Chapter 12

 

“WHAT’S YOUR twenty, Sloane?”

Maddock’s voice came in over Sloane’s earpiece, and he hoped his team got there soon. The longer they followed Sanders, the more uneasy Sloane felt. “We’re following him up West Houston Street. Looks like he’s making a right on Hudson Street. I don’t know what the hell he’s got up his sleeve, but he’s slowed down.” As Sloane said the words, the car jolted forward. “Strike that. He’s on the move.” Sloane slammed down on the accelerator, making a left on Leroy Street, and another left onto Washington Street, speeding past an open parking garage on the left, and a large building—a mix of condominiums and businesses—on the right.

“He’s turning right on West Houston Street and the underpass.” Sloane made a sharp turn and slammed the breaks. “What the hell?”

“What’s going on?”

“He…. He disappeared,” Dex replied, turning in his seat to look around them.

“We’re heading your way. Watch your backs.”

“Copy that.” Sloane put the Suburban into reverse and backed up, turning onto Washington Street where they’d come from. He parked a few feet from the corner and turned off the engine, a deep frown on his face. “I don’t like this.”

“Me neither, but we can’t let this asshole get away. Come on.” Dex jumped out of the car and headed for the back with Sloane a few steps behind. He unlocked the back double doors, followed by the deadbolts on the heavy-duty weapons drawers. Dex grabbed his ballistic helmet from the side hook and put it on, securing the straps. Sloane did the same and tested his earpiece.

“Can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, partner.”

Sloane lifted his AR15 from its foam padding, and Dex stared at him wide-eyed. “You know something I don’t?”

“I don’t trust Isaac or anyone who’s with him. This guy led us here. For all we know, he’ll come at us with a fucking tank.” Sloane checked his rifle’s magazine before grabbing an extra three and securing them to his utility belt. “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, right?”

Dex smiled at him. “Right.”

They finished gathering what equipment they needed, and Sloane secured the Suburban. As Dex turned, Sloane grabbed him by the vest and pulled him over. Dex gave him a questioning smile.

“You be careful. You got me?” Dex nodded, and Sloane knocked his helmet gently against Dex’s, his chest feeling tight at his partner’s affectionate smile. “Okay. Let’s kick some ass.” Sloane went ahead of Dex, his rifle at the ready as he stayed close to the building and rounded the corner on Washington Street. Someone screamed and pedestrians started running, but Sloane ignored the commotion. He headed through the underpass with Dex close on his heels. It was dark, the only light coming from the red LED lights positioned above the garage doors. On the left hand side were three windows with burglar bars and the doors were all labeled. From the looks of it, some were warehouses while others were storage units. On the right hand side of the street, there was a solitary white van parked in front of a closed garage door. There was nothing but deathly silence around them.

Sloane was about to cross the street to what looked like a side entrance when the thundering sound of clanking metal echoed through the underpass, stopping him in his tracks. One by one, the garage doors across from them opened, and armed men in bulletproof vests emerged from the shadows.

“Take cover!” Sloane ordered, grabbing Dex and pulling him behind the van as shots rang out. Bullets sprayed the van, windows bursting, and tiny shards of glass raining down in all directions. Small chunks of brick from the building next to them flew off and crumbled to dust. Sloane hit the small communicator button on his vest’s radio. “Destructive Delta, come in.”

Maddock’s gruff tone did little to mask the concern in his voice as it came on the line. “What’s your position?”

“It’s a trap. They were waiting for us. I make over a dozen heavily armed men, but there could be more. We’re under heavy fire. Where the hell are you guys?”

“Less than ten minutes away.”

“Okay. We’ll try and hold them off.”

“Copy that.”

Sloane edged toward the front wheel of the van, peeking around the front fender. A bullet ricocheted right by his helmet and he jerked back. He prepared to fire when the garage door on their right just ahead rolled open. He aimed his rifle, Dex at his back, but no one came out. “That can’t be good.”

“What’s our next move?”

