Tried & True

by Charlie Cochet

  Calvin was up on the top floor, looking through his scope. He held a thumbs-up, and Dex gave him a salute. Calvin was clearing a path for him, and as Dex hurried up the rusted and crumbling stairs, hopping over the bodies of fallen Makhai, he spotted Sloane and the rest of the team down in the middle in a tight circle, shields up as they fired on the Makhai and anyone who tried to get to Calvin or Dex.

  Several Therians in their forms scrambled into the cellblock building, but they were too busy fighting one another to pay attention to Destructive Delta. The battle was fierce, claws shredding, teeth tearing at flesh and fur. The roars of Felids filled the air. Dex made it to the third floor and slowed down. There were several cells, all open. There was no telling who or what would be lurking inside. Quickly, but cautiously, he checked every cell before walking past it. Just as he neared the cell Tony was supposed to be in, a jaguar Therian plowed into him, sending him crashing through the oxidized bars. The putrid bars gave way, and Dex landed on the walkway on the other side. He moved to get up when a loud crack had him going still. He looked down and realized the walkway was made of glass sections, each pane held up by rusted bars. The glass was so filthy, he’d mistaken it for concrete.

  The jaguar who’d launched himself at Dex roared from the safety of the other walkway. Dex hissed back. He released his rifle and motioned at the jaguar to advance.

  “Come on, asshole. Come get me.”

  The jaguar roared again and leaped. Dex rolled out of the way, grabbing the steel frame as the glass shattered under the jaguar’s weight. Dex hung from one arm, the jaguar’s claws latched on to his tactical vest. It released a pained roar as bullets pierced its bulky frame, and Dex unhooked the claws with his free hand, watching as it fell onto the walkway below, the glass shattering, and sending the jaguar falling to the first floor with a thud.

  This time it was Sloane who’d fired. While from above Calvin took care of anyone trying to get to Dex, Sloane covered Dex from below. Grabbing hold of the ledge to his right where he’d crashed through the bars, Dex climbed onto the more secure walkway. He pushed himself to his feet and ran up to the edge of the doorway one down from where his dad was supposed to be.

  “Cal, any visuals?”

  “Five armed hostiles. Three on the left, two on the right. Sarge is sitting in a chair in the middle.”

  “Copy that.” Okay. Dex inhaled deeply and closed his eyes briefly as he released the breath through his mouth. He put his shield on the floor behind him, pulled his Glock from his thigh rig, and the backup tucked into the holster at his hip. There was no room for hesitation. No room for error. He crouched low, and ran to the wall beside the open cell door. The second he stepped foot in front of that door, they were going to shoot him. Or he could shoot first.

  “Dad?” Dex called out. It wasn’t like the Makhai didn’t know he was out there.

  “Dex? Don’t come in here!”

  There was shuffling and noises, Tony grunted as someone hit him. Son of bitch was going to pay for that. Dex readied himself and reached for the flashbang clipped to his vest. “Remember the first time I watched the ending of Alien?”

  “I remember.” Tony’s reply told Dex he was as ready as he was going to be.

  Dex pulled the pin and tossed the flashbang into the room. He slipped into the smoke-filled room of stunned Therians, using his sharpened senses, pleasantly startled when he realized he could make out the Therians in the smoke with enough detail to take them down. The Therians fired wildly toward the door. They might have had experience with flashbangs, but so did Tony. He had been dealing with them since he was Cael’s age, and thanks to Dex’s warning, Tony had shut his eyes tight, covered his ears, and looked away just as Dex had the first time he’d watched the ending to Alien when he’d been eight years old.

  In rapid succession, Dex fired both guns, one shot for each Therian. They crumbled to the filthy floor around Tony. They hadn’t even restrained his dad, knowing there was no way he could get out of there with the number of armed Therians. Tony was skilled, but as a Human, he was at a disadvantage, especially unarmed and in the dark.

  Tony stood, wavering from his disorientation, but managed to throw his arms around Dex, hugging him tight. Dex allowed himself a couple of seconds to hug him back. He swallowed down his emotions and returned his guns to their holsters before he grabbed his dad’s arm and headed toward the door.

