Tried & True (THIRDS 10)

“What are you doing?” Sloane asked.

“He’s being a blond,” Austen said from inside the rolled carpet, his voice slightly muffled.

Dex smacked the rug. “Shut up.” They quickly headed for the front door, and Dex peeked out into the hall. “Coast is clear.” He opened the door for Sloane, and Sloane hurried out, making sure Dex closed the door behind them. Checking the coast was clear outside, they casually walked down the steps and to the street. Austen wriggled, and Sloane hissed at him.

“Stop moving or I’m going to drop you right here in the middle of the sidewalk.”

The wiggling stopped, and they approached the building where they’d come out from. Dex looked around. “So what do we do now?”

Sloane shrugged. “Ring the doorbell?”

Dex did, and the door opened. They carried the rug inside, and Sparks approached, looking amused.

“Not bad.”

Dex stared at her. “Not bad? We captured the enemy agent.”

“Did you?”

Wait. Why did the rug feel lighter all of a sudden? Sloane placed the rug on the floor with a frown. Something wasn’t right. Quickly he unrolled it, then cursed under his breath. “He’s gone.”

Dex spun around. “What?” He dropped his gaze to the carpet. “How the fuck did we lose him?”

“You didn’t frisk me,” Austen said, strolling past them to stand beside Sparks, a tissue to his nose. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small butterfly knife. “I took it out when you two weren’t looking and hid it between my wrists. I cut my hands loose, wriggled my way out the back of the carpet, and cut my feet loose. Easy peasy.”

“It was a good effort, but it could have been over much quicker had you shot Austen when you had the chance.”

Dex folded his arms over his chest. “I know.”

“All right, yes. I get it. I fucked up.” Sloane turned to Dex. “But what if it had been your brother, or Hobbs, or someone else you cared about? Would you have pulled the trigger without hesitating?”

Dex let out a sigh. “You’re right. I would have hesitated. I’m not upset because you couldn’t take the shot,” Dex said, turning to face Sloane, the disappointment in his eyes squeezing at Sloane’s heart. “I’m upset because I didn’t take the shot. If you couldn’t do it, for whatever reason, I understand, but I should have been able to do it. Just like if I couldn’t do what I needed to do, you would be there to back me up and make sure it happened. I failed you.”

Sloane stared at Dex. He certainly hadn’t been expecting that. “Dex….”

Dex shook his head and walked off, leaving Sloane standing there wondering what the hell had just happened.

“He’s right,” Sparks said gently. “You’re a team. If one of you is compromised, it’s up to the other to complete the op. I was watching. You weren’t the only one who hesitated.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dex had a clear shot of Austen, and he hesitated. He could have tranqed Austen, but in his inability to cause you heartache, he didn’t shoot. That’s something you both will need to work on or you leave yourselves both vulnerable.”

Sloane nodded. They were dismissed, and Sloane turned to head back outside and go home. Austen caught up with him and grabbed his wris

t. Sloane turned, motioning to his nose.

“Sorry about that.”

Austen shrugged, a big boyish smile on his face. “I’ve had worse. You guys did really great.”

Sloane sighed. “Yeah? It doesn’t feel like we did.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourselves. You don’t even officially start training until you get back, so don’t worry about it. You guys have one hell of an advantage. Not everyone was THIRDS before being recruited, you know.” He winked at Sloane. “You guys are gonna be awesome. Have a little faith. Your boy has chutzpah. You just need to remind him.”

Sloane chuckled. “Thanks. Take care, yeah? See you next weekend at the rehearsal dinner.”

Austen gave him a salute as he walked backward. “Wouldn’t miss it.”