Wolf turned to Seb. “Talk some sense into your bloody husband, will you?”
Seb swallowed hard, pain in his eyes. “I wish I could.”
“What?”
“Come on, Wolf. You really think he’s going to listen? If it was me, and I knew someone was going to use me to hurt Hudson, or my brothers… I’d do the same.”
Wolf looked around at everyone and their determined expressions. “I’m surrounded by fucking martyrs. Unbelievable.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t do the same?” Dex asked. He stepped up to Wolf and put two fingers to the sides of his temple. It took everything Sloane had not to grab him and move him away from that asshole. “Someone puts a gun to your head and says to Hudson, ‘you kill your friends, or your brother dies,’ what do you do? Do you let him do it, knowing what it will do to him? Knowing there’s a chance he’s going to turn into you?”
Wolf stilled. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. When he opened them, he took hold of Dex’s fingers, tucked them under his hand, and brought Dex’s hand to his lips for a kiss. Dex arched an eyebrow at him. What the hell was this guy’s deal? He was always flirting with Dex or finding an excuse to touch him. It drove Sloane, and his Felid half, insane.
“You’re a very dangerous man, Dexter. I imagine you would be very bad for my reputation.” He released Dex and headed for the exit. “You have your answers. I would move quickly.”
“What are you going to do?” Dex called out after him.
“Seeing as how my little brother has some very stupid ideas knocking around that annoying brain of his, I’m going to do what I do best. Find those who do not wish to be found. I’ll be in touch. Keep the little wanker safe, will you?” He turned and winked at his brother. “Have fun cleaning up my mess for once.”
“What’s he on about?” Hudson turned to Dex.
“Wolf shot Fred. In the head.”
Sloane groaned, and Hudson let out a slew of curses, but by the time he turned to look for Wolf, he was gone.
Dex put a hand on Hudson’s shoulder. “We gotta go. You okay to handle this?”
“Yes. I’ll get Nina to help.”
“Okay.” Sloane turned to Seb. “You stay with him. The only people we trust are family. Everyone else is considered a possible threat. You need backup.”
“I’ll get Dom and Rafe,” Seb replied without hesitation.
Sloane nodded. He agreed with Seb’s choice. Dom could be trusted, and Rafe was a given. Also, Rafe was just as fierce as Seb, if not more. He’d be one hell of an obstacle to get through if Seb went down. “We’ll keep you posted. Destructive Delta, we’re moving out.” Sloane led his team down the corridor toward the exit, while Dex filled him in on the information they obtained before Wolf put a bullet in Fred’s head. They joined up with Rosa, Letty, and Calvin, and together they made for the elevator and headed up to the garage where the BearCat was parked. Sloane opened the back doors, and everyone took their positions except for Dex, who grabbed a bottled water from the mini fridge, rinsed his mouth out, and spit it out into the small trash bin inside one of the compartments. Taking the bottle with him, he took a seat on the bench. Hobbs got behind the wheel, with Calvin buckling up in the passenger side. Cael took a seat behind the security console, and everyone else took the bench. They buckled up, and Hobbs got them moving.
“Where are we heading?” Cael asked.
“Queens,” Sloane replied. Dex shifted beside him, and Sloane quickly removed his phone from his pocket. He held it up so everyone could see it, then turned it off. He tapped his earpiece, the light turning from blue to red. Everyone pulled out their phones and did the same. Hobbs handed his phone to Calvin. Cael turned and powered down the security console. Once everyone’s earpiece was off, Sloane spoke up. “No tech,” Sloane reminded them. “We gotta go dark until we get some tech the Makhai can’t use against us. No cell phones, no security console, no earpieces, no GPS, nothing. Hobbs, we’re heading for Brooklyn. Off Eleventh Avenue and Forty-Sixth Street.”
“Wow,” Ash said with a whistle. “That’s really specific, bro. How do you know where it is?”
Sloane shrugged and looked down at his gloved hands. “I know the area really well. I spent a lot of nights driving aimlessly through the streets. It’s near Green-Wood Cemetery.” Sloane gave Dex a small smile. “That’s where Gabe is buried.”
&n
bsp; “You okay?” Dex put his arm around Sloane, and Sloane kissed his cheek.
“I am, sweetheart. I promise.” It was the truth. Dex had played a major role in helping Sloane heal, and although he still missed Gabe, he was now able to draw fond memories rather than painful tragic ones.
They were making good time, despite traffic, and needed to get in there before the sun set. Not that he could recall the place having any windows. The old theater had been bustling with activity back in the twenties and had held some pretty epic concerts up until the seventies when the neighborhood got tired of the noise. Sadly, the place was falling apart. It had been owned by a furniture company once and used for storage. It was then sold to another furniture company, which also used it for storage. Considering the Makhai had planned to use it, even if it was for one evening, it most likely had been abandoned for some time.
Hobbs drove up Eleventh Avenue and made a left on Forty-Sixth Street. The old brick building looked pretty much like it had the last time Sloane had seen it, with the addition of some more scaffolding along the front and side. Back when he’d aimlessly roamed these streets, he’d felt a tinge of sadness whenever he’d gone by the old theater. Its façade showed remnants of elegant molding, and Sloane couldn’t help but wonder what she must have looked like in her heyday. Now the building looked much like the hundreds of other abandoned places around the city, with its heavily boarded-up entrances and mismatched brickwork where windows had once been.
The BearCat came to a stop beside the theater, and Sloane unbuckled his belt. “Let’s try and get in there as quietly as possible. We don’t know what we’re walking into. Our priority is the Sarge. Once we’re inside, turn your coms on and stay safe. Ready?”
Everyone nodded. They secured their helmets, then grabbed their rifles and shields. Sloane opened the back doors and jumped out. He waited for the rest of his team and then closed the doors. They fell into formation and quickly ran under the scaffolding. There were plenty of vans and commercial vehicles parked in the area, thanks to the lumberyard across the street and the surrounding businesses.
“It looks like it’s scheduled to be demolished. I saw a banner back there,” Cael said.