  “I’ve got the Sarge,” Dex declared. “I’m going to need cover to get him out of here. Walking out the front door.” It was their only option. It also meant anyone who was left was going to come gunning for them. Outside on the walkway, Dex grabbed his shield and headed for the stairs, but his path was blocked. He turned and found the other end blocked as well.

  “Fuck. Guys, I need an exit.” Dex ducked back inside with his dad. “Guys?”

  “We got company. I think they called for backup,” Sloane replied. “We’re taking heavy fire. You need to get out of there, Dex. Calvin’s got his hands full.”

  Shit. “Copy that. Cael?”

  “I’ve got this. Get Dad out,” Cael replied, Ash’s roar echoing in the background.

  Dex worried his bottom lip. They had to move. If they stayed in here, they were sitting ducks. An idea struck him, and he handed his Glock to his dad. “Be right back.” He didn’t wait for a reply. He ran out, using his shield to cover himself as he kicked at the rusted bar in front of him. It snapped off and rolled to the glass walkway. The top bar met the same fate. As the Makhai slowly approached from both sides, Dex ran in and handed his shield to his dad before turning around.

  “Climb on.”

  “What?”

  “Climb on, Dad. We don’t have time.”

  “Boy, are you out of your ever-loving mind?”

  “Just do it!”

  Tony jumped on Dex’s back, one arm wrapped around Dex’s shoulders and grabbing on to his vest, his legs around Dex’s waist, and his free hand gripping the shield tight. This was going to hurt like a motherfucker. There was no way he was letting his father fall onto all that shit down there. Exposing himself to the sea of oxidized steel, shards of glass, bloody needles, and fuck knew what else could be just as much of a death sentence.

  Fuck. Fuck. If he didn’t go now, they were both dead. There was only so much his armor could take.

  “What are you doing?”

  There was no time to rappel down. Dex rounded his shoulders and reached down deep to that swirling mass of something he kept feeling in there. Come on. Whatever the fuck is in you, now’s the time for it to make itself useful.

  Dex moved back into the cell, and took a calming breath to center himself. He grabbed the doorframe and propelled himself forward. He screamed for his dad to hold on, and jumped on the glass walkway. His instinct would be to roll when he hit the ground floor, but he couldn’t do that. As he expected, his weight combined with Tony’s brought the glass pane down, and Tony protected his head as they fell through the glass. Dex landed in a crouched position, the force of the impact making its way up his body. He didn’t stop to think about what the hell he’d just done. When his dad jumped down, they took off like a bat out of hell.

  A storm of bullets rained down on them, and Tony held the large shield close. One, two, three bullets struck Dex’s armor in the back, the pain reverberating through his body with the shock of each hit, but he kept going. A tiger Therian in feral form leaped out from behind a mound of debris, and Dex intercepted, putting himself between the Therian and his dad. He slammed his head forward, cracking his helmet against the tiger’s skull. His visor splintered, and the Therian dropped to the ground, out cold. They turned to go and found themselves surrounded by roaring and snarling Felids.

  Dex stepped in front of his dad, his rifle ready. There was no way he could take down this many before he and Tony were swarmed. A lion Therian took a step forward and roared, and something inside Dex shattered. His throat closed up, he heard a painful snap, and he let loose the scream that traveled up f
rom somewhere deep in his gut. Except it wasn’t a scream. It was a roar. A jaguar Therian roar.

  The Felids around them freaked, ears flat as their gazes darted to one another. Before Dex could take a step forward, whatever the fuck he’d just done, did the job, and every THIRDS agent in feral form appeared, fangs bared and claws unsheathed, and started tearing the shit out of the Makhai.

  Dex grabbed Tony, who was staring at him, stunned.

  “We gotta move.”

  “Did you just roar?”

  “Not the time, Dad.” Dex had no idea what he’d done. It sounded like a roar, but—holy fuck, did he just roar? He shook himself out of it, and they ran for the exit. Dex kicked at the fence, it opened, and he hurried Tony out onto the sidewalk.

  “Sloane, I got the Sarge!”

