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Broken Pieces

Chapter Twenty-Nine

By Roofles

“Ah, Logan. I wasn’t sure if you were going to show up or not. I’m pleasantly surprised to see you have,” the jaguar greeted the younger human at the door.

How many years ago was that? It felt longer than it was. As if it were in another lifetime. That it was another Logan than the man he would become.

“Yes, s-sir. I just… needed to make sure to wrap up a couple of things on my end before I… did this. Agreed to… this.” Logan nodded; he moved his long hair out of his eyes. He looked tired, staying up all night pondering this opportunity even knowing he couldn’t afford to pass it up.

It was the only chance he’d have to finding Mikhail, the first time.

“Reporting for duty, sir.” Logan tried to smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. How could it. After everything that had happened this past month, these past years, losing his brother, joining the police force, tracking the tiger down to the bowels of the city before being rescued by another predator.

Bosch Panthell, a man he knew so little about and yet had saved his life. Logan had rushed into it, following the breadcrumbs Mikhail left for him. He’d been so naïve back then, nearly walking into the trap the tiger was about to spring. He would’ve, if not for this man.

Bosch. A jaguar. A predator and carnivore. He was so much like Mikhail and at the same time completely different.

The smokey gray furred jaguar looked like a panther, in the wrong light. His Rosetta spots were darker than other jaguars and unless you got close and personal with the man, you’d never be able to see them through the dark fur covering his body.

Logan had been surprised to see them, even if he’d kept it to himself. Bosch had taken him under his wing, training Logan and showing him the side of the world others chose to ignore.

“Good.” The jaguar smiled, showing off a large fang. A pleased rumbling growl filled his chest as he took up the entire doorway, looking down at the human who’d agreed to this. “First thing first,” Bosch laughed as he ran a finger through Logan’s bangs. “A haircut.”

Logan knew how dangerous those hands were. Large hands, large fingers, and claws within each one. The paw pads were worn and well used, that of a hard-working man. Someone who trained endlessly to perfect his craft. They were such large, dangerous hands but as they brushed through Logan’s hair, the human didn’t feel afraid of the man.

Even if Bosch reminded him so much of Mikhail. Even knowing how dangerous this man was, those paws when they touched him, were gentle. Back then…

“Like a buzzcut?” Logan chuckled along with the feline as he stepped inside. Bosch shut the door behind him as the two headed into the large convertible studio that Bosch owned within the city. One of the many places the jaguar slept at.

Another trick, another thing he’d teach Logan in the future. Always have a backup home. Never get attached, ready to move at a drop of a hat. To keep a “to-go” bag underneath the bed or somewhere safe. Something you can grab with all your essentials before you had to ditch this location and go to another hideout.

The studio was large and open with many windows lining the walls, giving them a clear view of the city around them. They were up so high it would’ve been impossible to distinguish these tinted windows from the rest. Logan had always just figured, at the time, that Bosch, being a feline, liked to live somewhere high. Unaware this was just a perch for Bosch to look down from, on those below.

The floor was hardwood and there was a small kitchen set pushed into a corner. It looked unused and Logan would find out that Bosch was a terrible cook. Something they’d joke about eventually, once the jaguar warmed up to him. It wouldn’t be long until he did.

Logan was a likeable guy and the two had hit it off within the first week that Logan unofficially moved out of his Aunt’s place and came to stay with Bosch. The jaguar finding the human to be amusing and entertaining enough to keep him around it seemed.

At that time…

It had to been around the time when Logan had first…

“It’s big,” Logan remarked, looking around the studio. It didn’t have walls as so much as dividers between the rooms. It gave him a clear look at every room in the house, outside the bathroom. “And open.” He chuckled as he took a seat where Bosch moved him to.

The feline liked to do that. Putting his hands on Logan. Moving him, adjusting his stance or position. To teach Logan how to move as those large hands ran over his body, curving his back or moving his thighs…

Following every order and silent command the jaguar gave him, and Bosch ate it up. There was a trust within that bond as Bosch moved and position Logan as he chose. Logan trusting the man who had saved his life from that place, that horrible place that reeked of death and blood. Within the tunnels of the city, seemingly unknown to the world above, The Market sat.

It was why Bosch had been there, or so the jaguar claimed. Keeping an eye on the place and hunting down any… rats that dared to sneak away from the horde. Or any stray birds that flew in. Like Logan. A place that Bosch had saved him from. Only to one day bring him back to...

“A buzzcut?” Bosch rolled his eyes as he ran his paw padded fingers through the human’s hair, over it, down the side to trace a finger along the back. The jaguar’s nails poked out, but they never touched the soft flesh underneath them. “This isn’t the military, Logan.”

It was funny, in a way. These hands touching him had taken so many lives. They smelled of blood and death and yet when Bosch touched Logan, the human didn’t even shiver. Was he still naïve? A greenhorn to this? Or was the jaguar just that skilled at taking down his prey.

That they didn’t even realize when he strike, unaware even until the very end.

“Could’ve fooled me.” Logan sat perfectly still, motionless as Bosch pulled out a pair of scissors and began to work. It was the same scissors he used to trim his whiskers and fur back, keeping a tidy appearance for his current job.

There were still clippings of smokey gray fur on the blades and Logan wanted to smile at that. It was nice. To want to smile again. After losing everything…

“You caught me,” Bosch had been friendly back then, open, and communicative. Had that all been a lie? Was that, even back then, all an act the jaguar had been putting on for Logan to see? Pulling the wool over the humans’ eyes, the very same thing Bosch promise to remove for him. “I was in the military for several years, Logan. Dropped out of high school and joined. Old habits die hard…”

“They take drop outs?” Logan asked. He had been so young, naïve, and almost innocent back then. Handsome and popular at school but knowing so little about how the world worked.

If things had been different. If Mikhail had never moved into the house next door, Logan would’ve been that happy, naïve fool.

“Heh, they aren’t supposed to but, well, there are always exceptions to the rules…” Bosch paused, if only for a second, as he thought that over. “What do you know about predators?”

