“Hobbs is okay because he’s a Therian. What if he hadn’t pushed you out of there?”
Dex’s close call hadn’t even crossed his mind until now. He’d been so busy worrying about his brother and his teammate, he hadn’t given it much thought. He swallowed hard and gave his brother a reassuring smile. “You know me. I got a hard head.”
“How can you joke about this? You could have been killed!”
“It’s my job, just like it’s yours. You think I wasn’t going out of my head, thinking the worst when I heard about you?” Dex had known from the moment he was recruited how much more vulnerable he was to the rest of his team. Not only were his teammates Therians, they were more often than not facing Therian threats. His Human teammates had the advantage of experience over him, but Dex couldn’t spend his time worrying about what ifs.
“Yes, but I’m a Therian. I know I’m not as strong as Sloane, or Ash, or Hobbs, but I can take more than you, and you’re on Defense.”
“Hey, don’t work yourself up. I’m fine. What about when I was in the HPF? I was just as likely to be hurt there as here.”
“That doesn’t help,” Cael muttered pathetically. “Promise me you’ll be careful?” He narrowed his eyes at Dex. “You’re not really John McClane, you know.”
“Thanks for bursting my bubble.” Dex could see Cael trying not to smile, but he failed miserably.
“Ass hat.”
There was a soft knock at the door, and Dex called for them to come in, surprised to find it was Ash, though he was more surprised by Ash’s behavior. It almost resembled… insecurity. That couldn’t be right. It would mean the guy possessed feelings other than anger and disdain.
“Ash,” Cael said cheerfully, his smile stretching from ear to ear. Dex still couldn’t fathom how these two were such close friends. It was like a bunny becoming friends with an anaconda.
“Hey.” Ash returned Cael’s smile and held up a thermal lunch bag. “Rosa made you dinner. She’s convinced the only way you’ll get better is if she gets some of her Boricua food in you.” He walked over to Cael’s bedside and handed him the bag.
“Ooh, did she make me some arañitas?”
Ash chuckled. “Of course she did. She knows how much you love those things. A bit too greasy for my taste, but they’re not bad.”
“Are you kidding? They’re awesome! Fried shredded plantains with the right amount of garlic. Besides, Rosa’s cooking is the shizzle.”
“You and your brother, man. What is it with you two and food?”
“Um, it’s tasty.” Cael motioned over to his right and Ash followed the movement, giving a start when he saw Dex. What the hell? Seriously?
“Daley. I didn’t see you there.”
“Yeah, I must have been real difficult to spot with all the other people not in the room,” Dex muttered. Jerk.
Ash opened his mouth then seemed to think better of it. When he turned his attention back to Cael, he was smiling again. “Did you want to eat now?”
“In a minute. Thanks for bringing it.”
“No problem. How are you feeling?”
“Better, now that you’re here.”
Dex’s stunned expression mirrored Ash’s. Cael carried on, obliviously.
“Yep. Letty came by—”
“Wait a second.” Dex held a hand up. “I’ve been here the whole time. When did she come by?”
“While you were sleeping, a.k.a. dead to the world,” Cael said with a snort. “She tried to wake you up, but you rolled over and mumbled something about having coffee first.”
Dex had no recollection whatsoever of someone trying to wake him, but he knew his brother was speaking the truth. Hence, his ex-boyfriend getting away with horrendous home furnishings for the house. “Makes sense. Carry on, then.” Cael rolled his eyes and turned back to Ash.
“Anyway, as I was saying. Letty came by earlier today, said she was worried about you. Apparently, you’ve been acting like an ass.” Dex opened his mouth and Cael put a finger up without glancing in his direction. “Shut it.”
Dex made a zipping motion over his lips.