“I need you to call him.”
Hudson blinked at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“Call him.”
Hudson peered at him. “By him are you referring to…?”
“Yes.”
“And how exactly am I to do that? It’s not as if he’s left me a number.” Hudson walked over to the bed and dropped down to it with a heavy sigh. He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “I wish I could, Dex. But how am I supposed to get in contact with a ghost?”
Dex smiled. “Just use the phone.”
Hudson cast him a sideways glance. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”
Dex removed his cell phone from his pocket. “He’s been keeping tabs on you. Believe me. He’ll get the message. Call me.”
Hudson removed his own phone from his pocket, one that was both THIRDS and TIN secure—though there was no telling, considering the Chairman seemed to know exactly what was going on no matter where they were. Hudson found Dex’s contact info in his address book and tapped the screen. Dex’s phone rang. He answered it, but didn’t bother putting it to his ear.
Hudson placed his own phone to his ear. “Um, if you can hear me, I need your help. Please. It’s very important.” He hung up and looked at Dex. “Do you really think that’s going to work?”
Seb frowned. “I know we want it to work, but is anyone else as creeped out as I am that he’s listening in on us?”
Dex and Hudson both held up a hand.
While Dex agreed, right now he needed Wolf, and he wasn’t sure if the guy would have answered had he been the one to make that call. As it was, Wolf tended to pop up whenever he felt like it, but for Hudson….
“You really think he’s going to come here?” Seb asked, motioning to the small space around them.
“You’re right.” Dex motioned for Hudson to follow him. “We need to make it easier for him to get to you.”
Outside in the hall, they formed a circle around Hudson.
“Is this really necessary?” Hudson grumbled.
“Yes,” Dex replied. “Your brother is a highly skilled assassin, with one vulnerability that’s just been exposed.”
Hudson stopped walking and grabbed Dex’s arm. “What?”
Dex let out a sigh. “They know you’re Wolf’s little brother. That’s why they’ve been trying to get their hands on you. Not because of me, but because of him. If they have you, they can control him or kill him. Depends how useful they think he’d be to them.”
Hudson cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Wonderful.”
“I know it sucks, but for now, security around you has to be tight, Hudson. That’s just how it has to be until we know you’re out of danger.”
Hudson let out a resigned sigh and nodded.
They headed through Unit Alpha, and Dex was surprised when they were stopped by a group of fellow agents. Taylor and Angel made their way through the center of the group, then stood in front of Dex.
“We heard about Maddock,” Taylor said. “I swear we’re gonna find him, Dex.”
Angel nodded his agreement. “There’s nowhere those assholes can hide. Everyone’s moving out, including Unit Beta. We’re gonna find him.”
The rest of their fellow agents joined in, offering words of support. Dex swallowed hard. No matter what happened with TIN, Dex was always going to be a part of the THIRDS. They might not have always gotten along, but they had one another’s backs. Dex was proud to be a THIRDS agent, and at heart, he would always be a THIRDS agent. No matter where in the world he was sent, he would always be coming back home to HQ, and that made all the difference.
“Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate it.”
The crowd moved so Destructive Delta could walk by. They took the elevator down to Sparta and one of the old school training bays that wasn’t in use anymore. There were no high-tech gadgets, no fancy equipment, no speakers. Nothing but vinyl floors and painted white walls. They stood in the center and waited.