The DIC beeped, letting him know the transfer was complete. All the images of every file he’d taken screenshots of were on his tablet, clear as day. He submitted his reports and logged off his interface. It went black with glowing blue letters scrolling across the screen reading, Thank you, Agent Daley. Enjoy your time off. God, sometimes he hated Themis. He was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.
Thanks to Austen, Dex finally had a lead. Ox Perry had been spotted in several locations around Flushing, Queens. Dex rummaged through his backpack and removed the map he’d bought at the convenience store down the street. He stood, unfolded it across the table, and grabbed a highlighter. It was time to get to work. At least now he could concentrate. He’d left the house and sat in his car for what seemed like ages. He couldn’t leave Sloane on his own. What if something happened to him while Dex was gone? Dex would never forgive himself. So he’d called Austen and asked him to use his super-agent skills to watch over Sloane and keep him safe until Dex returned. Austen hadn’t been happy about it, but Dex was quickly coming to learn there was little Austen wouldn’t do for Sloane. He felt pretty shitty exploiting Austen’s feelings for Sloane, but if it meant keeping Sloane safe, he’d do whatever he needed to.
Scrolling through the information on his tablet containing both intel from Themis and Austen, Dex started to highlight streets where Perry had been spotted. Once he was done, Dex went over Perry’s record. He’d been the youngest member of the Westward Creed back in the 1980s during the riots and arrested for assault, along with a host of other charges due to the deaths of several Therian citizens. However, the charges against the eight youths had been dropped, the Human judge claiming missing evidence. Considering the time, it was mostly the result of corruption. The new branch of Therian government had still been in the process of passing its laws. According to Tony, with the chaos and violence sweeping through the streets, cases like this were tragically not uncommon.
After Perry was released, he seemed to have kept his nose clean. Human, single, no longer living at the address listed on Themis for obvious reasons. He worked for a construction firm but hadn’t reported in for days, or so the guy’s boss said. Considering Perry had been working there for over twenty years without a change in management, it was possible the guy was covering up for him. Dex leaned his arms on the table and studied the map.
There had to be a pattern. Reasons for Perry to be visiting these locations. Dex brought up the same map of Queens on his tablet and zoomed in. He began going into Street View one by one, making lists and notes of all the shops, buildings, houses, cars, everything. The more he jotted down, the more he felt he was onto something.
Hours passed until Dex’s eyes started to sting. What time was it? He checked his watch. Holy fuck! It was almost midnight. Where the hell had the time gone? Looking up, he found a plate with a sandwich, a glazed donut, and next to it a can of Coke. Beside the plate was a note scribbled with Lou’s handwriting.
Tried to say hi but you were in your weird cop-zone. Don’t forget to eat. xo Lou
Damn. Lou had been down here, talked to him, and Dex couldn’t remember. He’d been so absorbed in his work that he’d completely blocked everything else out. It was nice of Lou to bring him something to eat. Eat.
“Oh my God!” Dex scrambled to remove his smartphone from his pocket. Shit. Shit. Shit. Three missed calls from Sloane and two texts asking him if he was going to make it to dinner and hoping he was okay. “I am the shittiest boyfriend ever!” He tapped Sloane’s picture and listened to the phone ring, pacing around the office until Sloane’s groggy voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Forgotten me already,” Dex teased. He felt so shitty.
“Hey. Sorry, I took some painkillers after dinner, and I guess they knocked me out.”
Dex dropped down onto the couch, his gaze landing on the desk scattered with all his work. “I’m so sorry I didn’t make it to dinner.”
“It’s okay. I called Ash, and he picked up some food. We hung out. Meeting ran late?”
“Yeah, you know these PR nerds. Then I went and had too much sugar and totally crashed. I went for a nap in one of the bays and just woke up.” He closed his eyes, hating himself for telling more lies. But it was to get Hogan off the streets. To keep Sloane safe. He wasn’t a terrible person for wanting to keep his family safe, was he?
“I told you not to binge on sugar after eight o’clock.”
