Smoke & Mirrors

by Charlie Cochet

  “Nope.”

  Sloane threw his arms up. “Seriously? Why am I the fucking bad guy here?”

  “Because you were the one who walked out, broke his heart, and left him with your mark.” Ash looked up at him. “Taylor’s been sniffing around him, just so you know.”

  Sloane’s fur bristled. Or at least it would have if he’d been in his Therian form. “I didn’t leave him. Dex is still mine.”

  “From where they’re sitting,” Ash said, pointing out at the bull pen, “it doesn’t look that way.” Ash sat back, his expression concerned.

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. It’s weird. It’s like you can smell the hurt on him, Sloane. It reminds me of the night in the club, when his scent changed. Like he’s giving off these pheromones, this need for comfort. Taylor’s not the only one who’s been hovering. Hobbs, Seb, Hudson, hell, even fucking Zach has been up here. He brought Dex Cheesy Doodles.”

  Sloane gaped at him. “Zach came up here from Unit Beta to give Dex cheese snacks?”

  “Yep. I don’t think it’s a sexual thing. Well, maybe for Taylor, but you know he’s been all up in Dex’s ass from day one. Hobbs wouldn’t do that to Cal. It’s like our feral halves know he’s wounded and want to comfort, which is weird because Dex isn’t a Therian, so why would our Therian halves give a fuck? I mean, as Humans we do, because emotions and all that shit, but our feral halves?”

  “Wait…. Our? You said ‘our,’ not ‘their.’”

  Ash cleared his throat and turned back to his desk.

  “You too?” Sloane couldn’t believe it. “You want to comfort him?”

  Ash frowned down at his desk, his face flushed.

  “You already did?” Sloane’s eyebrows shot up. “You comforted him?”

  “Like I said, it’s some pheromone or some shit.”

  “Humans don’t give off pheromones,” Sloane explained through gritted teeth. Again. Frustrated. This wasn’t possible. It was debatable, sure, but not scientifically proven.

  “Well, this one does. So good luck with that.”

  Sloane couldn’t help his curiosity, and a little part of him was enjoying his best friend’s embarrassment. “How did you comfort him?”

  Ash mumbled something, but Sloane couldn’t make it out.

  “What?”

  “I said, I brought him gummy bears, okay? Get the fuck out of my office and sort your shit out. This is all your fault.”

  “My fault? You’re my best friend. Aren’t you supposed to be understanding and shit?”

  “Not when your fucking boyfriend is fucking with my head, looking like a fucking puppy who’s been left out in the cold. It’s not right, Sloane.”

  “So I’m supposed to just, what? Never argue with him? Walk on eggshells around him?”

  “This is different,” Ash said through his teeth. “This isn’t a spat with you sleeping on your own damn couch or an argument where you both stomp your feet and pack up your toys. This is serious shit. You walked out on him, and something’s sending off this thick fog of hurt. I don’t know what the hell is going on with Dex, but you two need to work it out before it catches Sparks’s attention, if it hasn’t already. I know she’s given us a pass, but there’s only so much she can cover up around here, Sloane.”

  Sloane had no idea how he was supposed to fix this, especially since he couldn’t smell whatever the hell Ash did. He could feel the hurt. It was deep in his chest. His arm itched, and his chest was tight, but he didn’t smell anything different. It was all connected to Sloane marking Dex, but why now? And how long would it last? What else could they expect? He hated not knowing. It’s not like there was another marked Human he could ask. Hell, the only other marked person he knew was Hudson, a Therian. As far as he knew, Hudson had never suffered from seizures. He didn’t give off the kind of scent Ash was describing.

  Sloane didn’t know what he was going to say to Dex when he saw him, but they were partners. They’d have to behave like adults and do their job.

  Dex wasn’t in their office. In fact half the morning went by without Dex showing up. He was definitely in. Not that they needed to be behind their desks to work. They could connect to Themis from anywhere in the building on any device, be it their phones or tablets that they carried on them. Dex was probably working from Cael and Rosa’s office, or maybe even Calvin and Hobbs’s.

