“So why are we still listening to her?”
Dex opened his eyes and met Sloane’s. His partner’s amber eyes burned with anger. Sloane wasn’t afraid to let his feelings on TIN be known.
“Because we need her. We need TIN. Let’s face it. They may be a bunch of assholes, but they have resources we don’t.”
Sloane scoffed at that. “Yeah, because they’ve been so forthcoming and willing.” He ran a thumb over Dex’s cheek, his anger melting into heartache. “TIN let you get kidnapped, Dex. They let Wolf into our home. Why didn’t they use those resources then? Why didn’t they stop Wolf? Even if the guy was the best operative TIN ever had, are you telling me they couldn’t have stopped him if they wanted to?”
“You think they’ve been working their own angle?”
“You don’t?”
Dex sighed. “You’re right.” They’d seen TIN’s operatives at work. Hell, they’d been trained by TIN. It was because of that training that Dex had been able to defend himself against Wolf.
“So what then?”
Dex lay back down, and Sloane followed him. They huddled close together. “I think we need to see this through.”
Sloane grimaced. “That’s what Sparks said.”
“I can only assume she said it for a reason. Neither of us trusts TIN, but there’s a reason they’re letting this play out. Despite showing up when it’s convenient for them, they’re there. They showed up when I had my seizure. Whatever’s going on is as important to them as it is to us, so I think for now, we should play along.”
Sloane let out a heavy sigh. He stroked Dex’s arm, and nodded. “Okay. We’ll play their game. For now.”
Despite his worries, Dex was happy. Right now at this moment, in Sloane’s arms, everything was perfect. “This weekend, I’m gonna get Dad, Ash, and Cael down here to help us go through the boxes in the basement.”
Sloane’s eyebrows shot up. “The basement?”
“I haven’t gone through that stuff since I moved it all out of Tony’s house when I started college. Some of it I haven’t seen since I was a kid. Who knows what’s in there. Anyway—” Dex kissed Sloane’s jaw and closed his eyes. “—it’s just a few boxes.”
IT WASN’T just a few boxes.
“I may have underestimated the number of boxes down here.” Dex cringed at the dozens upon dozens of cardboard boxes in various sizes stacked from the carpeted floor to the ceiling. They were in pristine condition, with all the stacks up on plinths in case a pipe burst. He kept the temperature controlled and the basement aired out to keep the boxes from growing mildew. He also came down every week and dusted. Inside these boxes was his childhood, both with his biological and adopted family.
“Holy shit.” Ash gaped at the sea of boxes. “You’re a pack rat!”
Dex wrinkled his nose. “Hey, this isn’t all mine. Some of it’s Sloane’s.”
Sloane very smartly covered his laugh with a cough. Most likely because Dex was well aware that Sloane had a total of three boxes that were stacked neatly in one corner.
“This is going to take days to go through,” Ash said as he walked through the maze of boxes. “Are they in any kind of order?”
“Um, no,” Dex admitted.
“What the hell? You’re always so freaking anal about organization. How does sorting this shit out not make sense? You—”
Cael elbowed Ash in the ribs. Hard.
“Ow, what?” Ash murmured, rubbing his side.
Dex shrugged as he turned away. “Most of this stuff is from my childhood. Some stuff belonged to my parents. I haven’t opened these boxes since they were packed years ago.”
“Oh.” Ash cleared his throat. “Sorry.”
Dex took a deep breath as he turned back to the others. “Can you guys, um, be careful with this stuff?”
They all nodded, and Dex thanked them. Sloane pulled him to one side, turning him away from the others. This was harder than he’d thought it would be, and they hadn’t even started.
“You don’t have to,” Sloane said quietly, holding him close. “We can do this.”