“You are wise.”
“You okay? You sound… off.”
I don’t deserve you. “Just tired.”
“When are you coming home?”
Dex swallowed hard. Did Sloane realize what he’d said? Sloane couldn’t have meant it how Dex thought he did. It was just a turn of phrase. He didn’t mean their home. It didn’t matter. Sloane was waiting for him, in his bed, under the covers, and warm. Home. Why did that keep popping up in his head? His gaze went back to the table. Home. What if those locations were connected to someone close to Perry? Why else would he keep going back there?
“Dex?”
“Sorry, um, it’s late, I stink, and you’re all cozy. Would you think I’m a dick if I crashed here?”
“At work?”
“Yeah. By the time I get in it’ll be really late, and I don’t want to disturb you. Doc said you need lots of rest.”
There was a pause at the other end of the line, and Dex’s heart broke at Sloane’s soft words. “You do what you gotta do. Just stay safe for me.”
“PR’s dangerous work, but it’s not that dangerous. Unless they ask me to read at the children’s library again. Then it can get pretty hairy.”
Sloane chuckled. “Better you than me.”
“Thanks, partner,” Dex said dryly. “You sure you’ll be okay?”
Sloane’s voice was sincere when he answered. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. I love you, you know that?”
“I know.”
Dex could hear the smile in Sloane’s voice. How could something make him feel both wonderful and horrible at the same time? “Good night.”
“Good night, Dex.”
Sloane hung up, and Dex sat there for a moment wondering what the hell he was doing. He had an amazing guy waiting for him at home, and he was about to sleep on some pimp’s reject couch in a makeshift base in the basement of his ex-boyfriend’s catering company. Scrolling through his phone, he found a text from Austen.
No updates.
Dex had to move quickly. If Seb started feeding algorithms into Themis on Ox Perry, something was bound to pop up. Dex was onto something, he just had to figure out what it was. He went back to the table and went over his notes, going over every detail until he was all but falling asleep and drooling on his map, but he shook himself off and continued. He made a mental note to bring a coffee machine. Checking his list for the hundredth time, something suddenly jumped out at him. It might be nothing, but then again it could be everything. Two of the streets had ice cream shops. One street had a pizzeria. Another had a bakery. Then a confectionary store. A children’s clothing store. A kid’s book shop.
“The guy’s got a kid.” No wonder Perry kept getting sighted in the area. He had a child somewhere around there. Finally, Dex had something. A Google search later, and Dex was grinning. There was an elementary school in the area. He picked up the sandwich and took it back to the couch. Damn, this couch was fugly. Not even tacky, just really fucking ugly. Even Cael wouldn’t go near the monstrosity in his Therian form to scratch it, and his brother loved clawing furniture. Tony had replaced three couches, two armchairs, six sets of curtains, and countless other furnishings while they’d been growing up. Cheetah Therians were incredibly curious. They also liked climbing, touching, clawing, and chewing.
Tomorrow he’d get up early to stake out the school in case Perry showed up. Sloane would most likely be sleeping in because of the meds, so it gave Dex some time. He’d also have to stop by the office and visit with PR for a while. He never thought
he’d be glad they called. As Dex ate his sandwich, he checked his watch. If he went to sleep now, he’d get about four hours of sleep. Once he was done eating, Dex lay down, stared at the exposed ceiling, listened to the whir of the boiler in the small room next door and told himself he was doing the right thing. The thought of Hogan getting his claws in Sloane was enough to have Dex digging his nails into the couch cushion until his fingers hurt. There was no way Dex would let that son of a bitch get near Sloane. He fell into a restless, dreamless sleep.
Early the next morning, Dex headed for Queens, and Maspeth Elementary. He parked in front of a residence the next block over and turned off the ignition. From here he watched the yellow school buses drive past as they dropped kids off, as well as parents walking their children to the school. Parents were scattered in small groups, chatting to each other while their kids ran around, jumping handrails and climbing fences before their parents could notice and drag them away. It reminded him of when Tony used to hold on to the handle of Dex’s backpack while trying his damn hardest to keep Cael from climbing anything and everything he could get his chubby little fingers on. More often than not Tony would end up with one of them under each arm, carrying them inside to their classrooms, and dropping their little butts on their chairs before greeting the teacher and wishing her luck.