  Sloane spent the morning going through the Reynolds case. Dylan Reynolds was denied bail and placed on suicide watch. The tests for Alicia Reynolds came back from the hospital, and Sloane quickly accessed the file only to find the results were inconclusive.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” How could that be? There had to be something, a reason for the seizure. Everything came back inconclusive. CBC, lumbar puncture, MRI, EEG, toxicology screening all with the same results? “This is bullshit.” Sparks’s words ran through his head. All the tests TIN had performed on Dex had returned with the same results. Sloane was about to put in a call to Sparks when Calvin walked in.

  “You’re a dick. You know that?”

  “Thanks. I’ll add you to my list of people who think I’m an asshole. Is there something else you wanted, or is that it?”

  Calvin shook his head. He opened the medium-sized book in his hand and tore out a page before walking over to Sloane, his expression dark. Sloane stood. If Calvin wanted to get into it, fine. Calvin searched Sloane’s gaze. What he was looking for, Sloane had no idea. With pursed lips, Calvin shook his head and shoved the piece of paper at Sloane.

  “I know it’s none of my business, but whatever it was, I hope it was worth it.”

  With that Calvin turned and walked off. Sloane shut the door to his office and put the room in privacy mode. Cursing up a storm, he balled the paper up, then chucked it across the room. He paced the office, a white heat of anger spreading through him. None of them understood. Did they think he wanted this? That he didn’t love Dex so much it was fucking tearing him apart? That he couldn’t feel Dex on him? Smell him? Sense him when he was near? Wherever he turned, Dex was with him, whether he was physically there or not. He had every right to feel upset over what he’d learned. Dex wasn’t the only one in pain. Why was he the bad guy here? Because Dex was the one who was marked? Because of these supposed pheromones? Did Dex know what he was doing? What his scent was doing? Sloane doubted it.

  Unable to keep his curiosity at bay any longer, Sloane walked over to pick up the balled-up paper. He took it with him back to his desk and sat down to smooth it out. Tears welled in his eyes as he gazed down at the colored drawing. The striped lighthouse stood tall and strong in the middle of a stormy sea, the ocean waves curling and crashing against it. Its beacon shown bright, just like Dex. On the bottom left, red roses framed it beautifully, along with a curling ribbon with the words I’ll guide you home through the darkest night. Always.

  It was Dex’s tattoo. Or at least the one he’d planned on getting. It suited him, the retro-style design. The kind sailors used to get back in the day, but with a slight modern twist. The whole thing would probably reach to his elbow.

  “Fuck.” Sloane tossed the drawing on his desk. There was a knock on the door, and Sloane quickly wiped at his eyes and stuck the drawing in his desk drawer. He tapped at his desk’s interface, and took the room off privacy mode. “Come in.”

  The door opened and Maddock walked in. Fucking great.

  “What the hell is going on? What did you do to him?”

  “What did I do? I didn’t do anything. I just—something’s changed, and I need to work through it.” Sloane got up. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to talk to Sparks, and maybe Hudson, and have some algorithms set up on Themis.

  “What happened to working through it together?”

  “Look, Sarge, this is different. I can’t help how I feel, knowing what I know.” Sloane was still having trouble wrapping his head around all this. Even if Shultzon was lying, which was likely, the seed had been planted. Sloane let out a
humorless laugh. “That son of a bitch always gets one over on us.”

  “Who?”

  “No one. I need to go.”

  Sloane left the office, heading through the bull pen toward the elevator. Before he reached it, Maddock took hold of his arm and pulled him to one side, his voice a quiet hiss.

  “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me why you’ve broken my son’s heart.”

  “No offense, Sarge, but it’s none of your goddamn business.”

  “Damn it, Sloane.”

  “Sarge, I need to ask you—” Dex came to an abrupt halt when he saw Sloane. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were here.”

  “I was just leaving.”

  “Right.”

  And because his day wasn’t fucked enough, Taylor appeared. He placed a hand to Dex’s lower back, and leaned in. “Hey, you wanna grab some lunch later?”

  “Are you fucking joking?” Sloane ground out through his teeth. “Fuck off, Taylor.”