“I think you’re supposed to call them carnivores,” Logan said recalling the lessons in school as he remained perfectly still. It was a remarkable feat as the predator lurked behind him, tracing his fingers along Logan’s exposed neck.

Logan showed promise, even back then. He picked things up remarkably quickly and didn’t question Bosch’s orders. Going so far as to bloody his knuckles and still continue the practice Bosch taught him.

“Hit it,” and Logan did. His knuckles red and raw, blood running between his fingers as the jaguar stalked behind him. “Again.” And Logan did. Punching the wooden dummy in front of him, mounted on a stand. It was positioned higher than normal, trying to teach Logan how to fight someone larger than he was. “Again,” there was a crack and neither of the two was sure if it had been from the wood, or from Logan’s hand.

He'd tensed, his face shifting for the slightest of seconds. Showing the pain. Then, Logan was back to the blank masked face that Bosch taught him to wear whenever he was in a fight. Not to let his emotions get the better of him. To hide his intent, so the enemy would never know when to strike.

“Logan,” Bosch said, and the human punched the dummy. The jaguar caught his wrist and Logan apologized.

“Sorry,” Logan smiled then and even Bosch thought it might be real. “I was in the zone.” He said with a smile, said with soft eyes as the blood dripped from his bloody, raw knuckles. The pain must’ve been excruciating, but Logan never stopped.

He never complained.

He never begged Bosch, like so many others had, for the jaguar to show mercy on him.

And the jaguar lifted his hand up, licking over the raw flesh there. Tasting the blood of it. His scratchy tongue made Logan wince and Bosch couldn’t help but smile at that. He’d clean Logan hands up, get them bandaged next time. Even Bosch could forget how soft humans could be.

Logan made it hard to think that humans were seen as helpless creatures in the world.

“Carnivores?” Bosch laughed and Logan explained as the jaguar continued to cut his hair off. Letting it fall around his paws.

“Well, in school, they say it’s offensive and that we need to be more politically correct about it, instead of giving into the hate such words bring.” Logan told Bosch and the jaguar actually laughed.

It was funny, in a way, for the jaguar to do so. For him to tell Logan about the world. Being a part of it. Being born a part of it. Bosch was born a meat eater and no matter what words society chose to call him, it would never change what he was.

“Ah, fuck that noise.” Bosch laughed, showing his fangs with the motion. It was nice, in a way, to be this relaxed, like this, around someone for a change. Someone who wasn’t a carnivore… Or maybe, in a way, Logan was. Maybe not a carnivore, but a predator. A hunter. A hunter hunting after a tiger. “Those liberal shits can call tomatoes apples for all I care. It doesn’t change how they look inside.”

Bosch’s claws sprung out and he looked at them. For a second he admired how they shined in the light. White tips darkening to dark fleshy skin bases. He could feel them. Each one. They were lethal weapons Bosch always had on hand, or in hand.

Then he sheathed them. One by one and looked away. Logan couldn’t see his face back then and wondering what kind of looked passed over a man’s face that was born a killer.

“Is that so?” Logan laughed along with Bosch as he got his first haircut from the man. “I’ll keep that in mind, sir. Thanks. For, uh, teaching me these things. People don’t like to talk about it or address it. Makes it hard to understand when you aren’t told the truth…”

“The truth…” The jaguar repeated the word. “I’ll show you the truth this world tries to hide. When you are ready…”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” And Logan did. He was thankful that, by chance, he had met this man. Back then, he thought he’d been so lucky to meet Bosch.

Now, a part of Logan wished he never had.

Bosch would go on to teach him so much. About the world. All the things the media hid from the populace, manipulating and controlling the flow of information so that they, the populace, could remain naïve, happy sheep chewing their cud blissfully unaware of the carnivore moving into the house next door.

He’d train Logan. He’d break him and remold him into a perfect that Bosch could use. But as the years ticked by, Logan didn’t become a tool but a reflection of who Bosch was. The jaguar training him not as something expendable, but a partner or, maybe, a replacement. Someone who could one day take the reigns after Bosch had to pass them on.

“Again,” Bosch had ordered. Logan was sweating, his arms hurt, his muscles ached but the human never faltered. Doing as he was told.

From the training dummy to the workouts, to the drills that Bosch would force Logan through. It was a bootcamp unlike anything Logan had seen before. Physically preparing him while mentally scaring him to everything that the jaguar had seen before. Showing Logan whatever he could to, hopefully, prepare him for the day that Bosch could let him loose.

Currently, it was hand-to-hand combat. Though called as such, “a human should never try to fight without a weapon. You are a human. It’s in your natural to fight with tools.” Bosch had made sure to drill into the human who sweated before him.

Logan had already been fit back in high school but now he had toned his muscles, eating accordingly to build a perfect body to fight with. He was shirtless and sweat glistened off his back as he repeated the drill. Over and over again. No matter how many times Bosch told him to do so, Logan would. Without complaint.

The knife was large, heavy and Logan had to practice cutting the same spot over and over again on the wooden practice dummy set up within the studio. There had been punching bags torn apart by the jaguar during his workout sessions lying nearby.

Bosch had a routine and in the recent year, Logan began joining him. The jaguar would push him but had begun to change his tone.

“Limits, Logan. You need to be well aware of them. Those old martial arts movies? They always tell you to push past your limits, fucking moronic.” The jaguar punched forward, and Logan followed through the routine with him, standing on a nearly identical mat that Bosch was on. “Limits are there for a reason. Pain is there for a reason. It’s the body telling you what you are and aren’t capable of doing. If you know your limits? That’s better than hitting that brick wall when you need to pass it most.”

“What do I do then?” Logan would ask as he repeated the jump kick that Bosch did. The two practicing a form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu that Bosch did.

“Knowing your limits just means you need other skills, other knowledge, to compensate for them.” Bosch stopped them, turning to look at Logan. The human looked back at him, breathing heavily. Shirtless and sweaty. Bosch could smell his musk in the air. “Take me for instance.”

