Blood & Thunder (THIRDS 2)

“Don’t you fucking tell me to take it easy, Rookie. If you screwed up, I swear I will—”

“Rafe, stop!” Calvin wedged himself between Dex and Rafe, pushing the larger Therian away. “Dex was the one who got Ethan out. He risked his life to save him. If he hadn’t gone in there, the paramedics might not have made it in time.”

Surprise flashed through Rafe’s face, but within seconds, the stern mask had returned.

“Wait, you’re Dex?” Seb came over, shoving past his older brother as if he wasn’t there, and took Dex’s hand. “Ethan’s always talking about you!”

Dex’s jaw dropped. “Hobbs talks?”

Seb laughed. “Of course he talks. Can’t get him to shut up sometimes. He’s told me so much about you, it’s like I know you. I swear, every time I talk to him he’s telling me about something funny you did or said.”

“Hobbs talks? Talks out loud? I had no idea.”

“Yeah, but only to Seb,” Rafe grunted. “With the rest of us, it’s like he’s a fucking mute.”

Seb rounded on his brother. “Maybe if you weren’t such a dick to him all the time, he’d talk to you too.”

O-okay. Obviously some family issues needed resolving here. Rafe gritted his teeth, his jaw muscles clenching, but he said nothing. He walked over to Hobbs’s bedside, Calvin joining him to speak quietly.

Seb gave Dex a weary smile. “Ethan was diagnosed with selective mutism when he was a kid. Social situations were impossible for him. The anxiety was rough. Thanks to years of cognitive-behavioral strategies and therapy, he got the help he needed to get through it, but he’s still shy. He has trouble talking to certain people or during certain situations.”

“And it’s never impeded his job?” Dex asked, wondering how Hobbs ended up a Public Safety Bomb Technician for the THIRDS.

Seb shook his head. “Ethan loves what he does. Always has. When it comes to the job, he’s confident. When he needs to relay information, he’s speaking into a headset, so for him, the way he manages, is that his job is dealing with machines, not people. It’s people who are the problem.” Seb looked over his shoulder at Rafe and shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. “Don’t feel bad, though. He doesn’t talk to our parents much either. Just me and Calvin.” He smiled warmly. “Thanks, for saving his life.”

Dex returned his smile. He liked Seb a whole lot better than Rafe.

“Our brother’s in the hospital and you’re looking for a place to park your dick?”

Yep. A whole lot better.

“You know what, Rafe? Fuck you.”

The brothers started arguing when

Sloane came thundering into the room. His laser glare was set to stun and pissed off seemed to be his new modus operandi. “What the hell is going on here?”

“What kind of team are you running, Brodie?” Rafe marched up to Sloane and gave him a shove. “How could you let this happen?”

Sloane put his hands up in front of him, his voice calm. “Rafe, take it easy.”

“If one more asshole on your team tells me to take it easy, I’m going to put a bullet in them. You didn’t answer my question. How could you let this happen?”

“Rafe, leave him alone,” Seb warned. “I’m sure Sloane did everything he could.”

Rafe turned to his brother with a glare. “Tell me, bro. Is there someone in this unit you don’t want to screw?”

“What the hell is your problem?” Seb spat out, giving his brother a shove.

“You’re my problem. If you’d kept it in your pants, you wouldn’t have been transferred from Destructive Delta, and you would have been there to have his back. But you couldn’t, could you? And now look at him!”

“You love throwing it in my face. I’m sorry we can’t all be fucking perfect like you, Rafe. Whatever happened, you can’t pin this one on me, you asshole.”

“I’ve had enough of this.” Dex fished into his utility belt pouch and grabbed his Ultra Sound Device. He held out the small black device and pulled out a couple of earplugs that he tossed to Calvin. “Get those in Hobbs’s ears. Sloane, get the hell out.”

Sloane’s eyes went wide and he bolted from the room. As soon as Calvin had the earplugs in Hobbs’s ears, Dex clicked the small black button. It seemed as if nothing was happening, at least not to Dex and Calvin. Hobbs’s brothers dropped to their knees, their hands over their ears as they writhed in pain. Dex clicked off the device and put it away, knowing the two would remain stunned for a few seconds. He grabbed each one by the ear and hauled them to their feet.

“If you two insist on acting like a couple of Felids throwing a hissy fit, I’m going to treat you that way. Come with me.” He dragged them out of the room, ignoring Sloane’s startled expression as Dex strode by with the groaning and squirming Therians in his grip. The brothers were too affected by the ultrasound device to do much about it. He led them a couple of doors down and pushed them inside, turning them so they faced the bruised and battered agent.