Smoke & Mirrors

by Charlie Cochet

  “We have a bigger problem.”

  Un-fucking-believable. “Bigger than having someone come into our home, drugging us, kidnapping Dex and torturing him?”

  “Yes. I know who took Dex.”

  Sloane balled his hands into fists at his sides, the word spoken through gritted teeth. “Who?”

  “Dex said it was a wolf Therian who called himself Mr. Wolf, but that’s just one of many aliases. He’s a freelance professional. One of the best.”

  “He’s obviously not that good if Dex got away from him,” Ash muttered.

  Sloane turned his head to stare at Ash. His friend frowned at him.

  “Hey, I’m glad Dex got free. I’m just saying, if a Human can get away from him, then he can’t be that good.”

  “Hence my concern,” Sparks offered. “No one gets away from Wolf. No one. Especially not a Human. He’s also not one to play with his quarry. He liked Dex. Which I find equally as interesting as Dex escaping. Wolf doesn’t get personal. He’s cold, detached, does what he’s contracted to do.”

  Sloane didn’t even know where to start with how much everything she’d said disturbed him. “You think maybe he let Dex go?”

  Sparks shook her head. “Apparently Wolf was as surprised as Dex when he broke free.”

  Sparks went pensive, like she wasn’t sure how much to divulge. Funny, considering she was about as loose with information as Ash was with compliments. Just as Sloane was about to growl at her to get on with it, she met his gaze.

  “Sloane, Dex was restrained with Therian-strength zip ties. He shouldn’t have been able to break through them.”

  Sloane frowned. “I’m sure there’s an explanation.” Humans, no matter how strong, couldn’t break through Therian-strength zip ties. There were tricks they could use to snap Human ones, but not Therian ones. Someone like Zach or Ash could snap through a Therian zip tie if they really wanted to, but even then not without a significant amount of effort and skill. But a Human? Not possible. Something went wrong there. “Maybe Wolf made a mistake?”

  “It’s unlikely. He doesn’t make mistakes. Either way, we’ve run several in-depth tests on Dex. I’ll know more soon.”

  Tests? What kind of tests? He was about to ask, but Sparks cut him off. She wasn’t about to reveal more on that. Damn it, and here he thought the THIRDS was a pain in the ass when it came to divulging information. Then again, at least the THIRDS didn’t deny their existence.

  “Now on to problem number two. Dex knows his parents were murdered and who ordered the hit.”

  Sloane stared at her. “Wolf told him?” He let out a groan at her arched eyebrow. “Shit. You told him?” Fan-fucking-tastic. “You know Dex is going to want to question Shultzon.” This just got better and better. Sparks didn’t appear fazed.

  “So be it.”

  “You’re going to let Dex see Shultzon?” Ash shook his head in disbelief. “Do you really expect him to keep his cool? You should have seen him when we went to talk to him about Sloane. I thought he was going to plant one in Shultzon’s face. He was pissed. And not hissy fit pissed, fucking scary pissed. I’d never seen him like that.”

  Sparks didn’t appear concerned. “We’re more than capable of containing the situation, Ash. Precautions will be taken, and Dex will be notified when we’re ready for him. Perhaps Dex can get some new answers out of Shultzon.”

  “I don’t like this,” Ash said, bringing Cael in closer against him. “If you think you can control Dex, you’re out of your damn mind.”

  “That’s why Sloane will be there when Dex is brought in to interrogate Shultzon.”

  Like Sloane would have stayed behind regardless. Sparks had to know that. He wasn’t about to let Dex out of his sight, especially around TIN or Shultzon.

  “What do you want from us anyway?” Ash asked.

  “In time.”

  Ash let out an exasperated sigh. “In time, what? Why all the training?”

  Sparks gave him a pointed look. “Dex would have been killed without it. Wolf is exceptionally skilled. Not only was Dex able to hold his own against him, but he escaped.” She moved her gaze to Sloane. “You should be proud of him.”

