“I’m on it.” Tony brought Dex into a hug. “Be safe.” With that, he turned and headed inside without so much as glancing in Sparks’s direction.
“Excuse me, I just need to….” She turned to run after Tony.
Wolf turned his attention back to Dex. “I know this means little coming from me, Dexter. But if there is one person you can trust at TIN, it’s Sonya. Never forget that everyone answers to someone, and that includes Sonya Sparks. The path you have chosen is a minefield of secrets and uncertainties. You’ll need allies. Strong ones. We could all hope to be as strong as she is.”
“The Chairman said if Sparks didn’t do what he asked, that history would repeat itself. What did he mean? Does it have to do with her daughter?”
Something in Wolf’s eyes said it did, but before Dex could ask, Wolf shook his head. “It’s not my story to tell.”
Hudson and Cael had gone back in to check on everyone. They’d split into two groups, one to guard the estate and everyone in it, and one to take down the Makhai army. Dex strapped himself into a tactical vest.
“So you’re the only one who knows where her daughter is?”
“Correct,” Wolf said.
“Are you really looking after her or using her as collateral.”
“I gave my word, Dexter.”
“Right.”
“You really are so wonderfully sweet and naïve.” Wolf crooked his finger. “Come here, darling. Allow me to give you another wedding gift.”
Dex glanced over at Sloane, who looked uncertain. “What the hell.”
When Dex walked over, Wolf wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in close to whisper in his ear, “Do you honestly believe that with all of TIN’s resources at her disposal, and years of knowing me, Sonya Sparks couldn’t catch me if she wanted to?”
Dex’s eyes widened. They’d been right. Sparks had been keeping TIN away from Wolf. It was only when the shit started hitting the fan that she decided she needed to bring him in. This whole time, she’d been protecting him.
Gunfire erupted, and everyone scrambled.
“Take cover,” Sloane ordered, running over to Dex.
“They’re coming in through the gardens,” Ash shouted from the doorway where he’d plastered himself.
“Motherfuckers!” Dex released the safety on the MP5 submachine gun. “These assholes are not going to ruin our wedding, Sloane.”
Sloane grabbed his shirt and hauled him close for a quick but passionate kiss that had Dex’s toes curling. “Be safe.”
Dex nodded.
“You boys are adorable,” Wolf said. “And such fun! I may have to visit with you more often.”
“Please don’t,” Sloane said, making Wolf laugh.
Their wedding was only a day away, and Dex was going to be at that altar with Sloane if it killed him.
“Move in!” Sloane ran out first and Dex was rig
ht on his heels. Everyone else charged, making sure to take cover when the bullets started flying. These weren’t just brainless thugs; they were trained mercenaries. Even so, anyone who’d armed themselves was either a trained THIRDS Defense agent or a TIN operative. Dex was once again thankful for his new Therian DNA, making it possible for him to see into the darkness without needing special gear like his fellow Human friends, something that slick bastard Wolf had considered when he’d packed his wedding gift to Dex.
As Dex and Sloane dove into the fray, their friends were right beside them, from Sparks, who’d once again joined them, to Dom and his fierce lion Therian brothers. Zach and his six huge-as-fuck bear Therian brothers were tearing the shit out of the Makhai. A booming sound shattered the night sky, and Dex glanced up at the balcony. Oh yeah. And their resident badass sniper was having fun with Dex’s rocket launcher.
The Chairman made a huge mistake sending what was left of his army here, and it had nothing to do with the wedding. They’d chosen to attack Dex while his family and his friends’ families were under the same roof, and for that reason, not one of these hired killers was going to make it out of here alive. The Makhai started this war, and now Dex was going to finish it. Maybe not during this battle, but he wouldn’t rest until those bastards were where they belonged, either behind bars or dead. These weren’t innocent casualties. They were Therians who had accepted killing innocent civilians. It’d be a cold day in hell before Dex let any of these assholes lay a hand on Danelle, Thomas, Julia, Darla, or anyone else in that house.
Dex let out a fierce growl as he twisted out from under a mercenary’s grip. He brought his fist up with him, catching the bastard under the chin. The guy staggered back, and Dex fired before turning to shoot at any Makhai merc who crossed his path. He dodged one guy’s charge, turned, and kicked out, all his weight behind the move, shattering the guy’s kneecap. The man howled in pain and reached for the knife in his belt. Dex swiped it, spun, and plunged it into the side of the tiger Therian’s neck. He jerked it out, then straightened in time to see a lion Therian charging toward Sloane, who was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another jaguar Therian.
Dex placed his thumb on the spine of the knife, squared his shoulders, brought his right leg back, raised the knife, and threw it. It plunged into the Therian’s thigh and brought him crashing down, distracting Sloane’s opponent just enough for Sloane to get the upper hand. He slammed the guy’s face into his uplifted knee, and the guy was out.