Chapter 7

 

HE COULD do this.

Dex jumped down from the BearCat after his partner, turned the corner, and was stricken by the sight before him. The air was thick, a muddy gray, with debris, ash, and fragments of burning paper raining down like confetti, the sidewalk littered with crushed glass and branches from the once lush trees now standing crooked and splintered. Humans and Therians alike looked on in horror and confusion. Some huddled together, others helped those around them, some ran in a panic, fear etched on everyone’s dirt- or blood-smudged face.

Bodies were scattered all around, some moving, some still. Sloane appeared before him, his bright amber eyes behind his helmet’s visor filled with concern as he spoke, though Dex couldn’t hear a word, only see his lips moving, as if someone had pressed the “mute” button. A shake to the shoulder and the world around him exploded with noise and uproar, sirens wailing, car alarms blaring, kids shrieking, adults crying, shouting, utter chaos.

“Dex! Come on, partner, snap out of it!”

Dex nodded fervently. “I’m okay. I’m okay.”

“Good.” Sloane turned, pulling Dex with him as he shouted over the noise into their earpieces. “Letty, Rosa, you know the drill, tag by priority, get the rest of Unit Alpha up here. Calvin, Hobbs, Ash, Cael, we’re going in.”

They rushed through the main entrance, its three colorful doors streaked with gray, past the clouds of dust and billowing smoke. Dex almost ran into Ash who’d stopped dead cold. Stepping around him, Dex gasped. “Oh my God.” Kids were everywhere, on the floor crying, screaming, some bloodied, some looking dazed, a few who weren’t moving, all scattered among chunks of stone, bits of glass, fallen segments of plaster, and ceiling, waiting for someone to tell them what to do or where to go.

“Shit.” Sloane grabbed Calvin and Cael. “Start getting these kids out of here.”

Maddock appeared with a dozen agents behind him. “I put out a call to the other divisions requesting assistance. Emergency services are already here and Beta Ambush is ready for their orders. Where do you want them?”

“Okay, I want one agent per floor along with my team, the rest down here and outside helping Rosa and Letty until the other squads arrive. I’ll take this floor, Ash you take the second. Dex, you and Hobbs evacuate the third and fourth floors, Beta Ambush, you’re on your own for the fifth floor and the court on the roof. Let’s get everyone out of here. I want updates as you get them and watch your step!”

They broke off, Dex running after Hobbs as they took the stairs two at a time while simultaneously checking to make sure it was safe. Exposed wires hung from the ceiling, but not low enough to reach them. The fallen ceiling panels snapped under their boots as they rushed through the fire door. Dex tried not to think about what they might find. From the looks of the place, the ground floor was in worse shape, which told him the explosion had originated there. Every time Dex thought about the man behind this, he had to quickly push it from his head to keep his anger in check. If he thought about the sick fuck who’d done this, he’d be no good to anyone. He had a job to do and terrified kids depending on them.

Kids ranging from young to teens huddled together in small groups or pairs, looking stricken, their dirty cheeks stained with trails from their tears. They were lost, and scared, and when they spotted Hobbs, they flooded over en masse. Hobbs was a huge Therian, a golden tabby tiger in his Therian form, but unlike Ash, Hobbs had a kind face and a tender smile. He knelt down as the kids all tried to talk to him or climb into his arms at once. He hugged them close to reassure them, whispering at them and doing his best to soothe them. Some of them eyed Dex warily, and he couldn’t blame them. They were in this center because they’d been shunned or mistreated by Humans, whether by their parents or other Humans. Hobbs must have said something, because they turned their tearful gazes toward him, uncertain but willing to take Hobbs’s word for it that Dex was one of the good guys.

“We need to get out of here, okay?” Dex approached one of the bigger boys. “What’s your name?”

The kid rounded his shoulders, his gaze unwavering, though Dex could see past the bravado to the fear he was trying so desperately to hide. “Kurt.”

“Okay, Kurt. These fellas need your help. Take the smallest ones, lead them downstairs. Our guys are in the lobby. They’ll make sure you get out safe.” Kurt hopped to it while Dex and Hobbs rounded up the others and saw them down the stairs, waiting while they made their way out to the lobby. Dex tapped his earpiece. “Sloane, we’ve got thirteen kids on the way down. I’d send Cael for them. Anyone else will scare them, especially Human agents.”

“Copy that. Good work.”