  Taylor straightened. “Pretty sure I wasn’t talking to you, Brodie.”

  Sloane got in Taylor’s face. They were practically chest to chest. “You’re hitting on my fucking mate in front of me?”

  “From what I hear, you walked away.” Taylor gave his shoulder a shove. “You don’t deserve him. How many chances has he given you? Step aside and let a real Alpha show you how it’s done.”

  The last of Sloane’s resolve snapped, and he pulled back a fist. Maddock and several other Therian agents were all over them, breaking them apart before someone could land a hit. Who the hell did Taylor think he was? That he could just step in and take Sloane’s place?

  “What part of no don’t you fucking understand?” Sloane spat out. “You stay the fuck away from him!”

  “Screw you, Brodie! You miserable fuck!” Taylor shook his head, and sneered. “The infallible Sloane Brodie. Prince among Therians. You think we should all fall at your feet like the peasants we are. Fuck you!”

  “Get him in meeting room C. Now,” Maddock ordered the agents dragging Taylor away. “Stay with him. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He turned to Sloane who jerked his arm free from Maddock’s.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Yeah, you look it,” Maddock growled. “What the hell was that about?”

  Beside them, Dex didn’t say a word. He averted his gaze, and it hurt Sloane to see him looking so tired. His hair was unruly, his beard growing in. Normally Sloane would have thought he looked sexy, but the bags under his eyes, the redness around them, pained Sloane.

  “I know it’s not your fault, Dex, but you have to understand how fucked-up all this is.”

  “Yeah, I understand perfectly. I also understand that instead of letting me in, you’re just going to fucking brood about it.”

  Sloane’s hackles went up. “Well, seeing as how the only person who could explain is fucking dead, there’s not much else I can do, is there?”

  Dex flinched. “Wow, I hadn’t expected that. Thanks, babe. You’re getting really good at knowing where to stick that knife.”

  Fuck. What the hell was the matter with him? “I’m sorry. That was a dick move. This is why I need to go,” Sloane pleaded. “I don’t want to keep hurting you. Whatever you might think, I do love you, Dex.”

  He turned to go when Maddock stopped him again.

  “Who’s dead?”

  “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

  Maddock grabbed them each by an arm and dragged them along with him. “You two are coming with me, and so help me if you even think about walking away from me, I will discipline your asses so fast you won’t know what hit you.” He led them to his office, pushing them in before setting the room to privacy mode. “Neither of you is getting out of this room until someone gives me an answer. Now, who’s dead?”

  Dex turned to Maddock. “There’s been a lot of shit happening that you don’t know about.”

  “I’m listening.” Maddock perched himself on the edge of his desk, his arms folded over his chest. “I’ve been waiting for you to come to me for months.”

  Sloane took a seat on the leather couch against the wall. This was going to take a while. It was obvious Dex didn’t even know where to begin, so he started with Shultzon, telling Maddock all about the Therian control drug, the hijack, Sloane, Ash, and Hobbs getting kidnapped. He told Maddock about the facility, leaving out the part about Sparks being an operative for TIN, referring only to a Therian agency, until finally they got to Dex’s latest kidnapping, torture, and everything Shultzon had said to them. Sloane waited for the blowup, surprised when it never came. Something wasn’t right.

  Maddock stood motionless, his gaze on the carpet. Sloane had never seen him like this. Usually he would have blown a gasket at Dex not having told him what happened to him, and then Sloane wondered if Maddock knew something they didn’t. He stood slowly, his eyes narrowed.

  “You have nothing to say about any of that?”

  Maddock’s expression hardened, his dark eyes daring Sloane to challenge him. “I’m getting there,” Maddock replied, his voice as icy as his gaze. “But I will say this. You watch your tone when you speak about Gina Daley.”

  Sloane confronted Maddock. “She could have stopped them, could have saved me, my parents, Ash, and countless others, but she walked away!”

  “Are you fucking joking, son? That asshole Shultzon has been lying to you from day one, and you’re still believing him?” Maddock shook his head, his hands planted on his hips. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His eyes became glassy, and he gave a sniff before turning to Dex. “I’m sorry. Just know everything I ever did was to protect you and your brother. To give you the lives you deserved.”

