Smoke and Mirrors Part 13

Chapter 6.

DEX'S RETURN to work had been met with cheers, hugs, and pats on the back. A few of their Therian teammates stood a little closer to Dex than Sloane thought was necessary, but his presence was enough of a reminder of who Dex was mated to. No one at work would challenge him. They were good agents, and the majority of them Sloane had known for years. The only one Sloane watched carefully was Taylor. The way he moved around Dex, the intensity in his eyes, had Sloane on high alert. Taylor had never been one to deny himself what he wanted.

The rumors of the supposed ambush had spread through the department like wildfire, and Sloane prepared himself. As c.o.c.ky as his partner was, he would never take credit for something he hadn't done. As Sloane suspected, Dex was less than thrilled by the story Sparks had concocted, especially the part concerning the heroics that had resulted in Dex saving several Therian citizens at the cost of personal injury. Dex confronted Sparks in her office with Sloane silently tagging along in case his partner went off on her. It was difficult to predict Dex's behavior these days, even for Sloane.

The office went into privacy mode, and Dex thrust a finger at Sparks. "No. I am not taking credit for this. I refuse." He threw a hand up. "I mean, come on. Laying it on a little thick, don't you think?"

Sparks simply sat back in her chair, her gaze unwavering. "Had such an incident occurred, I have no doubt the outcome would have remained the same."

"But it didn't occur," Dex hissed.

"It's nothing you haven't done countless times since joining the THIRDS, Dex. How many lives have you helped save? How many criminals brought to justice? The only difference is that you're being commended for it now."

Dex let out a heavy sigh. "I don't have a choice, do I? Fine." He headed for the door, then paused. His expression was hard as he faced Sparks. "Oh, and if you really want to earn our trust, how about not injecting me with s.h.i.+t to make me forget."

Sparks looked to Sloane and back. "Very well."

With that, they left the office. Had Sparks actually believed Sloane wouldn't tell Dex what happened to him? That she'd had him injected with something so he wouldn't remember his seizure. Dex had been p.i.s.sed. Was still p.i.s.sed.

Sloane had been hoping for a quiet day, but just their luck, mere hours after starting their s.h.i.+ft, Destructive Delta was called out on a Therian domestic disturbance. Unlike Human domestic disturbances where an HPF officer or two were called out to investigate, a Therian one required a tactical team. There was no telling if the disturbance would escalate into a feral Therian. It wasn't uncommon. By the time the team arrived on scene, one or more of the parties could have s.h.i.+fted, and in most cases, at least one did.

Hobbs drove the BearCat through the city, sirens blaring, lights flas.h.i.+ng as they sped through heavy traffic. If it had been anyone else driving the gigantic tactical vehicle at these speeds through the busy streets of New York City, Sloane would have been saying a prayer so that they would arrive in one piece, but no one knew these streets or this truck like Hobbs. Sloane was starting to believe Dex was right, that Hobbs had been a NASCAR driver in a former life.

Dex sat on the bench beside Sloane in the BearCat, suited up in full tactical gear just like the rest of the team. It was good to have him back. Sloane had missed seeing his smiling face across from him in their office. So much that he had spent very little time in his office, preferring not to face Dex's empty desk.

"So what have we got?" Sloane asked Maddock. It was time he got his head back in the game.

"Neighbors called in, hearing roars and screams coming from next door. It's a quiet neighborhood, no record of disturbances from this residence. House belongs to a Mr. Dylan Reynolds, a tiger Therian, and his Human wife, Alicia Reynolds. Newlyweds. Neither has any priors or any history of violence. According to the neighbor who called it in, they were very much in love and seemed happy."

"Until the honeymoon ends and the claws come out," Ash said, readying his tranq rifle.

They arrived on scene within minutes, and the team hurried out of the truck, with Calvin staying behind to help Hobbs change into his Therian form. With Reynolds being a tiger Therian, they'd need to match his strength. The rest of them would use their tranq rifles.

Sloane quickly surveyed the area before turning to the rest of his team. "Cael, Rosa, secure the street. I don't want anyone coming through here in case Dylan is in his Therian form. Sarge is in the truck running surveillance. Dex, Ash, Letty, you're with me. We're going in."

Calvin and Hobbs joined them, with Hobbs coming to sit at Sloane's feet. Sloane rubbed the back of his ears, receiving an appreciative chuff in response.

