Thick & Thin

  Dex's snicker turned into laughter, and Sloane couldn't help but get caught up in it. He loved seeing Dex smile, loved hearing him laugh. He kissed Dex before leading him to the bathroom. Sloane got the water running, and when it was a comfortable temperature, he helped Dex in. They lathered each other up, then rinsed, which led to Dex on his knees with Sloane's cock in his mouth. Sloane steadied himself on the tiled wall, his head back, and his eyes closed as Dex teased him, his tongue circling the tip of Sloane's pink head before he swallowed Sloane down to the hilt. Sloane groaned, his fingers in Dex's hair as Dex held his hips to keep him from moving. It wasn't long before Sloane was coming. When Dex was done, he stood, and Sloane kissed him, loving the taste of himself on Dex's tongue. He reached down to take hold of Dex's cock, returning the favor. A few strokes, and Dex was trembling in his arms from his release.

  After washing, they dried off, then dressed. Dex climbed into bed as Sloane went around the house, locking up and turning off the lights. When he was satisfied everything was secure, he climbed in under the covers next to Dex and pulled him close.

  "I love you," Sloane murmured, nuzzling Dex's hair.

  Dex let out a contented sigh. "I love you too."

  Sloane was drifting off when something occurred to him. "Dex?"

  "Hmm?"

  "No matter how much I go over it in my head, no matter how many reasons I can come up with, it doesn't add up."

  "What doesn't add up?"

  "You being okay with Sparks and your dad."

  Dex didn't reply. He didn't move, didn't blink. Sloane sat up. He snapped his fingers, and Journey came floating through the speakers. They'd been assured that TIN no longer had them under surveillance--it was one of Dex's many prerequisites--but just in case....

  "Dex?"

  Glowing amber spread from Dex's pupils, absorbing the pale blue. It was both beautiful and frightening. Sloane could see Dex clearly in the dim lighting, just like he knew Dex could see him.

  "You're not okay with it, are you?"

  Dex sat up, his expression cold. "She's up to something, Sloane. Why now? I know it's been a few months, but they've been partners for decades, and now she's suddenly developed feelings for him?" Darkness clouded Dex's eyes, and Sloane swallowed hard at his partner's conviction. "I can deal with her fucking with me, but the moment she fucks with my family, she's crossed a line. If she does anything to hurt my dad, to hurt Cael, I'll fucking bury her, Sloane. I don't give a shit who or what she is, I will make her pay."

  "Shit." Sloane ran a hand through his hair. "It's too much of a coincidence, I'll give you that. But do you really think she's playing Tony? I mean, I know she's done a ton of fucked-up shit, but Tony?"

  Dex let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know. I'd like to think that she does feel something for him. We'll just have to keep an eye on her and my family."

  "Does Cael know?"

  "Not yet. I think my dad knows Cael's not going to take it well. After everything she's put us through? He hasn't even addressed what's happened to me yet."

  Sloane didn't like the sound of that. "That can't be good."

  "I didn't want to push." Dex frowned, and Sloane could tell he was trying his best not to get emotional. "He'd just been shot, and I'd done enough."

  "Hey." Sloane lay down and brought Dex with him. He brushed Dex's hair away from his brow. "You didn't bring any of this on yourself, and quite frankly, the way you've handled all this is incredible. You could have broken under the pressure of all the shit that's landed on you since you joined the THIRDS, but you not only survived, you thrived." He cupped Dex's cheek. "You're a strong, gorgeous, smart, amazing man, Dex."

  Dex's eyes got glassy, and he blinked the tears away. He let out a soft laugh. "You're just saying that because you're marrying me."

  "No, I'm marrying you because you are all those things, and I love you. It'll all work out. You'll see."

  "Thank you." Dex snuggled up close to him, and Sloane kissed the top of his head.

  Sloane held Dex and closed his eyes. As he faded off to sleep, he prayed that fate wouldn't prove him a liar.

  Chapter 5

  SO MUCH for training.

  Dex had actually been looking forward to it. Training was the perfect opportunity to find out more about his abilities. Not to mention finally tell the rest of their team about it. He couldn't help his nerves. A part of him was excited to discover what he was capable of, to push himself to his limits and beyond. The other part of him was a little scared. Which was stupid. Destructive Delta was family. They'd been through so much together. Deep down, he knew none of his friends would look at him any differently. In truth, what worried him most was breaking the news to them about TIN. Their team wouldn't understand, and rightfully so, considering TIN's track record with Destructive Delta, so it would be up to Dex to help them understand.

