“What are you doing?” Cael asked, eyes wide.

  Everything in the office shut down, including security mode. She looked over at their team. “Ash, Hobbs, stand guard outside. I don’t want anyone coming within ten feet of this office.”

  They nodded and walked out, then closed the door behind them.

  “The Chairman clearly has access to TIN and the THIRDS, which means until I get someone I trust to reconfigure everything and install a new set of security measures, our technology is useless. We’re going to have to go dark and do things the old-fashioned way. We can’t trust any intel that comes from TIN, so you and your team are on your own. I’ll stall for as long as I can and hope whatever the Chairman has me do isn’t irreparable. In the meantime, you need to find Tony before they move him out of the country. After that, there’s no finding him.”

  “How long do you think they’ll keep him in the city?” Sloane asked.

  “Two or three days at most. They’re likely making arrangements to transport him as we speak.”

  Sloane went thoughtful. “What happened when Moros was investigated? You said TIN arrested anyone who had any connection to him. Were any of them Makhai?”

  Sparks nodded. “Three. One killed himself in the interrogation room. Snapped his own neck using the edge of the table. The other two were interrogated by some of TIN’s best operatives. The intel collected was verified. I can provide you with access to that product, but it’s no longer relevant. All the locations connected to the Makhai were either seized by TIN or abandoned long before TIN arrived. Both places had been cleaned. No trace of anything left behind. They provided us with a short list of names, all belonging to Therians found dead by our operatives. Whoever’s running the Makhai, he trusts no one, not even his own organization. The members know as little as possible in case someone is captured, and anyone who does know anything significant kills themselves before the information can be extracted.”

  “Where are those two Makhai members?”

  “In a secure location only I and two other high-ranking operatives know about.”

  “I need to talk to them,” Dex said.

  Sparks arched an eyebrow. “You want to interrogate the Makhai members? What exactly do you think you can get from them that we haven’t? They’ve been in our custody too long to have any information on the Makhai’s recent activity.”

  “Wait,” Sloane said, turning to Dex. “The guy who shot Hudson with the tranq at the park. We have him in solitary downstairs in the basement.”

  “You brought in one of the Makhai’s men?” Dex turned back to Sparks. “And he’s still alive?”

  Sparks nodded. She removed a set of keys and tossed them to Dex. “I put him in one of the old cells, sublevel. Call me cynical, but something told me I shouldn’t put this guy into one of the regular cells. Unless someone blowtorches those bars, there’s no way of getting into that cell, and that’s after they get through two sets of steel doors, which they need those keys for.”

  “I think it’s time to ask our friend a few questions.”

  “You really think he’s going to talk to you?” Letty asked worriedly. “The guy didn’t even break when Seb was beating the shit out of him.”

  “Maybe he won’t talk to me,” Dex said with a wicked grin. “But maybe he’ll talk to someone who’s much better at interrogation than any of us.”

  Sparks’s eyes went wide. Before she could say anything, Dex turned to Sloane. “We need to go see Hudson.”

  Sloane nodded. They left the room and headed for the sleeper bays, Ash and Hobbs joining them. Only one of the doors was closed, and Dex knocked on it. He waited for Seb to look through the peep hole. The door opened, and Seb looked Dex over—most likely taking in the fact he was in uniform—and nodded, as if he was on board with whatever it was Destructive Delta was about to do.

  “I need to talk to Hudson.”

  Seb stepped aside, and Dex walked in. When Hudson saw him, he jumped out of bed and pulled Dex into a big hug.

  “Thank goodness you’re all right. Oh, Dex. I’m so sorry about Maddock.”

  Dex shut his eyes tight and squeezed Hudson. “Thanks.” Clearing his throat, he pulled back and cupped the back of Hudson’s neck, keeping him close. They could have lost Hudson too. If it hadn’t been for their team, and Wolf, Hudson would have been in the hands of the Makhai, and God only knew what they would have forced Wolf to do to keep Hudson alive. “Are you okay?”

  Hudson nodded. “Yes. It was awful, whatever they shot me with, but it’s nearly all out of my system now.” He looked behind Dex, then turned his concerned gaze back to him. “You’re going after them.”