“Okay.” Logan said in acknowledgement, checking the jaguar out.

Bosch was muscular like Logan was but had at least a hundred pounds, or more, on the human. His body was thick and muscle ripples underneath his fur like mounds and hills. Logan had punched Bosch enough times in the stomach during practice to know Bosch was sporting a six pack underneath his densely thick fur. His pectorals were just as nice.

“If you were to come directly at me? I would kill you.” Bosch stated as a fact and Logan just nodded, listening to every word he said. “No amount of training will change that, Logan. I am born with certain… advantages, over others.”

“What should I do then?” Logan only asked when Bosch took a moment, letting him speak.

“A knife? A gun, preferably. Or, rather, come at me from behind. When I’m unaware of your presence. A stealth kill, taking them off-guard, will lead to your highest chance of success…” The jaguar looked at the shirtless human. He could see the scars on Logan’s back, even with the human facing him. That was how bad they were. “Logan…” Bosch almost hesitated. “There is never a hundred percent chance of success. Not in this line of work. All we can do is try to increase our chance. Through whatever means we can. That is the kind of battlefield you are going into. Dirty fighting? Lying and cheating? Using drugs or explosives? Whatever you need to, to come out alive after.”

“Anything…?” Logan asked and Bosch nodded.

“Screw honor. The winner writes history. Never forget that.” The jaguar shrugged and Logan gave it a moment’s thought.

Before Bosch saw him coming, Logan did. He moved in nice and close, pressing his bare chest against the taller males and snagging Bosch’s wrist. The jaguar was already on to him at this point, snarling down at him but the human moved in for the kill.

A kiss.

Their lips met and Logan could feel the jaguar’s large teeth press against his gums, catching Bosch off guard before sliding his leg between the feline’s and, with a push, tripped him just as quickly.

“What the hell was that,” the jaguar asked as he laid there on his back.

“Everything’s fair in love and war, right?” Logan shrugged.

“Logan…” Bosch warned before, with a swift side kick, tripped the human. Bringing Logan down to the same level as him. Bosch rolled over Logan, pinning the sweaty human against the mat as the two breathed heavily. Their breaths mixing between them as the snarling feline glared down at him. “I thought I’d taught you if you take a job. Make sure to finish it.”

And Bosch smashed his lips against Logan’s, the two fighting against the other for control as they kissed. Logan struggled, because he knew Bosch would like that. The jaguar even let him lift his arms up before slamming them back against the mat, holding his wrists so tight Logan couldn’t do a thing underneath the jungle predator.

If there was one thing Logan excelled at, it was able to read men. The way the jaguar stole glances at the human, standing close behind him during their practice sessions… well, it didn’t take an expert to realize their attraction for one another and what started as training sessions, soon led to so much more.

“Need to finish the routine,” Bosch said as if following a very strict schedule.

“Whatever you say goes, boss.” Logan began to call him and the look he shared with the jaguar made the kitty purr.

The two pushing themselves past their limits until they collapsed, panting, and exhausted on the floor. Dripping with sweat. Smelling of male. Limbs bumping against the other. They shared a bottle of water, before sharing their lips once more.

Was it the close proximity? Was it the fact that Bosch knew Logan was into large felines? It didn’t matter. The two had each other. Logan was his assistant one day, his lover the next. Bosch would train Logan like a soldier before taking him out to dinner that night.

It had been such a crazy, tumultuous relationship between the two of them. Neither of the two knowing where it was going or what was next. It was a distraction they both needed and required after everything they’d been through.

Lovers? Friends? Coworkers? Partners…?

It all changed so fast. It was exciting! Thrilling, even. To go on stings with Bosch. Hunting, stalking people in the middle of the night… Only to have the jaguar help him get into the police force the next weekend, to “get his feet wet,” in the field. Logan meeting up with Bosch whenever he texted. Never knowing if it was time to go on another mission, save another life, or just to get some udon at a nearby Japanese restaurant that Bosch liked to visit.

The two sitting at the same table, sipping loudly from the steaming bowls placed in front of them.

“Udon is very bland, in a way, Logan. Far more subtle than other kinds. The noodles aren’t as rich. It’s all about the broth they float in. What’s added to them. Very little, goes a long way but can change everything about them.” Bosch was always one for his philosophical lessons. Even now.

Was this a date? Was this just two partners getting dinner together after a successful job well done? It was impossible to tell, for Logan to know.

Everyone at the police force thought that Logan preferred to go solo, but it wasn’t that. In a way, Logan had always thought as Bosch as both his mentor, his partner, and at times his lover…

Teaching the human about the world through each and every action they did together. Even when their bodies were pressed against the other. As if that was what Bosch was doing for him. Teaching him. Training him. Coaching him, grooming him into being the perfect…

The perfect what?

Logan never had an answer to that even as the large feline mounted him.

Logan clenched his teeth. Bosch was so much larger than he was. He was heavy. Sweat dripping down his naked body. Beads forming before sliding down his muscular, yet lithe torso as their bodies rocked together. The bed creaked, moaning out for Logan who didn’t make a sound as Bosch took him.

There was something about that, Logan had picked up on. Bosch liked to do it. A lot. But he never liked it when Logan made a sound, not in that way. They could sneak into an alley for a quick paw job, or Logan could go down on the jaguar when he drove around the city. As long as Logan didn’t make a sound, Bosch never had a problem with him.

It was good practice, even now, to not make a sound during the heat of a moment. Any moment.

The barbs scrapped his inside, the girth of the jaguar filled Logan. Spreading his tail hole wide as the jaguar pushed into him. Dry, rough, and warm as Bosch could be. It hurt in all the right ways. Bosch’s fur was a dark smokey gray, hiding his spots, but in the right light, dripping with sweat, Logan could see them. See what others couldn’t from the jaguar. He liked to reach up and touch them. To trace them with a finger, outline the hidden spots that Bosch’s fur hid.

Hidden away from the world to see.

