Tried & True

  “Everybody out!”

  Sloane grabbed the jacket and Dex. They turned to run as a boom shook the theater. Sloane’s eyes widened as the balcony popped up and for a moment, Ash, Calvin, Hobbs, and Letty were floating before everything came down.

  “Ash!” Sloane took off, a cloud of dust smacking into him when the balcony hit the floor. Pieces of rubble flew out in different directions, chunks of plaster and wall. Sloane coughed and covered his nose and mouth with his arm as he walked through the fog. Somewhere behind him, he heard Cael shouting for Ash and the rest of the team calling to the others.

  “Up here!” Ash coughed, and Sloane took a step back, looking up. As the dust began to settle, he could make out several hanging dark shadows. Dex, Cael, and Rosa stood beside Sloane. A tiny section of balcony remained, the chunk of concrete holding a row of chairs hung precariously from several steel rods that had bent downward but not broken. Ash was clutching one of the chairs, Letty wrapped around his waist and legs, and Calvin hanging by one arm from the strap of Ash’s rifle, which was thankfully strapped to Ash’s vest.

  “Ethan!” Calvin called as he tried to get purchase.

  “Fuck.” Sloane looked around. He’d seen a mattress somewhere around here. “There! Guys, grab that mattress and bring it over.” It was a mighty small target to hit if Calvin fell, but it was better than the jagged slabs of concrete. If anyone could make it, it’d be Calvin. As the rest of the team went for the mattress, Sloane kept his attention on Ash and the others.

  Hobbs was in the doorway on solid ground, kneeling and quickly pulling out the grappling rope from his backpack. He secured it to himself, then around an exposed beam in the wall. He jerked on it, and seeming satisfied it would hold his weight, he turned, and as quickly as possible, rappelled down the wall to the hanging piece of balcony.

  Dex, Cael, and Rosa returned with the mattress. They placed it where they thought Calvin would land. It wasn’t an exceptionally long way to fall, but with all the dangerous debris on the floor, it could cause some serious injury.

  Hobbs placed a boot on the edge of the broken structure, and it shook. Ash cursed, and Calvin cried out, the pain from hanging from one arm jolting him. Hobbs pressed his lips together and shook his head. It wasn’t going to work. Ash looked up at Hobbs, and Hobbs motioned downward and made a swinging motion.

  “Shit.” Sloane took a deep breath.

  “What’s going on? What’s he going to do?” Dex asked.

  “He’s going to come down fast and swing toward Ash. Ash is going to have to grab him on the first attempt and make sure he gets a good grip or they’re all coming down. The section they’re on won’t hold Hobbs’s weight, and there’s no time for me to get up there and get them down.” Dust was raining down from the chunk of balcony, and the crumbling sounds told him all he needed to know. Sloane held his breath, and Hobbs counted down on his fingers.

  On three, Hobbs sped down the rope, and swung right, making sure he was lower so when Ash fell, he wouldn’t miss Hobbs. Gasps were heard all around as Ash and everyone hanging on to him fell. Ash latched on to Hobbs’s vest with both gloved hands. Everyone bounced and shouted, but they held on tight.

  “Everyone okay?” Sloane called out.

  “Peachy,” Ash replied with a growl. “Get us the fuck out of here, Hobbs.”

  Hobbs planted his feet against the balcony, and Sloane ushered everyone to the doors they’d come in from. The balcony was about to come down. They ran for the stairs leading up to the balcony, and Sloane placed Tony’s jacket on the floor to one side so he could grab the rope.

  “Everyone pull,” Sloane ordered. Dex, Cael, and Rosa all grabbed the rope with him and heaved. Sloane gritted his teeth, his muscles straining. They each took one step back at a time, one foot first, then the other. If Dex hadn’t been part Therian, there was no way they would have been able to pull up Hobbs, Ash, and their two Human teammates. As strong as Cael was, Sloane would have been doing most of the heavy lifting, and Hobbs would have been challenge enough.

  As soon as Hobbs’s shoulders were up, they grabbed him and carefully pulled him in through the doorway until he could rest his arms on the floor before Sloane. They all clipped their rappelling ropes to his vest and secured them around the exposed beams to each side of him. They held on to the ropes just in case. Sweat dripped down Sloane’s face. When Hobbs was secure, Sloane leaned over.

