Peyton eclipsed everyone, a gentle giant who stood at seven and a half feet tall and weighed three hundred and twenty pounds. He was the largest Felid Therian in Unit Alpha. Of course, right now, Peyton was anything but gentle. Not when defending his team.
"Get on the ground!" Dom demanded over the roars and hisses, his rifle aimed at one of the tiger Therians circling Peyton. The perp was hesitant to attack Peyton--so not a total idiot.
Realizing they were outmuscled, the three tiger Therian perps submitted, mewing and backing away to flop on the grass. At some point, Dom radioed for backup, and two BearCats pulled up onto the path to their right. Their back doors opened, and Human agents flooded out. Seb left them to round up their perps and get them into the cages. He turned to his Therian teammates.
"Collect your partners and get PSTC."
Lee trotted off, his mane swishing majestically, while Brianna bounced behind him, playfully swatting at his tail. Lee didn't pay her any mind. Zoey whizzed by them, and Lee grunted. He took off after Zoey, unwilling to be left behind in her dust, and Brianna was quick on their heels. Peyton, as usual, wasn't interested in his teammates' shenanigans. He released a huff and leisurely sauntered after them. Dom stayed behind, and Seb braced himself. He knew what was coming.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," Seb assured him. "Just knocked the wind out of me."
Dom pressed his lips together in a thin line. He wasn't buying it, but Seb was in too much pain to care. With teeth gritted and jaw set, Seb headed in the direction his team had gone. Thankfully Angel hadn't parked the BearCat very far. Instead of fighting the pain, Seb let it wash over him. He'd lived with physical discomfort and pain the majority of his life. It went with being a Pre-First Gen Therian. Granted, this was a hell of a lot worse than his usual bad days, but he wouldn't let his team know the extent of it. He straightened to his full height and rounded his shoulders as he walked.
It wasn't as if they didn't know about the nerve and tissue damage to his leg. He was hardly the only Pre-First Gen at the THIRDS with health issues, but if his leg gave up the ghost, he'd be pulled off Defense, and he'd worked too damned hard to make Team Leader to give it up now.
More from Charlie Cochet
THIRDS: Book One
When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley's testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences--and the media frenzy--aren't far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he's lucky he doesn't find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he'll get transferred from the Human Police Force's Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed. Instead, his adoptive father--a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron otherwise known as the THIRDS--pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent.
Dex is determined to get his life back on track and eager to get started in his new job. But his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie, who also happens to be his new jaguar Therian partner, turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate the murders of three HumaniTherian activists, it soon becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the tightknit team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer--and every bit as dangerous.
Sequel to Hell & High Water
THIRDS: Book Two
When a series of bombs go off in a Therian youth center, injuring members of THIRDS Team Destructive Delta and causing a rift between agents Dexter J. Daley and Sloane Brodie, peace seems unattainable. Especially when a new and frightening group, the Order of Adrasteia, appears to always be a step ahead. With panic and intolerance spreading and streets becoming littered with the Order's propaganda, hostility between Humans and Therians grows daily. Dex and Sloane, along with the rest of the team, are determined to take down the Order and restore peace, not to mention settle a personal score. But the deeper the team investigates the bombings, the more they believe there's a more sinister motive than a desire to shed blood and spread chaos.
Discovering the frightful truth behind the Order's intent forces Sloane to confront secrets from a past he thought he'd left behind for good, a past that could not only destroy him and his career, but also the reputation of the organization that made him all he is today. Now more than ever, Dex and Sloane need each other, and, along with trust, the strength of their bond will mean the difference between justice and all-out war.
Sequel to Blood & Thunder
THIRDS: Book Three
New York City's streets are more dangerous than ever with the leaderless Order of Adrasteia and the Ikelos Coalition, a newly emerged Therian group, at war. Innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire and although the THIRDS round up more and more members of the Order in the hopes of keeping the volatile group from reorganizing, the members of the Coalition continue to escape and wreak havoc in the name of vigilante justice.
Worse yet, someone inside the THIRDS has been feeding the Coalition information. It's up to Destructive Delta to draw out the mole and put an end to the war before anyone else gets hurt. But to get the job done, the team will have to work through the aftereffects of the Therian Youth Center bombing. A skirmish with Coalition members leads Agent Dexter J. Daley to a shocking discovery and suddenly it becomes clear that the random violence isn't so random. There's more going on than Dex and Sloane originally believed, and their fiery partnership is put to the test. As the case takes an explosive turn, Dex and Sloane are in danger of losing more than their relationship.