Only here and now, like this, on his back with his legs lifted up for the jaguar could Logan see them. See who Bosch was. To see his rosettes. They were so beautiful. Eye catching and always made Logan soundlessly gasp. They were just like the jaguar. Bosch was so handsome and strong. Capable and reliable.

Logan trusted him with the jaguar inside him. Humping and thrusting, barbs flaring out and dragging on his inside. Bosch knew Logan was seeing others, just as Logan knew Bosch was seeing others. It went unsaid between the two. It didn’t need to be said, because here and now, as those barbs scrapped him out, Logan would only feel Bosch’s seed bury deep inside him.

Logan wanted to tell him to go harder, faster. To use him. To let Logan watch as Bosch took him. He admired the jaguar so…

A mentor? A lover? A partner… a friend? Logan never knew who Bosch was to him. All he knew was that Logan respected the man with every fiber of his being.

He had been everything Logan wished he could be, who he could be with. He admired him. It might’ve been closer to how a soldier would see his commanding officer, Logan could only figure. Maybe how a son would see his father…? Respect. Respecting the person, the man, this man… someone he was willingly to put his life in the paws of.

No matter what the job required of Logan.

“Take the shot.” Bosch voice buzzed from the earpiece in Logan’s ear.

And the human did.

He pulled the trigger and watched through the scope as the Komodo dragon’s head exploded.

“Well done,” Bosch went on to say even as Logan watched the pieces still falling from the air. Red and gray brain matter rain from above. “Let’s grab a bite to eat.” The jaguar said as if the sight of it made him hungry.

“The usual place?” Logan asked, already knowing the answer.

“The usual place, Logan.” Bosch had said with a knowing smile. The two were so in sync these days. “I’ll see you there?” Bosch had asked.

“You’ll see me there, sir.” Logan had answered him, and he knew, at that time, Bosch had been smiling hearing his response.

And so, five years later, as Logan walked into that Udon restaurant, he wasn’t sure what to expect from the man. His friends? His partner? Someone he trusted with his life? He wondered if Bosch would be smiling now, seeing him.

The last time he had come here was the final time, or so he thought. Bosch broke it off with him shortly after, saying that something else had come up and he had to do a solo mission to accomplish. Logan understood but when he asked when Bosch would return? The jaguar couldn’t answer him.

He would later go on to see him acting as the mayors bodyguard. A jaguar in a suit, standing off to the side as all the cameras clicked on the new human mayor of the city. She smiled and waved, and Logan had clapped for her in the crowd, unable to look away from the corner of his eye. Where Bosch had been standing.

Seeing him there, wounded, on the floor of her office the previous year had nearly killed Logan. Bosch had always been such a strong figure in his life that he didn’t know what to do, how to process seeing the man he admired most, injured, and wounded on the floor like that. Bleeding out.

Logan had done the unspeakable, in hopes of keeping him alive and then, after The Market burned down, Bosch had called him back. As if remembering he was even still alive. Like an ex texting you in the middle of the night after months later without a single word. A text that was dry, rough, and cold as Bosch could be. A text that simply told Logan that the jaguar needed him for a job.

One Logan couldn’t refuse…

Logan knew not to press such sensitive matters and simply nodded his head, wondering if one day Bosch would let him in on the full picture. If he could ever let him in. that was before Domino, though. Before Sloan. Before these others he had connected with. Connected in ways he had with Bosch, with Mikhail. Ways that Logan thought he never would and now here he was, the same day of, consoling a grieving tiger for what had been stolen from him.

It made Logan wonder if he was here to assist Bosch, or to keep an eye on the jaguar. Logan was playing with fire but knew it was exactly what Bosch was still doing. Even allying himself with The Noble Hares like this. All to achieve whatever mission he’d been sent here for.

“No matter the situation, always make sure you have an ace or two handy. The more cards? The better. Whatever to increase your chance of having a winning hand, Logan. Never know when you might need one to save your life…” Bosch had purred in his ear as he mounted the human.

It was interesting.

Out of all his lovers to date, Bosch had been the only one to withhold from hurting Logan as the others had. Never using his claws or fangs on the human’s body. Even Sloan, just the previous night, had bitten Logan’s thigh.

Even now, Logan wasn’t afraid of Bosch. Even knowing what he was capable of.

He hadn’t hurt Logan because he had chosen not to.

The udon restaurant was dimly lit. A telltale sign that this place served a certain kind of clientele. Their counter tops and chairs were made of some fine mahogany wood, darkened, and polished until it shined. The waiters must’ve had plenty of time on their hands to wipe the counters down with. There wasn’t a single other soul in the place as Logan made his way towards the back.

“Here for cleaning?” A red panda asked from behind the counter. Logan paused, glancing over at them. He could see they were carrying underneath his left arm. The slight bulge under his jacket told Logan that much.

“Always something that needs cleaning, Mizu.” Logan answered and the red panda smiled at that.

Reaching down under the counter, there was soft click before a hidden back door popped open from the side wall within the hallway leading to the bathrooms. It had been hidden behind twin linen drapes that fell from above. They were stylized to look like two cranes in mid dance with one another. When the drapes parted, it looked a if one had ripped the others head off.

A grotesque image until Logan learned what kind of place this was. A front for something else.

“Please enjoy your stay…” The red panda said as Logan proceeded inside, taking two steps down the stairs before looking back. The door shut behind him and he waited for the lights above to click on before continuing.

One by one the lights flickered on, illuminating the stairs leading downwards before him.

“What is up with these secret places burrowing into the ground?” Logan sighed, hating the feeling of being underground. For more reasons than one. The place most likely had hired a mole or badger contractor to dig these tunnels out.

Plenty of buildings around the city, and homes in the suburbs, had large basements. Some homes were more basement than house. The house just being the entryway to their home for fossorial species. The entryway was there just for the mailman or somewhere to leave packages at.

Most people were biased and would look for someone based off what species they were. A fish in water, a bird in a tree. It was unlikely to find someone underground who wasn’t born there. A perfect hiding place for a jaguar.

