Tried & True

by Charlie Cochet

  “Yes, they will, but they won’t catch me.” He made to climb in, but Dex’s words stopped him in his tracks.

  “And what about Hudson?”

  Wolf slowly turned to meet his gaze. “Careful, Dexter.” His voice was clipped and almost as terrifying as the coldness in his eyes.

  “I’m not trying to manipulate you. It’s the truth, and you know it. While the Chairman is out there, knowing who Hudson is to you, he won’t stop.”

  The fear that flashed through Wolf’s gaze was so quick Dex questioned whether it had been there at all. As if on cue, Hudson came running. Seb and the rest of their THIRDS friends and colleagues weren’t far behind. Hudson’s smile broke Dex’s heart.

  “Alfie,” Hudson greeted cheerfully, as if his brother had just dropped by for a chat.

  Wolf pressed his lips together. He faced Sloane and the others. “Arm yourselves, secure your civilians, and do what you do best. There’s no room for hesitation or a conscience. It’s you and everyone you hold dear, or them.” Wolf grabbed an MP5 submachine gun and a tactical vest.

  “Are you ignoring me?” Hudson asked, scowling at his brother.

  Wolf turned to Hudson. “Go inside.”

  “With the civilians,” Hudson said before looking around at everyone putting on tactical vests and arming themselves with all manner of firearms. He moved his gaze back to Wolf, and Dex stifled a groan. He knew that look. “No.”

  Wolf peered at him. “What do you mean no?”

  “I’m not going to hide. I’m going to fight alongside you and Seb.” He took the machine gun from Wolf, who snatched it back with a snarl.

  “Don’t be so bloody pigheaded! Go inside!”

  “No.” Hudson rounded his shoulders. “I’m a THIRDS agent, and… you know.”

  “You’re a medical examiner.”

  Hudson narrowed his eyes. “I have training, Alfie.”

  “Stop calling me that,” Wolf ground out through his teeth. “Go inside, or I swear on our grandmother’s grave, I will pick you up and carry your arse in.”

  Hudson folded his arms over his chest. “I’d like to see you try.”

  Wolf opened his mouth to reply, then seemed to think better of it. “How about this. If you agree to go inside and stay there, I’ll allow you to ask me one question.”

  Hudson worried his bottom lip, and Dex knew his friend was warring with himself. It was clear Hudson wanted to fight alongside them, with his husband, and although Hudson was right that he was a trained THIRDS agent, Wolf was equally right. Hudson’s training wasn’t the same as everyone else’s. As far as TIN training, he’d only just started recently and had even further to go than Dex and Sloane. Were Dex in Wolf’s shoes, he would have done what he could to keep his brother safe. Hudson glanced at Dex, and Dex nodded. Thankfully, Hudson gave in.

  “Very well. How did you become… this?” Hudson asked, motioning to Wolf in general.

  “That’s a very complicated question that would require far longer than the few minutes we have, so I’ll give you the abridged version. I was never dead. Only made to look as if I were dead.” Wolf thrust his machine gun and tactical vest at Dex so he could remove his suit jacket, which he draped over Hudson’s shoulder. Then he took the vest from Dex and strapped himself into it.

  “TIN arranged it. They had been watching the both of us for some time, but decided to approach me first, knowing if I joined, you were sure to follow. My falling to certain doom was the perfect opportunity. Fate decided I wasn’t going to die at the bottom of those cliffs that day. It had a far more sinister design in mind.”

  “TIN forced your hand?” Hudson asked, his eyes filling with anger.

  Wolf frowned at him. “Don’t be ridiculous. They made me an offer. I could return home, back to living under my father’s thumb, fall into line like our siblings and be miserable, watch you be miserable, or I could change our lives, starting with me as a TIN operative. I could be whoever I wanted to be, do what I wanted to do. The sky was the limit. I’d have a freedom I never knew was possible. I wasn’t as brave as you. I never would have left for the States, not if it meant leaving you behind, but you weren’t ready. You needed a push, and my death gave you that push. I accepted the offer on one condition. That Sparks would look after you, get you away from that bastard father of ours. She made sure when you applied to the THIRDS, a position at THIRDS HQ in Manhattan was open for you.”

  Hudson’s brows drew together. “You’re the reason I was hired to the THIRDS?”

