“Whatever you need,” Ash said, pulling Cael to his feet with him, “we’re here for you, okay?”

  Cael nodded, following Ash and the rest of his team out of the subbasement. Cael didn’t know what to think about what had happened. He was still processing a good deal of it. But it also occurred to him that he’d stood up to Fuller. He’d stood up for himself and proved he was as fierce a Therian agent as any other Felid THIRDS agent. Cael felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He was capable, always had been. Smiling to himself, he put his arm around Ash’s waist as they walked out of the facility.

  He was going to be fine.

  TWELVE

  Cael stood at attention inside Sparks’s office with the rest of their team. They hadn’t seen her since the facility. Last night after they’d showered and gotten into bed together, Cael and Ash had talked for some time, both wondering if they’d see Sparks again after that, considering who she really worked for. Yet here she was, carrying on with her lieutenant duties as if nothing had happened.

  The office was in privacy mode, and Sparks sat calmly at her desk, stoic as usual in her signature white pantsuit.

  “This team seems to have trouble obeying the rules. Why do you think that is, Agent Brodie?”

  Dex held a hand up. “Lieutenant—”

  “I believe I was addressing agent Brodie.”

  Dex quickly shut it.

  “Could you be more specific?” Sloane asked, his expression giving nothing away.

  Sparks cocked her head to one side before tapping her desk. The large screen on the wall above her head flickered to life. It split into numerous smaller screens showing different footage. To Cael’s horror, he realized it was digital footage of their team, one of them time-stamped over a year ago of Dex and Sloane going at it in the parking garage. He did not need to see that.

  Although the angle didn’t catch them with their hands on each other—or rather in each other’s pants—there was no question what was going on, especially with all the sucking face happening simultaneously. Another screen showed Calvin kissing Hobbs back when Hobbs was in the hospital, while a third screen showed Ash kissing Cael in his office, which had supposedly been on privacy mode. Jesus, when she said she knew everything, she hadn’t been kidding.

  “Did you honestly believe I wouldn’t notice? Then there’s this.”

  She tapped the screen, and Cael recognized the footage as “borrowed” camera feeds. Who the hell was behind all this? The screens changed, this time showing footage of them at various locations around the city as they went after Hogan. The ballroom, their surveillance van, the grain terminal.

  “I believe Destructive Delta was put on leave.”

  Dex opened his mouth, and Sparks cut him off.

  “I’m not going back on my word, Agent Daley. Seb will remain in his position. His work during this case, despite your interference, is still commendable, as is his solidarity. I’ve wanted to promote him for some time.” She turned her attention back to Sloane. “Now, I ask again, Agent Brodie. This team seems to have trouble obeying the rules. Why do you think that is?”

  Sloane seemed to think about it. “My team operates to the best of their ability within the limitations set by the laws they uphold, laws violated by the perpetrators we’re tasked with detaining. There are times when in the pursuit of justice, the rules are bent, but only as a last recourse.”

  Sparks didn’t look convinced.

  Dex held a hand up, and Sparks let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, agent Daley?”

  “The THIRDS is the only agency that allows family to work together. Why?”

  “Research showed agents who belonged to a positive family dynamic had a higher rate of success in all areas of performance than the general employee population. Agents who had this type of positive support system at the workplace outside of their teams seemed to cope better with stress and produced higher results during psych evals. The THIRDS decided to allow it as long as agents were in different departments. It’s been very effective.”

  “Right,” Dex agreed. “My bond with my family keeps me sane. They share in my joy and pain. They understand what it’s like to bleed for this job. They back me up and I back them up because of our bond. Because I will do whatever it takes not to let them down. Whatever we face, as long as there’s breath in my body, I will fight for them.”

  “Admirable, agent Daley, but what are you getting at?”

  “Destructive Delta is also my family. We might not be related by blood, but that doesn’t make them any less family. Cael, Tony, and I aren’t related by blood, but we’re still family.”

  “That hardly sets my mind at ease, considering what I’ve seen.”