"All right, buddy. You know what to do."

Hobbs hissed and padded toward the house with the rest of them close behind. He stopped by the front door, and Sloane held a fist up. He moved aside and signaled for Ash to approach. Placing the barrel of the breaching gun to the door's lock, he pulled the trigger.

"Go, go, go!" Sloane ordered into his com, rus.h.i.+ng into the house with his team on his heels. They fanned out, tranq guns at the ready as they surveyed the living room. Hobbs sniffed the air and took off. Sloane followed with Dex close behind, followed by Calvin, Letty, and Ash bringing up the rear. Hobbs led them through the house, stopping just outside the kitchen, his tail twitching.

Sloane held a fist up to bring his team to a halt. There was blood on the floor. He patted his side, and Hobbs was immediately beside him. Sloane signaled for them to slowly advance, and together they moved into the kitchen, following Hobbs and the trail of blood through to the dining room. Hobbs sniffed the air and huffed. Dylan Reynolds was in the next room. Giving the signal for his team to get ready, Sloane raised his tranq gun and followed Hobbs into the room.

There were no orders to get on the ground, no warnings or talking. There never was when dealing with a feral Therian standing over the mauled body of what had once been a person. Reynolds roared, the windows rattling. His ears were flattened against his head, his fur covered in blood. His fangs were bared, his claws out.

"Fire!" With the order given, the team fired their tranqs into Reynolds, but it would take time before the tiger Therian would be out, enough time for him to cause some serious damage. No other Felid took as long to go down as tiger Therians. Reynolds roared, and Sloane knew what was coming next.

"Formation!"

Sloane braced himself, and Ash was quickly at his side, raising his s.h.i.+eld along with Sloane. Slowly they retreated, drawing Reynolds out of the dining room and away from the body. In the living room, Reynolds hissed, a strangled sound soon following. He leaped forward, and Hobbs met him halfway, hissing and spitting, swiping his giant paws at Reynolds, sharp claws catching fur. The two tiger Therians lifted onto their back paws as they batted at each other, roars echoing through the house, the sound deafening. All Hobbs had to do was keep Reynolds busy until the tranqs knocked him out, and within five minutes, Reynolds was swaying on his paws. Seconds later he was on his side, a low groan escaping him. His breathing steadied, and then he was out.

Sloane crouched down in front of Hobbs and scratched him under his chin before ruffling his fur. "Good job, buddy. Go ahead and head back to the truck with your partner."

Hobbs chuffed and trotted off with Calvin close behind. Sloane tapped his earpiece.

"Sarge, area's secure. We have Reynolds."

"Good work. Hudson and Nina are going in."

"Copy that." Sloane turned to his team. "Let's secure Reynolds in the truck. Letty, bring the stretcher."

Letty nodded and ran off. It took Sloane, Ash, and Dex to lift an unconscious Reynolds onto the Therian-sized stretcher. Letty stayed behind securing the crime scene while Sloane, Ash, and Dex carried Reynolds out to the BearCat and secured him in the cage. Hobbs was already in his Human form, sitting on the bench and receiving PSTC from his partner. When Sloane turned, Hudson and Nina were approaching.

"Hey, guys. Ready?"

The two medical examiners nodded, and Hudson walked beside Sloane.

"How bad is it?"

"From what I could see, really bad." Sloane shook his head sadly as he led them back into the house. He looked over his shoulder at Ash and motioned to the door. His best friend knew the drill. Ash took position in front of the front door after Sloane, Hudson, Nina, and Dex went in. No one was getting past Ash without the right credentials. These days the press would climb over you to get footage or pictures of the crime scene. The last thing they needed was another media frenzy. Cases with Human-Therian couples always brought out the bigots and zealots. Any excuse to condemn the couple or spout hate in an attempt to justify why the two should have never been together in the first place. Mrs. Reynolds deserved better than that. Whatever Dylan Reynolds's reason for performing such a heinous act, the fact one was a Human and the other a Therian played no part in it.

Sloane showed Hudson and Nina to the body, or what was left of it. While they performed their preliminary a.s.sessment, Sloane joined Dex in the living room, where his partner was standing in front of the fireplace. Dex stood staring down at the framed photo in his gloved hand. It was a wedding photo of Dylan Reynolds and his blus.h.i.+ng bride. They were embracing and laughing.