When the last of them had disappeared out the door downstairs, Dex turned to Hobbs. “Why don’t we start at the west end and make our way down, then take the stairs up to the fourth.”

Hobbs nodded and they hurried to the other end of the corridor, checking each room. The third floor was all dorm rooms. They were painted in cheerful colors, some with rows of bunk beds, some with rows of single beds, while others had fewer beds. The rooms with bunk beds were clearly for the younger kids, judging by the scattered toys, picture books, and cartoon bedding. The rooms with single beds were most likely for the preteens with posters of young pop stars and superheroes on the wall. And the rooms with fewer beds were for the teenagers as they were mostly solid colors, included desks with computers, and bookshelves piled high with books ranging from Algebra to Harry Potter. Dex was glad to see all the rooms were clean, everything freshly painted. As far as youth centers went, the place was top notch.

Dex made sure to check under, inside, and over any space where a kid could wedge him or herself. Everything was clear by the time they got to the end. He tapped his earpiece. “Sloane, third floor is clear. We’re heading up to the fourth.”

“Copy that. From the intel I’m getting, it seems the worst of the damage is down here. Still, keep your eyes peeled up there.”

“Copy that,” Dex replied, joining Hobbs on the stairwell to the next floor. This one was quiet, and he assumed at this time of day, the kids had been involved in other activities. The fourth floor was mostly classrooms for different age groups. One had a huge rug with a map of the United States with each state and name in a bright color. All kinds of maps were pinned against the walls, waist-high bookshelves running along the walls all around the room filled with books, DVDs, and games. Finding that room clear, they moved into the next room, which was some kind of recreation room filled with game tables—Ping-Pong, foosball, paddleball, a pool table, and air hockey. They checked the art room, library, computer room, and finally reached the last classroom. It was a huge room behind a large set of fire doors at the end of the hall.

It looked like any other children’s classroom filled with colorful tables and chairs, a teacher’s desk that was made of some kind of durable stainless steel or aluminum, shelves filled with books, chalkboards, corkboards displaying colorful pictures, and science diagrams hanging from the ceiling. There were shelves displaying projects, hooks for school bags, and a section for educational toys. They checked behind every piece of furniture, inside every cupboard, and even behind all the raincoats. They were about to head out when Hobbs stopped in the middle of the room.

“Hobbs?”

Hobbs put a finger to his lips and cocked his head to one side. That’s when Dex heard it too. Faint sniffling. Hobbs walked to a medium sized toy chest filled with stuffed animals and got down on his knees. He picked up two bright bears with numbers on their tummies and smiled. Putting the bears on the floor, he tapped his name badge, his smile making wrinkles form at the corners of his green eyes as he held his gloved hand out. A second later, a small chubby hand slipped into Hobbs’s much larger one. A small boy with big brown eyes, an Iron Man T-shirt, and paint-spattered jeans stood up. He threw his arms around Hobbs.

Dex tapped his earpiece. “Sloane, we’ve got one more.”

“Copy that. I’ll send someone up.” Moments later, a Therian agent from Beta Ambush came running, and Hobbs handed the boy over. With a nod, the agent was off, disappearing through the stairwell. Dex tapped his earpiece. “Sloane, Agent Simmons is heading down with the last one. We’re going to do one last sweep of the floor, but I think we might be clear….” His voice trailed off when Hobbs stopped to study the vent up near the ceiling at the far end of the room. “Hobbs?”

“Dex? What’s going on?” Sloane asked.

Hobbs pulled off the vent screen, stood on his toes, and peeked in. The rest happened so fast, Dex barely had time to register what the hell was going on. Hobbs sped straight for Dex, shoving him so hard he went stumbling through the fire doors. The last thing he heard was the slam of metal and an explosion that shook the floor beneath him when he hit it.

Dex curled up on himself, arms thrown over his helmet as the blast reverberated around him. Debris, ceiling panels, chunks of plaster, and brick falling on him, banging against his helmet as a cloud of heavy smoke and dust threatened to choke him. He rolled onto his side, coughing and hacking, his body covered in a layer of gray dust. When he inhaled, his lungs burned, and sitting up made him wince. His left thigh stung. Checking his leg, there was a long gash where a piece of something sharp had sliced through his tac pants, but lucky for him, it wasn’t deep. When his ears stopped ringing, he could hear Sloane shouting through his earpiece.