The stairwell was wider than average, and Logan figured it had been built in mind with someone larger than him or Bosch in mind. He had to hold the railing to walk down the oversized steps before reaching the bottom. A single metal door waited for him on the side wall, and he wrapped his knuckles in a precise manner before an eye slit opened up within it.

A pair of dull brown eyes looked forward, then around, before looking down at the human smirking up at them.

“No soliciting.” The voice growled.

“Suck my bag, Dozer.” Logan flipped the rhino off.

With a deep booming laugh, the door swung inwards, and a massive rhino was standing there. He was shirtless today and the intricate tattoo pattern on his body painted a picture, using his thick flesh as a canvas to tell a brutal story. It was like the picture of the two cranes dancing. Wordless shapes flowing together to tell a story of Dozer’s life.

Of the brutality he suffered from losing his horn, to the revenge he sought after. Marking down each life he stole in an endless rampage.

“Buy me a drink sometime and I’ll let you check me out as long as you like, little guy.” Dozer rested a bandaged arm against the wall as he leaned over Logan.

“Fuck off,” Logan laughed as he shoved his way past the heavy-set rhino. Dozer didn’t even budge as Logan squeezed past him and into the large open room.

The walls were made of cement. The floor was made of metal. There was a dinky fan spinning overheard and the vents churned out musty air as if they were in another building altogether. The lights in the room were brighter than they had been above. Most the lamps set up were facing the large table in the middle, next to the laptop that a raccoon was currently typing away on. She ignored Logan’s approach as the metal door slammed shut behind them.

“Fuck, Dozer!” She chittered at the rhino who stomped over. “At least try not to blow our damn cover down here!”

“Sorry, little lady.” Dozer bowed towards her as he laughed about it after, nostrils flaring, and snorting his out. “You stink,” he glanced at Logan who just shrugged.

Logan had taken an extremely long shower that morning in hopes of getting Sloan’s funk off his body. He used numerous kinds of deodorants and sprays afterwards. Even putting on a fresh pair of clothes from within his car instead of the usual ones he left at Sloan’s place.

“You should be resting. Not stomping around and slamming doors.” The raccoon rolled her eyes at the rhino before going back to the screen. The seat she sat on had been lifted and scooted closer to the table. It might’ve been easier for the small raccoon to just sit on the thing as she typed away on a laptop that wasn’t built for her size in mind.

“Fine, fine. You sound like my mother.” Dozer waved her off as he stomped over to take a seat on an oversized recliner that groaned as his heavy weight jump into it. It was an old beaten-up chair that looked ready to burst any second as the rhino flipped on the TV that had been set up in front of it.

“Where’s Bosch?” Logan asked, looking around the room. He didn’t ask about Dozer’s wounds, knowing he wouldn’t have to. Dozer was a loud guy that wouldn’t keep quiet about it for long. Not with how much it looked like they bothered him. The numerous cuts and bruises on his skin wouldn’t slow him down.

Logan had seen Dozer take a hit by a car and get up afterwards. He was built differently than the rest of them.

“Boss man abandoned us after the wolf incident.” The rhino waved at him, trying to get Logan’s attention while still facing the screen. “Bastard took a bite out of my freaking ear.” The rhino grumbled, rubbing the side of his bandaged head with grooved finger nails. Nearly scratching the bandages off.

“Quit that! I just bandaged you!” The raccoon cursed at him, throwing her stainless-steel mug at him, and coming up short.

“No harm done then. You never listen as it is,” Logan laughed. “Better your ear than your ass. Seeing as how you’re always sitting on it…”

“What?” Dozer called back and Logan rolled his eyes, ignoring the rhino.

“We lose anyone?” Logan asked the raccoon instead.

Shyrl gave him a long, silent look before turning back to her laptop.

“Always.” Was all she said without going into any further detail. There was a reason why she was kept behind while the others went in. Her short stature could’ve been very useful in certain situations, but she didn’t have the stomach as the others did for this.

New recruits came and went like the seasons. Forever changing, never to return.

“You should be asking who the new losers are instead.” Dozer called over to Logan as he kicked up a leg. The large rhino winced, cursing under his breath before trying to appear as if he hadn’t been hurt. The numerous bandages over his arms, head, and neck would say otherwise.

“I’m assuming that’s why boss man invited us here.” Logan said as he glanced around the room, wondering when that jaguar would show up. There were rooms leading off from this one. A kind of bunker, built underneath a restaurant. Logan knew of a few escape routes from here but no other entrance. “It’s not often he calls us in like this…”

“You’re still fairly new yourself, green horn.” The rhino laughed. “Acting like you’re some hot shit.”

“I’m still alive.” Logan countered with. Shyrl stopped typing, if only for a second, before continuing. “Sorry, that was… too much.”

“It’s alright.” Shyrl lied as she continued to type away. “I’ve seen enough come and go to know not to get attached.”

“It’s what boss man always says.” Dozer grunted in reply as he scratched his exposed gut with a hand. “Don’t get attached. Don’t exchange personal information. Don’t sleep together. Yadda, yadda, yadda. A bunch of hot air out of his ass if you ask me!”

“Yeah.” Logan agreed without looking at either of the two. “Bosch doesn’t like getting close to others… I’m beginning to see why.” He exaggerated at the end, trying not to let the others see how it bothered him.

Logan took a seat, but he didn’t need to wait long before there was a click and one of the side room doors opened. Logan could see a long dark hallways before the door shut behind the jaguar stalking into the room with silent steps.

If Logan didn’t see him, he’d have never heard the jaguar coming over.

Bosch rarely wore shoes during a mission. Instead, opting for black wrappings around his heels and lower legs as his toes splayed out with every step he took, the hint of a nail poking out from each one as he did.

“Logan,” Bosch greet him. “Shyrl. Dozer.” He nodded to the two others.

“No more code names?” Dozer asked, not evening looking at the jaguar.

“Unfortunately, no.” Bosch tsked as he walked over. Logan tensed, if only for a second, before the jaguar patted his shoulder. “There were some unforeseen events that have happened lately that forced us to change our plans. Logan,” the jaguar lowered his head nearly purring his name out. “It’s good to have you back.” And with another pat on the shoulder, the jaguar stepped further into the room to look over the table.