“If we stay out here, we’re dead. I’ll cover you. Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Now!” Sloane popped up from behind the van, firing at the gunmen, who took cover, but not before Sloane clipped two of them in the leg, sending them to the floor with cries of pain. Sloane took off after Dex, firing as he went until he was inside the garage, or at least that’s what he thought it was. It was actually a huge storage unit that stretched down the length of the building, sectioned off into smaller units, and supported by several concrete columns. There was everything from wooden pallets to metal racking, department store mannequins, holiday displays, old signage, and cleaning equipment.

“Come on, we can take cover behind that racking.” Dex motioned ahead of them, and Sloane followed, shots ringing out behind them. They ran further into the storage unit, a set of red wires catching his attention. He came to a halt, his eyes widening at the C4 strapped to one of the concrete columns.

“Run!”

They raced back toward the entrance when the explosion knocked Sloane off his feet. He hit something solid and bounced off before hitting the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him from the impact. His ears rang, and his vision was blurry. He sucked in a sharp breath and winced. His lungs burned, his throat was raw, and breathing in deep resulted in a mouthful of dust. Coughing and sputtering, he turned his head, his blurry vision focusing on a dirt-smudged face.

“Dex,” Sloane wheezed, trying to push himself up, but his body wasn’t cooperating. A look over his shoulder revealed the reason why. A large chunk of a concrete column had him pinned. A shot hit the dirt beside his head, and Sloane jerked out of the way as much as the slab of concrete would allow, a harsh voice echoing from somewhere in the distance.

“Don’t shoot him you idiots! I want him alive. Grab the blond.”

The blond? Oh God, they were going to take Dex. He had to do something. “Dex,” Sloane rasped, “wake up. Please. Dex. Wake up.”

Dex groaned, his eyelids slowly opening. “Wh—what happened?”

“Get up. You have to get up right now. Run.”

Despite his confusion, Dex reacted to the urgency in Sloane’s voice, rolling onto his side and shakily pushing himself to his feet. Sloane opened his mouth when a series of shots rang out, two hitting Dex in the vest, throwing him off his feet. But it was the dart in Dex’s arm that frightened Sloane the most.

“No!” Something in Sloane’s brain snapped, and his vision cleared. He pushed as hard as he could against the ground. “You son of a bitch!”

Dex coughed and gasped, sucking in as much oxygen as he could after being winded, his face a deep red, his eyes bloodshot and teary from whatever was going through his system. Sloane could see his partner trying to push through the pain caused by the impact of the bullets hitting his vest, through whatever was making Dex writhe. “Sloane,” Dex breathed, shutting his eyes tight.

“No, please. Dex!” Sloane reached out again, stretching his arm as far as his protesting muscles would allow. The back of his eyes stung as Dex’s head lolled toward him, and he attempted a reassuring smile. The bastard. How could he think about Sloane at a time like this? “Dex!”

With whatever strength Dex seemed to have left, he dragged his arm up, and his fingers crawled to Sloane’s until they could touch. Sloane took Dex’s fingers in his. Seconds later two men arrived, grabbing Dex by his vest.

“Don’t you dare hurt him! Dex!”

Dex was out cold, lying limp as the two men carried him away. Teeth gritted, Sloane desperately tried to pull himself free. He was going to tear them apart. A boot pounded down against his back, forcing him against the concrete floor.

“My, how the mighty have fallen.” Isaac chuckled. “And have still to fall.”

“What do you want with Dex?” Sloane growled, trying to grab Isaac, only to have the man stomp on his arm. He let out a hoarse cry, his face growing hot and red as he seethed.

“I want from him the same thing you do. His loyalty, his friendship, devotion, everything you don’t deserve. How do you do it? How do you take good, honest men like Dex, like my brother, and turn them into your filthy toys? Is it through loyalty? Do you lure them with the illusion of happiness? A happiness you can never give them?” He leaned in, his voice quiet, but his words shaking Sloane down to his core. “Do you honestly believe a man like Dex will want you when he finds out what you are? What you’ve done?”

Sloane went still.

