Dex looked to Sloane. “Tell me you’re not thinking the same thing.”

  Everyone turned their attention to their Team Leader. If Sloane believed it, so would the rest of them. They all waited, hoping Sloane could offer them something to argue Sparks’s innocence.

  “Fuck.” Sloane leaned his elbows on his knees and ran his fingers through his hair.

  “What if it is the drug, Sloane?” Rosa said. “Are we just going to hand it over to God knows who? It’ll disappear.”

  “And what do you propose we do?” Ash griped. “No wonder she didn’t call Maddock in on this. He would have fucking blown his shit.”

  “We could take it back to HQ,” Dex pitched in.

  Sloane shook his head. “If Sparks is involved, she could easily get to it. She has high-level security clearance. She’ll be able to get into areas we can’t.”

  “We could hide it.”

  Ash scoffed at Dex. “Where are we going to hide an illegal unsanctioned mind-control drug, genius?”

  “Fuck you, Simba,” Dex snapped. “At least I’m making suggestions.”

  “Stupid suggestions. Justice.”

  Sloane sat back and put a hand out. “All right, that’s enough. Just let me think for a second.”

  “Aren’t there contingency plans for this sort of thing?” Dex asked Sloane, though his glare was still pinned on Ash, who couldn’t resist having a dig at Dex.

  These two were going to drive them all nuts. How did they always get themselves into these situations? They needed a real vacation, one as far away from New York City as possible.

  “You mean for the ‘your lieutenant is involved in a conspiracy, please drop off all illegal substances at point B’ situation?”

  Dex appeared unimpressed. “And here I thought your sleeping with my brother might actually make you less of an asshole.”

  “Dex!” Cael gasped, unable to believe his brother blurted that out in front of everyone. He wished he could crawl under a rock. His brother must love the taste of boot, because he was always sticking his foot in his mouth. For crying out loud!

  Rosa thrust a finger at Ash. “I knew it! Pendejo. You said nothing was going on between you two.”

  “Well, I lied,” Ash replied sweetly. “Cael and I are dating, okay? You and your girlfriend will have to find a way to get over the loss.”

  “Screw you,” Rosa huffed, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Sorry, that position’s ocupado.”

  Cael groaned before Sloane finally lost his shit. “Will you all just shut the fuck up?”

  The entire truck went silent.

  “We have an extremely grave situation on our hands and little time in which to resolve it, and you’re fucking bitching about who’s dating who? Unless you have a solution, I don’t want to hear a peep out of any of you. Un-fucking-believable.”

  The speakers on the surveillance console turned on with a beep, and Cael frowned. “What the hell?” He hadn’t turned anything on.

  “Destructive Delta, come in!”

  “Austen?” How the hell did he patch himself into the console, and why wasn’t he calling them through their earpieces? The urgency in Austen’s tone had Cael’s instincts on high alert. Something was going on.

  “Brace for impact!”

  “Harness!” Sloane shouted. No one questioned Sloane’s orders. They all strapped into their harnesses within seconds. “Austen, what’s going on?”

  “Hijack! I repeat, you’re about to get—”

  Cael’s head shot up in time to see the headlights of a colossal Mack truck speeding right for them before it hit.

  The world fell into silence.

  His body jerked fiercely, a sharp pain jolting through his neck and limbs. There was a burst of noise and chaos before nothingness consumed him.

  EVERYTHING HURT.

  Cael groaned at the pounding in his head. He blinked a few times and forced his eyes open after a great deal of effort, his vision blurred. Rubbing his eyes, he tried again. Around him he heard groans, and someone sucked in a sharp breath. What happened? Carefully, he pushed himself to his feet, the floor clanking beneath him. What the hell? He dropped his gaze, frowning at the weapons cage beneath his boots. Hadn’t he been strapped into his chair? Something brushed the top of his head, and he looked up, a choked gasp escaping him. Rosa hung from the ceiling unconscious, a thin line of blood trailing down the side of her face. No, wait. It wasn’t the ceiling. The BearCat was on its side. It all came back to him. They’d been rammed.

