“Now I’m inanimate? Thanks, man.” Cael groaned, removing his vest and tossing it to one side. He rubbed at his chest. “Fuck. That hurt.” He was going to have a couple of nasty bruises.
“Sorry. It was my only option.”
Ash turned with a hiss. He bounded toward Calvin, only to have Sparks step between them.
“Stand down, Age
nt Keeler! That’s an order.”
Ash growled and hissed, but he sat back on his haunches. Sparks pointed to the privacy screen. “Change. Now. Agent Guerrera, you’ll find supplies in the duffel bag by the screen. Help your partner.”
Letty silently did as ordered, and they all resumed formation, waiting as Ash shifted back into his Human form and Letty administered Postshift Trauma Care. Ethan stood beside Calvin, and he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at him. He refrained from smiling at the pleased look on his partner’s face. He’d beat Ash, and did so by thinking outside the box. As Ethan studied Sparks, he had a feeling she knew what might happen. Why else would she have issued them vests? As if reading his mind, Sloane spoke up.
“You knew this might happen. That’s why we’re wearing vests, even though we’re not involved in the training.”
“An exceptional agent makes do with what he has and always has an escape route.”
A loud clatter caught their attention, and Ethan braced himself as the privacy screen skidded across the floor. Ash thundered toward Calvin, his amber eyes burning with anger. He ignored Letty’s pleas to finish drinking the Gatorade. He wasn’t fully recovered, and it was clear in his unsteady march. Letty ran to his side and threw an arm around his waist as he reached Calvin and jabbed a finger at him.
“You fucking cheated.”
“Agent Summers did exceptionally well,” Sparks declared.
“What?” Ash rounded on her, a mistake he realized too late. His knees gave out, but thankfully Sloane and Dex were there to catch him before he hit the floor. They helped Letty hold him up. Why was their friend so damned stubborn? He knew full well what would happen if he didn’t receive the proper care.
“This test wasn’t just about him, Agent Keeler. Your objective was to stop Agent Summers. You allowed yourself to not only become distracted, you allowed an enemy operative to escape with the package to check on your boyfriend. Your performance was commendable, until that point. Agent Summers discovered your weakness and exploited it. Then on top of that, you don’t allow yourself to recover from postshift properly. You’re no use to your boyfriend or anyone else in this state.”
Ash frowned at her. “Wait, you didn’t say anything about me being judged on my performance.”
“I shouldn’t have to. You had your mission, Agent Keeler. You failed to follow through and allowed an enemy operative to expose your weakness. I expect better results next time. You’re all dismissed. Go home and rest. Agent Keeler, get something to eat and finish your PSTC, before I have the medical team drag you away.”
There was no doubt in Ethan’s mind that Sparks would follow through with her threat. They removed their vests and left them by the table where they’d picked them up earlier. Ethan followed Calvin to Sparta’s male locker room while Cael and Letty headed for the canteen. Ethan could all but feel Ash’s laser-beam stare boring into him and Calvin. It was probably best for all of them if they showered quickly and went home to give everyone time to cool down. Well, to give Ash time to cool down.
Of course, they had no such luck. Calvin seemed determined to take his sweet time. They had showered and dressed, when Ash stomped into the locker room fully recovered and fully pissed. Whatever agents had been lingering around darted out like the place was on fire. Sometimes Ethan felt bad for their fellow agents. Destructive Delta had a habit of running everyone off with their drama.
“Summers,” Ash growled, marching over to Calvin. Ethan subtly stepped up behind his partner. He wouldn’t get involved, but he’d be there if his best friend needed him.
“Hey, you wanna lay one on me,” Calvin said, opening his arms wide, “go ahead. You won’t always be able to protect him, Ash.”
“Fuck you!” Ash stepped forward, only to have Cael put a hand to his chest, stopping him in his tracks.
“He’s right, Ash.”
Ash’s expression softened. “Cael….”
“We should have both been paying better attention to Calvin and not each other. I was worried about you. That’s exactly what Sparks was talking about. I know it might be different out in the field, but we can’t take that chance. I thought because I was on the sidelines that I was safe, and how well did that go with Hogan? He caught me by surprise. What if I hadn’t gotten out from under him?”
“Wait, what do you mean out from under him?” Ash’s amber eyes clouded over.
Cael’s eyes widened, and it was clear he hadn’t meant for Ash to find out whatever happened inside the surveillance van that day.
“What did Hogan do?” Ash growled, his fists balled at his sides.
Ethan and Calvin backed up.
“Cael?” Dex dropped his duffel bag on the floor and turned to face his brother. “What happened in the van?”
Cael folded his arms over his chest. “What does it matter? Hogan’s dead.”