“That’s right. I know everything. My brother was blinded by your lies, and I’ve watched as you’ve woven your web of deception around Dex, but I can still save him. When he finds out the truth, he’ll see you for the animal you are.”

“Maybe, but he’ll never be loyal to you.”

“Oh, he will. Believe me, he will, and then we’ll crush the THIRDS under our thumbs, and rule this city the way it was meant to be ruled. Without your filthy kind.”

Isaac’s words sent dread through Sloane. “What have you done?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Why don’t we get this over with, Isaac? You and me, without these games.”

“And miss out on making your life miserable? I’ll be waiting for you, Sloane. Right where it all began for you and your feral friends.”

Isaac disappeared, and Sloane pushed against the floor, desperate. He had to stop them.

“Sloane? Dex? Where are you?”

“Maddock! In the storage garage!” Sloane called out as loud as he could. Within seconds, his team was racing in, Ash and Calvin rushing to his side to lift the slab. “Dex! They have Dex!” Sloane thrust his finger in the direction Isaac had run off to, and Maddock darted off with Rosa, Letty, and Cael.

His legs free, Sloane pulled himself out, and with Ash’s help, got to his feet. “Isaac took Dex,” Sloane ground out, trying to push away from Ash. To his horror, his team ran back, the pain in Maddock’s face telling him all he needed to know. “No.” Sloane shook his head. He refused. “I have to go.” Sloane tried to push against his friend, furious when Ash wouldn’t let him go. “Get the fuck off me! I need to get him back.”

“Sloane, they’re gone,” Rosa said. “They had a plan. This whole thing was planned.”

“I can’t….” Sloane shook his head. What did he want to say? He couldn’t lose Dex the way he lost Gabe. He couldn’t. “I have to save my partner.” His rough words sounded more like a plea, but he didn’t care.

“And we will,” Maddock assured him. “What did Isaac say to you? Did he give any clue to where he might be taking Dex?”

Isaac’s words echoed in his head, and then it all came crashing down.

“I know where he is.”

 

 

SLOANE STORMED into Lieutenant Sparks’s office, his fingers flexing at his sides. “Where is it?” he demanded.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Where the hell is the facility?”

Lieutenant Sparks stared at him, her hand covering the receiver of her phone. “Agent Brodie, I have the Chief of Therian Defense on the line.”

“Good.” Sloane marched over and snatched the phone from her. “This is Agent Sloane Brodie. I need to know where the First Gen Research Facility is.” He listened as the Chief of Defense huffed and spewed a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit and threats, none of which Sloane gave two flying fucks about. “Now you listen to me, you paper-pushing son of a bitch, Isaac Pearce has my partner. He has Dr. Shultzon, and most likely the First Gen files. If you want to suspend me, you do that, but after I save my partner, and your sorry ass from a media shit storm. Now where is the goddamn facility?”

There was a long pause, and as Sloane was about to give the Therian a piece of his mind, he rattled off the address. Sloane thought maybe he’d heard wrong, but he knew he hadn’t. You’ve got to be kidding me.

“That’s the secure location? In the middle of fucking Manhattan? No offense, sir, but you need to revisit the meaning of ‘secure,’ because that sure as hell isn’t it.” He thrust the phone at his lieutenant and stormed off, calling out over his shoulder. “I’ll sign my suspension papers when I get back!” He headed for the briefing room, rounding up his team, along with Beta Ambush and Beta Pride. Inside, he addressed the room, aware of Maddock hovering by the door, his expression grave.

“All right, listen up. This is an extraction. Our priority is to preserve life. Get Agent Daley and Dr. Shultzon out of there alive. Destructive Delta, you know what you have to do. Everyone else, I don’t think I need to paint you a picture of the extreme danger this group poses to our city and our organization. Approach the facility with extreme caution. Whatever happens, Isaac Pearce does not leave that building unless it’s in cuffs or a body bag. Understood?”

“Understood, sir!”

“Then let’s move out.”