  Cael took in the damage around him. Oh God, his team. Rosa was unconscious. Letty was groaning and coming around, a nasty bruise on her forehead. Ash was cutting through his harness, and Dex was—Where the hell was his brother?

  “Sloane, wake up!”

  Cael turned, his eyes widening at Dex on his knees next to Sloane, who was out and on the floor, his torn straps hanging from the truck’s wall. The impact had been enough to dislodge the bench’s backrest and Sloane’s harness. Cael carefully climbed off the cage and went to Sloane’s side. He felt for a pulse, hanging his head in relief when he felt the steady beat. “He’s just out. His pulse is steady.”

  The sound of machine-gun fire erupted outside, and Ash handed the armored case to Cael. “Hold this for me. Dex, help me get the girls down.”

  Dex removed the tactical knife from his thigh rig and helped Ash cut Rosa and Letty out of their harnesses. Outside a small explosion rocked the truck, and everyone stilled.

  “Shit. We’re under attack.” Dex tried to look out one of the ballistic windows now above them, but he had no luck. All they could see was sky and smoke.

  “Shit. Everyone, move your asses,” Ash ordered, hurrying to free the girls. Together he and Dex lowered them to the floor, Letty now fully awake and trying to get Rosa to come around. Sloane groaned, and Dex went to his side, helping him sit up.

  “What the hell?”

  “We were rammed,” Dex said, looking up past Cael and cursing under his breath.

  They all followed his gaze, finding Hobbs standing there, his eyes glassy as he held Calvin limp in his arms, a small trickle of blood coming out of Calvin’s ear. Oh no. No. Cael went to Calvin’s side and felt for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

  “He needs a hospital,” Cael said, turning toward his team when he heard Seb’s voice coming in through their earpieces.

  “Destructive Delta, come in!”

  A chorus of gunfire resounded around them, and Ash entered his security code into the weapons cage, removed tranq rifles, and passed them out. He tapped his earpiece. “Seb! What the fuck is going on out there?”

  “It’s a hijacking. We’re under heavy fire. I make roughly forty armed hostiles. My team and I are coming to get you out of there. Taylor’s backing us up. Wait for my signal. You can’t stay in there. They’re coming for the package.”

  “Shit.” Sloane stood and grabbed his helmet off the floor, securing it on his head before picking up an MP5 machine gun from the weapons cage and one of the ballistic shields from the floor. “Everyone gear up. We gotta get to a secure location.” He turned to Hobbs, who was worriedly looking down at Calvin in his arms. In the distance, they heard sirens.

  “Hobbs, give Calvin to Rosa and Letty. We need you.”

  Hobbs looked uncertain, his troubled gaze going down to Calvin in his arms. Letty stepped to him and put her hand to his arm.

  “We’ll take care of him. Rosa’s going to look him over, okay?”

  Hobbs nodded and laid Calvin gently on the floor, leaving him to Rosa and Letty, who quickly checked him over. Rosa went to work administering first aid, telling Letty they needed to get Calvin to an ambulance.

  Ash turned to Cael, his expression determined and scaring the hell out of Cael. He knew what was coming, and he didn’t want to hear it.

  “Whatever the hell is going on, it’s all about this.” He pointed to the case before putting his gloved hand to Cael’s cheek. “No matter what happens, you get this case out of here. You hear me? You get it out and somewhere secure.”

  Cael shook his head. “I can’t leave you.”

  “You have to. Whatever’s in there is important enough for them to kill for. We can’t let them have it.” He slid his hand down behind Cael’s neck. “We’ll get through this.”

  He kissed Cael briefly but passionately before pulling back. With a wink, he picked up a helmet and handed it to Cael, who secured it on his head as Dex did the same. They all geared up, with Dex, Cael, and the girls the only ones not picking up shields.

  “All right,” Sloane came in over their earpieces. “Dex, you and Cael get that to a secure location, and once you do, you call the sarge. Letty, Rosa, you take Calvin and the three of you get somewhere safe. Get him to an ambulance. The three of us will help Seb and the others cover you. Got it?”

  Dex readied his rifle. He took hold of Sloane’s chin, pulled him down, and kissed him. “You be safe.”