  “They’re retreating,” Sloane replied, breathless. “See you at the rendezvous.”

  “Copy that.” Dex ran down New Street and took a left on Lock. They jumped over the campus community fence and ducked into the shadows against one of the buildings. They collapsed onto the grass to catch their breath. Dex pulled off his helmet and let it drop on the grass. He tapped his earpiece. “Sloane, what’s your status?”

  “The Makhai have called off the attack. They’re bailing. Anyone left who’s got a pulse is being hauled off to hospitals, and from there to a much prettier prison than this place. Sent word to Sparks the moment you got the Sarge out. She’s on her way back to HQ. The Chairman got dick.”

  “He’s not gonna be happy about that,” Dex said, letting his head fall back against the wall. He reached out to put his hand on Tony’s shoulder, needing to reassure himself his dad was safe.

  “Like I give a fuck,” Sloane growled, then shouted at someone. “Grab that fucker, will you? I don’t know where the hell he thinks he’s going. You okay?” Sloane asked Dex, his tone softening.

  “Yeah. Ready to head home.” Dex swallowed hard. “Everyone else?”

  “A little worse for wear. Some bullet wounds, minor injuries, but everyone’s present and accounted for. We’re heading to the BearCat now. See you in a minute.”

  “See you.”

  Dex turned to face Tony, who was smiling warmly at him.

  “What?”

  “I knew my boys would find me.”

  Dex opened his mouth to reply but instead grabbed his dad in a crushing hug. He shut his eyes tight, the last of his adrenaline leaving his body. As hard as he tried to keep the tears at bay, he couldn’t. The relief that flooded through him was overwhelming.

  “I love you too, kiddo.” Tony kissed the top of his head, and Dex pulled himself together.

  “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “I know,” Tony replied. “The whole time I was there, all I could think about was my boys.” His jaw muscles worked as he shook his head. They heard the rumble of the BearCat as it got near, and Dex pushed himself to his feet. As they headed for the street, Tony cast him a sideways glance. “So, we gonna talk about the fact you roared like a jaguar Therian?”

  Dex shook his head. “Nope. You got bigger things to worry about.”

  Tony arched an eyebrow as the BearCat pulled up to the curb, and Cael was the first to jump out the back.

  “He knows about you and Sparks.”

  Tony stilled. “Fuck. I wanted him to find out from me.”

  “Yeah, well, he found out when the Chairman called to threaten your girlfriend. I say you got until tomorrow before he brings it up.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” Tony said quietly. “We’re taking things slow. It’s not easy for either of us.”

  Before Dex could ask, Tony climbed over the fence, and Dex did the same. Actually, in Dex’s case, it was more like crawled. He was suddenly feeling exhausted, which was odd. Yeah, he’d pushed himself, but he wasn’t injured or anything. His muscles strained, and his body felt sluggish. He was also starving. Like he hadn’t eaten in days. What the hell was wrong with him? Sloane ran over and helped him down. He didn’t say a word, just wrapped Dex up in his strong arms and rubbed his cheek against Dex’s temple.

  “You’re okay,” Sloane murmured.

  Dex nodded, clutching on to Sloane’s arms. Cael hugged the life out of their dad, the rest of the team soon joining in. Dex closed his eyes and laid his head under Sloane’s chin, a rumbled sigh coming up through his chest. Dex and Sloane pulled back at the exact same moment, their wide eyes meeting. Dex’s jaw dropped.

  “Did you just…?”

  Dex shook his head fervently. “Ixnay on the purringbay,” Dex ground out through his teeth.

  “You did,” Sloane said, stunned. “Holy fucking shit, babe. You just purred like a Felid.” Everyone’s head whipped around to stare at Dex. Sloane cringed. “I said that kind of loud, didn’t I?”

  Dex gaped at him. Oh my God. He was going to strangle that sexy beautiful neck. Sloane had not just outed him. With a glower, he poked Sloane in the vest, announcing loudly, “Well, now that makes two of us.”

  Ash let out a bark of laughter, and Sloane groaned. “Why would you do me like that?”

  “Because if I’m going to suffer, so are you, darling, precious, love of my life. You and your sexy mouth let the jaguar Therian out of the bag.”