  “Cal, you need to climb up!”

  Calvin cursed under his breath and let out a pained growl as he swung himself and grabbed on to Ash’s vest with his other hand. He let his head rest against Ash for a second before he started to climb up Ash, then Ethan. When he was close enough to reach, Sloane grabbed him by the vest and hauled him inside.

  “You’re next, Letty,” Sloane called down.

  Letty climbed up Ash, then Hobbs, and when she was close, Sloane pulled her in as well.

  “Ash, buddy, come on.” Sloane prepared himself as Ash climbed up Hobbs. He crouched down, feet firmly planted on the ground as he grabbed hold of Ash’s vest and pulled hard, Ash landing on Sloane as he hit the floor.

  “Fuck,” Ash said, breathless. He patted Sloane’s cheek and rolled off him before pushing himself to his feet. It was a group effort getting Hobbs up. “Jesus, pal,” Ash grumbled. “How much do you fucking weigh now? Because it’s definitely more than before.”

  “It’s all the training,” Calvin said as he tried to catch his breath. “He’s over three hundred now.” Hobbs flicked Calvin’s ear. “Ouch, what? It’s true. Besides, it’s all muscle, Ethan.” He rubbed his arm, and Hobbs fussed over him, checking him over and touching his arm. Calvin grumbled, but it betrayed the gentleness in his eyes. “I’m fine. Just sore.” Hobbs wrapped an arm around Calvin’s shoulders and brought him up against his much larger frame.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here,” Sloane said, grabbing Tony’s jacket and handing it to Dex, his voice soft when he spoke. “They’re gone.”

  “Is that…?” Letty didn’t finish her sentence, her eyes on Tony’s jacket.

  “Yeah,” Dex replied gruffly. He turned and walked off. Sloane let him go on ahead, knowing Dex needed some time on his own. He followed several steps behind, with the rest of the team close by.

  Ash walked beside Sloane, talking quietly. “They knew we were coming.”

  “Yeah, they left a note.” Sloane told Ash what the note said, agreeing with Ash’s curses. “I doubt they were here long. The bloodstains on the seat looked pretty fresh. I didn’t have time to really look.”

  “Fuck. Now what?”

  That was a good question. They had no leads, no van, no Makhai to interrogate, and they were running out of time.

  CHAPTER 9

  DEX STARED down at the jacket in his hands. His father’s jacket. Had the bloodstains on the chair come from Tony? They’d looked relatively fresh. Had Tony been there, or were the Makhai just playing games? They’d known Dex would be there. That’s why they’d left the note. Taunting him. Dex pulled off his helmet and threw it against the wall.

  “That son of a bitch is toying with us!”

  “Dex.”

  Dex kicked at the scaffolding’s metal bars. “Motherfucker! Son of a fucking bitch!”

  “Agent Daley!”

  Dex jerked to a halt. He blinked at Sloane, then looked around him at the gathering crowd of pedestrians. Shit. Clearing his throat, he held up a hand. “Sorry. I’m sorry.”

  “Hobbs, check the truck. I’m not taking any chances. As soon as it’s clear, we head back to HQ.” Sloane handed Dex his helmet and pulled Dex to one side, turning him toward the building so his bigger frame blocked the onlookers’ view of him. Despite his closeness and his hand on Dex’s arm, it just looked like he was having a quiet word with a team member rather than a lover. “I need you to keep it together, sweetheart. I know it’s shitty of me to ask you that, but we need to keep our heads if we’re going to find Tony. Yes, this is a setback, but we’ve been in tight spots
before. We’ll find something.”

  Dex nodded. He was pissed. No, he was beyond pissed. It was bad enough his father was in the hands of murderers; now they were taunting him, throwing his failures in his face. Dex swallowed hard, and he met Sloane’s gaze, allowing the love and support he saw there to wash over him, to bring some calm to his turmoil.

  “We got nothing, Sloane.”

  “So we go back to HQ, follow up with Sparks, see what’s happening on her end. I’m guessing the Chairman’s been in touch. Then we check in with Austen and see where he and his CIs are on locating that van. We can start with that and go from there, okay?” Sloane pulled their heads together, and Dex closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths. When he was ready, he opened his eyes.

