“So the THIRDS take the fall. Is that it?” Dex let out a snort of disgust.

  “That’s the way the Cheesy Doodle crumbles, Daley. There’s an order to things, and if someone’s gotta take one for the team, it’s gonna be the little guy.”

  “So now what?” Cael could have sworn he heard something.

  “Now, you duck.”

  Neither of them questioned Austen’s casual order. They ducked, an arrow flying over their heads before they heard a scream and a gurgling sound. Standing, they turned to find a Human gunman lying on the floor in a pool of blood with an arrow sticking out of his heart.

  “Guess there was a straggler,” Austen murmured.

  “What the fuck?”

  Dex took Cael’s arm, pulling him close as they both gaped at Sparks as she emerged from the shadows dressed in a formfitting black leather jacket, pants, high-heeled boots, and in her hand, a high-tech bow.

  “Holy shit!” Dex turned to Cael. “Dude, did Sparks just shank that guy with an arrow?” He turned back to Sparks. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “Good job, Austen.”

  Austen gave her a two fingers salute. “Ma’am.”

  “Are you two all right?” Sparks asked, collapsing the bow and clipping it to her thigh rig.

  Cael was having trouble finding his words. His brain had ceased functioning.

  “Yes. Sort of. No.”

  Apparently, so had his brother’s brain.

  “I take it Austen has filled you in?” She motioned for them to follow, and after some hesitation, they did. Cael held the case tight in his hand as they followed Sparks through the barely lit floor.

  “What’s Shultzon going to do with Sloane, Ash, and Hobbs?” Cael asked her.

  “He’s going to use the drug on them. The hijackers are mercenaries for hire. Shultzon ordered them to retrieve specific agents. Selected candidates for the program. They were supposed to have been retrieved at a later date in a far more inconspicuous way, but Shultzon was left with no choice. Considering Shultzon’s history with Sloane and Ash, along with their record at the THIRDS as top agents, I’m not surprised he chose them. He knows them inside and out. Knows what their bodies can take, what they respond to.”

  “But… we have the drug,” Dex said.

  Sparks stopped and turned to them.

  “That’s correct, Agent Daley. And any moment, Shultzon is going to be calling you. He’s going to tell you where to take the drug. If you don’t deliver the drug to the location and follow his instructions, he’s going to put a bullet in your boyfriend’s head.”

  Dex let out a shaky laugh. “With all due respect, Lieutenant, Sloane and I aren’t—”

  “Can it, Agent Daley. I work for Therian Intelligence. You really think I’m not going to know when my agents are in a relationship? I know everything. Whole damn team is sleeping with each other. Rosa and Letty are the only ones not breaking protocol. I mean, there’s a lot of sleeping around going on in Unit Alpha, but you guys take the cake.”

  “When you say everything…” Dex prompted.

  Sparks narrowed her eyes at him. “I mean everything. Your relationship with Sloane, the fact he’s moving in with you, when you decided to play Batman and orchestrated an unsanctioned mission including Sebastian Hobbs and the rest of your team. I know about your naps during assembly, the gummy bears in your desk’s top right-hand drawer, along with the Cheesy Doodles, the Peanut M&M’s, the pretzels, plantain chips, and I seriously hope you listen to Agent Brodie about changing your diet.” She turned and started walking again.

  “Okay, about the unsanctioned mission,” Dex said, catching up to her long-legged strides. “I forced Seb into it. Please, I’ll take whatever disciplinary measures you see fit, but don’t penalize him.”

  “I have no intention of disciplining Agent Sebastian Hobbs. He’s an exceptional team leader with the potential to do great things. Now’s not really the time for this. We’re all going to sit down and have a little chat when this is over. Shultzon is going to call and demand you deliver the drug, or he’s going to kill Sloane.”

  “So what do I say?”

  “You say what your heart is desperate to say. Say ‘Where do you want me to deliver it?’ And then you’re going to take it there.”

  “But it’ll clearly be a trap.”