  “What’s going on, Dad? You’re kind of freaking me out here.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s about to get worse.” Maddock tapped his earpiece. “Ash, Cael, I need you in my office right now.”

  Sloane waited, giving Maddock the benefit of the doubt. The man had never let him down. He’d always been there for Sloane, and for Ash. Always looking out for them, standing up for them, protecting them. He’d accepted them and taken them in when the world thought they were nothing but a couple of fucked-up Therian youths, damaged and broken. Tony Maddock had been the closest thing to a father he and Ash had since they’d been branded animals.

  There was a knock at the door, and Maddock opened it long enough to let Ash and Cael in before closing it again, the room still in privacy mode.

  “What’s going on?” Ash asked, taking a seat on the couch Sloane had just vacated. Cael joined him, his curious gaze on their sergeant.

  Maddock took a deep breath as he resumed his seat on the edge of his desk, facing them. “Yes, Gina knew. She knew about the kids, about the facility they were planning to open, about Sloane being the first to be taken. She knew Sloane was about to shift after examining him that day his family brought him to the CDC.”

  The room was silent, and Sloane’s heart sank. Maddock addressed Sloane, his anger catching Sloane by surprise.

  “Here’s the part where Shultzon is full of shit. Gina wanted to tell your family, but he wouldn’t let her. Jesus, Sloane. These were very powerful, dangerous people she was dealing with. She knew if she was going to do something, she’d have to do it right, without them getting wind of it, and she’d have to do it quickly. She was determined.

  “Gina didn’t walk away. She and John died trying to save you, Ash, and all the other First Gen children on that list. They wanted their son to grow up knowing there were people out there willing to do what was right. When she saw you, she couldn’t walk away. The night they were killed, Gina wasn’t carrying any file, because she wasn’t passing anything off to anyone. She was going to meet with your parents.”

  Sloane had to sit down before his knees gave out from under him. He sat next to Ash, numb, as Maddock continued.

  “Gina tried to go through the legal channels, and when that didn’t work, she decided to take matters into her own hands
. She copied some list Shultzon had and did God knows what else. I think she’d been doing some reconnaissance far longer than even John knew. She wouldn’t tell me, didn’t want me involved. What I do know is that she was determined to stop them from hurting those kids, and when she met you, she had to do something.”

  “How do you know all this?” Sloane asked.

  “Because I was at the house the day Gina told me what was happening. She and John were going to put a stop to it. While they were at the theater, she called in to check on Dex.” Maddock swallowed hard. “I could tell in her voice that she was scared, and I begged her not to do whatever it was she was going to do. She said she had to tell the Brodie boy’s parents about his shift. Then she was going to blow the whole thing wide open. She told me to kiss Dex good-night for her. That night I lost my best friends, and Dex lost his parents.”

  Sloane couldn’t believe it. He was at a loss for words. She’d tried to meet with his parents? She had tried to save him.

  Cael shook his head, as if attempting to get his thoughts straightened out. “Wait, you knew about Sloane?”

  “And Ash,” Maddock replied, looking from Sloane to Ash and back. “Yes. And believe me, I tried to find you. By then it was too late. You’d both disappeared.”

  “I don’t understand.” Ash stood. “Then you knew who Sloane and I were when we started at the THIRDS?”

  “I was the one who submitted your names to Sparks for recruitment. I asked her to find you.”

  “You acted like we’d never met,” Ash growled.

  Maddock’s gaze never wavered. “We hadn’t. Officially.”

  “How could you look us in the eye and act like you didn’t know?”

  “Guilt. The fact I wasn’t able to help you boys has eaten away at me since the day I found out about you. When I saw your names on the new recruits’ roster, I knew it had to be the same boys Gina talked about. Your classification, your age, the fact your files were sealed, I knew it had to be you. Sparks had found you like I’d hoped she would. I wanted to say something, but you boys had been through so much. I couldn’t change the past, but I could help you have a future. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, but the moment I saw you, I told myself I was going to make up for my failure.”