  “Okay.”

  “Dex?”

  Dex turned to find his brother standing there, his gaze on the jacket in his hand. “Hey, Chirpy,” Dex said softly, walking to Cael.

  “That’s Dad’s, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Dex replied quietly. As much as he didn’t want to add to his brother’s worry, he was done hiding the truth from Cael. “We found it on a chair inside. There were bloodstains. They looked fresh. I don’t know if the blood was Dad’s, or if the Makhai are just fucking with us, but….” Dex swallowed hard, and Cael sucked in a sharp breath, followed by another. Dex quickly pulled him into a hug, murmuring in his ear, “We’re going to find him, okay? He’s stronger than those assholes realize. This is Dad we’re talking about. He survived our teenage years, so he can survive anything.”

  Cael sniffed and let out a quiet laugh. “You mean your teenage years. I never stole his car to go on a date with a junior when I was fourteen.”

  Dex pulled back. He shrugged and held back a grin. “I didn’t steal it. I was borrowing it. Besides, you never would have reached the pedals at fourteen.” Dex winked at him and laughed when Cael shoved him, grumbling under his breath that he was a jerkface.

  Cael returned to Ash’s side, his anxiety visibly easing as Ash once again occupied his attention. Dex’s smile fell away, exhausted by the pretense.

  After Hobbs cleared the truck, having scanned it for any devices that didn’t belong there or any signals out of the ordinary, they all climbed in and headed back to HQ. Everyone was quiet, and Dex held a tight grip on his father’s jacket. Sloane was right. He had to keep his shit together.

  BACK AT HQ, they’d dropped their gear off in the armory before heading upstairs to the locker rooms for a quick wash while they waited for their meeting with Sparks. After the announcement went out in the media about the changes to Destructive Delta, she’d been inundated with phone calls. The timing was shit-tacular. Dex stood in front of his open locker, staring at his father’s jacket hanging neatly on the wooden hanger.

  “Dex?” Sloane came to stand beside Dex and put a hand on his shoulder.

  Dex smiled sadly as he motioned to the jacket. “It was John’s, you know.”

  “The jacket belonged to your dad?”

  “Yeah. The right pocket has a hole. Tony says he was always bitching at Dad to get it fixed because of course that was the pocket that my father kept shoving all his change into. The coins would fall into the lining, and whenever they had to chase someone down, Dad would jingle and give their position away. It drove Tony batshit crazy.” Dex slipped his hand into the pocket, his lashes growing wet as he laughed softly. “The hole’s still there.”

  “And Tony never gave it to you?” Sloane asked gently.

  Dex shook his head. “He tried to. A long time ago, but I could see how much it meant to him. Besides, my dad had given it to him after my mom bought him a new one for Christmas.” Dex’s jaw muscles tightened. “That was the one he’d been wearing when he was killed. Tony couldn’t bear to see it. John’s blood had soaked into the leather.” Dex slammed the locker shut. “Let’s go talk to Sparks.”

  The team was waiting for them outside, and together they headed for Sparks’s office. The door was open, and she motioned for them to enter. As soon as they were in, she put the room into privacy mode.

  “Is that going to work?” Cael asked.

  Sparks nodded. “I have a small team of operatives who I trust with my life. I had them install a new system. It’ll take the Makhai weeks to break through it, so we have some time.” She reached behind her desk and pulled out a metal case. After placing it on the desk, she opened it. There were eight earpieces, and eight cell phones. “Everyone take an earpiece and a phone. Seb, Hudson, Rafe, and Dom have already received theirs.” She tapped to the one she was wearing. “These are secure and use a private tower, which will keep the Makhai guessing. The same software has been installed in your BearCat’s security console. Unfortunately, Themis is still compromised.”

  “What about everyone’s families?” Dex asked, not mentioning it was Wolf who’d brought up the information. “What if the Makhai decide to go after them to get to one of us?”

  “Several hours ago, I had everyone moved to a secure location under the guise of official THIRDS protocol concerning a possible threat to their safety due to a sensitive case your team is working. I assured them you were all well and would see them as soon as you were able. They’re safe.”