  With a nod, Sloane hit the com button on his vest. “Seb, we’re ready. We’ve got one man down and need to get him to an ambulance. Dex and Cael have the package. We’ll cover them so they can get the hell out of here.”

  “Copy that.”

  “Here we go!”

  Sloane opened the back doors, and everyone rushed out of the truck. It was like they’d entered a war zone. There was smoke and debris everywhere, bullets flying, and flash bangs going off. There were masked men and Therians shooting at THIRDS agents from behind parked cars and the Mack truck that had been used to ram the BearCat.

  Sloane, Ash, and Hobbs used their shields to form a protective barrier around their five smaller members, deflecting fire and shooting as they all quickly worked in unison to get behind the truck for cover. Seb and three other members of his team hurried over, shields in hand.

  “I’ve tried calling dispatch, and no one is answering. What the fuck is going on?”

  “I don’t know,” Sloane replied, firing at the hijackers. Cael couldn’t see past his teammates’ shields. The circle grew bigger, with Seb and the other agents joining. Horns honked, people screamed, and Ash broke formation.

  “Take cover!”

  Cael managed to get a glimpse of a tactical vehicle heading their way before Ash grabbed him around the waist and hoisted him off his feet. With the case in one hand, Cael snatched his Glock from his thigh rig and shot at the asshole aiming at Ash, hitting him in the vest twice and knocking the guy off his feet. Cael and Dex were pushed together behind a parked car as the arriving tactical vehicle that had been looking to run them over came skidding to halt, armed men emerging from its back doors, one of them about Ash’s height with a mask on his face.

  “Hand over the case!”

  His voice sounded familiar, but he was using some kind of scrambler or enhancer.

  Sloane tapped his com. “Rosa, Letty, where are you?”

  “Taylor got us to an ambulance. We’re leaving Calvin and—”

  “No,” Sloane ordered. “You stick with him. Find out what the hell is going on with dispatch, and get us some backup.”

  “We can’t leave you guys out there.”

  “That’s an order, Santiago!”

  “Copy that.”

  “Where’s Hobbs?” Sloane said, looking around. He tapped his com. “Hobbs? What’s your twenty?”

  “Take him!”

  Cael edged toward the end of the car, looking over Sloane’s shoulder in time to see Hobbs taking down three armed men as he protected his brother, who lay unconscious at his feet.

  Seb!

  Hobbs’s shield was on the ground out of his reach, but he didn’t let that stop him from raising hell and protecting Seb. He let out a fierce roar as the Human gunmen approached with rifles in hand. One launched at Hobbs, and Hobbs lifted the guy off his feet. He flung him at two of the other armed men. Around them, Seb’s team was trying to get to them, but they were being kept busy by the rest of the hijackers, along with Taylor’s team, who was clearing the area of the panicking and screaming citizens.

  “Fucking tranq him!” the large masked Therian shouted while someone took aim.

  Cael opened his mouth to warn Hobbs when a gloved hand clamped over it. Ash kept him quiet, and they watched in horror as a dart hit Hobbs in the leg, another in the arm. Hobbs crumpled to the ground beside his brother. Whatever they were using, it wasn’t standard issue. Cael had never seen a tiger Therian go down that quickly.

  Oh God. Hobbs.

  Cael moved Ash’s hand away from his mouth, his voice hoarse. “We can’t let them take him!”

  “We’re outnumbered,” Sloane said, grabbing a magazine from his vest and reloading his rifle. “We need to keep that case safe.”

  It took seven Humans to move an unconscious Hobbs. They left Seb behind. Why would they take Hobbs and leave Seb? Ash interrupted his thoughts and turned to him.

  “You and Dex need to make a run for it. We’ll cover you.”

  Cael had no time to respond. Ash grabbed hold of his vest and hauled him to his feet along with Dex. He released them, snatched his shield up, and along with Sloane came out from behind the car. Ash roared and charged the group of men heading for them. He and Sloane worked together, covering each other’s backs and using their shields to slam into the Human hijackers. The men went flying. Cael had never seen anything like it. The hijackers doubled in number, and Cael gasped when Ash was shot in the leg with a tranq.