Logan could feel a bead of sweat drip down the back of his neck and was unsure what it meant. Was he afraid of Bosch or was he glad to see the jaguar again? He worried about the former but more about the latter.

“Why’d you call us in this time?” Logan asked instead. Wanting to focus on the job. To separate his business and pleasure from each other.

“Who do you want me to kill?” Dozer chimed in with a laugh at the end.

“This time?” Bosch gave Logan a look before over at the rhino still lounging out. “You make it sound like I only ever call you in to take someone out.”

“Well, you do.” Dozer picked at his teeth. “Fucking wolves did a number on me this time. Heh, did a number on them as well. Wish that bastards was dead in some ditch somewhere after what I did to him. Just sad I couldn’t watch him go. Piss on his corpse…”

“Well, not this time. It’s security detail…” Bosch began, before stopping as Dozer groaned out. “My apologies. You’ll have to go back to the underground fighting pit to sate your bloodlust this week instead.”

“I figured you’d have enough after the wolves.” Logan added in, looking over the table and pretending not to care about the remark Dozer had made. He was listening intently for Dozer’s reply, trying to figure out if the rhino had killed anyone…

And what wolves had died because of it.

“Nah.” Dozer just grunted with a heavy shrug of his shoulders. “Boss man didn’t want to piss off the Alpha any further than he already had. No killing,” Dozer mimicked Bosch’s voice while adding a girly flair to it. “Dock your pay for every body that turns up. Blah, blah, blah. Bitch, bitch, bitch.”

“Alpha?” Logan inquired, looking at Bosch. “What’s this about wolves and Alphas? I thought we were focusing on The Pride? As in, lions.”

“Fucking lions,” the rhino grumbled loudly. Making sure his opinion was heard about it. Dozer reached up to touch the metal horn he had made to replace the one stolen. “Thieving bastards, that’s all they are. No pride in that. Call themselves a fucking family but bunch of pussies in the end. Can’t fight a guy one on one…”

Logan didn’t say anything about that. It was easy to trigger a rhino and he had learned early on not to do so. Dozer wasn’t afraid to rough up his teammates if they got on his nerves.

There was another knock on the metal door and Bosch walked over to get it. Without even checking, the jaguar opened it as if already knowing who it was.

“Bernard.” Bosch greeted the bull who struggled to get through the open door with his long horns getting in the way. “Where’s…?”

“Uh… Oh! OH! No, boss man. Sorry, I guess. They got him…” Bernard lowered his head in apology. “Ambushed from the front. They had a group waiting nearby. They didn’t take their whole group to the meet as we had hoped and expected for…”

“Pity,” Bosch thought that over. “But, also, good to know. It means it was worth our efforts to claim the Alpha’s prized pet. If he was willing to send a group to watch over him, it meant he has value. Was worried after seeing him…”

“He..?” Logan frowned. “You keep dancing around this, Bosch. The hell is going on?” Logan said and the jaguar waved a paw at him.

“My apologies. You are always in the know, so it’s amusing to see when you are unaware of something going on for a change, Logan.” The jaguar smirked, eyes laughing at the human. Teasing him. The feline playing with the human. “It’s good to have a few things close to heart. Just in case, Logan.”

“If you called us in, I figured it would be important enough to know. Just in case. Hate to accidentally kill one of your agents, again…” Logan gave Bosch a knowing look and the man, once more, apologized. Bosch even lifted his hands up as if surrendering.

“My apologies, Logan. I see you met him, then. You’re still here, and I know he is still alive...” The jaguar rubbed his chin as if in deep thought. “So, how did you match the March Hare?”

“I just led him to his natural enemy. As you taught me.” Logan added at the end with a smug smile of his own. The jaguar laughed at that.

“Ah, that would explain why he was so pissed off. In fact. He should be joining us shortly!” Bosch checked his watch before looking towards one of the side rooms. The others followed their heads, only for the door on the other side of the room to open. “Seriously. You all can’t be that dense,” Bosch laughed at them as the feline glanced at the hare walking into the room. “Don’t ever blindly follow a predator.”

There was another tunnel behind the hare and Logan had to assume this entire building was connected to a network of tunnels at this point. Who knows how many of the burrowing species were currently, even as they spoke, building new tunnels like this under their very feet. The thought was terrifying.

“Hendricks. It’s about time you got here.” Dozer grunted, forcing himself to get up with a grunt and walked over to greet the hare.

Hendricks pushed past him, practically running at Logan as he tried to get up in his face. Bosch placed a hand between the two as Logan smiled at the hare. Letting Hendricks get the first punch in. Then Bosch couldn’t complain when Logan beat the shit out of the man.

“You!” Hendricks snarled up at the human. “You conniving, two faced, lion’s whore!”

“Oh, hey, long time no see. What happened to your arm?” Logan gasped, feigning surprise as he looked at the arm in a cast. “And your teeth.” The human leaned closer, noticing the chip in one of the rabbit’s buck teeth. “You really shouldn’t be chewing on metal…”

“You bastard. I’m going to break your knee caps, then-,” Hendricks tried to get past Bosch. The jaguar gave a single warning growl. “And you!” He shouted at the jaguar who was not happy with the tone he used. Bosch might’ve had a habit of toying around with the others and playing his sick little games as most felines did, but Bosch always demanded respect at the end of the day. “Why would you send him in with those bastards when I was gunning for their Mane!”

“Logan had his orders,” Bosch warned in a low voice. “And you had yours.”

“But-,” the hare stood up on his tip toes, trying to match Bosch’s height.

The jaguar large fangs flashed and even Logan backed away from the look that crossed over Bosch’s face.

“You ignored your orders and went after the head of the Kincaid family behind my back, Hendricks. And failed!” The fur on Bosch’s neck began to stand up as his lips lifted. There was a long moment of silence that followed his words. No one dared to move or say anything until Bosch calmed down.