  “And what about the Chairman? Has he been in touch?” Dex asked.

  “Yes. So far he’s instructed me to upload whatever is on this drive. It arrived by courier an hour ago.” She placed a small black USB fob on the desk. “I’ve managed to deter him for a few hours since the fob needs to be plugged into one of TIN’s servers. One only I have access to. Fortunately for us, I can’t get to any of our facilities due to the current media frenzy over today’s announcement.”

  A thought struck Dex. “Wait, you made sure the announcement went out. You were buying us time.”

  Sparks nodded. “Under the current circumstances, the announcement would have been canceled. I made certain it wasn’t, making it look like a clerical error. Based on the intel we have on the Makhai, I knew whatever they had in mind was a long time coming, and they’re not about to risk everything by having me go out there with all this media attention. They’ve waited years. I’m sure they’d wait a few hours until things die down. The PR department is handling everything, but several news stations want to hear from me. I’ve bought us several hours, twelve at most.”

  That was a few more hours that Tony would be safe. They needed to make the most of that time. Dex looked up at Sparks. “Have you learned anything about this Chairman asshole?”

  “From the small amount of intel I’ve managed to gather, I believe he’s the one in charge, which would mean everything orchestrated by the US branch of the Makhai has happened because of this Chairman. If we find him, we can cause the Makhai some serious damage.”

  “Any luck figuring out who he is?” Sloane asked.

  Sparks shook her head. “Nothing. It’s very possible the Chairman is one of the founding members of the Makhai. No one knows who he is or what he does outside his role as ‘the Chairman.’ What I do know is we’re getting close. That’s why they’re hitting us hard. As calm as the Chairman seems, I’m thinking he’s starting to get desperate. With Moros gone, along with several of their associates, and Wolf not only working with us but against the Makhai, I think the Chairman is getting worried.”

  “Good. He better be fucking worried.” Dex studied Sparks. She looked like she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure. “What? You want to say something.”

  Sparks let out a heavy sigh and took a seat behind her desk. “This is bigger than we imagined and possibly connected to the events of 2005.”

  Dex’s brows drew together. “What happened in 2005?”

  “My team and I were on our way to seize a Therian we believed played a major role in the Makhai. Someone in our organization warned them we were coming. They were waiting for us. I was almost killed. One of our top operatives wasn’t so lucky. It was also the day Fang became Wolf.”

  “You’re talking about when Wolf’s pa
rtner, Tucker, was killed?”

  “Yes. We need to find the Chairman and get him to divulge who his contacts at TIN are. Until then, I’m afraid we have to be careful with our intel.”

  “Any word from Austen?” Ash asked.

  Sparks looked at her watch. “He should be calling in three, two….”

  Sloane’s new cell phone rang, and he picked up. “Hello? Hold on, I’m going to put you on speaker. Yes, area’s secure.” Sloane tapped the phone, and Austen’s voice came over the line.

  “I found the van.”

  “What? Where?” Dex asked, ready to head out.

  “Sorry, Dex. Place has been wiped clean. I swept the place myself from top to bottom. They cleaned it good.”

  “Fuck,” Dex spat out. He was getting sick and tired of this.

  “Hold your horses, Daley. I said we were down, not out. The place was cleaned professionally, and not too long ago. The smell was strong and really familiar. I remember another location we checked out having the same smell. It was one of the locations given to us by Moros’s associates. While I was combing the place, I found a small droplet of cleaning solution someone had left behind. A reliable contact of mine is analyzing it as we speak. He’ll be able to get us the formula and a breakdown of all the ingredients, because my guess is this compound can’t be bought at your local supermarket.”

  “Which means we should be able to trace and cross-reference it,” Dex said, trying not to get too excited. “Nice job, Austen. How long until we have that information?”

  “It’s going to take two to three hours at least. I’ll be sure to call you.”

  Damn it. “Thanks, Austen. I appreciate it.” Austen hung up, and Dex turned to Sloane. “We need to look into abandoned places around the city. Anything that’s seen unusual activity.”