  “Ash!”

  “Run!” Ash shouted, dropping onto one knee. Sloane backed up against him, helping him up with one arm when Sloane’s shield clattered to the ground. A tranq hit Sloane’s arm. Another hit Ash in the same spot, then in the other leg. He crumpled to the asphalt with Sloane landing on top of him.

  The large Therian walked toward them. “Take them!”

  “No.” Cael shook his head when Dex grabbed Cael’s vest and pulled.

  “We have to go!”

  Cael and Dex sped down Ninth Avenue and into the commercial building site on the corner of Ninth and West Thirty-First Street. Their boots kicked up dirt and splashed through mud puddles as they dodged the bullets whizzing around them. They sprinted in between containers, through massive tubes, and jumped over cinder blocks. Shots rang out all around them, but they couldn’t stop. Cael led the way, knowing Dex could follow the reflecting letters of his name on the back of his vest. The Therians would be able to see him regardless of the letters, and hopefully the Human gunmen would knock themselves out against something, the assholes.

  Cael knew exactly where they were, and he thanked the city’s never-ending construction for the first time in his life. He knew where they could hide, rest for a while until they could get a hold of someone to come get them. But first they had to lose these bastards.

  “Dex! Leapfrog!” Cael called out behind him, holding out the case at his side and slowing enough for Dex to overtake him. Dex snatched the case and ran, skidding when he came to the chain-link fence at the end and getting on his hands and knees. Cael picked up speed, leaped on his brother’s back and his tac vest, snagged a hold of the fencing, and climbed. They’d done this hundreds of times as kids in the park. Cael landed on the other side, catching the case that Dex tossed over before he climbed the fence. Dex was as adept at climbing as any Therian. He’d spent his childhood getting into mischief by climbing whatever he could reach.

  They took off, the hijackers forced to climb or break through the fence, giving them enough of a lead. Cael ran across Tenth Avenue into the 10 Hudson Yards office tower currently under construction. It was a maze of steel girders, cranes, equipment, coverings, tubes, mixers, wiring, and shrouded with enough floors, rooms, and darkness for them to hide in. They ducked through some scaffolding, and Cael clipped the case to his tac vest before he started to climb, Dex close behind. They climbed up the scaffolding and into the building, careful to avoid falling into any unfinished areas. Cael could hear the shouts of the men down below as they tried to find their way. Cael took Dex’s hand so they could venture farther into the darkness, where the Human hijackers would have trouble chasing them even with their flashlights. They climbed up and up, until Cael heard nothing but the faint sounds of the city. When they finally thought it was safe, he bent over to catch his breath, his heart pounding fiercely. It was dark all around them, save for the rays of moonlight shining through the small gaps in the plastic coverings.

  Dex gasped a lungful of air as he paced. “Fuck.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Fuck.”

  Cael didn’t have to ask Dex what he was thinking. His brother was worried about Sloane, same as Cael was worried about Ash. “Why do you think they took them?” Cael asked.

  “I don’t know, but that wasn’t by accident,” Dex said, taking a seat on a cinder block to catch his breath. “They purposefully shot at them, and that one guy, he shouted at his men to take them. They were under orders to take them.” He leaned his elbows on his knees, his head falling into his hands. “This is so fucked.”

  Cael couldn’t agree more. Normally the whole of their organization would have been out there by now making it rain fire and brimstone, getting everyone to safety. The hijackers would have been down and out. Even if dispatch was incommunicado, there was no way they wouldn’t have heard of a damn hijacking in the middle of the city involving tactical vehicles and a Mack truck.

  Something stirred in the shadows, and Cael removed his Glock and aimed at the figure heading toward them.

  “THIRDS! Hands up or I’ll shoot!”

  “Easy there, pal.” Austen emerged, his hands held up in front of him.

  “Austen?” Dex stood, his fists at his sides. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  Austen kept his distance, his hands still held up. “I’m here to take that off your hands.”

  He nodded toward the case, and Dex put himself between Austen and Cael. Cael swiftly unclipped the case from his vest and held on tight.