  “Of course it will be. Shultzon has no intention of handing over your teammates or losing the drug. He plans to use it on them and get them transported. Lucky for us, Shultzon is paranoid, and let’s face it, not all there. He didn’t commit the formula to solid medium in hope of keeping it safe. It’s all in his head. There’s no time for him to recreate the drug, which is why he needs the supply we have.” Sparks stopped beside the construction elevator. She opened the steel door and motioned for them to step inside. They did as asked, and she closed the door behind them. “Agent Maddock, I hope you’re ready for what you’re about to face.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Cael didn’t know what part he had to play in whatever was coming, only that he needed to do everything within his power to get Ash and the rest of their team out of there safely. Whatever Sparks wanted from him, he’d do it.

  “Good, because your ex-boyfriend will be there.”

  Cael’s heart plummeted. “Excuse me?”

  “Don Fuller.” Sparks turned to him, her expression void of any emotion. “He’s the mercenary Shultzon hired to grab your teammates. Why do you think he showed up at Dekatria? He wanted to see what he was up against. I trust you won’t let that impede your performance.”

  Cael felt Dex squeeze his arm reassuringly. Fuller was a mercenary? How… What? Cael was having trouble processing this information.

  “Agent Maddock, Don Fuller was never cut out to be a THIRDS agent, and his connections while in prison allowed him to become a gun for hire. Now before you start blaming yourself for his debut into the world of mercenaries, Don Fuller would have ended up with a gun in his hand one way or another. We have the psych evals to prove it. You, however, are a THIRDS agent, and as a THIRDS agent, it’s your job to bring Therians like Fuller to justice. It’s up to him how he ends up there.” Her steel-blue eyes studied him, her jawline set. “What’s it going to be, Agent Maddock? Are you going to show him the formidable agent you’ve become, or are you going to once again allow him control over you?”

  Cael clenched his jaw. That son of a bitch. Cael could see that bastard’s smug face, reveling in Cael’s heartache and suffering at losing Ash. He knew Fuller. Knew he’d laugh at Cael and tell him how pathetic he was, how he couldn’t save his own boyfriend. How he was weak. Cael felt his anger rising. He met Sparks’s gaze, the words coming from his mouth all but spat out. “I’m going to take him down if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Sparks smiled in approval. “Good. Hold on to your socks, boys. This ride’s about to get a little crazy.”

  ELEVEN

  Where the hell was he?

  Ash groaned and rubbed his face. His arms felt heavy and sluggish. Why was he having trouble remembering?

  “Looks like Sleeping Beauty’s waking up.”

  That voice… Ash’s eyes flew open, and he kicked out, his boots hitting metal bars. He tried to get up, but his body felt heavy, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Throwing a hand out, his fingers touched cold steel.

  “What the fuck?” A familiar terror washed over him. He was in a cage. He scrambled back and forced himself onto shaky legs. His world spun, his vision blurred, and his stomach threatened to empty itself, but he pushed that all back as he thrust his palms hard against the roof. He kicked at the bars, his panic growing. He was in a fucking cage. It was tall enough for him to stand up in, yet he felt like he was suffocating. Oh God, he remembered the last time he’d been in a cage.

  “Hey there.”

  Ash’s head shot up, and he snarled. “Fuller.”

  Fuller motioned to the cage around him. “Bring back any memories?”

  Ash launched himself at the bars, throwing an arm out in the hopes of ripping Fuller to pieces. “I’m going to tear you apart with my bare hands, you motherfucker!”

  Fuller threw his head back and laughed. “Oh shit. You’re a funny guy. I can see why Cael likes you.”

  A lewd smile came onto Fuller’s face, and it made Ash sick to his stomach.

  “When you’ve been reduced to nothing but a circus attraction, jumping through hoops at the command of your new master, I’ll be there to console Cael. Poor thing. He’ll be absolutely devastated, vulnerable, in need of someone with a firm hand.”

  “You touch him, and I’ll fucking kill you!”

  Fuller’s smug grin never left his face. “It’s like looking in a mirror.”

  Ash tried to control his anger, but it was difficult when there was nothing he wanted more than to beat the ever-living shit out of the Therian before him. “Fuck you, asshole. I’m nothing like you.”

  “You keep telling yourself that.”

  “Stop antagonizing him.”

  Ash froze. “Shultzon?”