  Dex nodded. “We’ve got to find my dad before they try to move him out of the country. I won’t lose him again.”

  “Whatever you need from me, just say the word.”

  “I’m glad you said that, because I need a favor.”

  “Of course.”

  “I need you to call him.”

  Hudson blinked at him. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Call him.”

  Hudson peered at him. “By him are you referring to…?”

  “Yes.”

  “And how exactly am I to do that? It’s not as if he’s left me a number.” Hudson walked over to the bed and dropped down on it with a heavy sigh. He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “I wish I could, Dex, but how am I supposed to get in contact with a ghost?”

  Dex smiled. “Just use the phone.”

  Hudson cast him a sideways glance. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

  Dex removed his cell phone from his pocket. “He’s been keeping tabs on you. Believe me. He’ll get the message. Call me.”

  Hudson removed his own phone from his pocket, one that was both THIRDS and TIN secure—though there was no telling, considering the Chairman seemed to know exactly what was going on no matter where they were. Hudson found Dex’s contact info in his address book and tapped the screen. Dex’s phone rang. He answered it but didn’t bother putting it to his ear.

  Hudson placed his own phone to his ear. “Um, if you can hear me, I need your help. Please. It’s very important.” He hung up and looked at Dex. “Do you really think that’s going to work?”

  Seb frowned. “I know we want it to work, but is anyone else as creeped out as I am that he’s listening in on us?”

  Dex and Hudson both held up a hand.

  While Dex agreed, right now he needed Wolf, and he wasn’t sure if the guy would have answered had he been the one to make that call. As it was, Wolf tended to pop up whenever he felt like it, but for Hudson…

  “You really think he’s going to come here?” Seb asked, motioning to the small space around them.

  “You’re right.” Dex motioned for Hudson to follow him. “We need to make it easier for him to get to you.”

  Outside in the hall, they formed a circle around Hudson.

  “Is this really necessary?” Hudson grumbled.

  “Yes,” Dex replied. “Your brother is a highly skilled assassin, with one vulnerability that’s just been exposed.”

  Hudson stopped walking and grabbed Dex’s arm. “What?”

  Dex let out a sigh. “They know you’re Wolf’s little brother. That’s why they’ve been trying to get their hands on you. Not because of me but because of him. If they have you, they can control him or kill him. Depends on how useful they think he’d be to them.”

  Hudson cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Wonderful.”

  “I know it sucks, but for now, security around you has to be tight, Hudson. That’s just how it has to be until we know you’re out of danger.”

  Hudson let out a resigned sigh and nodded.

  They headed through Unit Alpha, and Dex was surprised when they were stopped by a group of fellow agents. Taylor and Angel made their way through the center of the group, then stood in front of Dex.

  “We heard about Maddock,” Taylor said. “I swear we’re gonna find him, Dex.”

  Angel nodded his agreement. “There’s nowhere those assholes can hide. Everyone’s moving out, including Unit Beta. We’re gonna find him.”

  The rest of their fellow agents joined in, offering words of support. Dex swallowed hard. No matter what happened with TIN, Dex was always going to be a part of the THIRDS. They might not have always gotten along, but they had one another’s backs. Dex was proud to be a THIRDS agent, and at heart, he would always be a THIRDS agent. No matter where in the world he was sent, he would always be coming back home to HQ, and that made all the difference.

  “Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate it.”

  The crowd moved so Destructive Delta could walk by. They took the elevator down to Sparta and one of the old school training bays that wasn’t in use anymore. There were no high-tech gadgets, no fancy equipment, no speakers. Nothing but vinyl floors and painted white walls. They stood in the center and waited.

  “You think he’s just going to walk through the door?” Calvin asked.

  No sooner had the question left his mouth than Wolf did just that. He opened the door to the training bay and headed toward them like he was strutting down some fashion runway. The guy never did anything halfway. He never just walked. His posture was perfect, his shoulders were broad, his waist slender, and his legs long. He wasn’t even that big. In fact, he was roughly Dex’s height and weight. Sloane was taller, larger, and broader than Wolf. Yet Wolf gave off the impression that he was bigger. He always had a twinkle in his eye, like he knew the most amazing secret and maybe if you were worthy, he’d share it with you, or he might just kill you.