  “Okay, yes, somewhere along the line, things changed for some of us, but since that day, have Sloane or I done anything to impede our performance outside the normal levels of any partnership not involved in a romantic relationship? And let’s face it, it’s not like your agents aren’t forming bonds or relationships. The rule was brought in because of what happened with Seb and Hudson. But that could have happened to anyone, whether they’d been in a relationship or not. We’re all fallible.”

  “That’s a very pretty speech, but I’m afraid you’ve left me no choice. Destructive Delta is unstable and insubordinate. Your unorthodox methods may bring results, but not without a great deal of chaos involved. You also seem incapable of working a case without blowing something up. I think it’s time to consider disbanding the team.”

  The room was filled with gasps and curses.

  “What?” Cael shook his head. She couldn’t. After all these years? He couldn’t be reassigned to another team. No one understood him like his team. His quirks, his weird inability to drink coffee, or his little spurts of hyperactivity. And Rosa? Sparks couldn’t take Rosa away. She was his partner. They worked great together.

  “Will that change be put forth by you or your replacement?” Sloane asked calmly.

  Sparks narrowed her eyes at him. “Excuse me?”

  “I assume now that your cover’s been blown, TIN will pull you out of the THIRDS and move you elsewhere.”

  “My cover remains intact, Agent Brodie. The only ones who—” She closed her mouth, and her bright red lips spread into an approving smile. “I see. Do you honestly believe blackmail would make a difference to someone in my position?”

  “No. And I have no intention of blackmailing you. You’ve worked damn hard to get where you are. So have we. Both our covers have been blown.” Sloane shrugged. “Or maybe they haven’t. Yes, our methods are unorthodox. Yes, we do seem to attract an unusual amount of crazy, but we’re a damn good team, and we always come through for each other. We get the job done, we protect this city, and we bring down assholes like Isaac, Reyes, Collins, and Hogan. Maybe it’s time the THIRDS removed, or at least amended, the no fraternizing rule. In all the years I’ve been team leader of Destructive Delta, we have never failed you. We may have disappointed you along the way. We might have stumbled. But we always get up. So please forgive me when I say it’ll be a cold day in hell before I let you break up my team.”

  The room fell into silence, with all eyes moving from Sloane to Sparks, who was frowning deeply. She studied him closely before tapping away at her desk’s interface. The screen behind her went black, one word appearing in the center of each screen.

  Deleted.

  With a sigh, she laced her fingers together on the desk’s surface. She met Sloane’s gaze. “I’ll consider your request concerning the no fraternizing rule, agent Brodie. Perhaps in the meantime, you and your team can attempt to show a little discretion. Keep your personal activities out of the parking garage.”

  Sloane grinned broadly. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Also, I think it’s time Destructive Delta steps up its game. You’ve all been extremely lucky until now. Yes, a good deal of that has been skill, but you could do better. You’re top agents on a top team. I don’t want you to be the top. I want you to be the best. I expect you and Agent Keeler to get every member of your team up to your level.”

  Ash’s jaw dropped. “But… We’re talking over twenty years of field training and—”

  Sparks arched an eyebrow at him. “I’m sorry, Agent Keeler. I believe the response you were looking for was ‘yes, ma’am.’”

  Ash swallowed hard, his voice gruff when he replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You’ll start receiving callouts on Monday. Enjoy your weekend. Dismissed.”

  Cael turned, waiting for the door to swish open before heading out with the rest of his team. He wondered if they were as confused as he was.

  Austen heard the door swish closed, and he stepped out from Sparks’s personal bathroom. He sat down on the edge of her desk.

  “You weren’t really going to break them up, were you?”

  Sparks waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I wasn’t. I needed to give them a little more motivation. There’s a lot of potential there.”

  She got that familiar look in her eyes, and Austen groaned.

  “Forget it. They’ll never join TIN.”

  “I know that,” she huffed, poking his leg with her pen. “Get your ass off my desk.”