With a deep breath, wiping a hand down the front of his suit, Bosch relaxed. His tail flicked twice behind him before settling back down.

“This is a very delicate game we are playing here, everyone.” Bosch said, addressing those in the room. Logan looked around, counting them out, before going back to Bosch. There were only six of them here. It meant four others were missing.

Four others had failed and been killed.

Bosch seemed to notice this as well and spoke louder, address those still here. Reminding them what they were doing and the dangers they were in.

“Every century, or so, the pendulum of power swings in the other direction. During the dark ages, it was carnivores… predators, on top of the world. Then the revolution came when guns were manufactured, and the odds were evened out. They call this age, The Age of Extinction. Nearly every single carnivore was wiped off the face of the planet during this time. Once on top of the world, led to nigh extinction the next. Hunted down and killed for what their ancestors had done. Not that I blame them,” Bosch chuffed in amusement. “Herbivores were finally allowed to be in charge. They sat on the seat of power in almost every country in the civilized world… during this time, there was a power struggle between the different countries. Each herbivore vying for more and more power, even against their own… Their numbers had boomed out of control without predators hunting them down. Too many mouths to feed? Not enough people to blame for it… it was then that omnivores took advantage of this. One particular group of people. Humans.”

Everyone glanced over at Logan who just flipped them off in turn.

“Humans are cunning, crafty creatures. Pitting the other groups against each other, working in the shadows… War wasn’t the solution any longer. It was subterfuge. Controlling the information flow. Turning friends and family against each other. And it worked. Worked a little too well… we actually had a semblance of peace in this country!” Bosch laughed. “Shootings were down. Fewer cases of random mauling’s occurring. All it took was some… shady business. Raising the taxes on meat products, introducing narcotics into the predatory populated provinces, blaming them for everything and then introducing The Market for them to use against the herbivores. Illegally, of course. It was… perfect. A scape goat. A scape goat that everyone could use. Keep the major populace,” Bosch glanced at Hendricks, The Marche Hare of their group. “Keep the major populace occupied. Their eyes turned on a threat that wasn’t the one threatening them, heh. While everyone else was playing chess, they were playing an entirely different game altogether. 4d chess. Checkers. Whatever,” Bosch glanced over at Logan.

They’re eyes met before Logan lowered his to the floor. Bosch had taught Logan all of this and more over the years. Bosch had trained Logan well. Just as he had trained the others here. All of them weapons in his kit he could use to keep the peace. This peace. Even if it was faked, created, and founded on lies. It was still peace. Better than the alternative.

“What about The Burrows? Is Barnes aware of all this?” Hendricks spoke up. “The Market? You guys- I mean, you bastards were the ones to introduce it to people? What about us? My people! What about The Butcher…?” The hare demanded to know.

Logan tensed at his words, looking up at that.

“The Butcher targeted us. Hunted us down! Did you have a say in that as well-,” the hare yelled before being rudely interrupt.

“Right,” Bosch frowned looking at the hare again. “See, this is the issue with using those part of a larger group. Rhinos? Bulls? Those who have no more connections..?” Bosch couldn’t help but look at Logan as he said it. “So much easier to work with. No one at home waiting for them…” The jaguar lifted his hand and with a snap of his finger, the final door opened. As if those on the other side were waiting for that very moment to announce themselves. Two others walked into the room. “I’d like to introduce the newest members that will be helping with the final act of our play, today. Ginger and Gristle.” Bosch grinned seeing the looks on everyone else’s faces.

He always did love a dramatic entrance.

“The fuck!” Dozer jumped seeing what they were.

“The hell is this, Bosch!” Hendricks demanded to know.

The first was a grizzled looking gray furred wolf that snarled at the others, clearly not wanting to get close to anyone there. He was shorter than average but had packed on a whole lot of muscle to make up for it. His entire body was cut up and scarred over. His arms were exposed and there were numerous bite marks on them. Logan could already picture the wolf letting someone bite his arm, before biting back. Twice as hard. Willing to give up his arm in order to get the kill.

The other person was a rabbit, or a hare. It was hard to tell. She had snowy white fur and was smiling at everyone else in the room in an innocent manner that hid her true intention. It was a face Logan was intimately familiar with. It was the same one he wore whenever he had to deal with predators. A friendly smile, soft eyes, even a touch here or there to show how harmless you were… before using your other hand to pull the trigger.

Dozer instantly fell for her charms. Like a fly being invited into the spider’s web, Ginger had coaxed the large herbivore over and was treating him like a toy to be played with. Instantly calming the raging beast in their midst with a bat of her long eyelashes and a couple of friendly, lingering touches.

“Don’t be like that, big boy.” Ginger just said. “I was so looking forward to meeting you! Bosch told me alllll about you.”

“Who the hell is this?” Hendricks demanded to know, pointing her out. He would not be ignored right now. He began thumping his foot against the ground quickly, trying to hold back his anger. “Barnes will hear of this. Just wait. Just wait!”

“This is The Marche Hare,” Bosch explained giving her a single look. A single nod.

Logan took a large step away from Hendricks.

“Wait… I’m the Marche Hare. No. NO wait! Y-you promised me that you’d help me take over The Burrows-,” Hendricks said, eyes widening as it dawned on him. He didn’t get another word in before a bullet pierced through his skull, between his eyes, and he slumped back against the wall.

A bleeding body on the floor that everyone else chose to ignore.

“The new Marche Hare.” She smiled innocently, holding up a silencer. “Oh, shoot. I pulled the trigger too quick again! That was what you wanted, right?” She asked, giggling at her mistake before smiling over at Bosch. The look that crossed her face made Logan take another step away.

She could’ve killed everyone in that room and still pretended to giggle about it. Logan did not want to find out what kind of life she’d been put through to become that sick, twisted, and deranged.

“Perfect,” Bosch practically purred the word clapping his hands slowly together. “Excellent introduction. That is how you make an entrance. Though, make sure to say your line before you kill them. Let them at least know why they’re dying. They can take that regret with them to their grave.”