"They look so happy," Dex said quietly. "I don't get it. I mean, I get it. I've been a cop long enough to have heard it all, but a part of me still doesn't understand." He returned the picture to the mantle and motioned to the dozens of other captured moments displayed with pride. "Look at them. They clearly loved each other. He loved her. You can see it in his eyes. How could he tear her to shreds like that?"

Dex turned to Sloane, his visor up, making it so Sloane could see Dex's pale blue eyes and the pain in them. They grew gla.s.sy, and Sloane put a hand to Dex's shoulder. It wasn't like Dex to get emotional at a crime scene.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I, uh...." Dex blinked the tears from his eyes and laughed. "Don't know what the h.e.l.l's gotten into me."

"It's okay. Not exactly a great first day back on the job. Why don't you head back to the truck?"

Dex looked like he wanted to protest, but looking around the house, he nodded instead.

"Thanks."

Sloane watched him walk off. Usually Dex was cheerful, cracking jokes, teasing Ash, bugging his brother. He never got emotional unless it was anger. There had been times Dex was furious when faced with injustice, but emotional like this? Never. There were occasions where a case had hit them hard, and one or more of their teammates had shed tears, but it was never out in the field. Everyone lost their s.h.i.+t back at HQ, in private, surrounded by their brethren. They all had their way of dealing with death, of coping with the unspeakable things they came across while on the job. Sloane walked to the front door and spoke quietly to Ash.

"Hey, can you keep an eye on Dex?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, of course. Everything okay?"

"I don't know. I'm worried about him. He's not been himself since you know what."

"Sure. No problem."

"Thanks, man."

Sloane gave him a pat on the chest before heading back inside. Hudson called him from the dining room, and Sloane approached.

"What have you got?"

"Obviously we'll have to return the body to the lab for further a.n.a.lysis and confirmation, but the victim is most certainly female, early thirties. The tears and bite marks are consistent with that of a tiger Therian. We've found tiger fur, along with foreign fibers, on the victim. We'll need blood samples from Mr. Reynolds and to run a DNA comparison against what we find on Mrs. Reynolds. I'll let you know as soon as we get a hit."

"Thanks, Hudson."

Sloane thanked Nina as he walked by, greeting the CSAs and Recon agents who'd arrived to process the crime scene and begin the investigation. Two Recon agents took over for Ash, and he and his best friend headed back to the BearCat. It was time to return to HQ and get some answers from Dylan Reynolds.

While Reynolds was processed, examined, and administered PSTC, Sloane got to work on the case file. He used his security clearance to create a new case file on Themis, adding his notes and descriptions of the incident, along with digital maps of the area, including location of the incident. Across from him, Dex sat at his desk, a deep frown on his face as he typed away at his report. At one point he stopped typing, but he was still staring down at his desk.

"Okay." Sloane stood and walked over to the door. He placed his palm against the security panel and entered his security clearance, setting the room to privacy mode. Dex didn't even notice. With a sigh, he took his chair and moved it over to Dex. He sat down, grabbed his partner's chair, and wheeled him over to face him. Dex blinked at him. It was only then that he noticed the room was in privacy mode.

"What's going on?" Dex asked, his head c.o.c.ked to one side as he studied Sloane.

"Babe, I need you to talk to me."

"About what?"

Sloane's brows shot up. Really? Was Dex that oblivious to what was happening, or was he purposefully trying to avoid talking about it? Leaning forward, Sloane took Dex's hands in his.

"We need to talk about what's going on with you. Have you even thought about seeing Dr. Winters?" As expected, that earned him a frown.

"I don't need to talk to a shrink. If I need to talk about my feelings, I'll just talk to you."

"And you know I'll always be right here to listen, except you're not talking to me, sweetheart. You're doing everything but talking."

"What is there to talk about?" Dex shrugged. He pulled his hands out of Sloane's and rubbed at his thighs, his gaze off across the room.

"Dex, you were tortured. You've been having seizures. You found out your parents were murdered. What do you mean 'what is there to talk about?' Lots, baby. There's lots to talk about."

Dex slowly turned his gaze back to Sloane, his eyes narrowed. "Did you just call me baby?"

"I did."

"It's weird. Makes me think of Dirty Dancing."

"Of course it does." Sloane held back a smile. "What would you like me to call you, then?"

"Batman."

"Not going to happen."