  He hopped off and draped himself over one of the chairs across from her. “So, what then?”

  “You don’t have to be a TIN operative to work for TIN. You should know that better than anyone.” She went to work tapping away at her desk and logging into the secure TIN communication system.

  “You want them as freelancers?” Austen gaped at her.

  “What? Don’t look at me like that. With enough training, they could be exceptional. Look at Agent Maddock. He impressed me with the way he handled Fuller. And Keeler’s barely scratched the surface with their training.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I think Sloane and Dex can do extraordinary things together.” A slow smile crept onto her face. “They could be the first THIRDS power couple.”

  Austen gave a start. “You’re really fucking scary when you’re happy like that.”

  “Oh, shut up. You have no vision.”

  She brought up a THIRDS training schedule, and Austen thought about it. He knew Destructive Delta wouldn’t join TIN. They had trouble with the whole means to an end thing. They weren’t ruthless enough, couldn’t shut off their emotions the way TIN operatives could. But as freelancers? Maybe. He couldn’t help his smile

  Looked like things just got a little bit more interesting.

  Cael was headed for the bullpen along with his team when Dex stopped in his tracks ahead of them and turned.

  “What just happened?”

  Sloane grabbed Dex’s arm and continued walking. “I don’t know but keep walking before she changes her mind.”

  Dex’s mouth opened to reply, then closed. He turned and followed Sloane to their office, the rest of the team close on their heels. They had joined Sloane and Dex in their office when Ash’s phone went off. He pulled out his smartphone and frowned at the screen.

  “What is it?” Cael asked worriedly.

  “Don’t know. I don’t recognize the number.” Ash tapped the screen and put the phone to his ear. “Ash Keeler.”

  Cael watched Ash’s eyes widen. He put a hand to his mouth, tears in his eyes. Cael was immediately at his side.

  “Yes. Of course.” A big smile spread across Ash’s face, and he nodded, a tear rolling down his cheek. “That’d be great. I’ll ask him. I look forward to it too.” He ended the call and wiped his eyes and cheek.

  “Everything okay?” Sloane asked.

  Ash nodded, and Cael could tell he was trying hard to keep his emotions at bay. “Yeah, um. That was my mom. She’s left my dad, and she wants to have brunch on Sunday.”

  “Oh, Ash! That’s wonderful!”

  Cael threw his arms around Ash and hugged him while the rest of the team patted him on the back and congratulated him. They all knew what this meant to him. Cael was so happy for him. After composing himself, Ash looked down at Cael.

  “She wants you to come.”

  “Of course,” Cael said. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Ash, and he was thrilled that his boyfriend wanted him there at his side when he saw his mother after so many years without her, thinking she hated him.

  Sloane tapped his security code into his desk and brought up the team’s training schedule on the large board across from them.

  “Guess Monday’s going to be a whole new world for all of us.” He went to tap his desk when the board flickered and turned off. “What the hell?”

  They all observed the darkened screen when it suddenly flickered to life. The whole schedule had been amended and filled in with a list of training requirements for each of them for next year, some of them with techniques Cael was quite sure weren’t THIRDS requirements.

  Dex stared at the screen. “Um… please tell me that was you.”

  Sloane shook his head. “Nope.”

  Cael frowned. “Wait, does that say mixed martial arts?”

  “What’s that?” Dex said, spotting a little icon on the bottom right of the schedule. He leaned in for a better look. “It looks like…” His frown deepened. “Ruby slippers?” He arched an eyebrow and tapped the screen. It went black, and Dex cringed. “Shit, I think I broke it.”

  Blue words started scrolling across the screen.

  Welcome, Destructive Delta, to the TIN associate training program.

  They all gaped at the screen, with Dex verbalizing their thoughts. “What the fuck?”

  The door swished closed on its own, and the room went into privacy mode. Cael took a step closer to Ash. This whole thing was freaking him out. A small screen appeared in the corner of the board with Sparks waving at them.