  “I am proud of him, regardless,” Sloane snapped. “That won’t change the fact you’ve dragged us into this mess.” Of course Sloane was proud of Dex. He was no longer the rookie he’d once been. He was skilled, resourceful, lethal, and unwavering, but most importantly, Dex had accomplished so much at the THIRDS without losing himself. No matter what he suffered, what he went through, how much he evolved as an agent, he never stopped being the warm, kindhearted, playful man Sloane had fallen in love with. Dex could roundhouse kick a threat one minute and be singing one of his big-hair-band songs and playing air guitar the next. He still enjoyed annoying the hell out of Ash, lived to tease and coddle his little brother, and drove his dad crazy. Sloane hoped the man never changed.

  “You and Dex were always going to end up here, with or without me,” Sparks replied offhandedly, sending Sloane’s hackles up.

  “Christ. Why can’t you just give us a straight answer?”

  “It’s the way it has to be. Information is only useful when it’s relevant.”

  Fuck it. There was no point in arguing. He’d dealt with enough bureaucratic bullshit in his life to know when he wasn’t going to get anywhere. Sparks would offer intel when she was good and ready.

  “He’s asleep now and most likely won’t wake up for a few hours, but you can go in.” She turned back to Cael and Ash. “You can stay here or return to your homes. We’ll have operatives safeguarding you.”

  “I’m not leaving without my brother,” Cael replied firmly.

  “It will be hours before he wakes up and another day before he’s released. He’ll be on recovery for another week at the very least. You should go home and rest. I’ve already taken care of things with Sergeant Maddock.”

  Cael cocked his head, his eyes narrowed. “Meaning you lied to him.”

  “This is TIN business.”

  Cael let out a laugh. “Are you kidding me? Not anymore it isn’t. The second my dad sees Dex, he’s going to demand answers, and if he doesn’t get them, he’ll go looking for them. When he finds out about Dex’s parents…? Gina and John were like family to him. He won’t let this go.”

  “Maddock is being handled. The rest of you are to use the cover story I’ve provided. Now, are you staying or leaving? Your brother and Sloane will be escorted home after Dex is released.”

  Cael turned to Sloane, his big gray eyes filled with worry. “Will you have him call me as soon as he’s home and settled?”

  “You can go in and stay with him,” Sloane proposed. As much as Sloane craved to be at Dex’s side, Cael was his brother, his family. When all was said and done, Cael and Tony had the last word on any legal matters pertaining to Dex.

  Sloane trusted them with his life, with Dex’s life, but the thought that ultimately Sloane had very little say where the law was concerned didn’t sit well with him. He’d already had it happen with Gabe, and it had crushed him. Isaac had taken everything, leaving only Sloane’s memories of Gabe, and the bastard would have taken those too if he could.

  Cael and Tony would never be as vindictive as Isaac, but the thought of having Dex stripped from his life in any way was unimaginable. His eyes landed on Cael, who was clearly struggling to keep hold of his emotions.

  A shaky smile came onto Cael’s boyish face. “He needs you. Not that he doesn’t need me, but you know. I need time to get myself together after…. He was so….” Cael pressed his lips together, tears welling in his eyes. “There was so much blood.”

  Sloane drew Cael into his arms and held him tight, doing his best to soothe. Cael buried his head against Sloane’s chest, clutching at Sloane’s arms.

  “It’ll be okay. He’s safe now. I swear I’ll take care of him.”

  Cael pulled back, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Thanks.”

  Sloane gave him a nod befo
re turning to Ash, who spoke quietly. “You need anything, you just call. Whoever’s behind this, we’ll find them.”

  “Thanks.” Sloane gave Ash a brief hug, enough to convey how very grateful he was to have Ash at his back.

  Sloane left them to Sparks, who had a few more words of warning for them. He left the room, escorted by the operative who’d spoken to him earlier, and followed him through a set of swinging doors into a long corridor. Sloane hated hospitals, but this was worse, like some kind of underground bunker, though he had no idea whether they were underground or not. At least hospitals had art on the walls and plants, painted murals, anything to help brighten the place up and make it look less like somewhere people were hurt and in pain.

  Here the walls were bare concrete, as was the floor. Every few feet there was a steel door, some with small windows and some without. He might not know where he was, but he recognized a covert medical facility when he saw one. How many injured or recovering operatives were behind these doors?