THIRDS: Book Four
After an attack by the Coalition leaves THIRDS Team Leader Sloane Brodie critically injured, agent Dexter J. Daley swears to make Beck Hogan pay for what he's done. But Dex's plans for retribution are short-lived. With Ash still on leave with his own injuries, Sloane in the hospital, and Destructive Delta in the Coalition's crosshairs, Lieutenant Sparks isn't taking any chances. Dex's team is pulled from the case, with the investigation handed to Team Leader Sebastian Hobbs. Dex refuses to stand by while another team goes after Hogan, and decides to put his old HPF detective skills to work to find Hogan before Theta Destructive, no matter the cost.
With a lengthy and painful recovery ahead of him, the last thing Sloane needs is his partner out scouring the city, especially when the lies--however well-intentioned--begin to spiral out of control. Sloane is all too familiar with the desire to retaliate, but some things are more important, like the man who's pledged to stand beside him. As Dex starts down a dark path, it's up to Sloane to show him what's at stake, and finally put a name to what's in his heart.
Sequel to Rise & Fall
THIRDS: Book Five
As the fiercest Defense Agent at the THIRDS, Destructive Delta's Ash Keeler is foul-mouthed and foul-tempered. But his hard-lined approach always yields results, evident by his recent infiltration of the Coalition. Thanks to Ash's skills and the help of his team, they finally put an end to the murdering extremist group for good, though not before Ash takes a bullet to save teammate Cael Maddock. As a result, Ash's secrets start to surface, and he can no longer ignore what's in his heart.
Cael Maddock is no stranger to heartache. As a Recon Agent for Destructive Delta, he has successfully maneuvered through the urban jungle that is New York City, picking up his own scars along the way. Yet nothing he's ever faced has been more of a challenge than the heart of Ash Keeler, his supposedly straight teammate. Being in love isn't the only danger he and Ash face as wounds reopen and new secrets emerge, forcing them to question old loyalties.
Sequel to Against the Grain
THIRDS: Book Six
Calvin Summers and Ethan Hobbs have been best friends since childhood, but somewhere along the line, their friendship evolved into something more. With the Therian Youth Center bombing, Calvin realizes just how short life can be and no longer keeps his feelings for his best friend a secret. Unfortunately, change is difficult for Ethan; most days he does well to deal with his selective mutism and social anxiety. Calvin's confe
ssion adds a new struggle for Ethan, one he fears might cost him the friendship that's been his whole world for as long as he can remember.
As partners and Defense Agents at the THIRDS, being on Destructive Delta is tough at the best of times, but between call-outs and life-threatening situations, Calvin and Ethan not only face traversing the challenges of their job, but also working toward a future as more than friends.
Sequel to Catch a Tiger by the Tail
THIRDS: Book Seven
Life for Dexter J. Daley has never been easy, but he's always found a way to pick himself back up with a smile on his face. Taken from his home and the arms of Sloane Brodie, his boyfriend and THIRDS partner, Dex finds himself in a situation as mysterious and lethal as the Therian interrogating him. Dex learns what he's secretly believed all along: his parents' death wasn't an accident.
Discovering the whole truth about John and Gina Daley's homicide sets off a series of events that will change Dex and Sloane's life forever. As buried secrets rise to the surface and new truths are revealed, Dex and Sloane's love for each other is put to the test, with more than their relationship on the line. If traversing the waters of murder and secret government agencies wasn't enough, something inexplicable has been happening to Dex--and nothing will ever be the same.
CHARLIE COCHET is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From adventurous agents and sexy shifters to society gentlemen and hardboiled detectives, there's bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in--and plenty of romance, too!
Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn't writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.
Website: www.charliecochet.com Blog: www.charliecochet.com/blog E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/charliecochet Twitter: @charliecochet
Tumblr: www.charliecochet.tumblr.com Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/charliecochet Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/CharlieCochet THIRDS HQ: www.thirdshq.com
By Charlie Cochet
Between the Devil and the Pacific Blue Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts Healing Hunter's Heart
A Rose by Any Other Name
The Soldati Prince
THE AUSPICIOUS TROUBLES OF LOVE
The Auspicious Troubles of Chance The Impetuous Afflictions of Jonathan Wolfe
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
#7 - Forgive and Forget
NORTH POLE CITY TALES
Mending Noel
The Heart of Frost
Vixen's Valor
Loving Blitz
Disarming Donner
THIRDS
Hell & High Water
Blood & Thunder
Rack & Ruin
Rise & Fall
Against the Grain
Catch a Tiger by the Tail
Smoke & Mirrors
Thick & Thin
THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 1
THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 2
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Thick & Thin
(c) 2017 Charlie Cochet.
Cover Art
(c) 2017 L.C. Chase.
https://www.lcchase.com Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-389-3
Published February 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Thick & Thin Page 10