“Well?” Ash asked. “You guys gonna fill us in or are we supposed to guess?”
Tony resumed his place behind the podium, and Dex braced himself. He knew that look. Whatever his dad was about to say, wouldn’t be good.
“We’ve confirmed the sand found on Ortiz is from The Styx.”
An unwelcome tension stretched over the room like a heavy fog. Whatever it was, it was serious. Dex held up a hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what that means.” No one answered, and Dex couldn’t understand why, until Sloane met Dex’s gaze, his heart squeezing at the sorrow in his partner’s eyes.
“That’s where Gabe was killed. In the small alley behind it.”
Dex closed his eyes, cursing softly under his breath. It seemed no matter where they were, what they were doing, the ghost of Gabe Pearce followed them. It wasn’t that he wanted Sloane to forget Gabe. He could never be that selfish. The more time he spent with Sloane, the more difficult it was to see the guy’s heart breaking over and over. Every time Dex thought Sloane might be reaching a point where he could start healing, something in this case popped up to drag his partner back down. Sloane needed to put Gabe to rest, but it was clear that wasn’t going to happen until they got to the bottom of whatever was happening. For Sloane’s peace of mind—and his own—Dex needed to see this through to the end.
Tony finally spoke up, his voice rougher than usual. “There’s more. I’ve asked Hudson and Nina to reopen Agent Pearce’s case. They’ll be going back over the reports and running everything through Themis.”
“You think the cases may be connected?” Dex asked when Sloane rose from his seat.
“Gabe wasn’t a HumaniTherian activist. Plus, it was an open and shut case.”
“I know,” Tony replied quietly.
“Then why dredge it all up again? They have nothing to do with each other.”
“We don’t know that. I have to consider all possibilities. Gabe was killed at The Styx. Our last victim had traces of the very same sand imported by that bar, yet Ortiz had never set foot in there. If there’s anything in Gabe’s file that might have been overlooked at the time, we need to know about it. There are too many factors not adding up in this, and we’re running out of time. I’m sorry, team. Cael, Rosa, get down to The Styx and speak with the owner. Ash, you and Letty go in as backup.”
Sloane shook his head, his gaze intense. “No. Dex and I will go in as backup like we always do.”
Tony let out a heavy sigh. “Sloane—”
“If this is connected to Gabe’s death, then I want to k
now. You can’t bench me on this. Not this time.”
“You’re too close.”
“We’re all too close. I can remain objective this time, and Dex will be there to make sure of it. If at any point, he thinks I need to be pulled from the case, I’ll concede, willingly.”
Everyone stared at Sloane, but naturally, Ash was the first to speak up. “You’re going to leave the decision to Dex?”
“Yes. My ability to perform without compromising my team and my partner is priority. I trust his decision.” Sloane turned his gaze to Tony. “Well?”
Tony took a moment to think it over. “Okay. Dex, if at any point you feel your partner is putting the investigation in jeopardy, you have him pulled. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Dex prayed Sloane didn’t give him a reason to.
“All right, then. If you run into any problems, you call for backup. Get going.”
The team dispersed, and Dex followed Sloane out of the briefing room. They were silent all the way to the elevator and down to the armory where they loaded only their basic equipment. This wasn’t an emergency, so they’d make do with their backup weapon and the secured rifles in the back of the black unmarked Suburban they’d be driving instead of the BearCat. Sloane needed some time to think, and Dex would make sure to give him however long he needed. When his partner was ready to talk, he’d talk.
Once inside the garage, Cael and Rosa stopped long enough to murmur they’d meet at The Styx, and Dex gave a “thumbs up” to signal his acknowledgment. It’s as if the whole team was walking on eggshells. Since he was the rookie, Dex climbed into the passenger seat of the decked out Suburban and buckled up. They exited the garage and drove down to East Thirty-Seventh Street where they made a right before making a left onto Second Avenue.
“You’re quiet.” Sloane tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as they stopped at a red light.
“Just giving you some space.” Dex focused on the bare trees surrounding the Vincent F. Albano Jr. Playground. Winter was settling nicely, and the team had started wearing their thermal knit underclothes. He was not looking forward to frolicking through snowstorms with his gear.
“You don’t need to do that, I’m fine. But thank you.”
Dex was surprised, but didn’t express it. If Sloane didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, neither would he. “So where is this place?” The light turned green and they continued down Second Avenue.
“Meatpacking District. It’s a bar and a restaurant. Gabe loved it because it has this great rustic look. High ceilings, exposed brick, iron work. Good food, friendly people. The garden turns into a cocktail lounge in the evenings and it has this cool retractable roof.”