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“Damn. You’re no fun,” Dex grumbled, ignoring Sloane’s chuckling.
“Work’s not supposed to be fun. It’s work.”
Dex let out a snort. “Tell that to Ash, who gets a kick out o
f scaring the shit out of little old ladies.”
“That only happened once. And if I recall, you laughed your ass off for hours afterward. You were still laughing days later.”
Dex couldn’t stop from laughing now. They’d been called out to a building over in Hell’s Kitchen on another wild goose chase for Lloyd Everton. They’d breached the apartment building when a little old lady came out of her apartment and ran right into Ash. The poor granny nearly had a heart attack. When she recovered, she started attacking Ash with her huge purse, smacking him upside the head several times. “That was the funniest shit I have ever seen. I think I actually wet myself, I was laughing so hard.”
“TMI, Daley, TMI.”
They were both snickering about the incident when Cael and Rosa came running into their office.
“We’ve got a location on Lloyd Everton, the real Everton,” Cael exclaimed, going to Dex’s desk and pulling up street maps.
Sloane and Dex answered simultaneously. “Where?”
Rosa chuckled at them before motioning down to the digital map zoomed in on Dex’s desk, her smile quickly fading. “Greenpoint.”
“Shit.” Sloane ran a hand through his hair as he paced the area next to Dex’s desk. “I hate Greenpoint. It’s a goddamn tactical nightmare.”
“That bad?” Dex noticed everyone’s concerned expression.
Rosa gave a solemn nod. “Every THIRDS team that’s ever gone in has had to fight their way out. The last time we went in, it didn’t go so well.”
“Sounds like fun,” Dex replied dryly.
Sloane grabbed Dex by the arm, pulled him out of his chair and to one side, his voice a low growl. “We’re going into a warzone with an undisclosed number of threats for a suspect who may or may not be our guy. I’ve got enough to worry about without you running off, getting yourself wounded or killed. This is your first Threat Level Red assignment. You damn well better survive it.”
“I got it, man. Don’t get dead. Believe me, I want it less than you do.”
“Let’s go.” Sloane tapped his earpiece. “Destructive Delta, gear up. We’re heading out.”
They all rushed from the office, Ash and Letty coming in from the right to fall in behind them, while Calvin and Hobbs fell in line from the left. By now, Dex had picked up on the formation and everyone’s position in the team line-up. There was a reason behind everything the THIRDS did, even something as simple as heading to the armory.
Wherever they went, it was the same. Sloane was always at the head of the line with Dex close behind since he was Sloane’s partner and backup. They were responsible for directing the team. Behind Dex were Letty and Ash—the weapons expert and close-quarter combat expert. The four of them made up the first line of defense, protecting their Recon agents, Cael and Rosa. If somehow some bastard got past the first four agents, behind Cael and Rosa were Calvin and Hobbs—their sniper and demolitions expert. If all else failed, there was his dad who took up the rear. Eventually Dex would be trained to fill in for Sloane should his partner be incapacitated or separated from the team. The thought scared the ever-living fuck out of Dex.
Geared up with an arsenal of weapons both lethal and nonlethal, they packed into the BearCat and headed for Greenpoint. The ride over was filled with tension, and no one uttered a word, not even Dex. He was fully aware he was a smartass, but even he knew when to shut his mouth. The large flat screen over the console showed their location as they drove. Hobbs took the I-495 east toward the Pulaski Bridge, and Tony tapped his earpiece. “Hobbs, park on the corner of Franklin and Cayler. We’re going in from behind.”
Minutes later, the BearCat rumbled to a stop, and Hobbs and Calvin joined them.
Tony motioned toward the console. “Cael, bring up the map.”
Cael did as instructed, and Tony leaned over him to trace a rectangle on the screen. He tapped the center and everything within the rectangle went red. “That’s our radius. Between Greenpoint Avenue and Oak Street, and Manhattan Avenue to the East River. Intel says it’s where Everton will be hiding.”
“How do we know he’s going to stick to that zone?” Dex watched as his dad tapped the surrounding areas. Small screens popped up with scrolling information.
“Anything north of Greenpoint Avenue and west of the bridge is Canidae territory. South of Meserole Avenue and west of McGuinness Boulevard until Nassau, is Bear Therian Country. Any areas not in those two territories are where you’ll usually find the Felids. This here,” he said, tapping the rectangle once more, “is the only area that’s neutral. Intel informs us Everton’s Therian form is a jaguar, which means you’re our main guy on this, Sloane. Ash, you’re going in as backup. Cael, you scout ahead of them. Calvin, Dex, Hobbs, Letty, and Rosa, you’re on reconnaissance down West Street and everything up to the river. Sloane, Ash, and Cael, everything east of West Street. I want Everton conscious. I’ll man the truck, and if you need backup, shout. All right, let’s get going.”
The team acknowledged their orders and quickly went about preparing. Dex stood to one side, checking Sloane’s PSTC kit when he caught Ash’s quiet growl at Tony. “You’re sending him out there to scout?”
Tony didn’t bother to look up from his tablet as he spoke. “You seem to be more concerned about Cael than your new teammate.”
“Hey, he signed up for Defense. If he can’t hack it, he shouldn’t be here. Cael is Recon. Plus this is Greenpoint, not Central Park.”
“Cael can handle himself.”