  There was still so much he didn't know about the changes inside him. Not even TIN could tell him. All he got from them was a bunch of nerd-talk and science-speak that basically translated to "You won't know what you can do until you do it."

  "Dex."

  He blinked, realizing Sloane had been talking and he hadn't heard a word.

  "Sorry."

  Sloane's brows drew together in concern, but Dex gave him a reassuring smile. Fuck, he had to pull himself together. They were going into Greenpoint. That was not the place to lose his head, or he might actually lose his head. He instinctively pressed down on his tactical helmet. Yep, still there, snug and secure.

  "As I was saying," Sloane continued, holding his tablet up with the mug shots of two male Therians. "Juarez and Turner are considered lethal. An eyewitness has confirmed these were the Therians they saw maul fellow gang member Dowling to death last Tuesday evening. Juarez is a jaguar Therian, and Turner is a lion Therian. Rumor has it Dowling was feeding information to the THIRDS. Although Unit Alpha has several informants working the gangs, Dowling wasn't one of them."

  "So someone was either trying to get rid of Dowling by spreading the rumor," Ash pitched in, "or Juarez and his friend wanted to get rid of him and this was the perfect opportunity."

  "Correct. Themis has been running algorithms for days, and it finally got a hit. According to Recon, these two are hiding in Greenpoint."

  Dex frowned. "If they mauled Dowling to death, it means they were in their Therian forms. How was the witness able to confirm their identities?"

  Sloane tapped the screen. An image of a skull with four claw marks running through it popped up on the screen. "The same way we'll be able to identify them once we're in Greenpoint. Along with their classification, they have this image tattooed onto their left arms, they also have it shaved into their fur on the same spot. Around the base of their tails they have two bands shaved as well." Sloane returned the tablet to his tac pants pocket. The truck slowed down, which meant they were approaching Greenpoint. "Rosa will stay with the truck. Cael, Ash, Hobbs, and I will go in our Therian forms. Calvin, Dex, and Letty, you back us up. Let's get in, round these assholes up, and get out. Everyone stay safe."

  "Shit. Hold on a sec." Cael tapped away at the security console's keyboard. "We just got some new intel in from Themis."

  Dex and Sloane both joined Cael at the console, and Dex studied the large flat-screen with scrolling algorithms. Sometimes he really wished he could speak computer geek. Only half this stuff made sense to him. It was a whole other language. A collection of numbers, clipped phrases, code words, and at times diagrams. Themis gurgled and spat up the information before shuffling it around, connecting the dots, piecing it together to form something that made sense. A multitude of windows with random numbers popped up, along with a mug shot of Dowling.

  "What are we looking at, Cael?" Dex asked, waiting for Themis to piece all the new info together.

  "Dowling might not have been an informant for the THIRDS, but he was in contact with our agents. Actually, it looks like he was in contact with two agents."

  Cael tapped away at Themis,
his eyes going wide as two agent profiles popped up. Dex cursed under his breath, and Cael turned to stare at him.

  "According to Themis, Dowling contacted both you and Sloane."

  "What the hell?" Sloane put his hands on his hips and shrugged. "I never spoke to Dowling." He looked over at Dex. "You?"

  Dex shook his head. He definitely would have remembered. Turning his attention back to Cael, Dex pointed to Themis. "Does it say when he contacted us?"

  Cael tapped the screen, and a new window opened up, containing phone records. Dex leaned in with a frown. "Hold up. That's my cell phone number, and that's Sloane's. Why would Dowling call us on our cell phones and not at the office?"

  "And how did he get our numbers?" Sloane added.

  "That was at the bar." Ash put his finger to the time stamp next to Sloane's phone number. "Remember that weird call you got?"

  "Shit, that's right." Sloane rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I got this strange call that sounded like someone--"

  "Breathing heavy?" Dex asked, receiving a nod from Sloane. "I got the same call four minutes before you did. He called me twice, but all I heard was breathing. I thought it was some perv trying to get their rocks off and hung up."

  "Yeah, I thought the same." Sloane's brows drew together as he paced, his eyes filled with concern.

