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“I need you to train him.”
Ash jabbed the bag with his right. “He’s already trained.”
“Yeah, but he was put through Recon’s training. Anything beyond that is because Sloane’s insisted on it. Even then it’s not the same training you, Sloane, and Hobbs go through.”
“Yeah, because we’re Therian Defense agents.” They were the muscle behind Defense. It was their job to take the brunt of the physical danger for their partners. Their Human partners did what they could to neutralize a threat, but as past experiences had proved, that’s easier said than done. It was a Therian Defense agent’s job to go up against feral Therians and keep their partners from getting mauled.
“Hogan proved assholes like him don’t give a shit what kind of agent you are.”
Ash straightened and turned back to Dex. “So this is because of what happened with Hogan?”
Dex’s pale blue eyes flashed with anger. “You bet your ass. Hogan kidnapped Cael. What if we hadn’t gotten there in time?” he spat out, and Ash understood Dex’s frustration, not to mention fear. They’d had one hell of a close call.
“Hey, relax. He’s okay now.” It seemed like he’d been saying that to Dex a lot lately, which was disturbing. Dex was always annoyingly cheerful.
“And the next time? Please, just do this. Not for me but for him.”
Ash thought it over. He wouldn’t admit it, but Dex was right. Cael wasn’t trained the way Defense was. The Recon department had a training program for its agents. They weren’t trained to take down lethal Therians because that wasn’t their job. Although Rosa and Cael tended to accompany Destructive Delta’s Defense agents more often than not, they did so in a medical and technical capacity. Their main objective was investigating and collecting intel. Maybe it was time for Recon’s training program to evolve. The world had become a far more dangerous place than it had been when Ash first joined.
“Okay, but what am I supposed to tell him? You know he’ll just walk away if he thinks it’s because he’s weak, which he isn’t.” He could see Cael’s reaction now. It was not going to be pretty. Maybe still adorable, because even pissed off Cael looked endearing to him, but Cael would still get mad as hell.
“First of all, don’t tell him it was my idea, because then he’ll get defensive for sure. If it’s coming from you, he’ll listen. You care about him, right?”
Ash gave him an uninspired look. “That’s a stupid question.”
“Right. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but tell him. That’s all the reason he’ll need.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
Ash studied Dex. Was it just him, or was Dex coming to him for help on a regular basis? A few months ago, Ash was pretty sure Dex wouldn’t have been caught dead asking Ash for help. If he did, it was usually begrudgingly and because he had no choice. And he’d make sure to let Ash know it. Now he didn’t seem to think twice about it.
“You’re okay with me and Sloane?”
“Only because for some reason beyond my understanding you make him happy,” Ash muttered, removing the wraps from his right hand.
Dex grinned broadly.
“Yeah, all right. I get it. Now fuck off back to your boyfriend. He’s already called me twice today asking where you are. Tell him I’m not your goddamn chaperone.”
“You can tell me that yourself.” Sloane approached them with a wide smile. There had been a time when Ash thought he’d never see his best friend smile again. Now he was doing it all the time. Ash shook his head in shame at Sloane.
“Seriously, man? You can’t be five minutes without being on your boy’s ass?”
“What can I say? It’s a mighty fine ass.” Sloane winked at Dex, whose cheeks went pink.
Ash let out a sound of disgust before turning back to his punching bag and waving them away. “You two make me sick. Fuck off, both of you. I got shit to do.”
The two of them laughed as they walked off, and Ash discreetly watched them go. He held back a smile at the playful way Sloane shoved Dex away from him, laughing at something his partner said. They were good together, those two. Without Dex, Sloane would be far too serious. Like Ash, Sloane was always in danger of losing himself to his dark thoughts. They needed to keep themselves busy, distracted or their heads would go to places no sane person would want to
live in.
Cael’s sweet smile came into his thoughts, and Ash found himself smiling. Even when he wasn’t around, Cael managed to save Ash from himself. He finished removing his wraps and shoved them into his duffel bag. He left it on the floor by the punching bag, knowing no one would dare move it. It had his name on it.
He pulled on his socks and sneakers and headed down the hall, not bothering to do more than wipe the sweat off his face with a towel he’d grabbed on the way out of the boxing bay. He walked into the gym and toward the back where he knew Cael, Rosa, and Letty would be using the exercise bikes.
On the way there, he spotted Calvin running on the treadmill, no Hobbs in sight. With a frown, Ash made a detour, stopping beside Calvin, who removed his headphones when he saw Ash approaching.
“Where’s your shadow?” Ash asked, looking around the gym. It wasn’t like Hobbs not to be where Calvin was, and he hadn’t seen much of him since they’d reported back to work.