  Shultzon walked into the room and stopped outside of Ash’s cage out of arm’s reach, a warm smile on his face. “Hello, Ash. Look at you. It’s like when we first met.”

  The back of Ash’s eyes stung, but he quickly blinked the tears away and recovered from the blow. “How could you?”

  “You say that like I’ve betrayed you,” Shultzon said, sounding hurt. “Can’t you see? You boys have been chosen. I’ve been so impressed with how far you’ve come, with everything you’ve achieved, there was no question who I wanted for this project.”

  “Project?” Wait, boys? Ash looked to his left, his gut clenching when he saw Hobbs out cold on the floor of the cage next to him. He turned to his right and shook his head. Sloane. Ash rushed to the end of his cage, his fingers gripping the bars tight. He slid down to his knees and tried to reach through the bars into Sloane’s cage. “Sloane! Come on, buddy, wake up!”

  “Congratulations, son,” Shultzon declared. “You’re about to become the next step in Therian soldier evolution.”

  Ash had no idea what the hell Shultzon was talking about, and he didn’t care. What he did know was that he and his friends were locked up like animals while Shultzon prepared to do God knew what to them. Ash couldn’t let them get away with this. He needed to think of a way out of here. Shultzon went off with Fuller in tow, scrolling through a tablet. While they were busy, Ash checked his pockets, not surprised to find they’d taken everything off him, leaving him in his tac pants, black undershirt, socks, and boots. Wait… He discreetly glanced down. They’d left his belt on. Fuckwits. Ash held back a grin. Now all he had to do was wait for the opportunity to make his move. He took in everything around him. From the large lab filled with equipment similar to the one in the research facility to the same chair Shultzon used to strap him and Sloane to when they were kids.

  Shultzon stopped in front of Hobbs’s cage and frowned. “This isn’t Sebastian Hobbs.”

  Fuller crouched down to study Hobbs. “You said Agent Hobbs. This is Agent Hobbs.”

  “You idiot!” Shultzon fumed. “This is Ethan, the younger Hobbs! I wanted Sebastian, the middle sibling!”

  “How many fucking Hobbses are there? You never said anything about there being more than one. Besides, they’re both tiger Therian Defense agents. What fucking difference does it make?”

  Shultzon looked stricken. “Wait. Is this the Hobbs you had Ward give the medication to?”

  “Like I said, I didn’t know there was more than one fucking Hobbs. What does it matter?”

  Shultzon threw his hands up in frustration, looking like he was about to throttle Fuller. “It matters because the older Hobbs is a stronger specimen. His disabilities are physical and easily controlled. I need soldiers with a strong mind as well as physical strength for Peitharchia7 to achieve optimum performance. This Hobbs is broken,” Shultzon spat out. “Absolutely useless.” He tapped his head. “His disabilities are psychological.”

  That son of a bitch. If Ash got his hands on him, he was going to show him broken.

  “So what do you want me to do with him?” Fuller asked.

  “Just leave him. I’ll figure something out. Bring Sloane Brodie. Put him in the chair. I want him prepped and ready to go the moment they arrive with the drug.”

  What? No. Ash dropped down in front of his bars next to Sloane’s cage and kicked at them with both feet. “Sloane, wake up!” He kicked repeatedly, his boots forcing the bars to vibrate and clatter. “Sloane!”

  Fuller tapped his earpiece and called in three men. They opened Sloane’s cage, grabbed him, and dragged him out.

  “No. No!” Ash threw his arm out between the iron bars, his hand managing to grip the tips of Sloane’s fingers. “Sloane, wake up!”

  “Ash…” Sloane groaned, struggling to rouse himself. The men lifted him and carried him toward the chair.

  “Don’t you fucking touch him!” Ash screamed, slamming himself against the bars. The cage remained unmoved. “I’m going to kill every last one of you sons of bitches!” He had to get to Sloane. He couldn’t fail him. Couldn’t let them take him away.