  "What is it?" Dex asked, feeling Sloane's anxiety.

  "It was more than heavy breathing. I could have sworn I heard something else. What if Dowling had been hurt or dying when he called?"

  Ash put a hand to Sloane's shoulder. "Hey, if he was in trouble, he should have called emergency services. Why call you? You weren't even on duty. Dowling died in fucking Brooklyn. You know how long it would have taken you to get there?"

  Dex's stomach twisted up in knots. "I don't like this." Why would a guy who had to know what he was getting into by contacting the THIRDS take such a risk? And why them specifically? Neither he nor Sloane had ever met Dowling before, never even heard of him. Fuck. Why couldn't this just be a regular call out? Despite the evidence pointing to it being a gang execution, Dex knew it was anything but. With their track record? How could it be?

  "Whatever Dowling was trying to tell us, he got killed for it. I don't think it had anything to do with him flipping on his gang."

  Sloane nodded his agreement. "Which means Juarez and Turner knew what Dowling was up to and used the info they had to serve their purpose. They're covering something up. It's the only thing that makes sense."

  "Okay," Calvin stood, a deep frown on his face. "So Dowling had something important to tell you guys, but they caught on to him before he could relay the information. These guys play it off as a gang execution to hide the truth. What do we know about them? Are they actually who they say they are?"

  Cael tapped away at the screen and nodded. "According to Themis, they've been in and out of jail dozens of times. There's never enough evidence to make the charges stick."

  "And suddenly we have an eye witness?" Letty asked, looking skeptical. "Anyone else think that's a little convenient?"

  Ash turned to Sloane. "Where's our witness now?"

  "In protective custody," Sloane replied. "Recon ran a background check, and the guy's clean. Just a regular citizen who happened to be in the right place at the right time." Sloane's pursed lips told Dex his partner wasn't buying it either.

  "So this dude saw Juarez and Turner maul Dowling to death and just walked away without being seen or sniffed out?" Dex shook his head. "Fuck. I really don't like this."

  "Well, we can stand here all day and speculate," Ash growled, "or we can bring these assholes in and see what they have to say."

  They all nodded their acknowledgment and waited for the truck to come to a stop. The desolate view outside the BearCat's window was a familiar one and filled Dex with a sense of nostalgia. His very first case with the THIRDS had brought him here. God, that seemed like such a lifetime ago. Greenpoint had been part of his first investigation, launching a series of events that led him to where he was today. Isaac Pearce, Shultzon, TIN, his parents.... What a rollercoaster ride. Had someone sat him down back then and told him what would happen, Dex would have laughed his ass off. Now here he sat, half Therian, engaged, and about to become a spy.

  Sloane was the last to shift since he was team leader and Tony was still in recovery. Ash, Cael, and Hobbs took turns shifting into their Therian forms, and they waited patiently outside with their partners while Rosa took a seat behind the wheel in case they needed to make a quick getaway. She hated driving the BearCat, but there was an order to who drove the huge tactical vehicle. After Hobbs, it was Tony, then Sloane, Ash, and then Rosa.

  "You okay?"

  Dex clipped Sloane's PSTC kit to his tactical backpack. He smiled at Sloane. "Let's do this."

  "Hey." Sloane pulled him close, placing a gloved hand to Dex's cheek. "You don't have to pretend with me, you know that?"

  "I'm a little nervous," Dex admitted. "But I'll be okay. Be careful out there, okay?"

  "You too." Sloane gave his lips a quick but sweet kiss before he slipped behind the privacy screen.

  Okay, Daley. Get your shit together. Time to pull his head out of his ass and get to work. He lowered his visor and grabbed his tranq rifle from the weapons cage. Securing it closed, he met Rosa's concerned gaze through the rearview mirror and gave her a wink. His team needed him.

  "We'll be back before you know it, Rosita bonita."

  "You better. Go kick some ass."

  Sloane's pained groans and roars resounded through the closed truck, and Dex closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sound wash over him. His muscles tensed, and he gritted his teeth at the pulse of pain that spread through him. His muscles twitched, and he breathed out slowly through his mouth. Sloane's Therian roar did something to Dex, and his eyes snapped open. His heart raced, his pulse picking up. The pain in his body eased, and Dex hit the button to raise the privacy screen. Sloane's fur bristled, and he lowered his head, ears flat against his head. Why the hell was Sloane hissing at him?