“Dex, goddamn it, answer me!”

“I’m okay,” he wheezed. “Are Simmons and the kid okay?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. The stairs are blocked. You’ll have to make your way down the stairs on the other side of the building. What the hell happened?”

“There was another bomb. We were about to sweep the area, when Hobbs—” Realization slammed into Dex’s chest, and he pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg. “Oh, God. Hobbs!”

Calvin’s anxious voice came over his earpiece. “What happened to Hobbs? Where is he?”

“That son of a bitch!” Dex slammed his fist into the wall. “He pushed me through the fire door. He… he stayed inside the classroom.” There was silence on the other end of his earpiece until Sloane spoke up.

“Can you see the room?”

Dex turned, cursing under his breath. “Negative. Part of the corridor collapsed in front of it.”

More silence, followed by Sloane’s quiet voice. “There’s nothing you can do. Get down here.”

Dex shook his head, tears stinging his eyes. No. That bastard was not dead. “Hobbs, if you’re in there, you better answer me, or I swear I will kick your ass.” One of the doors had been blown off its hinges and was lying like crumpled paper to one side; pieces from the corridor walls, cement blocks, bricks, and clusters of wires blocked the only way into what was left of the classroom. Live wires sparked, sizzled, and popped from somewhere to his right. Dex limped over to the debris. “Hobbs, answer me!”

“Dex….” Sloane began.

“He’s a tough bastard. He’s not dead,” Dex ground out angrily. “Hobbs, you answer me right fucking now!” He grabbed a piece of cement block and tossed it to one side, shoving and moving bricks. “Hobbs!” Through the silence, there was a low groan. “Hobbs?”

The softest gasp met Dex’s ears, followed by what Dex could have sworn was his name.

“I’m coming, buddy. You hang in there.”

“Negative. Dex get out of there,” Sloane ordered. “We don’t know how stable the building is.”

Dex shoved at a small pile of debris and thanked whoever was watching out for him. There was a tunnel large enough to get Hobbs through. “I found an opening. I can get him out.”

“That structure is unstable. You go in there, and you might not come out. Wait for backup,” Sloane ground out, his frustration becoming evident.

“There’s no time.” Dex pushed tentatively against the makeshift tunnel walls. “It’s stable.” For the most part.

“You don’t know that. Fall back, Agent, Daley. That’s an order!”

“I can’t leave him in there to die.” Dex got down on his stomach and crawled through the tunnel with caution, ignoring Sloane’s curses in his ear. His partner was going to tear him a new one, but Hobbs was alive, and if his friend was going to make it out of this, Dex would have to get him out now. He didn’t know how he was going to get the nearly three-hundred-pound agent out of there, but he’d worry about that later. For now, he worked on controlling his breathing and refused to think about the throbbing in his bloodied leg. God, he sure as hell hoped the other end of this wasn’t blocked. It was dark and cramped, leaving enough room for him to maneuver Hobbs through once he did get his fellow agent in here. It was going to be a tight fit, but he’d get it done.

Something crumbled above him, knocking against his helmet before rolling off. Dex stilled, sweat dripping down the side of his face as he listened for any indication the tunnel was about to collapse on him. Sloane would really be pissed at him, then.

After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the end. It was dark and he pushed out ahead of him with his hand, letting out a sigh of relief when it gave way. Crawling out into the smoke-filled room, Dex could only be grateful the bomb had been small scale, taking out half the classroom and not the whole thing. He searched through the mounds of debris and thick fog, spotting a bloodied hand poking out from behind the teacher’s desk, which had toppled over, the heavy metal taking the brunt of the explosion judging by its dented and blackened surface.

Dex limped over, sucking in a sharp breath as he knelt down beside Hobbs. He checked his friend’s vitals before running his hands over and under Hobbs, checking for any broken bones, embedded objects, or bleeding. Hobbs was covered in scratches, dirt, dust, and blood, but he was in one piece, on the outside at least.

“It’s okay, buddy, I’m here.” Dex unclasped his backpack, removing his coil of rappelling rope, and hurried to secure the rope around Hobbs, looping it through straps on his tac vest, around his chest area, until he got a firm hold. Testing the rope and feeling confident it wouldn’t come undone, Dex slipped his arms under Hobbs. He dragged his friend toward the tunnel and stopped twice to catch his breath. It was hard enough to breathe as it was in here, but Hobbs’s massive frame didn’t help. “Why are you Therians so goddamn heavy?” With some serious teeth gritting and determination, Dex managed to get Hobbs over to the tunnel entrance. He patted Hobbs’s arm and took hold of the ropes.