  “Wait,” Ash said, walking over, motioning between Dex and Sloane. “You two can purr in Human form?”

  “Human form is my only form,” Dex replied with a sniff, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Which purrs like a jaguar Therian?” Ash turned to Sloane. “You purr in Human form?”

  Sloane let out a long-suffering sigh. “Just get it out of your system, Keeler.”

  Ash did not get it out of his system. He laughed his ass off on the way back to the BearCat. He laughed all the way to the drive-thru where Dex ordered Therian-sized everything and polished it off in minutes. He immediately felt better afterward. Like his energy had been restored by the meaty-carby goodness. Ash was still laughing.

  “Jesus, Ash, you making up for the whole of your freakin’ life?” Dex asked, shaking his head in disbelief. Every time he thought Ash was going to shut it, he started laughing again. His face was red, he was crying. He was actually shedding fucking tears. Dex let his head fall into his hands with a groan. He was never going to hear the end of it. Never.

  BACK AT HQ, they tried to get Tony to go to the hospital or at least have Hudson look him over, but Tony was stubborn as hell. While they’d all put their weapons and armor back in their respective armories, Tony had showered quickly and changed into a clean pair of jeans and black long-sleeved henley. Then in Unit Alpha, he personally thanked every agent who had gone out there to bring him home. Those who were injured, he called. Tony had spent hours in the hands of murderers who’d planned to kill him, and instead of going home, he was here at HQ. This was where he wanted to be. Though Dex noticed that Tony made sure to stay close to Dex and Cael. Every so often, he would reach out and squeeze their shoulders, put an arm around to pull them in for a brief hug, or he just stood with his arm against theirs, as if seeking their comfort.

  When Tony was done speaking to the other agents, he headed for Sparks’s office, and Destructive Delta followed. He stepped foot through the door, and Sparks stood, her gaze darting to Dex before moving back to Tony. She waited, and Dex could tell it was killing her. Usually Sparks was unreadable, her expression guarded. A skill she’d mastered to perfection. But as Tony rounded the desk, a crack appeared in her armor.

  Tony stopped in front of her. “I’m sorry.”

  The crack fractured and splintered. His soft words struck something inside Sparks, and she launched herself into his arms. Although they were the same height because of her heels, she looked small in his beefy arms. He turned his face into her red waves and murmured something Dex couldn’t hear despite his Therian hearing. Tony kissed her temple, and Sparks nodded. She cleared her throat and pulled away, straightening her formfitting suit jacket. With a smile, she turned to address Destructive Delta.
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  “It’s probably no surprise that expressing emotion is not something that comes easy to me. In my position and experience, becoming emotionally involved with anyone, forming any kind of attachment, means putting myself and those I may come to care about at risk. Over the years, it’s been difficult to keep myself distanced from all of you, and although I still believe that there’s a great risk involved in letting people in, I will say that I’ve learned a great deal from Destructive Delta.” She swallowed hard and took a seat behind her desk. “I learned the true meaning of family. I also learned that your emotions don’t make you weaker, but stronger. Thank you for all you’ve done.” She smiled warmly at them. “I am exceptionally proud of you. All of you.” She faltered, her eyes getting glassy before she quickly looked away, and it was gone. “You should all get some rest before the celebrating begins.” She smiled at Dex. “You have a wedding rehearsal to prepare for.”

  “What about the Chairman?” Sloane asked. “Someone obviously put in the order for the Makhai to fall back.”

  “Intel informs me that the Chairman is in the wind. It’s possible he’s going to try and leave the country to regroup. We’re monitoring all aircrafts. I’ll let you know as soon as I know more. In the meantime, remain alert.”

  Everyone turned to go, but Tony spoke up. “Dex, Cael, could you stay?”

  Sloane put his arm to Dex’s elbow and leaned in. “I’m going to hit the showers. I’ll wait for you in the locker room.”

  Dex nodded. The door closed, and it was just the four of them. Cael crossed his arms over his chest, the stubborn set of his jaw telling Dex this was not going to be fun.