  “No. You’re the reason you were hired. I just made sure you were close to where she was.”

  “Why?”

  “So she could keep you safe. It was part of the deal.”

  “What deal?” Hudson asked.

  “Why don’t you tell him, Sonya?”

  Everyone turned to stare at Sparks, who stood several feet away, Tony and Cael behind her. Dex was stunned by the tears in her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was almost a whisper.

  “I would keep Hudson safe, away from anyone who might try to use him against Wolf, and Wolf would keep my daughter safe.”

  Wait, what? Dex walked around Wolf to stand in front of Sparks. “You have a daughter?”

  Sparks nodded.

  “That’s why she’s been trying so hard to track me down.” Wolf turned to Dex, and Dex was taken aback by the sympathy in his blue eyes. “It’s why she allowed me to take you, knowing you would be tortured. She was desperate to get her hands on me.”

  “Why?”

  “While TIN was working to close in on the Makhai,” Sparks explained, “the Makhai was getting to us. I needed to make sure my daughter was safe. Wolf was the only one who knew where she was, and if he was working for the Makhai….”

  “Then you had no way of knowing he wouldn’t betray you and give them your daughter.”

  Sparks turned to Wolf. “I never believed you would betray me. I was afraid they’d leave you no choice.”

  “Because they’d discovered who Hudson was.” Wolf cursed under his breath. His jaw muscles clenched, and he met Sparks’s gaze. “You were right to have worried.”

  Hudson drew closer to Wolf, his expression pained. “You would have turned over a young girl to those heartless monsters?”

  “And what would you have me do?”

  “Not sacrifice a child to save me,” Hudson replied, indignant. “You should know better!”

  This was insane. Dex didn’t even know where to begin with all these truth bombs that were being let loose. My God, did he know anyone who led a normal, uneventful life?

  “Wolf,” Sparks pleaded. “Just tell me….”

  “She’s a perfectly healthy, well-adjusted teenager, leading a very happy life,” Wolf said softly. “She was accepted into the college she’d set her heart on, with a full scholarship, all of her own accord with no help from me. Her boyfriend is a lovely young Human who worships the ground she walks on.” Wolf walked up to Sparks and put a hand to her cheek. “She’s happy, Sonya, and safe.” He smiled warmly, and for a moment, Dex saw Alfie, the man he’d been before betrayal had twisted his heart and turned him into a killer. “She has your eyes and that fiery red hair of yours. A force to be reckoned with, that one.”

  Sparks covered her mouth with her hand, a tear rolling down her cheek. “Thank you.” It was then that Dex glanced over at his dad and saw the crushed expression on his face. Dex cursed under his breath. Tony had heard. As if coming to the same realization, Sparks whirled to face Tony.

  “You let that psychopath kidnap and torture Dex?”

  Sparks opened her mouth to reply, but Tony held up a hand to stop her.

  “Did you see him?” Tony asked, pointing at Dex as he took a step closer to Sparks, the quiet fury burning in his brown eyes. “Did you see what he looked like? And I’m not talking about the blood or bruises. I’m talking about underneath.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I understand going to the lengths you did for your child, but you did it knowing that was my chi
ld you were doing it to. Jesus Christ, Sonya, he put needles underneath my boy’s fingernails!” As if remembering Wolf, Tony turned to face him.

  “You coldhearted son of a bitch,” Tony growled before lunging at Wolf. Dex moved quickly, and it took Sloane, Dex, and Ash to hold Tony back. He spat in Wolf’s direction. “You listen to me, asshole. This isn’t over. I don’t care how long it takes me, I’m going to make sure you end up locked up in a hole somewhere, do you hear me? You’re going to pay for what you did to him.”

  “Dad, please.”

  Tony shook his head. “How can you even be talking to this guy, Dex?” Tony looked hurt and confused. Dex pulled him to one side, talking quietly.

  “I know. Sometimes I don’t believe it myself, but it’s complicated, and no way am I excusing what he did, but if it wasn’t for him, Seb and Hudson might not be alive now. He, um, he’s Hudson’s brother.”

  Tony stared at him. “What now?”