“I’m getting you out of here, okay? You think about Calvin. How pissed will he be if you leave him hanging? Where would Calvin be without his best bud Hobbs, huh?” He tied the rope securely around his waist and lay down on his stomach, crawling back through the tunnel. At one point, he had to pause long enough to reach in under his visor and wipe the sweat from his face so it wouldn’t fall into his eyes. It was so damn hot and his equipment was weighing him down, but he kept going. He had to get Hobbs out of there.

Once on the other side, Dex unfastened the rope from his waist and braced his feet to either side of the tunnel before he started to pull. Calvin’s voice came over his earpiece. “The EMTs will be with you any minute, Dex. We’ve managed to clear a way up the stairs.”

“Copy that,” Dex replied through his teeth, every muscle in his body straining while he pulled and dragged Hobbs closer. It felt like a lifetime had gone past, although it was only a few minutes. As Hobbs’s helmet came into view, Dex heard the calls of the EMTs not far behind. “Over here!” He gave another pull, relieved when Calvin dropped to his knees alongside Dex and snatched the rope to help him. They both moved out of the way as the half a dozen EMTs grabbed Hobbs and carefully pulled him out from the tunnel and onto a stretcher.

“Ethan….” Calvin put a gloved hand to his partner’s shoulder and leaned in. “Ethan, can you hear me? It’s Cal.” There was no reply from Hobbs. Calvin’s bottom lip trembled, and his eyes grew glassy, but he pulled himself together.

“He’ll be okay,” Dex said, putting a hand on Calvin’s shoulder. “You’ll see.”

Calvin nodded, though Dex wasn’t sure how much Calvin had heard, much less believed. He took his partner’s hand in his, talking to him in soothing tones as the EMTs got to work. When it was time to take Hobbs away, Calvin stepped up to Dex, trying his best to remain composed. “I know I already said this, but thank you. You saved his life.”

“He saved mine first.”

“Yeah, but if you hadn’t persisted in going back for him….” Calvin shook his head.

“Don’t mention it.” He threw an arm around Calvin, limping along, and shooed away the EMT that started buzzing around his leg. “This can wait. It’s only a scratch. Go help someone else who needs it more.” The woman ran off, and Dex gave Calvin a broad grin. “There is one thing you can do for me.”

“Anything.”

“When your partner wakes up, talk to him about going on a diet. Seriously, I think I pulled something.”

Calvin blinked at him before letting out a laugh. “I’ll do that.”

As Calvin helped him to the stairs, Dex braced himself. “So on a scale of one to diva, how pissed off is Sloane at me right now?”

Calvin winced. “I’d say…. Mariah Carey pissed.”

“Shit. Mariah? Really? You sure he’s not Tom Cruise pissed, demanding a hotel be cleared out for him and his dinner?”

“Nope. Definitely Mariah pissed.”

“Damn it.” Maybe he should play up his injury. No, that would probably blow up in his face. He had no idea what lay in store for him, as it was the first time he’d gone against Sloane’s orders. But Dex had been right to do so. If he’d waited until backup arrived, waited for them to clear the area, before going in for Hobbs…. He’d rather not think about it.

“Calvin? Dex? Where the hell are you two?”

“Speak of the devil,” Dex murmured. “We’re on our way.” Calvin helped him down the stairs and the moment he stepped foot in the lobby, Sloane was waiting for him, and he was most definitely pissed off.

“What the hell—” Sloane took in his bloodied leg, his face going red as he pulled off his helmet and thrust it at some poor agent within arm’s reach. “I told you it was dangerous. Did you get that looked at?”

“It’s fine, just a scratch. I’ll go now.” Dex thanked Calvin, who couldn’t mask his relief at being able to run off, and Dex made his way outside the building. The sidewalk and street were littered with agents, EMTs, firefighters, news vans, reporters. It was a nightmare. Outside, Sloane pulled Dex to one side.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?”

“My job,” Dex replied, making certain no newspersons heard him. The last thing they needed was the press reporting how the THIRDS couldn’t even manage their own teams. They were going to be crucified for this. Didn’t matter that they weren’t clairvoyant, that they didn’t have enough evidence, or information to go on. All they would see was that the THIRDS had failed and innocent kids were hurt. A part of him believed they were right. The last thing he needed right now was to be chewed out by his Team Leader.