"It was worth a try." Dex's smile faded. He swallowed hard. "I've had a few nightmares. Sometimes it's a replay of exactly what happened. The worst ones are when it changes. When it's not me in that chair, but you, or Cael, and I'm helpless to stop it."

Sloane wheeled himself closer to Dex. He took Dex's hands in his again but didn't speak, simply offered his strength.

Dex dropped his gaze to their hands, his brows drawn together. "I've been trying to process it. Not what Wolf wanted, but what he did... to me. And I don't just mean the torture, I mean the uncertainty. The fear. I hate jumping at shadows or noise. Hate that I find myself looking over my shoulder. He messed with my head, and I hate it so much." With jaw set, he lifted his chin, and Sloane's heart squeezed at the determination in those pale blue eyes. "But f.u.c.k it if I'm going to let him win. It's going to be hard, but I'm working through it. I'll get through it like I've gotten through all the other messed-up situations I've found myself in since I became a cop. I won't let it get the better of me. f.u.c.k Wolf. If I ever see him again, he's getting kicked in the nads."

Sloane couldn't help his chuckle. Now that sounded like his Dex.

"The seizures, they're scaring the s.h.i.+t out of me. I won't lie about that. But I think Austen's right. I think I need to play this out."

Sloane rubbed his hands over his face and got to his feet. "That's insane, Dex. Who knows what's causing them, and you refuse to seek medical attention?" Sloane knelt down beside Dex, hoping he'd listen to reason. "You need to see a doctor. Don't you want to know what's causing them?"

"Of course I do, but we need to figure out a way to do that without me going to the hospital. My gut tells me it would be a bad idea."

"No, Austen said it would be a bad idea, and last time I checked, neither you nor him are doctors."

"There's a reason he said it. I might not trust TIN, but I trust Austen not to lie to you. Not about something like this. He might be a lot of things, but he would never betray you."

Dex was right about that. They didn't know a whole lot about what Austen did working for TIN, but Sloane had watched the kid grow up. Austen wouldn't deceive him.

This conversation was far from over, but Sloane knew when it was time to move on. For now. He returned to his chair and took Dex's hand again. "Okay, what about your parents?"

Dex frowned. "I don't think I want to talk about that."

"Hey, look at me." Sloane opened his stance so he could pull Dex's chair closer to him. He reached out and cupped Dex's face. They'd reached the source of his partner's true pain. It wasn't just Wolf; it wasn't whatever was happening inside Dex. It was about his parents.

"I know it's stupid. They died when I was five. I mourned their death. I moved on. And it's not even finding out they were killed. Deep down, I knew that. I knew something wasn't right. Kids pick up on a lot of things, more than adults realize. Yet despite all that, I told myself they were ordinary people leading ordinary lives who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Dex's eyes grew gla.s.sy. He pushed away from Sloane and stood, pacing the office.

"What are you afraid of?" Sloane asked gently.

Dex worried his bottom lip with his teeth. His brows furrowed, and he rubbed at his eyes. He turned to face Sloane, and Sloane could see how hard he was fighting his emotions.

"What if they weren't the people I thought they were? My dad was my hero. My mom, she was...." A tear rolled down his cheek, and he quickly brushed it aside. "What if everything I remember about them is a lie? What if it was all bulls.h.i.+t?"

"Dex...."

"I've been thinking a lot about this. About TIN, Shultzon, my joining the THIRDS when I did. Don't you think it's all a little suspect?"

Sloane stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"It's like everything I've done has led me here to this moment, to these exact events. I can't explain it, but I feel like there's something bigger going on. My first case with the THIRDS concerned Pearce, who happened to lead us to Shultzon, who ran the First Gen Research Facility where you grew up, and for some reason Shultzon deemed my parents enough of a threat to have them killed. My mom had some kind of file that no one seems to know anything about. What if everything is somehow connected?"

"What if it is?" Sloane asked, standing. He walked over to Dex and pulled him close. "That's not going to mean your parents loved you any less. From what I've heard about them from you, from Maddock, they adored you, Dex. Whatever happened to them, whatever the reason behind their deaths, you were their son, and they loved you."

Dex closed his eyes and nodded, allowing Sloane to pull him into his arms. Sloane held him, offering comfort. Family was important to Dex. It was the one thing he felt the strongest about. His family meant everything to him. It drove him.