Moments later, they were all sitting in brooding silence, strapped in their seats inside the BearCat as it drove through Manhattan. Sloane couldn’t stop himself from thinking the worst. What if they were too late? What if he lost Dex like he’d lost Gabe? Would he be able to handle it? What the hell did Isaac want with Dex? There was no way the guy believed Dex would join him. Sloane quickly pushed all those thoughts out of his head. Dex needed him. He needed to keep it together. As the BearCat sped through the city, Ash spoke up beside him.

“I can’t believe the facility’s been there all this time.”

Rose checked the magazine of her Remington rifle, before moving onto her next weapon. His team wasn’t leaving anything to chance, considering what was at stake. “You think they were trying to hide it in plain sight?”

“I don’t know what they were thinking, probably that it was secure, and no one would be able to breach it,” Ash muttered. “Same shit they believe about every secure location until someone infiltrates it. Secure, my ass.”

As soon as they’d boarded the BearCat, they’d received word from Lieutenant Sparks. The facility had been breached. From the inside. Which was why they hadn’t been alerted. The reason they knew anything about it now was because Isaac himself had sounded the alert. Sloane wasn’t surprised. If Isaac had managed to get Dr. Shultzon to cooperate using his family, Sloane had no doubts the guy had used similar tactics to infiltrate security. Themis had confirmed several guards with high levels of clearance at the facility had families, including young children. Isaac wasn’t the sort to go in guns blazing, hoping everything would sort itself out. He meticulously planned, went in under the radar, and exposed the weaknesses. Then he made himself known.

The First Gen Therian Research Facility was located on East Seventy-First Street, past an antique shop, Sokol, and Cornell University Medical Center. It was a light gray building with dark gray accents, eight floors containing seven large mirrored windows per floor (except for the highest two floors, which had three windows), a parking garage, and a set of large glass doors. No numbers, no signs, or information. It was frightening knowing how in this innocent looking neighborhood, all manner of tests and experiments had been performed on young Therians. How countless lives had been altered, destroyed, and saved. Looking at it made him want to be sick. After years of trying to put this place behind him, there it was staring back at him, larger than life.

“Hey, you okay?”

Sloane heard Cael’s soft words, and was about to answer, believing his teammate had been addressing him, but when he turned, he found Cael had actually been talking to Ash. His friend had gone pale, his eyes on the building across from them.

“Yeah, I uh….” Ash shook his head, his words trailing off into nothing. Shit, Sloane hadn’t thought of how being back might affect Ash. He gave Cael a reassuring smile and pulled his friend behind the truck, away from prying eyes.

“Hey, look at me,” He took Ash’s face in his hands, turning his face so he could look his friend in the eye. “It’s okay. They can’t hurt us. Things are different now. We’re not those scared kids anymore.” Ash nodded, though Sloane could still see the uncertainty and fear in his friend’s eyes. “Ash, you can do this. I need you, buddy. I need you to help me get Dex back. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Please.”

Ash looked at him then, truly looked at him, his expression turning hard. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Let’s go get that partner of yours out of there.”

With a grin, Sloane grabbed Ash’s head, and Ash did the same to Sloane. They pressed their heads together like they used to do when they were kids, pretending to be tough soldiers, brothers-in-arms. Now they were.

“Let’s do this,” Ash declared, moving away. He jumped into the van, helping Cael up. “Show me the building’s layout.”

Cael brought up a digital 3D rendering of the facility’s schematics. At least the Chief of Defense was finally cooperating.

“Can you get into the security feed?” Ash asked, cursing under his breath when Cael shook his head.

“This is military grade encryption and Isaac’s locked us out. It’d take far longer than we have time for in order to gain access. I brought up the facility network, and there’s a load of failed login attempts. At least Isaac hasn’t been able to connect so far. It might be the only thing keeping those files from going public.”