“No. Your job is to follow orders, and you sure as hell weren’t doing that.”

Dex limped over to their BearCat and tossed his helmet inside the open back doors. Rosa was at the console connected to dispatch, updating the various THIRDS units on scene. Instead of helping, Dex was stuck arguing.

“You really thought I was going to walk away when there was even the slightest chance of going in there and saving him?”

“I expected you to wait for backup,” Sloane insisted.

“There was no time to wait for backup!”

“Dex!”

You’ve got to be kidding me. He really was not in the mood for Ash. Dex turned to snap at him. “What?” At Ash’s stricken expression, Dex knew something was wrong. “What happened?”

“It’s Cael.”

“What about Cael?” Ash’s hesitation, coupled with the pain on his face, scared the hell out of Dex and he grabbed Ash’s vest. “Ash, where’s my brother?”

“He got knocked out during the blast. Part of the ceiling collapsed in one of the rooms he was in. The EMT that checked him over says they won’t know how serious it is until they get him back to the hospital. They’re loading him up in that ambulance there.” Ash pointed out one of the ambulances, and Dex started for it when Sloane caught his arm.

“We’re not done here.”

“Are you serious?” Dex gaped at Sloane. “That’s my brother.”

“I know that,” Sloane replied, clearly attempting to summon patience he didn’t have left. “I know you’re worried, but we have a job to do. You have a job to do.”

Ash put his hand on Sloane’s shoulder. “Can I talk to you?”

“Not now, Ash.”

“Sloane.”

“Fine.” Sloane released Dex, jabbing a finger in his direction. “I expect a debriefing later, Daley.”

“Yes, sir,” Dex ground out through his teeth before he made a dash for the ambulance calling out to them. “Wait!” He reached one of the EMTs before he could close the door. “I’m coming with you. That’s my brother.” He climbed into the back of the ambulance, taking a seat on the bench as the doors closed.

“Cael.” Dex ran a hand over his brother’s head, hating the look of him covered in grime and blood. He’d been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t heard the EMT talking to him. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

The guy pointed a blue-gloved finger at Dex’s leg. “Would you like me to take a look at your leg?”

“Please. Thank you.” He brushed Cael’s hair away from his head. “Is he going to be okay?”

“We won’t know if there’s any internal damage or the extent of it until we get him x-rayed and scanned.” Something in Dex’s face must have given the guy pause, because he gave Dex a sympathetic smile. “His vitals are good. He received no lacerations, or severe injuries from what we can see. It’s likely his brain was rattled around a bit from the impact. We’re probably looking at a couple of nights of observation and rest before he’s cleared. It’s a good thing your brother’s Therian. It’s the only reason there hasn’t been any loss of life.”

“None of the kids….”

The EMT shook his head. “No. Don’t get me wrong; we’re transporting several children in critical condition, but they’re going to pull through. There are plenty more with serious injuries, but being Therian has saved their lives. If they’d been Human, there’d be fewer flashing lights and not enough sirens.”

“Thank God for small miracles,” Dex muttered. He thanked the EMT, letting him go about his business patching up Dex’s leg. On the way to the hospital, countless questions went through Dex’s head. Had Isaac known the Therian kids would be more resilient? How would he know there wouldn’t be casualties? Why the hell would he pick a youth center? If he’d really wanted to cause loss of life, why hadn’t he? Something in Dex’s gut told him there was more to this than what was on the surface. There had to be a reason behind the bombing, just as there had to be a reason behind Isaac targeting the CDC Therian registration office. If only they could figure it out before Isaac ended up destroying the city.

 

 

DEX HAD spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening hovering outside Cael’s room at the New York Presbyterian Hospital waiting for the doctors to tell him about his baby brother. He’d managed to stop seething a few hours ago, after being forced to fight his way through reporters and angry mobs the moment he’d stepped foot off the ambulance. It was lucky the THIRDS had assigned agents to the hospitals receiving the wounded, or Dex would have ended up in jail for assault. Despite limping and looking like he’d been to hell and back, the villagers had their pitchforks out, demanding he be burned at the stake for his failures. Despite arriving earlier, Calvin hadn’t fared any better with the crowd, but managed to make it inside without punching anyone’s lights out.

