“I’ll see you boys down there. I’m afraid you draw far too much attention.”
Ash stared at him. “We draw too much attention? We’re actually supposed to be here, unlike you. Like no one’s going to notice the guy in the fancy suit and hitman gloves walking through the halls?”
“Actually, you’re not supposed to be here. You’re supposed to be in your new office, pining for your bestie.” He pointed to Rosa, Letty, and Cael. “They’re supposed to be in their new office along with the two who just left, pretending to be excited over the new cappuccino machine, and those two,” he said, motioning to Dex and Sloane, “are supposed to be on vacation, gazing into each other’s eyes and being disgustingly romantic, not in uniform escorting my baby brother around like he’s some foreign dignitary. Subtlety is not one of your proficiencies, ladies and gents. It is, however, one of mine.” With a salute, he disappeared through the doors.
“Man, I hate that guy,” Sloane growled before turning to Hudson. “Sorry.”
Hudson shrugged. “What can I say? He is a bit of an arsehole.” Hudson’s phone rang, and he answered, his eyes narrowing. “Oh piss off, Alfie.” He hung up with a huff and returned his phone to his pocket.
“Did Wolf just call you?” Dex asked, starting for the doors.
“Yes. To tell me he heard me call him an arsehole, and that it wasn’t very nice.”
Dex’s phone rang, and he answered. “Hello?”
“Darling, would you be so kind as to tell my baby brother he’s a little shite?”
“Um, sure.”
“Thank you.”
Dex hung up and returned his cell phone to his pocket. Next to him, Hudson let out a weary sigh, not at all dissimilar to the kind Dex often heard from Cael when Dex was being a pest. Good to know Alfie and Hudson’s relationship was much like any other siblings’, except for the whole trained killer part.
“What did he say?” Hudson grumbled.
“He said you were a little shite.”
“Lovely.” Hudson turned to Cael, his expression deadpan. “Want to trade brothers?”
Cael pretended to think about it. “Hm, deadly assassin or Dex. Deadly assassin or Dex.”
Ash opened his mouth, and Dex put a hand to his face. “No one asked for your opinion, Keeler.”
Everyone chuckled, and the sense of normalcy it gave Dex was welcome. It helped him remain focused. He had to detach himself from his emotions, or he wouldn’t be of any use to his dad. Sloane walked beside him, his presence alone soothing Dex, making him feel like he could get through anything. Whatever happened, he wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by people who loved and supported him.
In the sublevel basement beneath the THIRDS garage, away from everyone and everything, the old cellblock was locked behind a huge steel door. Back in the nineties when the THIRDS first opened its doors, it had been one of the most solid holding cells in the state, with thick concrete walls and iron bars. It had been more secure than some prisons, considering most places weren’t equipped to hold some of the more dangerous Therians. Soon the prison system caught up, and “Zoos” were opened to contain the most lethal of Therian prisoners. Everything moved to the age of the internet, and new high-tech holding cells were built upstairs, connected to Themis. Unfortunately, Themis wasn’t to be trusted, and Sparks had been on the ball putting this guy down here.
Hobbs and Calvin stood to one side of the huge steel door, while Wolf stood to the other, Hobbs’s toolbox in one gloved hand. He looked bored. As if he’d been waiting hours for them. Wolf and Hudson glared at each other but remained quiet as Dex unlocked the door to the cellblock. Inside, a small sitting area lay empty along with the guard’s station. The lights flickered, and Ash frowned up at them.
“I think I saw this place in a horror movie. Why is everything washed in green?”
Dex followed Ash’s gaze up to the ceiling and identified the culprit. The light fixture was growing some funky green stuff. When the hell was the last time anyone was down here besides Sparks?
“I feel like I’m going to contract something just breathing the air down here,” Calvin grumbled.
“All right, you bunch of divas, let’s get this over with,” Wolf said, walking past them to the set of iron bars at the end. He motioned for Dex to approach. “Come on, love. I haven’t got all day.”
Dex unlocked the door and opened it wide.
“There should be an interrogation room somewhere around here,” Sloane said, stepping up to the map on the wall. The place was huge, divided into four sections. “Here.” Sloane pointed to the top right section. “Here’s solitary confinement, and at the end of the hall, there’s a row of interrogation rooms. We’ll take him to room 4B.” Sloane motioned for Ash, Seb, and Hobbs to follow him. “We’ll get him moved, and then Dex and Wolf can go in.” Sloane looked over at Dex. “I’ll let you know when we’re ready.”
Dex nodded and handed the keys to Sloane. He stayed where he was while Sloane and the others went off in search of their guy to move him. Cael came to stand by Dex, even though he didn’t say anything. Everyone remained quiet, lost in their own thoughts, and Dex leaned against the wall, observing. Calvin gravitated over to the girls, while Hudson went over to one of the chairs. He leaned over to peer at it distrustfully. Meanwhile Wolf dropped down onto the one next to it and smacked the cushion of the one Hudson was peering at. A cloud of dust puffed up and hit Hudson in the face.
Hudson coughed and gagged while Wolf cackled.
“You wanker,” Hudson wheezed. “That was horrid.”
Wolf continued to laugh, his eyes lit up with amusement. It transformed his whole face, made him look like any other guy.