Tried & True (THIRDS 10)

They made idle chitchat for a little while longer before it was time for Dex to take off his suit. Martina kissed both their cheeks and left them so Dex could get undressed. Once he was done, he again thanked Martina and left with his dad. It was such a beautiful day.

“Want to join us for lunch?”

Tony gave him an apologetic smile. “Have to head back to the office, but why don’t you boys come on over for dinner? I’ll make your favorite, country fried steak and gravy.”

Dex wiped at his mouth in case he was drooling. “I would very much like that. Just don’t tell Lou.”

Tony winked and pointed a finger at him as he walk

ed backward. “Eight o’clock. Love you, kiddo.”

“Love you too, Dad. See you at eight.” Dex spun on his heels and strolled down the street in the opposite direction, a dopey smile on his face. There was a great little donut shop on the corner. Surely one donut wouldn’t spoil his lunch. One maple donut. With bacon bits. Maybe he’d pick up an order of donutty goodness for the whole crew. He’d definitely need to get a cab back to the park if he did that. No way was he getting on a crowded train with an armful of tasty treats. He’d grab a bear claw for his Broody Bear, though these days Sloane was neither broody nor bearish. The thought of his boo had his smile growing wider.

Sloane was probably going to try and sweet-talk some information out of Dex about his tux. He was adorable. Dex loved that Sloane was just as much of a dork as he was, excited by things like seeing each other in their tuxes and their first dance as husband and husband.

Dex glanced up as a black commercial van with pitch-black tinted windows sped by, nearly hitting a pedestrian. Dex shook his head. He should give the guy a ticket for being an ass-hat. Tires screeched, and Dex cringed, waiting for the sound of an impact. Instead he heard a strangled cry that turned Dex’s blood to ice. His stomach dropped, and the blood drained from his face. He whirled around in time to watch two masked men load Tony up into the van.

“Dad?” Dex’s brain misfired, unable to process what he was witnessing. “Dad!” He broke into a run as the tires screeched and the van lurched forward into traffic, uncaring of who or what it ran into. Dex bolted into the street, ignoring the honking horns and shrieking tires. He sped after the van as it swerved through traffic, dodging cars, bikers, and pedestrians. Dex ran as fast as he could, his muscles straining and lungs burning, as he attempted to catch up to the van. He couldn’t lose it. Whatever happened, he couldn’t let them take his father. He couldn’t lose that fucking van. There was no license plate, no signage, text, no discernable marks.

Please. No, no, no.

Dex struggled for breath, but he just pushed himself harder, his eyesight sharpening, and his heart pounding in his ears as something inside his gut swirled and expanded, spreading through his chest and exploding out through his body. He had no idea what the hell it was, but as his claws extended and his fangs grew in, he picked up speed. He tried to reach for the handle on the rear door, but the van’s careening made him miss, and he only succeeded in scratching the paintjob with his claws. With a feral growl, he launched himself at the van, grabbing the handle and landing on the rubber bumper. He threw a hand up, his claws digging into the aluminum roof. He had no idea his claws were that sharp. Not wasting the opportunity, he grabbed hold of the roof rack with his free hand, and climbed on top of the van.

If there was ever a time he wished he’d been on duty, this was it. He had no firepower to aid him, and he couldn’t waste a second trying to get backup. He needed to do something to stop this van. Dex retracted his claws, hissed, and unsheathed them again, throwing them forward and sinking them into the roof once more. He used his claws to keep him secured on the van as he crawled forward, his sneakers braced on the rack as he was jerked from side to side. The van ran red lights, and Dex flinched when a truck whizzed across, the van missing the truck’s back bumper by a hair.

Rage and desperation exploded through Dex, and he grabbed the roof rack near the front and launched himself over the side of the van on the driver’s side, bringing his left fist with him and smashing it through the window, cutting and slicing the hell out of his arm. The van swerved violently, and the driver cursed. Dex grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it to the left. He hung on for his life as the van careened to the side and the driver fought for control. Dex saw the gun from the corner of his eye and hauled himself back onto the roof, just as two vehicles came at them, one from each side, T-boning the van.

Dex soared through the air, and then everything went black.

CHAPTER 6

IT WAS time to eat. After everyone used the privacy stalls at the park to shift back, they received PSTC from their teammates. They grabbed some protein, but they needed a proper meal to regain their strength. Sloane decided to text Dex and have him meet them at the restaurant. That way they could all start on some appetizers while Dex made his way over.

“Where do you guys want to go?” Sloane asked, finishing his text, then returning his phone to his pocket. He was starving.

Ash shrugged. “Why don’t we just go to the Boathouse? They do Therian-size burgers now. It’s like a five-minute walk. Everyone good with that?”

They all cheered for food, and they headed south through one of the many trails. As his friends laughed and talked, Sloane checked his phone to see if Dex had replied, but there was nothing yet. He told himself not to be ridiculous that Dex hadn’t texted back right away. Dex probably got caught up in the emotion of it all, especially with Tony there. He was a little more sensitive than usual these days, and Sloane couldn’t blame him. There was so much going on in both their personal and professional lives. So many changes.

When they got to the restaurant, Sloane murmured to Calvin, “Where do you guys want to sit?”

Calvin subtly put his hand to Hobbs’s lower back, and Hobbs craned his neck to look inside. He shook his head and pointed to the outdoor seating area.

“You got it,” Sloane said with a smile. “We should take advantage of this weather while we can, huh?”

Hobbs grinned and nodded.

One of the waiters very kindly put several tables together for them, and once they were seated, menus were brought out. Everyone put in their drink orders, along with appetizers for the table. Once the waiter left, they mulled over what they were going to eat.

Cael leaned into Sloane. “Have you heard from Dex?” he asked quietly, his eyes filled with concern.

“Not yet. I’m sure he’s fine. You know all this wedding stuff has him a little restless.”

Cael nodded, his attention then seized by Ash, who asked him what he’d like to eat. As Cael rambled excitedly about the menu, Ash looked over his head at Sloane and winked at him. Sloane appreciated Ash distracting Cael. He didn’t want to lie to Cael about how worried he was. The waiter returned, and Sloane asked Ash to order for him, then excused himself to go to the bathroom.

He walked into the restaurant and headed for the restroom, then stepped inside. He called Dex, only to get a voicemail. His Felid half was awake now and very unhappy. He had Sloane pacing. Calling Martina yielded the same results, though her voicemail stated she was with a client and would get back to him as soon as possible. The door to the bathroom opened, and Sloane was relieved to see Ash.

“Hey, you okay?”