Page 96 of No Going Back

Chapter 15

“Dex, questioning Sam in front of the team is not a good move,” Liam said.

Dex, Ryan, and Liam stood in the hall, around the corner from the waiting room. Dex had to walk away before he said something he regretted. More than he already had.

“Yeah. I know. That was a conversation Sam and I should have had in private.”

“We already spoke about this, Dex. We agreed we would discuss Reborn, but today is not the day,” Ryan said.

Dex turned to see Sam walking toward them.

“Sam, I’m sorry. And I’ll talk to Tyler.”

“I already talked to Tyler. But hear me when I say if you have a problem with the way we do things, I’m all ears. In private. Undermining what we do and how we do it in front of the team can never happen. You are team leader and I expect more from you. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Dex said.

“And as for Tyler. When we know what’s happening with Mira, I’m benching him.”

“What?”

“I thought he was handling his shit, but that episode tells me he isn’t. He needs some time to sort through whatever is going on. If he can’t see that for himself, then I’m going to make him see it. I trust you support that decision, or do I need to bench you, too?”

Fuck. Dex swallowed and nodded. “I support it, sir.”

“This is a temporary thing right?” Ryan asked.

“If I wanted him gone, he would already be gone. What happened today, the last HRT op. He’s triggered in a big way. More than any of us may have realized. He needs to deal with it and the sooner the better.”

Dex glanced at Liam and Ryan. Both nodded their agreement.

“Sam, I shouldn’t have snapped in front of everyone. For that I’m sorry. Tyler was out of line, too, but I agree with him on one thing. This has gone on long enough. It's time to end it.” He spoke quietly, assuring his boss he was back in control.

Sam sighed, addressing the three of them. “Look, if I could send you, I would. Do you not think I want an end to this? If we go and get caught, this” — he waved his hand indicating all of them — “will be over. They’ll shut the unit down. Then what?”

“Then how about I take a vacation. No one needs to know. I’ll go find the evidence we need,” Dex said. Ryan and Liam looked at him like he’d lost his marbles.

“What’s the first thing I told you when asking you to lead this team?” Sam asked.

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