  “Sloane…”

  The name was barely whispered, but Ash heard it clear as day. He stopped and turned to find Hobbs standing in his cage, his hands gripping the bars tight and his green eyes filled with terror as he watched them carrying Sloane to the chair. Ash turned his attention back to the men who’d finished strapping down Sloane’s wrists and ankles. One guy was about to fasten a strap around Sloane’s head when an alarm shrieked. Ash took a step back, preparing for a fight.

  Shultzon smiled. “Looks like the boys have arrived with the package. Fuller, get your men into position. Retrieve the case. Keep Sparks and her agents busy until I administer the drug. I need to inject Sloane and Ash, get them ready for transport. They’re our priority. Nothing else matters. You’ll receive your payment once we’re successful.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first ten times. Maybe you should’ve been a little more careful,” Fuller grumbled. “Then we wouldn’t have a shitload of TIN operatives trying to castrate us.”

  Shultzon pushed his glasses up his nose. “I hardly expect you to understand. I suspected a traitor in the lab, and until I could discover who it was, I couldn’t take any chances with the formula. I need to put in a call to the man upstairs and make sure the helicopter arrives on time.”

  Fuller headed for the door with Shultzon and the rest of the men in tow. Shultzon paused and pointed a finger at Ash.

  “You behave yourself. Those steel bars are Therian strength. So are the straps secured around Sloane. I’ll be back in a moment.” He shook his head as he joined Fuller. “We’re going to have to sedate him. He’s always been temperamental.”

  The moment they left the room, Ash hurried to the door of his cage. “Sloane,” Ash hissed. He swiftly went about removing his belt. “Sloane!”

  Sloane groaned and moved his head, his eyes blinking open. He looked confused and dazed. When he realized something wasn’t right, he tried to sit up but found himself unable to.

  “Sloane!”

  “Ash?” Sloane pulled against the straps. “What the fuck?” He gritted his teeth and jerked at his restraints. “Ash, what’s going on? Where are we?”

  “We’re in Shultzon’s lab. Motherfucker was behind this shit all along. We need to get the fuck out of here before he comes back. I think the control drug is back in the building. Shultzon’s going to inject us with it for some fucking program. I don’t know. What I do know is Shultzon was the one working on the drug, and that asshole Fuller is here.”

  “Sloane?”

  Sloane stilled. “Hobbs?” He cursed under his breath. “It’s okay, buddy. We’re here with you. We’ll find a way out of this.”

  “Sloane, you have to shift,” Ash said, taking apart his belt buckle.

  “I can’t.”

  “You have to.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll be able to control him. What if I can’t, and I end up hurting you or Hobbs?”

  “Fuck that,” Ash spat out. “You can control him. Look at me.”

  Sloane turned his head, his eyes filled with worry and fear. Ash understood. He was right there with his friend, but the alternative was worse. So much worse.

  “Shultzon said the drug was here. Who do you think brought it? Who would be the first person to give everything in order to save you?”

  Sloane’s eyes widened.

  “Your mate is out there. He needs you to get your shit together. Are you going to lie there and let those assholes get their hands on Dex? Do you know what Fuller will do to him for the sheer fuck of it? Dex helped put him in jail. Fuller will make him suffer. If you don’t get your ass out of that chair right fucking now, the next screams you’re going to hear will be coming from your boyfriend as Fuller tears him apart.”

  “No…” Sloane shook his head. He stared up at the ceiling, his teeth gritted. Sweat beaded Sloane’s brow, and he flexed his fingers at his sides.

  Ash hated what he was doing to his best friend, but it was the only way either of them had a chance of getting through this in time.

  “Another Alpha is going to put his hands on your mate. Right now Fuller’s probably already smelled you on Dex. We both know how ugly these things can get, and with no one there to stop him…”

  Sloane pulled at the restraints, his canines elongating as he let out a feral roar. His back arched up off the chair as he bucked and convulsed, his claws piercing through his skin as he shifted. His black fur grew in as he screamed and roared, twisting his body in a frenzy to free himself. His mass shifted, and he was able to pull his paws free before rolling onto his stomach in his Therian form. Sloane hissed, massive fangs bare, before he let out a roar that echoed through the facility.

  Ash turned to look at Hobbs. “You too.”

  Hobbs shook his head, his arms wrapping around himself as he backed into the farthest corner of the cage.