Two doors down, his teammate had waited for word on Hobbs, who was in worse shape than Cael. After a bunch of x-rays and scans, Cael’s assigned doctor had assured Dex his brother looked worse off than he was. He’d been knocked out but nothing was broken, fractured, or concussed. They would be keeping him a few nights to observe him and keep running a few Therian tests to make sure. Apparently his brother had a hard head, and lucky for them, that hard head had been protected by an even harder helmet.

As soon as Tony was able to get away, he was thundering through the hospital, voice booming, and boots stomping like Godzilla through Tokyo. Dex had heard him from Cael’s room. His dad deflated the moment his gaze landed on Cael, his gaze going from Cael to Dex and back. The two of them had blubbered like a couple of babies, despite knowing Cael was going to be fine. Then his dad put his game face on, told Dex to call him if anything changed, and stalked off. That had been an hour ago.

After tucking his brother in, Dex decided to check in on Calvin and Hobbs. Lieutenant Sparks had authorized Dex and Calvin to take a couple of personal days, and had even allowed the rest of their team to come visit in shifts. Rosa had kissed Cael’s head, called him her poor gatito, and left with what Dex had been certain were teary eyes. Letty had squeezed the life out of Dex, brought him lunch, and kissed Cael’s head, telling him he’d better be on his feet soon. Neither Sloane nor Ash had made an appearance, but he didn’t hold it against them. Headquarters was on lockdown, trying to sort out the chaos from the bombing, deal with families, address the media, and put every available agent out there on the streets in an attempt to track down Isaac or someone who could lead them to Isaac.

“Hey,” Dex said quietly, closing the door behind him. Calvin stood with Hobbs’s hand in his. There were IVs and tubes everywhere. They’d cleaned Hobbs up, revealing the countless scratches and nasty bruises.

“Doc said it’s a good thing he’s a Therian. His size helped. Plus he was wearing his gear and a helmet. If he’d been Human….” Calvin bit his bottom lip then nodded. “He’s going to be okay. He’s got a few cracked ribs from where he landed.” Calvin followed Dex’s gaze to the tubes in Hobbs’s nose. His voice was rough when he spoke. “Smoke inhalation. They’re giving him antibiotics. Luckily, there was no damage to his lungs.”

There was a sudden loud commotion outside, and Calvin’s eyes widened. “Oh hell. It’s them.”

“Who?” Sounded like a damn war had broken out. Dex was sure he heard a chair clattering somewhere. He edged away from the door.

“Rafe and Seb.”

“I still don’t know who that is.” Should he be worried? By Calvin’s expression, it appeared so.

“Hobbs’s big brothers.”

Dex arched an eyebrow at him. “Like, big as in older, right?”

“Big as in older and big.”

“How much bigger can they get? Hobbs is already the size of the fuckin’ Chrysler building.” Dex looked down at himself. “How do you not get an inferiority complex being around these dudes?”

“Dex, we’re Human. You can’t compare yourself to them. Once you accept that you’ll never be as big, strong, fast, or resilient, it gets easier. And it’s not because you’re not trying hard enough, or not good enough; it’s in their blood. Why do you think the THIRDS recruits them?” Calvin ran his hand tenderly over Hobbs’s head. “It might seem like a gift, but some don’t see it that way.”

“I never realized.” He never would have suspected Hobbs to have any hang-ups about being Therian. Cael had plenty growing up, but with Tony and Dex to support him, he’d grown out of it, even if his little brother occasionally felt inferior to his Felid teammates. Dex knew the feeling. “Wait, you said ‘recruit them.’ Are you telling me Hobbs’s brothers are—”

The door to the room slammed open and Calvin jerked back. Dex opened his mouth to tell off the two Therians, but when they stepped in the room, he quickly shut it. Rafe and Seb were not only bigger than Hobbs, they were tougher and meaner looking. They were also in THIRDS uniforms. Crap. Hobbs’s brothers were Defense agents as well. Why the hell hadn’t he known that?

“Ethan….” One of the brothers ran over to the bed and when his expression softened, Dex immediately spotted the resemblance. The guy couldn’t be that much older than Hobbs, with short black hair interspersed with gray, same with his stubbly jaw. The lines at the corners of his eyes were the same as Hobbs’s, showing he smiled often. The second brother was a whole other story. It was clear he was the eldest, and by the looks of it, not the friendliest. His expression was stern, revealing nothing. As opposed to his brothers, he had fairer hair, a few permanent nicks and scars here and there on his clean-shaven face, and had a lightly crooked nose that had clearly been broken one too many times. He had a stoic, military air about him.