  Before Sloane could reply, Sparks spoke up. “All available units were sent out and are questioning anyone who might have seen anything unusual, but there are dozens upon dozens of abandoned locations in this city, not to mention a vast amount of camera footage to analyze. It’s going to take time. I’ve also put out a call to THIRDS HQ in Princeton, New Jersey, and in Philadelphia. They’ve sent out several units as well. It’s very possible they’ve moved Maddock out of the city but are still keeping him close. For now, I need you all to get some food in you and discuss the next course of action.”

  Dex was ready to protest, but Sparks put up her hand to stop him.

  “It’s getting late. None of you ate properly after your shift at the park. I’m surprised you’re still standing. Dex, you haven’t eaten at all. None of you will be any good to Maddock if you’re not at your best. Shower, eat, and when you’re done, you’re each scheduled for a brief session with Dr. Winters.”

  The room filled with groans.

  “Are you kidding me?” Dex shook his head in disbelief. “We don’t have time for that.”

  “What do we need to see the doc for?” Ash grumbled.

  Sparks’s brows shot up. “Do you want me to make you a list?”

  Ash glowered at her, and Sparks’s expression softened.

  “I’m sorry, that was insensitive and uncalled for. It’s been… a challenge for all of us. Maddock’s abduction is officially a THIRDS case. As you all know, anyone connected to Sergeant Maddock can volunteer to see Dr. Winters. However, in the case of Destructive Delta, it’s protocol and not an option. He’s your sergeant, and in Dex and Cael’s case, a parent. Dr. Winters has to sign each of you off after your sessions or the team will be pulled from the case. As it was, I had to fight to keep you lead on this. If it weren’t for the respect everyone has for Sergeant Maddock and their desire to see him found alive, they would never have allowed Destructive Delta to work this case. It’s not my call.”

  “And if I don’t get cleared,” Dex said, leaning his hands on her desk to meet her gaze. “You think I’m going to just step aside and let someone take lead on this?”

  Sparks let out a heavy sigh. “We all know better than that, Dex. Please, just see Dr. Winters. It’s not as if he isn’t familiar with you or the rest of the team, and he knows how important this time is for you, which is why he’s made an exception and is keeping the sessions short. Give him a chance. Emotions are running high right now. Maybe he can help with that.”

  Damn it. He didn’t have time for this. Instead of being out there in the streets, he had to be sitting on a couch, sharing his feelings with a shrink. As soon as he thought that, he felt like shit. It wasn’t Dr. Winters’s fault. The guy was just doing his job. Dex liked the doc, he really did. The guy was always there with a smile and word of encouragement. Dex probably spent as much time in Dr. Winters’s office as he had in the principal’s office when he was a kid. Hmm… interesting.

  “Fine.” Dex took the room off privacy mode and stormed out, the others following behind. They headed for the locker room, everyone lost in their own thoughts. They agreed to meet in the canteen after a quick shower. He stood under the showerhead, hoping the hot water would ease some of the tension in his muscles, but that didn’t help. When he was done, he brushed his teeth to get rid of the nasty taste in his mouth, changed into a clean uniform, and walked with Sloane to the elevator. Forty-eight hours until their rehearsal dinner. The wedding was in less than ninety-six.

  “I’m not hungry,” Dex grumbled, tapping his fingers against his thighs. He was jittery as hell. Like he was going to crawl out of his skin if he didn’t do something, but there was nothing he could do. The elevator was empty, so Sloane stepped in front of him.

  “Hey, look at me.”

  Dex did. He looked up into Sloane’s amber eyes filled with pain and sorrow. Dex didn’t want to see pain there. They’d been so happy just a few short days ago. He wanted that back. He wanted his father and his fucking life back.

  “Talk to me.”

  Dex shook his head. “I have all this anger and energy inside me that’s just building and building, and I don’t know what the hell to do with it, Sloane. And now I have to sit around for hours, talking instead of doing, and I feel like I’m going to go out of my fucking head.” The elevator doors opened, and Dex swept past Sloane. He knew Sloane wanted to help, but talking wasn’t going to help him, and now he had to sit and talk for who knew how fucking long. He couldn’t lose his shit with Winters. He had to prove he was in control, that he could do this, that it wasn’t all crashing down on top of him.