  The Tin Men in expensive suits coming and going looked out of place, but not the armed guards patrolling the halls or the ones posted at doors. Sloane was led to a door guarded by two lion Therians holding machine guns.

  Inside the small room were half a dozen Therians standing around, murmuring quietly to each other.

  “Do you mind?” Sloane growled at them. He was growing tired of seeing all the suits.

  They exchanged glances before a cougar Therian operative turned and tapped her earpiece, speaking quietly. Seconds later she motioned for everyone to leave the room. As soon as they’d gone and the door closed, Sloane walked over to Dex’s bedside.

  When he’d found Dex in the woods up in Yonkers, Sloane had seen the cuts and bruises, but he hadn’t really seen. There had been so much blood. Sloane’s biggest concern at the time had been getting Dex medical attention. Now seeing what they’d done to him….

  Sloane’s inner Felid was enraged, hissing and spitting, eager to lash out with his razor-sharp claws and fangs at whomever put their hands on his beautiful mate. It was a growing struggle. Sloane had never been the jealous sort, but with Dex it was different. Like his feral side knew far before he did that Dex was something special, something to be cherished and guarded at all costs.

  So little had changed right after he’d marked Dex, Sloane had wondered what everyone was so damned scared about, but a few weeks later, he understood. Sloane was changing inside. Their bond was changing him, and it was terrifying because he didn’t know how or when those changes might show themselves. All he could do was hope for the best. During one particular date night out with Dex, Ash, and Cael, a couple of jaguar Therians had picked up on Dex’s scent and decided they wanted in on the action. If it hadn’t been for Ash intervening, taking Sloane down, and convincing those guys to get the hell out of the bar, who knew what Sloane would have done? At the time there had only been rage, a blazing fury at the audacity of someone trying to take what was his. The memory still haunted him.

  Sloane pulled a chair up to Dex’s bedside and sat. They’d cleaned him up, making the bruises, cuts, scrapes, and bandaged wounds more prominent against his tanned skin. There was a white bandage across the bridge of his nose, one on his brow, and one on his swollen cheek. His lip was split, and his mouth was faintly stained with blood.

  Sloane gently reached to take Dex’s hand when he noticed the bandages around Dex’s fingers. All his fingers on the left and two on the right. Jesus, what had they done to him? He could only be grateful Dex had escaped when he did. Who knew what else that son of a bitch Wolf would have done? Tenderly, Sloane took hold of Dex’s left wrist, softly stroking his skin, mindful of the angry bruises left by the zip tie. It would be some time before Dex woke up. Fatigue was creeping in on Sloane, but sleep was out of the question. Not until he was in their bed with Dex in his arms. To think he’d only moved in with Dex a few weeks ago. At first he thought it would take him time to settle in, to get used to the strange domesticity that was sure to follow. Sloane had never had that. He’d never had someone ask him to take the laundry basket upstairs or take the trash out.

  Sloane had been both excited and scared at the notion of living with Dex. Excited because every morning he woke up next to Dex, and every night he fell asleep with Dex in his arms. The time in between was spent getting to know more about the man who’d captured his heart. Every day he learned something new about his partner. The tiniest detail fascinated Sloane. Like how Dex enjoyed avocado in his food but not on its own. How he color coordinated his closet, with his clothes arranged by type. T-shirts together, dress clothes, casual wear, sweaters. Dex had several aprons, stating he could hardly cook with the same one he used to clean the bathroom, and he couldn’t use the bathroom one to clean the living room because that was just gross. Besides, wearing his Vader apron to clean made the task far more entertaining. Sloane would have to agree. Dex was also a neat freak. Sloane chuckled at the thought of Dex’s sock drawer. While Sloane’s consisted of subdued hues, Dex’s sock drawer looked like a rainbow exploded in it. There were socks in every color imaginable, in various tones, with all kinds of crazy patterns and cartoons. Who else owned bacon-patterned socks? It was a trait he shared with Cael.

  That was something else Sloane was growing accustomed to. Family.

