Thick & Thin (THIRDS 8)
Page 6
"But," Ca
el said, stopping him, "I know you. You're smart, and you wouldn't go into this without having something up your sleeve. I also understand why you're doing this. There are things you can do with TIN that you can't do at the THIRDS. You're gonna be trained some more and probably become hot shit. God help us all. But, yeah, I get it. You were always going to move on to bigger things."
"Cael...."
"I'm not patronizing you, I promise. I mean it." He made his way over to Dex, his smile sincere. "I help protect this city. I do good at the THIRDS, and that's more than enough for me, but you? You're special, Dex. Why should I be surprised that my big brother wants to play a part in protecting the world?"
Dex gave a sniff before letting out a laugh to keep himself from getting emotional. "For fuck's sake, Cael."
"Shut up. I mean it." He smiled brightly. "Wow."
"What?"
"Your eyes. The way the amber spreads out into the blue. It's cool."
"Oh." Dex cleared his throat. "I need to learn to control that."
"Maybe I can help."
Dex was surprised by the offer. He brought his brother in for a hug. "Thanks." Did Cael know how much this meant to him? When Cael pulled back, he looked worried.
"You and Sloane leaving the team is going to hit Hobbs the hardest."
"I know. I'm going to talk to him privately."
Cael nodded, but the worry was still there. Dex understood his concern. Hobbs's selective mutism and social anxiety made it difficult for him to accept change, and for many years, Destructive Delta had been a safe place for him. It was the one team in the whole of Unit Alpha that had changed a total of two times in its existence, and both those instances had been forced upon the team. The first being Seb's transfer out, and the second Dex's recruitment after Gabe's death.
It was going to kill Dex, but if he could just get Hobbs to hear him out, maybe Hobbs would come to understand and even accept the change. Dex wasn't expecting it to be easy. Nothing was ever easy where Destructive Delta was concerned.
"Dex, come here."
Dex went over to Tony's bed and sat. He could see his father's emotions at war with one another, and he had no doubt Tony was fighting with everything he had. Dex didn't say a word. Despite what most people thought, he knew when to shut up. After several seconds, Tony gave a decisive nod. He looked up at Dex, a deep frown on his face.
"If you stop being you, I will ground you for life. No matter what happens, you're my son."
Dex held back a smile. "Guess I'll have to make sure I stay me."
"Okay, then. You do your damned best to be safe, watch your back, and you don't let them take away what makes you, you, then... I'll be okay."
The door opened, and a very handsome, very tall tiger Therian in a white doctor's coat walked in. He had bright red hair and freckles strewn across his nose and cheeks, his wide smile reaching his blue-gray eyes when he saw Tony. Cael was right, the guy was hot, and he clearly liked what he saw in Tony. As Cael chatted with the doctor, Dex leaned in to murmur by his dad's ear.
"You always did have a thing for redheads."
"I thought you were okay with her," Tony replied.
"I am." Dex winked at his dad. "Relax. And whenever you're ready to tell Cael, I got your back."
Tony nodded. "Thanks, son. I love you."
"Love you too." Dex greeted the doctor and exchanged a few pleasantries before Cael went into matchmaker mode, singing Tony's praises as if the doctor hadn't been interested before Cael's ramblings on how awesomely brave their dad was, and did he know their dad was a sergeant for the THIRDS?
Dex's smartphone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, frowning down at the blank screen. That's weird. Normally if the caller didn't show up on his ID, it still said Unknown Caller or something. It was never just blank. Answering, he put it to his ear and was met with silence.
"Hello?"
Nothing.
Hmm. Okay. Maybe it was a wrong number. Dex tapped to end the call. He was about to return his phone to his pocket when it buzzed again, same blank screen. What the hell?