  Whatever hair products Wolf used, Dex had to get some, because the guy never had one hair out of place. His designer suit never wrinkled and his shoes didn’t scuff. Dex understood now why they never saw Wolf coming. He was handsome, oozed charm, and for those who didn’t know him, they could easily find themselves lulled into a false sense of security. By the time they figured out they were being drawn into his spider’s web, it would be too late. The way the guy switched from playful to “stabbing you in the eye with an icepick” was terrifying.

  “Is it my birthday?” Wolf asked smoothly. “All of you gathered here for little ole me?”

  Dex took a step toward him but made sure to keep out of arm’s reach. “I need your help.”

  Wolf looked from Hudson to Dex and back. He folded his arms over his expansive chest and frowned his disapproval at Hudson. “Explain yourself.”

  “Please, Al—Wolf. I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t terribly important.”

  Wolf sighed and turned his attention back to Dex, and just like that he was smiling again. “What can I do for you, darling?” He approached Dex and tapped his finger to Dex’s nose. “I must admit, I’m rather tickled there’s something I can provide you with that your beau can’t.” Wolf glanced over at Sloane with a smirk. Sloane simply glowered in return. Dex silently thanked Sloane for his incredible patience and understanding. This was too important for anyone to get into any pissing contests.

  “Let’s get down to it, shall we?” Dex took a step away from Wolf. “I need your help interrogating someone.”

  Wolf’s eyebrows flew up near his hairline. “Say that again? I fear I misheard you.”

  “You didn’t. I need you to get your tools and break someone.”

  Wolf studied him. “You must be having a laugh.”

  It was a shitty move, but Dex had to make Wolf understand how serious he was about this. “If they’d succeeded in taking Hudson, how far would you have gone to get him back alive?”

  Wolf’s steel-blue eyes met his, his expression darkening. “I think you know the answer to that, Dexter.”

  “Good. Then you know what I’m prepared to do for my father.”

  “As touching as that is, I’m not in the business of being summoned for charity work.”

  “You son of a bitch—” Ash caught hold of Sloane before Sloane could launch himself at Wolf.

  Shit. This wasn’t going well. They had to do something, or they were going to lose him.

  Wolf turned and jabbed a finger at Hudson. “Do not, for one moment, assume I’m about to be at your beck and call. I am not the bloody butler here to clean up your messes. My priority is your safety, and I’m risking a hell of a lot keeping your arse out of trouble. Do you understand me, little brother?” As Wolf turned to go, Seb said the magic words.

  “It’s the guy who tranqed your brother.”

  Dex held his breath as Wolf stilled. He turned to Seb, his eyes narrowed, the blue of his eyes nothing but slivers around his blown pupils. “Are you telling me you have in your custody one of the Makhai’s mercenaries? Specifically, the one who shot a tranquilizer into my brother’s chest?”

  Seb nodded. “We figured we could get some information out of him, but he’s not talking.”

  “Oh, he’s not going to talk,” Wolf said calmly, the ice in his voice sending a shiver through Dex. “He’s going to fucking sing.” Wolf met Dex’s gaze. “Do you realize what you’re doing?”

  “Inviting the wolf into the henhouse,” Dex said with a smirk.

  Wolf blinked at him, then let out a bark of laughter. He shook his head in amusement as he reached into his suit jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of black gloves. “You are a treat to work with, Dexter. An absolute treat.” He slipped on his gloves and flexed his fingers. “Shall we?”

  “Don’t you, um, need tools or something?”

  “You’re absolutely right.” Wolf turned to Hobbs. It was kind of amusing to see Wolf have to look up. “My, but they make you Hobbs boys big, don’t they? It’s like a stepladder of enormity with you three. Anyway, your vehicle was rather impressively stocked. Would you mind bringing me your toolbox?”