  With Dex came Cael and Tony Maddock. The three were always in each other’s hair. Cael would come over, which usually resulted in him borrowing something of Dex’s. The two were always “borrowing” from each other, conveniently forgetting to mention it. Normally Dex would find out when he was looking for something and couldn’t find it. Chances were his little brother had pilfered it.

  Sloane was fascinated by the brothers’ relationship. They roughhoused like kids. One minute they were arguing, yelling like they were trying to bring down the house, and the next they were hugging and joking as if nothing had happened. The two never stayed mad at each other longer than a few minutes. It also seemed like their life mission was to drive their poor father crazy. Of course, Maddock always got his revenge. Always. The man was scary. One of these days, Sloane would have to ask for some tips, because whenever Cael and Dex were together, Sloane didn’t stand a chance. Between Dex’s charm and Cael’s big puppy eyes, there was no winning, and the two knew it, the little bastards.

  Sloane was growing more comfortable around Cael. He was starting to see him as family and not just a friend or teammate. Maddock was another matter. Sloane was struggling to see the man as his boyfriend’s dad and not their sergeant. Maddock had asked Sloane to call him Tony off the clock, but Sloane was still having trouble with that one.

  Family life was new, but thinking about it warmed Sloane’s heart. It wasn’t as scary as he’d thought, but that was down to Dex. Despite the uncertainty that came with marking his partner, there were also moments of pure bliss. They were in sync like never before, so much so that at times Sloane wondered if they were sharing the same thoughts. While on the job, there were times Sloane just had to look at Dex, and Dex sprang to action as if he knew what Sloane had been thinking. They argued less and sought each other out like never before. They’d always been physical, with Sloane needing to touch some part of Dex if he were standing close, but now he needed Dex at his side. If Dex couldn’t be with him, Sloane would make sure he could see him at all times. His feral half was aware of any touch that wasn’t Dex’s, and he was especially aware if someone else touched Dex. Sloane would have to make sure his scent was the last to be left on Dex. It was all so new.

  Sloane sat with Dex, offering what comfort he could through his touch and his voice. He found himself quietly singing Journey’s “Faithfully.” It seemed like a lifetime ago that Dex stood on stage at Dekatria playfully dedicating the song to Sloane, his pale blue eyes landing on Sloane during certain parts. They’d been fooling around at the time, and Sloane would never have guessed how much Dex would come to mean to him.

  Dex dazedly opened his eyes, one of them red from the popped blood ve
ssels. The pale blue Sloane loved so much was frightful against all the red.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Sloane reached over to brush Dex’s hair away from his brow.

  Dex tried to smile, but it quickly turned into a moan. An involuntary tear rolled down his cheek, and Sloane tenderly brushed it away with his thumb.

  “Hi,” Dex croaked. He coughed and sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Easy there, sweetheart. Want some water?”

  Receiving a nod from Dex, Sloane poured some water into a plastic cup, then held it to Dex’s lips. Dex sipped slowly. When he gave a nod, Sloane returned the cup to the tray. Bringing his chair closer, he leaned in and gently placed his hand to Dex’s head. He had to smile, because if he didn’t….

  “You really need to stop getting yourself kidnapped. I got enough gray hairs.”

  Dex’s smile made little creases at the corners of his eyes. “They look sexy.”

  Sloane chuckled. “That may be, but I’d like to keep them at bay as long as I can.”

  “I’m sorry I scared you.”

  “Scared me? If that whole nine-lives thing were true, I’d have lost at least eight of them when I found you gone.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Dex’s breath hitched as he struggled to keep himself together. Sloane soothed him as best he could.

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Sparks said I was gone two days.”

  Sloane nodded, but he couldn’t bring himself to elaborate. They’d been the longest two days of his life. Fear was as familiar to Sloane as heartache, but with Dex, it was a whole other level of fear. He’d fought to keep his thoughts from being consumed with what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. What would he do without Dex’s smile? Without his rich laughter and boyish antics? Sloane had almost gone feral back at the house. Sparks’s operatives had been right to subdue him.

  “I’m just so happy to see you,” Sloane whispered, his voice faltering. He cleared his throat, telling himself it was okay now. Dex was safe, back in his arms. It could have been worse. So much worse.