  “It’s a long story. Basically, Wolf is Alfie, who supposedly died several years ago, but as you can see, he’s alive. He was hired by the Makhai to torture me and then kill me after finding Mom’s file, but when I got away, he voided the contract and pissed them off. We’ve kind of got a weird arrangement of sorts. He has a habit of popping up and helping me out. He helped us find you, and, uh—” Dex cleared his throat. “—he kind of has a thing for me, I think.”

  Tony’s eyebrows shot up near his hairline. “I’m sorry, but are you saying the psychopath who tortured you, and was going to kill you, shows up to help you out because he likes you?”

  “Yeah, and to protect Hudson.”

  Tony narrowed his eyes. “Son, you hang out with some fucked-up individuals.”

  Despite the current circumstances, Dex couldn’t help his bark of laughter. “Yeah, my world is pretty interesting. Would you mind if we talked some more about this later? There’s an army of trained mercenaries on their way to kill everyone, so I could really use your help.”

  Tony’s eyes widened, but he quickly pulled himself together. “What do you need?”

  “We need to put this place on lockdown, and get everyone to the most secure areas of the estate. Thomas is going to need help.”

  “I’m on it.” Tony brought Dex into a hug. “Be safe.” With that, he turned and headed inside without so much as glancing in Sparks’s direction.

  “Excuse me, I just need to….” She turned to run after Tony.

  Wolf turned his attention back to Dex. “I know this means little coming from me, Dexter. But if there is one person you can trust at TIN, it’s Sonya. Never forget that everyone answers to someone, and that includes Sonya Sparks. The path you have chosen is a minefield of secrets and uncertainties. You’ll need allies. Strong ones. We could all hope to be as strong as she is.”

  “The Chairman said if Sparks didn’t do what he asked, that history would repeat itself. What did he mean? Does it have to do with her daughter?”

  Something in Wolf’s eyes said it did, but before Dex could ask, Wolf shook his head. “It’s not my story to tell.”

  Hudson and Cael had gone back in to check on everyone. They’d split into two groups, one to guard the estate and everyone in it, and one to take down the Makhai army. Dex strapped himself into a tactical vest.

  “So you’re the only one who knows where her daughter is?”

  “Correct,” Wolf said.

  “Are you really looking after her or using her as collateral.”

  “I gave my word, Dexter.”

  “Right.”

  “You really are so wonderfully sweet and naïve.” Wolf crooked his finger. “Come here, darling. Allow me to give you another wedding gift.”

  Dex glanced over at Sloane, who looked uncertain. “What the hell.”

  When Dex walked over, Wolf wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in close to whisper in his ear, “Do you honestly believe that with all of TIN’s resources at her disposal, and years of knowing me, Sonya Sparks couldn’t catch me if she wanted to?”

  Dex’s eyes widened. They’d been right. Sparks had been keeping TIN away from Wolf. It was only when the shit started hitting the fan that she decided she needed to bring him in. This whole time, she’d been protecting him.

  Gunfire erupted, and everyone scrambled.

  “Take cover,” Sloane ordered, running over to Dex.

  “They’re coming in through the gardens,” Ash shouted from the doorway where he’d plastered himself.

  “Motherfuckers!” Dex released the safety on the MP5 submachine gun. “These assholes are not going to ruin our wedding, Sloane.”

  Sloane grabbed his shirt and hauled him close for a quick but passionate kiss that had Dex’s toes curling. “Be safe.”

  Dex nodded.

  “You boys are adorable,” Wolf said. “And such fun! I may have to visit with you more often.”

  “Please don’t,” Sloane said, making Wolf laugh.

  Their wedding was only a day away, and Dex was going to be at that altar with Sloane if it killed him.

  “Move in!” Sloane ran out first and Dex was right on his heels. Everyone else charged, making sure to take cover when the bullets started flying. These weren’t just brainless thugs; they were trained mercenaries. Even so, anyone who’d armed themselves was either a trained THIRDS Defense agent or a TIN operative. Dex was once again thankful for his new Therian DNA, making it possible for him to see into the darkness without needing special gear like his fellow Human friends, something that slick bastard Wolf had considered when he’d packed his wedding gift to Dex.

  As Dex and Sloane dove into the fray, their friends were right beside them, from Sparks, who’d once again joined them, to Dom and his fierce lion Therian brothers. Zach and his six huge-as-fuck bear Therian brothers were tearing the shit out of the Makhai. A booming sound shattered the night sky, and Dex glanced up at the balcony. Oh yeah. And their resident badass sniper was having fun with Dex’s rocket launcher.

