn’t have been expecting Hogan.” Dex thrust a finger at the equipment on the floor. “Hogan has my brother, and you killed the only fucking lead we had!” Dex threw his hand out, snatched Ash’s gun, and pulled. All it did was tug at Ash’s belt. The safety mechanism was in place and secure. He stared up at Ash in disbelief. “You let him take it.”

Ash studied Dex, his lips pressed into a thin line before he looked around at the rest of the team. “Hogan has Cael, and if I have to snap the neck of every last one of these murderous motherfuckers to get him back, then so be it. If anyone has a problem, you can join Seb.” He turned his attention back to Dex, pupils dilated. “We’ll find Cael. So help me, we’ll find him if it’s the last fucking thing I do.”

Dex swallowed hard. He nodded and walked over to the equipment. He didn’t want to think about how goddamn bad everything had gone. Collins was dead, Hogan had Cael, and they didn’t have a clue where the bastard had taken him. What if something happened to his little brother? It would be his fault. He’d brought Cael into this. What the hell would he say to his dad? That he’d decided to go against orders, play fucking hero, and it got his brother killed? God only knew what Hogan was doing to Cael. Dex’s chest started to feel constricted, and he was having trouble breathing. Fuck, he couldn’t be losing his shit. Not now. Cael needed him.

“Take it easy,” Sloane breathed into his ear and Dex stilled. His arms slipped around Dex, and all at once Dex felt himself growing calm. “There you go.”

Dex had been so lost in his own anguish he hadn’t even heard Sloane arrive. He turned, slightly aware of the rest of his team watching them, but he didn’t care. His smartphone beeped, and Dex fished it out of his pocket.

“What is it?” Ash asked, looming over his shoulder.

“There’s a weird orange light blinking on my phone.”

“Why’s that weird?”

“I didn’t even know it had an orange light. I’ve never seen it before.” He woke up his phone from sleep mode and tapped through the security screen. A little bluebird wearing a Rebel Pilot helmet bounced on his screen and chirped. Tears pooled in Dex’s eyes, and he let out a soft laugh. “You little genius.”