“Okay.” Ash studied the floor plans. “We have no idea how many guys Isaac has in there. Our best bet is to have teams go in aggressive on the ground floor, disable and distract, while our team goes in through the roof. Ground floor teams use a shitload of nonlethals to confuse and incapacitate them: flash bangs, smoke bombs, grenade launcher. Have the other teams go in after and start taking the floors one at a time. Destructive Delta enters the building though here.” Ash pointed to the building next to the facility. “The ninth floor window of this building opens right onto the roof of the facility. There’s a door and a vent, leading inside. If we’re lucky, we can catch that bastard by surprise.”

“Okay, team. Let’s move out.” Sloane tapped his earpiece. “Sarge?”

“Heard you loud and clear. Beta Ambush and Beta Pride are getting into position to go in through the front. They’ll wait for your signal.”

“Copy that.” Sloane grabbed his helmet and jumped from the truck, his team falling into formation behind him, except for Cael who remained to keep surveillance and provide technical backup. They went around the back to the BearCat, using the cars parked along the street to give them cover until they crossed to the building beside the facility. Inside, agents from a backup squad were evacuating the building.

Taking the stairwell, Sloane rushed up with Ash, Rosa, Letty, and Calvin behind him. They had nine floors to climb. By the time they got to the ninth floor and out into the offices, Sloane’s breath was heavy in his ears. He tapped his earpiece. “Cael, we’re outside the emergency exit on the ninth floor. Which way?”

“Make a right, straight down, last set of offices on the right. It’s the middle one, belonging to a Mr. Trine.”

“Copy that.” They rushed past rows and rows of cubicles until they reached the end of the floor and the many rows of closed doors. They found the one they needed and Sloane stepped aside. Ash slammed his shoulder into the door and it splintered open. The window was big, enough for all of them to get through. Lucky for them it opened and they didn’t have to blast it. It took mere seconds to get onto the roof and they headed straight for the door. Unsurprisingly, he found it locked.

“Calvin. Get this open.”

 Sloane tapped his earpiece. “Sarge, we’re going in. Send in the teams.”

“Copy that. All teams move in!”

Leaving his sergeant and the rest of Unit Alpha’s teams to take care of business downstairs, Sloane gave Calvin the go ahead. He stood back as Calvin swiftly unclasped his backpack and removed two pieces of det cord before securing them to the door’s hinges. They all darted away, ducking behind the concrete wall, hearing Calvin’s warning.

“Fire in the hole!”

There was a loud boom, followed by the clanking and screeching of metal sliding across the roof floor. Sloane rushed out, checking they were clear before going in through the doorway. He led his teammates into the darkness, hoping he’d find his partner at the other end of it, alive and in one piece.

Hang on for me, Dex. Please, hang on.

 

 

HIS CHEST hurt.

With a groan, Dex rolled forward. His throat was dry, his tongue felt gross and furry, and his whole body ached as if someone had gone at him with a baseball bat, though nothing hurt more than his chest. Breathing hurt. His arms hurt. Why did his arms hurt? He went to rub his face when he discovered the reason. His arms were tied behind his back. Opening his eyes, he blinked a few times to clear the fuzziness. He was nauseous, groggy, and felt like utter crap. Scanning his surroundings, he was stunned to find himself in a white room with nothing but a wide hospital bed. Where the hell was he? He wracked his brain. Last thing he remembered, he’d been with Sloane who’d been trapped under something next to him, telling him to run.

“What the hell?” He sat upright with a hiss, his throat thick as his memory filled in the blanks. Shit, he’d been shot in the vest like three times. No wonder his chest was killing him. He recalled something else. Drugs. He’d been drugged. Someone shot his arm with some kind of tranquilizer.

Isaac.

That son of a bitch. He was behind this. Looking down at himself, he cursed the guy out some more. The bastard had taken his equipment. Everything from his utility belt, to his backup weapon, thigh rig, and his uniform shirt, leaving him in his tac pants and black undershirt. They’d taken his watch too. Tony had given him that watch. Assholes.