  The Chairman made a huge mistake sending what was left of his army here, and it had nothing to do with the wedding. They’d chosen to attack Dex while his family and his friends’ families were under the same roof, and for that reason, not one of these hired killers was going to make it out of here alive. The Makhai started this war, and now Dex was going to finish it. Maybe not during this battle, but he wouldn’t rest until those bastards were where they belonged, either behind bars or dead. These weren’t innocent casualties. They were Therians who had accepted killing innocent civilians. It’d be a cold day in hell before Dex let any of these assholes lay a hand on Danelle, Thomas, Julia, Darla, or anyone else in that house.

  Dex let out a fierce growl as he twisted out from under a mercenary’s grip. He brought his fist up with him, catching the bastard under the chin. The guy staggered back, and Dex fired before turning to shoot at any Makhai merc who crossed his path. He dodged one guy’s charge, turned, and kicked out, all his weight behind the move, shattering the guy’s kneecap. The man howled in pain and reached for the knife in his belt. Dex swiped it, spun, and plunged it into the side of the tiger Therian’s neck. He jerked it out, then straightened in time to see a lion Therian charging toward Sloane, who was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another jaguar Therian.

  Dex placed his thumb on the spine of the knife, squared his shoulders, brought his right leg back, raised the knife, and threw it. It plunged into the Therian’s thigh and brought him crashing down, distracting Sloane’s opponent just enough for Sloane to get the upper hand. He slammed the guy’s face into his uplifted knee, and the guy was out.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dex’s hearing picked up chatter, and when he turned, he found one mercenary talking to himself, or rather to whoever was on the other end of his earpiece. Someone was giving these guys orders, and Dex was willing to bet that someone was the Chairman. Dex took the opportunity to strike and slammed into the guy from behind. They both tumbled to the ground, and Dex fired before the guy could get off a shot
. He stole the guy’s earpiece and listened in time to hear a man growl on the other end.

  “I want both of them alive. Kill everyone else and burn the place down. You know what to do.”

  Dex’s blood ran cold. It couldn’t be. He knew that voice. They’d spent hours talking, even laughing together. Sloane shouted from somewhere behind him.

  “Dex, look out!”

  All he had was seconds. He spun and shouted, “Wolf!”

  Wolf took off toward him, but Dex knew he’d never reach him in time. That wasn’t why Dex’s last words were to a man who’d tortured him. He wasn’t looking for Wolf to save him. He was looking for the killer in Wolf, the man once referred to as Reaper. The last thing Dex saw before his world went black was the promise of retribution in Wolf’s gaze after Dex unearthed the traitor among them. The Therian who’d pretended to be their friend, all the while stabbing them in the back and tearing TIN apart from the inside out. The man who was here on this very property to celebrate his and Sloane’s wedding.

  “It’s Winters!”

  CHAPTER 13

  FUCK. MY. Life.

  Pain flared through every inch of Dex’s body as he stirred into consciousness. His brain was foggy, his head was killing him, and his body was on fire. Especially his shoulders and arms. Like someone was trying to rip his arms out of their sockets. He pulled his arms on instinct, only to be met with resistance and the clinking of metal. What the hell? His eyes flew open, and he jerked his arms again. His wrists were bound by thick leather cuffs attached to a thick chain hung over a giant metal hook dangling from the ceiling. His feet didn’t touch the ground, and he was missing another shoe. Who the fuck kept taking his shoes? A groan met his ear, and his head shot back up. He stamped down the panic that threatened to rise inside of him.

  Just a few feet ahead and to the right, Sloane sat in a metal chair, thick leather straps across his chest and around his wrists and ankles. He was out of it, eyes closed and head hanging forward. Dex took in the area around them. It was long but narrow, shrouded in darkness, with a couple of utility lamps hanging from hooks on what appeared to be aluminum walls. The place was grimy, dirty, with questionable stains on the floor in several places. Several armored crates were stacked toward the far wall, and to the left of that, a steel table contained a laptop and several pieces of tech. A small silver-colored rolling cart was parked beside Sloane, another beside Dex.