  “Destructive Delta, this is your new training schedule. Austen will be your contact from this point on.”

  Austen appeared behind Sparks and leaned over her shoulder to wave at them. “What’s up, peeps?”

  Sparks glared at him, and with a grin, he pulled away and out of sight.

  “As I was saying. Austen will be your point of contact. Any time you see the symbol Agent Daley touched, it means you have a message from me not related to the THIRDS. The message will remain onscreen for a limited amount of time before it deletes itself permanently. All communication is untraceable. I have high hopes for Destructive Delta. I expect you won’t disappoint me.”

  “What’s going on?” Sloane asked. “What is all this?”

  “You’ll know more in due time. For now, continue with your duties and your training. Sparks out.”

  Before any of them could utter another word, the screen returned to their training schedule. The icon that had been on the bottom right was no longer there. Dex dropped himself into his chair as the room came out of privacy mode and the door opened.

  “So…” Dex said. “Who’s up for a few drinks at Dekatria tonight?”

  Everyone put their hands up.

  “Good.” Dex swiveled in his chair, a puzzled look on his face. “Good. Okay. Fuck, this place is weird.”

  Everyone promised to meet up tonight at Dekatria, and Cael headed for his office behind Rosa. He was actually looking forward to setting up some boring algorithms for a change. Ash caught up to him, leaning in to speak quietly.

  “Pick you up at eight?”

  Cael’s pulse fluttered. “That sounds an awful lot like date talk, Agent Keeler.” Ash wriggled his brows, and Cael laughed. “Eight it is.”

  With a wink, Ash was off, catching up to Letty and giving her a playful push. Cael could hardly wait. He knew Ash would still be reserved at the bar out in the open, but he was just glad to be spending time with him after everything that had happened. With a skip in his step, he followed Rosa into their office for a conversation on what he should wear tonight.

  Ash took a swig of his beer, his gaze on the dance floor, where Cael was dancing with their teammates. Everyone was out there, even Sloane and Dex, but Ash’s eyes remained on Cael and the easy way his body moved to the rhythm of the music, as if he could feel it down to his soul. His smile showed how much he loved it. The beat picked up, and Cael bounced around with Rosa and her girlfriend, Milena, who finally managed to get some time away from her job as an antiques dealer. Ash had no idea there was even such a demand for antiques, but then what the hell did he know about it? Letty danced with Dimples the firefighter, and Calvin was off to one side dancing with Hobbs, who was back on his real medication. Lou was behind the bar with Bradley, while Seb chatted to Taylor at the bar.

  Several guys had tried dancing with Cael, who’d politely declined. Ash wasn’t overbearing. Cael could dance with whoever he liked, even if the thought of a guy getting close to Cael made Ash want to punch one of the asshats. They’d been having a great time. Dex did his stupid karaoke before everyone hit the dance floor except for Ash, who wasn’t much into it. Not that he couldn’t. He never really felt the urge to dance. Of course now…

  Cael threw his head back and laughed at something his brother said to him. Ash took another swig of his beer and put it down. He worried his bottom lip.

  “Fuck it.” Ash got up and waded through the mass of bodies on the dance floor, pressed together as they moved to the sensual rhythm of the pop song. Cael was dressed in his gray Converse sneakers, charcoal jeans, and a black V-neck long-sleeved T-shirt that accentuated his sinewy frame. His jaw was covered in stubble, and his silvery eyes sparkled to rival diamonds, his lips wide in a gorgeous smile.

  A Therian next to Cael with a wide grin was obviously flirting, his hand reaching out to take hold of Cael’s waist. Ash clamped a hand down on his wrist and loomed over him with a sweet smile.

  “Fuck off.”

  The guy swallowed hard and nodded fervently before taking off.

  Turning to Cael, Ash gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry. That was mean.”

  Cael laughed. “And that bothers you?”

  “Nope,” Ash said with a shrug. “I just don’t want you to think I’m going to be some possessive Neanderthal.”