Dex had no idea where he was. All he knew was that he couldn’t stay here, waiting for Isaac to come back for him. If he were going to move, he’d have to do it fast. There was no telling if he was being monitored. With his head slightly lowered, he discreetly took in the room, spotting his way out, considering the front door was likely not an option. He tested the restraint on his wrist and held back a smile. Zip tie. They’d used tape for his ankles. Fucking aces. Closing his eyes, he gave himself a pep talk. He could do this. It was going to hurt like hell, but it was do or die.

Pushing himself to his feet, he bent over and thrust his arms down. It took him a few tries, but on the third, the tie snapped. He swiftly went about untying his ankles. As soon as he’d pulled all the tape off, he ran to the door. Locked. Okay, Plan B.

He dashed over to the bed, wobbling for a minute when a wave of dizziness and nausea hit him. Breathing in deep, he straightened and pushed the bed against the wall. He gritted his teeth and lifted the bed, turning it so it stood on its large steel footboard. He hoped he didn’t end up breaking his neck. Sliding the bed against the wall until the legs hit, he reached up, grabbed two of the headboard’s steel bars, and pulled himself up.

His muscles strained, a headache exploded inside his skull, and his face grew hot as he pulled his weight up. Once up, he carefully balanced on the headboard on his knees and reached up, removing the medium sized silver vent. It was a good thing none of his Therian teammates had been taken with him, because there was no way in hell they’d fit through there. It was going to be a tight squeeze for Dex as it was.

Doing his best not to jar the bed too much, he rose to his feet, holding his arms out to keep his balance. The bed wobbled and Dex let out a steady breath. “Easy there.” Soon as it stilled, he reached up and stuck his head through. The ventilation shaft stretched down in two directions. It was hot, cramped, and dark, with the faintest hints of light far in the distance to his right. Dex grinned to himself. “And Sloane says I watch too many movies.” He pulled himself up into the shaft, his ass dangling below as he struggled to drag himself fully inside, his chest feeling as if it was in a vise as it pressed against the metal surface. He threw one hand out and pulled, muscles stretching and burning. Finally, after an excruciating amount of time, his whole body was inside. He was out of breath already, thanks to the remnants of whatever Isaac had given him.

“Move your ass, Daley,” Dex growled, thinking of Sloane. He had to get to his partner. Whatever Isaac had planned, Dex was certain it would somehow involve Sloane. He crawled through the tight space, moving forward despite being unable to see anything. Up ahead there was a soft glow, and he picked up his pace, trying to keep himself from making too much noise. The glow was coming from a room below, and Dex cautiously slid his body up to the vent and peered down through the slats. It was a white room, but unlike the one he’d escaped, this one was filled with lab equipment. There were tables filled with electronic meters, filtration systems, centrifuges, glassware, incubators, microscopes, mixers, and a load of other stuff Dex didn’t recognize.

Oh, shit. He was at the research facility. So much for it being secure. There was one thing he didn’t understand. If the facility was closed and no longer in use, why was all this equipment still here? It sure as hell didn’t look abandoned. Everything looked shiny and new. He listened for any signs that someone might be in the room, and when he heard none, he carefully pushed the vent down on one side, catching it before it could clatter to the floor. He gently placed it inside the shaft ahead of him and gingerly stuck his head out. The room was empty.

Sliding over the vent, he went down feet first, dangling from his waist again, before lowering himself. Gripping the edge of the vent, he let go, hitting he floor hard and falling back on his ass. Quickly he got to his feet, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. The room was cold, and it sure as hell had been used recently. Did the THIRDS know it was in use? They had to. Someone was ordering this stuff.

Dex went to one of the incubators and opened the glass door to find scores of tiny vials and glass bottles sporting names of chemicals and drugs he’d never heard of. What he did know was that they had a shelf life, and these liquids all had expiration dates for the following year. What disturbed him as much as the knowledge the lab was in use, was the mobile stretcher chair with straps parked on one side of the room. He needed to get out of here, and maybe find the First Gen files. They had to be somewhere close. As the thought crossed his mind, he spotted a tablet on one of the tables in the corner of the room. Dashing over, he found an external hard drive was connected to it. He tapped the screen and stifled a gasp.