The younger of the two gently put his hand to Hobbs’ head. “What happened?”

Calvin swallowed hard and looked to Dex. Where the hell was Sloane when you needed him? Shouldn’t the Team Leader be the one to explain why their brother was in a hospital room? “We were clearing out the youth center when we found a lost kid. We got him out and were about to make another round, when Hobbs came across a bomb hidden in a vent. There wasn’t enough time. He shoved me through the fire door and was left behind.”

The oldest turned to Dex, his amber eyes pinning Dex to the spot. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Oh, uh, I’m Agent Dexter Daley. I joined the team about eight months ago.” Dex held his hand out, but when the guy left him hanging, he shoved it in his pocket.

“A rookie? Are you the reason my brother’s lying there?” he growled, crowding Dex.

“Whoa, hey, take it easy.” Dex put his hands up and took a step back, not appreciating the accusation, but understanding how hard this probably was for the guy.

“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.

“You see that? That’s my baby brother.”

The two agents swallowed hard, their surprised expressions quickly growing remorseful.

“You don’t see me blaming everything that has a fucking pulse. He was doing his job. Yeah, I’m pissed off. I’m hurt. I want to scream and beat the living shit out of something, but I won’t. Why? Because he needs me to keep my shit together so I can catch the sons of bitches who did this to him. Now you two can keep throwing your temper tantrums, see how far that gets you. Or you can do your damn jobs and make your brother proud. Now get the hell out. It was a pleasure making your acquaintance. Let’s do it again, perhaps never.” Dex headed for Cael’s bedside and took a seat on the sky-blue couch. The two brothers lingered silently for a moment before Rafe stormed out. Seb came around and took a seat next to Dex.

“I’m sorry about your brother.”

“Yeah, well, you two aren’t the only ones with something to lose.”

“Hobbs mentioned you were Cael’s older brother. I didn’t know he’d been hurt. He’s a good kid.”

Dex couldn’t help his smile. “He’d punch your lights out for calling him that. He hates to be called a kid.” It was hard not to think of him that way. Although Cael was in his late twenties, he looked much younger, and his sweet, playful disposition had him coming off as younger than his age as well. To Dex, Cael would always be his little brother.

“Thank you, for what you did. I’m glad you’re on the team, Dex. Makes me feel better knowing Ethan’s got you to watch his back.”

That reminded Dex. “I didn’t know you’d been on Destructive Delta.”

Seb averted his gaze, his green eyes looking at nothing in particular. “Yeah, reassignments are usually kept on the down low since it tends to happen most often when an agent fucks up rather than anything else.”

“But from what I’ve gathered, except for Sloane, no one on Destructive Delta has had any previous partners.”

“You’re right. Originally, Team Leaders worked solo. When I was reassigned, they restructured all the squadrons and Team Leaders were given partners, so each team had an equal number of Therian and Human agents. My partner applied for Recon, so they hired Gabe to fill the position and assigned him to Sloane.”

Dex nodded, waiting for Seb to continue. Judging by what Rafe had said, Seb had gotten involved with someone on Destructive Delta, and Dex couldn’t help wondering who it was. It had been before Gabe’s hiring, so it could have been Sloane. The only other options were Calvin and Cael. As far as Dex knew, Cael dated, but they were mostly casual hookups from his college days, and it had been a while since he’d heard Cael mention anyone in particular. Having a secret forbidden relationship with your partner wasn’t the only challenge to an agent’s love life. “So, what happened? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“I fucked up.” Seb shook his head, a deep frown coming onto his face. “Never fall for a teammate, Dex. It’ll only end in heartache.”

Don’t I know it. Dex swallowed hard. “Sounds like you really cared about him.”

“If I’d cared about him, it would have hurt, but… It’s been five years and I can’t get him out of my head. He’s something else. Gorgeous, funny, sweet, such a nice guy, and I messed it all up. I tried to talk to him after—”

A knock sounded at the door, and Dex looked up, smiling at their visitor. It had been a while since Dex had seen Hudson around. Their team’s Chief Medical Examiner had been on loan to the rest of the unit and snowed under with backlogged cases. Just because Destructive Delta was working on finding the Order didn’t mean homicides stopped happening.