One lone figure stood on the sidewalk looking down into the basketball court filled with kids screeching and playing as they waited for the bell to signal the start of another school day. Maspeth was a good school, and it accepted both Human and Therian children. Dex’s research had informed him it was more concerned with the education of its students and not their species. It was hard to believe segregated schools still existed. They were private schools and fell under the same laws as religious schools, so not much could be done about it.
Today was Dex’s lucky day. Ox Perry was wearing a baseball cap and sporting a beard, but Dex recognized him. Was the guy being inconspicuous because he knew he was being hunted or because he wasn’t supposed to be here? Considering Dex couldn’t find any information regarding Perry having a child, Dex wondered if maybe Perry wasn’t granted access or visiting rights. Well, there was only one way to find out.
Dex got out of his car and set the alarm before casually making his way over. He came to a stop beside Perry who took a subtle step to the side.
“Hey,” Dex said with a friendly smile.
“Hey,” Perry replied warily.
“My name’s Agent Daley. I’m with the THIRDS.” Dex showed his badge. He was risking exposure, but he had a feeling Perry wasn’t about to go running off to tell the THIRDS. As Dex suspected, Perry’s eyes widened, and he took a step back, like he was going to bolt. But his gaze moved to the basketball court, and a conflicted expression came onto his face.
“Easy there, Perry, I’m not here to arrest you.”
“Look, I didn’t have anything to do with the Order. Reyes approached me months ago, and I told him to fuck off. I don’t want to have anything to do with him or the others. The whole Humans against Therians shit was a lifetime ago. I was a stupid kid. I made a mistake.”
“I don’t think Beck Hogan sees it that way. He’s looking for you.” Dex followed Perry’s gaze to the court, surprised when a little girl waved at Perry with a big-dimpled smile. From here Dex could make out a black tattoo on her neck. Shit. No wonder Perry didn’t want to get mixed up with Reyes. He had a Therian child.
“Is she your daughter?” Dex asked.
“Yeah. Her name’s Beth.”
“She’s adorable.” Dex couldn’t help his smile as the little girl screeched and laughed with her fellow students, her pigtails bouncing with her. His smile faded when he once again spotted the tattoo on her neck marking her as a wolf Therian. He understood the need for Therian laws the same way he understood the need for Human ones, but there were aspects he didn’t agree with. Justified or not, marking adults was one thing, but children? The whole classification thing had never sat well with him.
Doctors claimed the process was painless for the kids, but Dex called bullshit a long time ago. He remembered when he and Cael had been kids, the way Cael had screamed and screamed when they’d marked him, big, fat tears rolling down his pink cheeks. He’d cried until his throat was sore and his voice hoarse. The whole thing had been terrifying for them all. Dex had been forced to wait outside the CDC Therian Registration office after trying to punch the doctor for hurting his little brother. Tony had been stone-faced the entire time. His dad had never been big on the whole classification thing either. He’d taken them out for ice cream afterward.
“Beth’s my whole world. Lana, her mother, was a wolf Therian. A nurse. I met her ten years ago when I ended up in the hospital after someone hit a gas main at one of the sites I was working at. The explosion knocked me out. When I woke up, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. She was so beautiful. We started talking and then dating. I couldn’t lie to her about my past. I cared about her too much. After everything I’d said and done, she forgave me. Two years later, we had Beth. It was unexpected, but we were so happy. I was going to ask Lana to marry me.”
“What happened? If you don’t mind my asking.” By the look on Perry’s face, it was clear Lana was no longer with him.
“Lana was pre-First Gen. She lived through the mutation caused by Eppione.8, but it caused a lot of health issues. Her immune system was slowly deteriorating. She caught an infection after childbirth and passed away a few weeks later.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t know what to do with myself. Our relationship was far from perfect, but we loved each other.”