The sleek screen was littered with rows and rows of personnel files. One name jumped out at him. Sloane Brodie. It was the First Gen files. Inspecting the drive, he discovered it was empty, but the serial number, along with the information on the plate indicated it was property of the THIRDS. It looked like Isaac had transferred the files to his device. A small padded protective case sat beside the tablet, and Dex snatched it up. On the bottom several tabs were open, and he clicked them, his heart leaping in his throat. They were network connections and news sites. To his relief, there was a nice big, red “X.” Looked like Isaac was having trouble logging on, which meant he hadn’t transferred any files. Unhooking the hard drive, he powered off the tablet and stuck it in the protective case, before sliding it into the zip pocket in his tac pants made to hold a ballistic plate. Then he tucked the portable drive into another pocket. Now he really had to get the hell out. If the tablet was here, it meant Isaac couldn’t be far.

Dex snuck over to the lab’s closed door and peeked through the window. His view of the brightly lit hall was restricted. He listened but couldn’t hear anything. Quietly, he turned the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. When nothing happened, he slipped outside. He turned and was struck across the jaw, sending him reeling against the corridor wall. Shaking himself out of it, he pushed away from the wall and backed up, barely having enough time to block the punch looking to land against his ribs. He pulled his arms in, blocking the fist, digging deep to push away all the pain and sickness he was feeling as a result of the drugs, and he threw a punch at his attacker, a huge, musclebound asshole the size of Ash, and just as mean looking, though admittedly far uglier.

Dex landed a right hook against the guy’s jaw, but he shook it off like a pesky fly. With a growl, Dex moved in with a jab to the ribs when the beady-eyed bastard clamped an arm down, trapping Dex’s wrist. He snatched Dex’s other arm and head-butted him. It was like smacking into a concrete wall. Dex crumpled to the ground, the larger man on top of him, landing a hit to Dex’s nose and bloodying it. Dizzy and gasping for breath, Dex refused to go down without a fight, punching the guy square in the balls. The guy doubled over with a fierce whine, and Dex put all his strength behind his fist, knocking him across the jaw. The guy fell limp to his side, and Dex scrambled to his feet, his knees buckling and almost giving way under him. He stumbled, but righted himself, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. With a wince, he swiped the blood from his nose.

“Dex, what on earth are you doing?”

He stiffened, turning to find Isaac observing him in amusement, three larger men with him. Shit. Dex pushed himself away from the wall and held his fists up.

“If you think I’m gonna go give in, you’re crazier than I thought you were.”

Isaac shook his head with a “tsk.” “Dex, I don’t want to fight you. Believe it or not, seeing you get hurt doesn’t make me happy.”

Dex let out a snort, cringed, and spit out a mouthful of blood. “You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t believe you. You know, what with shooting me, drugging me, and sending your Gollum here to beat the shit out of me.”

“Gill was only doing his job,” Isaac replied with a shrug. “Gentlemen, if you’ll please restrain Agent Daley before he hurts himself any further.”

Shit. Dex turned to run, but three more men blocked his path. He readied himself for a fight, wishing it were more like in the movies where the bad guys all stood back and came at the hero one at a time. No such luck. The six men rushed him at once, and for all of Dex’s training, he was no match for six large men, and the state he was in didn’t help matters. He struggled as they lifted him off his feet, carrying him back into the lab he’d come from.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dex pulled at his limbs, trying his hardest to free himself, but it was futile. They thrust him down harshly onto the chair and started restraining him. “Get the fuck off me!” The straps pulled tight against his ankles and wrists. His head was forced back, a large padded strap stretched across his forehead. They finished and retreated. Dex tugged against the restraints, pulling, and jerking his arms. Nothing. His heart pounded fiercely, and he tamped down his panic. Isaac came to stand beside him.

“What are you going to do with me?” Dex demanded.

“I only want to talk.”

Dex let out a derisive laugh. “Talk? Okay. Let’s talk. What would you like to talk about? The Knicks? The state of the economy? You losing your fucking mind?”