  Hobbs arched an eyebrow at him, then glanced over at Dex, who nodded.

  “We’ll meet you downstairs,” Dex told Hobbs, and Calvin joined his partner to grab the toolbox from the BearCat. Dex didn’t even want to know what Wolf had planned.

  “I’ll see you boys down there. I’m afraid you draw far too much attention.”

  Ash stared at him. “We draw too much attention? We’re actually supposed to be here, unlike you. Like no one’s going to notice the guy in the fancy suit and hitman gloves walking through the halls?”

  “Actually, you’re not supposed to be here. You’re supposed to be in your new office, pining for your bestie.” He pointed to Rosa, Letty, and Cael. “They’re supposed to be in their new office along with the two who just left, pretending to be excited over the new cappuccino machine, and those two,” he said, motioning to Dex and Sloane, “are supposed to be on vacation, gazing into each other’s eyes and being disgustingly romantic, not in uniform escorting my baby brother around like he’s some foreign dignitary. Subtlety is not one of your proficiencies, ladies and gents. It is, however, one of mine.” With a salute, he disappeared through the doors.

  “Man, I hate that guy,” Sloane growled before turning to Hudson. “Sorry.”

  Hudson shrugged. “What can I say? He is a bit of an arsehole.” Hudson’s phone rang, and he answered, his eyes narrowing. “Oh piss off, Alfie.” He hung up with a huff and returned his phone to his pocket.

  “Did Wolf just call you?” Dex asked, starting for the doors.

  “Yes, to tell me he heard me call him an arsehole and that it wasn’t very nice.”

  Dex’s phone rang, and he answered. “Hello?”

  “Darling, would you be so kind as to tell my baby brother he’s a little shite?”

  “Um, sure.”

  “Thank you.”

  Dex hung up and returned his cell phone to his pocket. Next to him, Hudson let out a weary sigh, not at all dissimilar to the kind Dex often heard from Cael when Dex was being a pest. Good to know Alfie and Hudson’s relationship was much like any other siblings’, except for the whole trained killer part.

  “What did he say?” Hudson grumbled.

  “He said you were a little shite.”

  “Lovely.” Hudson turned to Cael, his expression deadpan. “Want to trade brothers?”

  Cael pretended to think about it. “Hm, deadly assassin or Dex. Deadly assassin or Dex.”

  Ash opened his mouth, and Dex put a hand to his face. “No one asked for your opinion, Keeler.”

  Everyone chuckled, and the sense of normalcy it gave Dex was welcome. It helped him remain focused. He had to detach himself from his emotions, or he wouldn’t be of any use to his dad. Sloane walked beside him, his presence alone soothing Dex, making him feel like he could get through anything. Whatever happened, he wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by people who loved and supported him.

  In the sublevel basement beneath the THIRDS garage, away from everyone and everything, the old cellblock was locked behind a huge steel door. Back in the nineties when the THIRDS first opened its doors, it had been one of the most solid holding cells in the state, with thick concrete walls and iron bars. It had been more secure than some prisons, considering most places weren’t equipped to hold some of the more dangerous Therians. Soon the prison system caught up, and “Zoos” were opened to contain the most lethal of Therian prisoners. Everything moved to the age of the internet, and new high-tech holding cells were built upstairs, connected to Themis. Unfortunately, Themis wasn’t to be trusted, and Sparks had been on the ball putting this guy down here.

  Hobbs and Calvin stood to one side of the huge steel door, while Wolf stood to the other, Hobbs’s toolbox in one gloved hand. He looked bored. As if he’d been waiting hours for them. Wolf and Hudson glared at each other but remained quiet as Dex unlocked the door to the cellblock. Inside, a small sitting area lay empty along with the guard’s station. The lights flickered, and Ash frowned up at them.

  “I think I saw this place in a horror movie. Why is everything washed in green?”

  Dex followed Ash’s gaze up to the ceiling and identified the culprit. The light fixture was growing some funky green stuff. When the hell was the last time anyone was down here besides Sparks?

  “I feel like I’m going to contract something just breathing the air down here,” Calvin grumbled.