Sloane refrained from saying a word as he walked alongside his disgruntled husband-to-be. Mostly because Sloane was aware Dex wasn’t really annoyed they had to train during their vacation time. Dex was eager to get in as much training as possible. Even though they’d be spending the next six months after swearing-in getting their asses handed to them in TIN’s Covert Operative Training Program, Dex wanted to be ready. Dex was whining because it bugged the ever-loving shit out of Sparks, and it had become Dex’s life mission to drive her insane at every possible opportunity. To what end, Sloane had no idea. His job was to make sure she didn’t end up pushing Dex in front of a moving bus.
“TIN doesn’t take time off,” Sparks informed them, oh so calmly.
“Never?” Dex eyed her. “You’re telling me we don’t get to take a vacation ever?”
Sparks rolled her eyes. “Every operative gets time off. However, if you’re needed while you’re on said time off, you report in. Criminals don’t take vacations.”
“I’m pretty sure they do. Are you telling me Moros didn’t have paid vacation time?”
Sparks arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him but didn’t respond, just kept walking.
“Fine, whatever, but not in the face. I don’t want to walk down the aisle sporting a black eye. It’ll clash with my color scheme.”
Sparks came to a halt and turned to face him, her hands on her hips. “Are you serious?”
Dex mimicked her pose. “Do you want to explain to my dad how I got a black eye during my time off before the wedding?”
“That would not be good,” Sloane agreed. “Tony’s already nervous about being the officiant.”
Sparks narrowed her eyes at Dex before spinning on her high heels and marching off.
Dex waggled his eyebrows at Sloane, and Sloane leaned in to whisper in Dex’s ear, “She’s dying to put you in a sleeper hold. I can feel it.”
Dex chuckled, and Sloane shook his head. Fine. If Dex wanted to continue baiting the scary cougar Therian, he only had hims
elf to blame when he got bit. It wasn’t like Dex was going to listen to reason. He was on a mission of optimum annoyance.
They followed Sparks down yet another drab gray corridor that looked like every other drab gray corridor they’d visited over the last few months. Not that he expected TIN to put up any artwork or framed portraits, but would it kill them to slap some paint on these walls? Something to differentiate one facility from another? Since they weren’t officially sworn in yet, the location of each facility remained undisclosed, and although they had been informed that each site served a unique purpose, they all looked the same. The corridors varied in length, but it was always the same dull gray with the same steel doors, always closed. How many of these facilities were scattered around the city, most likely hiding in plain sight?
“So what’ll it be today?” Dex asked, breaking the silence. “Ooh, please tell me I get to ride some kickass motorcycles. I’ve had my eye on the Dodge Tomahawk.” Dex rubbed his hands together, and Sloane chuckled at his excitement. Something told Sloane whatever Sparks had in store for them did not involve a half-a-million-dollar motorcycle.
Sparks sighed. “Yes, because that would be so inconspicuous. Flashy equipment is used only when an operation calls for it.”
“Okay, how about a Kawasaki Ninja?”
Sparks didn’t so much as blink. “No. There are no motorcycles involved in today’s training.”
“Fine. You plan on telling us what today’s training is?”
They finally reached the end of the corridor and a set of doors. Sparks turned to them, her eyes intense.
“For months you’ve been trained in various forms of combat in a controlled environment. Today the real training begins, and when you return from your honeymoon, we’re going to be putting everything you’ve learned to the test, and then some.”
Sloane had no idea what that meant, but his inner Felid was awake and alert. Something on the other side of the door smelled familiar. Sparks opened one of the doors and motioned for them to step through. Was this an exit? It looked like there was a street on the other side.
Dex stopped in his tracks, and Sloane did the same.
“What the fuck is this?” Sloane asked, looking up and down the street. He turned and looked up at the building they’d just been in. It belonged to an apartment building just down the street from their house.
“This is the street you live on.”
Dex held up a hand. “Are you telling me you have a TIN facility on our block?”
“Your neighborhood and every home on these two blocks has been under surveillance for several months. After today, the facility will be relocated.”
Sloane’s brows shot up. “You planted surveillance equipment in every home?”
“In other words, TIN wiped their asses with the Fourth Amendment,” Dex scoffed.