“Why isn’t Beth registered under your name?”
“I dreaded this day. When my past would catch up to me. I was always paranoid about it. It broke my heart, but I couldn’t keep Beth with me. I was afraid someone would try to hurt her. But I was weak and couldn’t give her up for adoption either, at least not to a stranger. I took all the savings I had and paid off the doctor at the Therian registration office. My brother is listed as the biological father. He’s married to a Therian with a Therian child. I knew Beth would have a good home there.”
“Does she know you’re her biological dad?”
Perry shook his head. “She thinks I’m her uncle. One day she might find out. But who knows where I’ll be then.” He turned to face Dex, his expression grim and determined. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, Agent Daley. There is nothing in this world I wouldn’t sacrifice for her. I’ve made mistakes. Unforgivable mistakes. But Beth shouldn’t have to pay for them.”
“And I agree with you, Perry. But if I can find you and your family, what makes you think Beck Hogan can’t?”
“Beck Hogan,” Perry whispered the name, as if saying it too loud might conjure the guy up. “I’ve been moving around, trying not to stay too long in one place. The moment I saw the news reports about the others, and then Hogan being responsible for the explosion, I knew he’d come after me sooner or later.”
“Hogan’s looking to finish what he started. He won’t rest until you and Jackson are dead. If it means getting to you through your family, then so be it.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“I sincerely believe you regret what you did, even if I can’t forgive it, but I’m not willing to put your little girl’s life at risk. I want Hogan. I’m beginning to think the only way is to draw him out.” He couldn’t believe he was saying this, but when he thought about it, the answer was clear as day. “If I can keep you and Jackson away from him, he’s failed. He’ll never complete his revenge. Once he finds out, he’ll make his move, and I’ll be waiting for him.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Turn yourself in to the THIRDS. They’ll take care of the rest.”
Perry turned to look at Beth who waved at him again. After several painfully silent minutes went by, Perry let out a weary sigh, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Okay. Can I have a moment
to say good-bye?”
Dex nodded. He stood by as Perry took the stairs on their left leading down to the court. Beth ran to him and threw herself in his arms. He squeezed her tight and put her down, talking to her and smiling like nothing was wrong. It was almost too much for Dex to watch. Despite the brave face Perry put on, Dex could see the man’s heart breaking. After a fierce hug, Perry headed back toward Dex, his eyes red and filled with unshed tears.
“I’m ready.”
Dex led the way to his car, unlocking the door for Perry and making sure he was seated inside before going around to the driver’s side and getting in. He fastened his seatbelt and got them moving, but he didn’t head back toward Manhattan. Instead he pulled into Fifty-Ninth Street next to a dry-cleaning supply warehouse. It was a dead-end road with a few houses across the supply warehouse. He drove to the end, made a three-point turn, and parked.
“What are you doing?”
“The THIRDS will make sure Beth and your family are safe, but there’s something else I need.”
Perry looked exhausted. “What?”
“Do you have any information on where I can find Brick Jackson? He’s the last guy on Hogan’s shit list.”
“Brick? Jesus, I haven’t talked to him in years. We used to work at the same construction firm a few years ago, but he just up and disappeared one day.”
Something in Dex’s gut told him Perry wasn’t being completely honest. It wouldn’t be a stretch to believe the only two Westward Creed members who hadn’t become members of the Order would contact each other. If Reyes attempted to recruit Perry, it was likely he’d tried to recruit Jackson. “Does Jackson have any family? Friends you know of? Something? Whatever you can give me might help keep Jackson alive. You have no reason to trust me, I get it, but if I don’t find Jackson before Hogan does, the next time you see your friend will be in the news after he’s found mauled to death.”
Perry stared at him, horrified. He went silent, turning his attention out the car window. The guy was thinking about it, Dex was certain. After an excruciating amount of time went by, Perry turned back to him, his expression suspicious.
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