“I came as soon as I could—” Hudson came to an abrupt halt, his eyes widening, and his face going red at the sight of Seb. “What are you doing here?”

Seb got to his feet, his hands shoved in his pockets. “I was visiting my brother.”

Hudson’s expression softened. “Oh, yes of course.” Hudson gave him an apologetic smile. “I do apologize. How is he doing?’

“Resting. You know Ethan, tough as nails.”

“I can assure you, he’s being well cared for.” Hudson gave a tentative smile, and Dex looked from one to the other. Awkward didn’t cover it.

“So, uh, how are you?” Seb asked, running a hand absently through his cropped hair.

“Good, considering. You?”

“Same.”

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them as they both tried their hardest not to look at the other one. Guess there was no question who Seb had been involved with. Poor guy. It was obvious he was still crazy about Hudson.

Seb finally broke the silence, motioning toward the door. “I should get back. Rafe is probably driving Cal crazy.”

At the mention of Rafe’s name, Hudson stiffened, and his jaw clenched. “Would you mind not telling him I’m here? I’d rather avoid one of his oh-so-pleasant encounters.”

Rafe’s reputation certainly preceded him, Dex thought wryly. Bet he and Ash were best buds. If Rafe was hostile with his brother concerning what happened, he could only imagine he wasn’t too fond of Hudson. Dex didn’t blame the Englishman for avoiding the guy.

“I’m sorry,” Seb said sincerely.

“Not your fault your brother’s… difficult.”

That made Seb chuckle. “Still so polite.”

“One of my many faults.” Hudson smiled sadly at him. “Please take care of yourself.”

“You too.” With a wave at Dex, Seb left, and the room was once again plunged into awkward silence.

“So, you and Seb….”

“It’s not up for discussion,” Hudson snapped.

Dex held his hands up. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.” Wow. It must have been bad. Hudson was nothing if not polite at all times. After a few months, Dex learned there was more to their Chief Medical Examiner than he’d first thought. Hudson was exceptionally well spoken, composed, and polite, but he had a mouth on him that would make a nun keel over. The wolf Therian could swear with the best of them and far more creatively. Dex was always learning fun new words from him. He’d even learned how to make English tea. Of course the cookies, or biscuits, or whatever the hell Hudson called them, didn’t hurt in making the experience more enjoyable.

Hudson let out a weary sigh. “I apologize. It was a rather disheartening experience. Seb is… a wonderful bloke.”

“Seems like he still cares about you,” Dex added carefully.

Hudson’s cheeks flushed, and he pushed his trendy, black-framed glasses up his nose. “The feeling would be mutual.”

“Then why not—”

“It’s in the past, Dex.” Hudson went to Cael’s bedside and put his hand to his forehead. Seeming unable to help himself, he checked Cael’s vitals, the IV bag, and the chart tucked into the pocket at the end of the bed. “I’m glad to see he’ll be okay. Nina’s been so worried. The whole Unit is worried. Your brother’s very much cared for.”

“He’s a great guy,” Dex stated proudly.

“Well, if you need anything, do give me a shout.”

“I will. Say thank you to Nina for me.”

“Will do.”

Dex grabbed the change of clothes Tony had brought him earlier and headed for Cael’s bathroom. There was a small shower stall and some towels. Once inside the shower, his muscles relaxed. He’d managed to clean up some while he waited to hear about Cael from the doctors, but now he was finally able to wash away the remaining dirt, grime, and blood. He wished his worries would wash down the drain with the rest of it. Besides coming into Hobbs’s room to see what all the noise was about, Dex hadn’t run into Sloane, and that wasn’t a good sign. This was the first time Dex had done something to really piss Sloane off. Oh, he’d made his partner angry before, but not nostrils flaring, you-done-fucked-up angry. He was not looking forward to whatever awaited him.

After toweling off, he pulled on a clean pair of boxer briefs, socks, his comfy jeans, and a loose charcoal gray, long sleeve T-shirt. He dropped down onto the couch, fluffed up the pillow given to him by a cute little Therian nurse, and stretched out for a much-needed nap. His leg protested, but it wasn’t too bad since he’d been given some painkillers. With his arms folded over his chest, and his stocking feet crossed at the ankles, he forced himself to clear his mind, hoping this whole thing with Sloane would blow over. Maybe by the morning, everything would be back to normal.