  Dex crouched down so they were at eye level. "What's going on, babe?"

  Another hiss left Sloane before he gingerly approached Dex, sniffing him as if he didn't recognize Dex. What the hell? Dex remained perfectly still as Sloane circled him, and he realized that this was the first time Sloane was in his Therian form around Dex since Dex's transformation. Sloane sniffed at Dex before pushing his nose against Dex's cheek. That was more like it. Dex put his hand on Sloane's head, and gave him a scratch.

  "You had me worried for a second there." Dex stood, and Sloane rubbed his head against Dex's legs as he circled him, leaving his scent. When Sloane was done, he padded to the end of the truck. Dex opened the door, and they hopped out.

  "Took you long enough," Letty grumbled. "We doing this or what?"

  "You got a date or something?" Calvin teased, scratching Hobbs behind his ear. Hobbs let out a chuff and playfully bumped his head into Calvin's leg. "Planning on having a little sci-fi marathon?"

  "Shut up, Cal." Letty cursed at him in Spanish before marching off ahead of them, Ash on her heels, mane swishing as he trotted along. Sometimes he was such a precious princess that Dex couldn't help but laugh. Wait. Sci-fi marathon? What the hell was that about? Dex arched an eyebrow at Calvin. Mischief filled Calvin's blue eyes, and Dex gasped. It could only mean one thing.

  "Oh, sweet baby Jesus, you found out Dimples' name!"

  Calvin grinned broadly and wriggled his eyebrows. "He called this morning for Letty, and Lisa put the call through to me by accident. We had a friendly chat."

  "You ladies coming, or you gonna stand around all day gossiping?" Letty growled at them. Ooh, she was so not happy with Calvin. This was awesome.

  Calvin leaned into him, his voice lowered. "You're going to love it."

  Dex let out a squeal. He was practically vibrating with excitement. "I can't freaking wait."

  After what sounded like a threat promising disembowelment or some other form
of grievous bodily harm came from Letty in her native tongue, they hopped to it, catching up to her. Dex would find out once this was over. The three of them approached a set of derelict buildings, their brick facades crumbling. When the hell was the city going to do something about this place? Who knew how many feral Therians were in here. While true that the majority of Therians who lived here never ventured out, some did. They had to get food from somewhere. This wasn't exactly the wilderness. There were no gazelles loping through or zebras congregating around a waterhole. This was the urban jungle, filled with nothing but crumbling stone, brick, and exposed mortar. Weeds and dead shrubbery grew through the cracks in what little asphalt was left.

  Some of these Therians were here of their own free will, believing this was what nature intended. Others found themselves here out of necessity. Ending up on the streets with nowhere else to go, they turned to Greenpoint for shelter. Then there were the ones evading arrest, much like Juarez and Turner. It was a sanctuary of sorts, Dex supposed. As long as the ones walking in were in Therian form, the rest didn't seem to care who came and went. How many of these Therians were still Human inside? It was terrifying, the thought of a Human getting lost in the depths of their own mind, receding so far they became a feral creature. His thoughts went to Taylor, and it saddened Dex. Taylor might be an asshole, but he didn't deserve whatever Moros had done to him. The guy seemed to be stuck in his Therian form. It wasn't looking good, and the longer Taylor spent in that feral state, the more difficult it would be to bring him back. If they could bring him back. Dex hoped TIN figured out what the hell was wrong before it was too late and they lost Taylor for good.

  Cael stalked quietly beside Dex, and he reached out to put his hand on his little brother's head. Sloane's fur bristled in front of him, and the hairs on the back of Dex's neck stood on end. They were being watched. Dex sniffed the air at the unfamiliar scents. It was a mixture of various classifications of feral Therians. He could smell them. If only he could distinguish the scents. His skills weren't honed enough yet. His sense of smell was sharp, but he couldn't tell Therians apart yet, not the way Sloane and the rest of his Therian teammates could. Dex had always been able to tell his teammates apart from other Therians. No two tiger Therians had the same set of stripes, just like no two cheetah Therians had the same coloring, face, head, or nose shape. The same went with lion Therians. Their coloring varied, the size of their manes, their attitudes.