  “I’m not talking about this,” Cael said, eyes narrowed.

  “Cael,” Tony said with a soft sigh. “I’m sorry things came to light the way they did. That’s not how I wanted you to find out.”

  “That’s the problem, Dad. You kept this from me.” He frowned at Dex. “You both did.” He turned back to Tony. “Were you even going to tell me?”

  “Of course I was.” Tony took a seat on the edge of Sparks’s desk. “I was trying to find the right moment.”

  “There is no right moment,” Cael replied heatedly. “I mean, really, Dad? Her? Out of everyone you could have picked to get into bed with, you pick her?”

  Tony’s expression hardened. “Mind your manners, son. I taught you better than that.”

  Cael pressed his lips together in a thin line, his fists at his sides before he replied. “Yes, sir.”

  “My relationship is my business, just like your relationship with Ash is yours, and Dex’s relationship with Sloane is his. We’re all adults who know how to handle ourselves.”

  “Really? Because when you found out about Ash and Sloane, you showed up at Dekatria with Old Betsy.”

  Sparks’s eyes went comically wide, and Dex had to put a fist to his mouth to keep from laughing. Shit. Cael totally called their dad on that one.

  Tony blinked at Cael before rubbing his chin. “I did, didn’t I?”

  “Yes,” Cael replied, crossing his arms over his chest again. “Because you thought they were messing with your boys.” Cael shot a look at Sparks. “So, tell me, Dad. How is this situation different?”

  “The difference is, no matter how worried I was, I love those boys. I watched them grow from uncertain youths to fierce grown men. I may not have trusted them with your hearts, but I trusted them with your lives. Whereas you two never failed to let me know how much you disliked and distrusted Sonya. Yes, I should have told you both sooner, and this is on me, but you didn’t exactly make it easy for me. I love you boys. The last thing I ever wanted to do was let you down, and I felt like somehow by developing feelings for Sonya, I had.”

  Dex glanced over at Sparks, who was looking off to the side at nothing, lost in her own thoughts. It was obvious she knew, and for the first time, Dex felt bad for her. She knew Tony felt like he was letting his sons down by being with her, and she still stuck by his side? Dex frowned at his dad. “That last part was, uh, kinda harsh, Dad.”

  Tony arched an eyebrow at him. “I know, but I was honest from the beginning.”

  Dex turned to Sparks. “And you just accepted that?”

  Sparks lifted her gaze, her expression unreadable again. She was hiding from him. “Why wouldn’t I? I never gave either of you a reason to feel any different toward me. You and Cael are your father’s whole world. Of course he would feel that way. Whatever you may believe, I never intended for this to happen. We both fought it for a long time.”

  Dex turned his attention back to his dad. “You’ve never let us down.”

  “I must have at some point. I mean, why else would you two not confide in me? When did I start needing to be coddled and protected?”

  It struck Dex then just how bad they’d shaken their dad’s confidence. “You’re right. We should have confided in you from the beginning. We told Sparks as much when she called us out on our bullshit.”

  Tony’s brows shot up. “She did?” He turned to her. “You did?”

  She nodded but remained quiet.

  “She was right. How long have we been going behind your back, getting caught up in all kinds of shit, and keeping it from you? We thought we were protecting you, but this whole thing has proven that no matter what we do, we live in a world with no guarantees. We’re family. Of course we’re going to worry, but we need to trust in one another, and that means trusting in the decisions we all make.”

  Dex turned to Cael, who was scowling at him. “So, does that mean we’re telling the truth about everything?” Cael narrowed his eyes, and Dex knew exactly what his brother was talking about. Tony might know about Sparks being TIN, but there was no way he knew about Dex being left to get tortured by Wolf, or they’d be having a completely different type of conversation. From the corner of his eye, Dex saw Sparks tense, a barely audible gasp escaping her. There was something there. Something Dex couldn’t quite put his finger on. Dex met his brother’s gaze. Cael’s big gray eyes waited expectantly.

  “It means we need to trust one another. It also means we need to trust that the decisions we’re making are the right ones for the right reasons.” With that, he walked over to his dad and hugged him. When he pulled back, he swallowed past