Isaac pulled up a stool and perched beside Dex. “I’d like to talk about you.”

“Me.”

“Yes. I think it’s time you reconsidered joining me.”

Dex gaped at the guy. Was he serious? Had he really lost his mind? “Why in the hell would you think I’d join you?”

“Dex, despite what you may believe, I’m trying to save you.”

“Save me?” The concern and gentleness in Isaac’s voice as he spoke to Dex confused him. Something had most certainly snapped in the guy’s head. And what was this obsession he had with saving Dex? He decided he needed some answers. “Save me from what?”

“From those animals,” Isaac replied with a sneer. “I couldn’t save my brother, but I can save you.”

That’s what this was about, what it had always been about. Gabe. “Do you think saving me is going to absolve you for what you did to him?”

Isaac jumped from the stool so quickly, it clattered to the floor. His hazel eyes blazed with fury, saliva shooting from his mouth as he spat the words out. “I didn’t kill Gabe! Those animals did! Sloane Brodie killed my brother, and he’s going to burn in hell for it.”

“You confessed. You killed Gabe. It might have been an accident, but you killed him, Isaac. You can’t blame Sloane for that. Your brother’s death is on your hands.”

Isaac shook his head fervently as he started to pace. Dex continued to struggle against his restraints, hoping to loosen something. Did Isaac truly believe if he “saved” Dex, everything that had happened with Gabe would vanish? “What is it you’re expecting to happen, Isaac? That I’ll flip some switch in my head, and suddenly I’ll see things your way? That I’ll start hurting innocent Therians, planting bombs in youth centers?”

“Not at first,” Isaac said calmly.

Shit, the guy really had lost it. Dex watched as Isaac adjusted the straps on his bulletproof vest, put his stool on its feet, and resumed his seat as if nothing had happened.

“You’ll be restricted to the Order’s main facility for a while. You understand how the mind works, Dex. Humans can be conditioned if exposed to certain environments long enough. With time, you’ll come around to our way of thinking.”

“You mean like Stockholm Syndrome?”

Isaac’s grin sent icy shivers up Dex’s spine. “See, you’re getting it already.”

“You might as well kill me,” Dex replied through his teeth. He’d rather die than end up Isaac’s personal puppet.

With a resigned sigh, Isaac stood to look down at Dex. “You remind me so much of Gabe. He was so spirited. Stubborn as hell too.” Isaac’s fingers touched Dex’s cheek, and Dex stiffened, his stomach reeling, and his skin crawling. “He was special, like you.” Fingers trailed down Dex’s jaw and over his lips. “Beautiful.”

Dex’s eyes widened, and for the first time, he felt true fear. “Isaac….” Dex’s voice broke, and he closed his eyes for a moment. “Please.”

“I’m sorry, Dex.” Isaac reached down and unzipped Dex’s pocket containing the tablet. “I believe you have something that belongs to me.” He removed the case and moved onto his other pocket to remove the drive. “One of my guys has been working on getting me network access and should come through any moment now. A slight setback, but that’s okay. I prepared for it.” He shook his head sadly. “I knew you would refuse. I’d hoped you wouldn’t, but I knew you would.” Isaac walked off, and Dex fought as hard as he could against the straps, letting out a frustrated cry when nothing happened. Oh God, what was Isaac doing? Dex could hear the man tinkering behind him.

“What are you going to do?”

“What I set out to do. Make your lover suffer and destroy the THIRDS. And you’re going to help me do it.”

“I’ll never help you,” Dex spat out.

Isaac approached the chair, a syringe containing a tiny amount of clear liquid in his hand. “Oh, but you will, Dex. You just won’t know it.”

The needle plunged into Dex’s neck, and he arched his back, letting out a violent cry, both in anguish and from the physical pain. He didn’t know what Isaac was pumping him full of, but he was scared, scared of what he might do, of hurting Sloane. As his vision blurred and his body seized, the air rushed out of his lungs as his muscles went taut. The last thing he felt was a tear roll down his cheek. Then he felt nothing at all.