Rise & Fall (THIRDS 4)

Dex’s blue eyes sparkled, his smile wide. Sloane had never seen anything or anyone so beautiful.

“Yep. The bar’s all ours tonight.” Sloane was grateful to Bradley for the offer. The guy had called Sloane to see how he was doing, and after a brief rundown—because Bradley was as good at listening outside of Dekatria as he was in it—Bradley had offered to close the bar for one evening and open it up just for Destructive Delta. And Lou, of course. Sloane let his partner help him over to one of the tables in front of the stage. After Rosa had patched everyone up and pulled a few strings to get Cael’s legs x-rayed and tended to on the down low, they were all in need of some serious relaxing.

Seb was a hero. He’d initially refused to take credit for capturing Hogan’s men and the standoff at the grain terminal, but Dex had worked his magic and said if he didn’t take the credit, Destructive Delta’s cover would be blown, bringing down all kinds of shit on everyone, so it was better if Seb and his team took the credit. It sent Seb flying through his probationary period as Team Leader. The higher-ups were practically wetting themselves, and the PR department was bringing out the champagne. There was nothing the public loved more than a story of redemption. Poor Seb had paid the price for his past mistakes and clawed his way back to the top. The guy deserved it. They never would have been able to get through this without his support.

Dex took a seat beside Sloane who shook his head. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Aren’t you going to sing for me?” Sloane smiled at the way his partner’s cheeks flushed.

“For… you?”

“But I get to pick the song,” Sloane said.

“Oookay.” Dex stood. He was going to help Sloane when Sloane shooed him toward the stage and asked Hobbs to help him. With a big smile, Hobbs wrapped an arm around Sloane and helped him to his feet. Sloane allowed himself to lean on

his friend as he was helped slowly onto the stage. His leg was taking a little longer than he liked, no thanks to his putting therapy on hold. The last thing he’d wanted was to leave Dex out there chasing down Hogan with Sloane stuck in some doctor’s office every day. He had plenty of time to recover and was enjoying having some time off.

Ash called out at him. “Sloane’s going to sing! Woo!”

“Only if you sing a duet with me,” Sloane replied.

“Fuck off,” Ash laughed.

“Yeah, I thought so.”

Sloane scrolled through the list, unable to help his smile. There seemed to be an extraordinarily large amount of ’80s songs on the list. He had no doubt Bradley had added them for a certain someone. Finally he found the one he was looking for. It was one he’d heard on the radio recently. It wasn’t retro, but it was the kind of song his partner needed, even if Dex didn’t know it himself. Sloane wasn’t too opposed to the lyrics either. He motioned for Dex to come up on stage, and Dex did. He looked over Sloane’s shoulder and arched an eyebrow at him.

“Strange choice for you. I don’t think I’ve heard it.”

“It’s no Journey, but I think you’ll like it. I know how much you like a good beat.”

Dex nodded, and Sloane made his way back to the table with Hobbs’s help. He thanked his friend and sat down. As soon as Sloane was settled in and smiling at Dex, his partner pressed play.

The stomping and simultaneous beat of the drums reverberated throughout the bar before the piano kicked in. Dex’s smooth and sexy voice started singing about being his light and burning sun. Everyone started clapping and stomping their feet in time to the music, making Dex smile as he sang. He started moving with the beat and grabbed the microphone off the stand when the tune kicked into high gear. Everyone erupted in whoops and catcalls. Rosa and Letty jumped to their feet and started dancing, their arms up in the air as they bounced around. Soon Calvin joined in, and the girls even managed to drag Hobbs to dance.

Sloane watched his team having fun, but the warmth in his heart and the smile on his face was for Dex who’d transformed back into the playful, passionate man Sloane had missed more than he originally thought. He had his Dex back, and Sloane had no intention of losing him again.

Rosa came over to Sloane and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Nice choice.”

“I missed that smile,” Sloane confessed.

“We all did.” Rosa leaned in to talk quietly in his ear. “I’m happy for you. He’s exactly what you needed. Even if you were too stubborn to admit it.”

Sloane laughed and gave Rosa’s cheek a kiss, surprising her. “You are exceptionally wise, Rosita Bonita.”

With a chuckle, Rosa went back to dancing. When Dex was finished singing, Lou and Bradley came out with drinks and food. Everyone cheered and crowded around the table. Nothing made his team happier than good food and good company. Dex came to stand beside Sloane, his hand discreetly going to the back of Sloane’s neck and his fingers stroking his skin.

“This was a great idea.”

Sloane smiled up at him. “It’s good to have you back.” His partner’s expression fell, and he crouched down beside Sloane.

“I’m so sorry for everything I put you through.”

“Me too.”

“I really wish I could kiss you right now.”