“Right. Next time then!” Ginger bounced happily on the spot. Dozer took a timid step away as she nuzzled the silencer still in her hand.

“Who’s the other guy?” Logan was the one to ask, getting a look from the jaguar. “No one else is asking. You aren’t telling me. You know I hate being left in the dark, Bosch…” He said and the jaguar smiled at that, knowing the double meaning behind those words.

Wondering just how much Logan suspected of the jaguar these days and how much he actually knew.

“My apologies, Alice.” Bosch bowed towards him in a single, smooth, elegant fashion before gesturing towards the wolf as he used Logan’s codename. “This is The Jabberwocky.”

“Gristle.” The wolf snarled, snapping his teeth before grinding them as if he were chewing on something. “The names Gristle. Don’t you shits dare call me anything else. No code names. None of that shit. I’m not here to play this stupid game of yours, cat.”

“Right, my apologies.” Bosch said and placed a hand over his heart, even going so far as to bow his head in apology to the wolf. “I do have a flair for dramatics.”

“Fucking cats,” Gristle growled. “Can’t just silently get the job done. Always got to make a scene.”

Logan took a second on that. This new information. Not just that this wolf could possibly be the same Uncle Gristle that Reese and the others were looking for, but also the fact that his code name was Jabberwocky. The very beast that Alice was supposed to kill. The Jabberwocky...

At least in the poorly remade movies. In the original poem, it was a male who did the deed. Cutting off the Jabberwocky’s head with the vorpal blade that went “snicker-snack.” Snickering. Laughter. Bosch was sick and Logan had to look at the jaguar, who was clearly watching him the entire time as the human put it all together.

Bosch even went so far as to cover his muzzle with a hand, to hide the sick smile that was surely crossing over it.

Watching him with an amused, satisfied smile on his face. Bosch had given him all the clues and had simply waited for Logan to put the pieces together to solve the puzzle. He hadn’t been disappointed. The jaguar’s tail swayed behind him and the look of elation on his face told Logan everything.

Just like ever, Bosch was satisfied with the human. Glad that Logan had picked up the small fact that he, Logan, codename Alice, was supposed to kill the newest member of their group. When the time was right, that is. Just like he’d been ordered to kill others, and would do so in the future, Logan was tasked with yet another man to put on that ever-growing hitlist.

How many lives would have to take in order to keep this fake peace that Bosch and whoever he worked for was desperate to keep going?

“What’s the point of gathering us all together? You don’t like us interacting with one another…” Logan said, knowing that Bosch worried they might conspire against him. He rather keep them at each other’s throats instead.

Toss them into a cage, unaware of the others, before placing a juicy steak for them to fight to the death over. Should Logan be honored that Bosch assumed he would come out of such a fight alive or insulted when the jaguar pushes him into such a situation.

Again.

It was most likely the third option. Bosch wanted Logan to be aware of who he was working with, so he knew which wolf to put down when the time came to it. And who to watch out for amongst the rabbits and hares of The Noble family.

Bosch had big plans for Ginger, unlike Hendricks. The jaguar conspiring to use her to control the hares when they took power.

Logan needed to ask the question once Gristle had moved off to the side, snapping his teeth at Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The bull and rhino weren’t impressed that another carnivore was joining them, and they were making a whole show of it. Stomping their feet, snorting loudly, tossing their head to the side making their horns swing dangerously close to the wolf’s face. All ways a large, agitated herbivore might do to threaten a predator that had come into their midst.

Or to show off for a mate.

Ginger clapped nearby, inciting them onto violence as she watched safely from the sidelines as Logan and Bosch stepped to the other side of the room. Distracted as they were, they ignored the two distancing themselves from the others.

“The next plan I have in mind will be on a larger stage, Logan.” Bosch said, glancing towards the others. “I just needed the pieces for it. The Alpha’s pet. The wolf connections. Well, that’s a story for another day. Right now? We have a bigger issue… Barnes and the other Noble Hare leaders wants us at the show… as guards,” Bosch scoffed. He was clearly tired of the role of defending someone. He was no gallant knight. He was the knife in the dark that you never saw coming. Taking out the drug lord or wannabe dictator in a foreign country. “He wants to make one final show before running for it.”

“It?” Logan asked, needing clarification to what Bosch was talking about. Even if he already knew. He wanted to let the jaguar believe that he knew what was going on only thanks to Bosch’s aide and not figuring it out on his side.

“To run for mayor.” Bosch rolled his eyes. “I do not understand why everyone is trying to take the spot. We put Annabelle Horn in the position because she served our purposes at the time. Don’t these people dream bigger than… mayor? Mayor of some dank, wet city that always rains. Depressing.”

“Maybe they do…?” Logan offered, thinking about it. He had been surprised that Sloan had wanted to run for the position. Even talking about running for governor one day. The lion willing to put himself in the crosshairs of so many other people to take the position of power. Why? What for? Logan didn’t understand that kind of thing because, as a human, he wasn’t a minority being persecuted against. “They could see it as a stepping stone,” Logan voiced his thoughts aloud. “Wanting to climb higher up the chain. Until they can change things. For them and their own.” Logan said talking about Sloan while Bosch assumed he meant Barnes.

“As in president?” Bosch lifted an eyebrow at that. The jaguar looked surprised at the very idea as he held back his laughter. “If a predator runs for president, there will be another assassination. Again.”

“Or something like that.” Logan shrugged. “It’s impossible to know what’s truly going through someone’s head. No matter how hard we try,” Logan muttered at the end. Looking at the others. Bosch could tell he wasn’t looking at them, he was watching them. Picking them apart. Trying to figure them out. What made them tick… and how to use that against them in the future.

He was sure Logan already knew hot to take down Dozer and Bernard.

Bosch had trained Logan well. Maybe too well… but he was only human in the end. Something the jaguar liked to remind Logan about whenever he placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly and letting a hint of his sharp nails show.

“What are you going to do with Little Red?” Logan asked, still watching the others. He had asked in such a lackadaisical, casual manner that Bosch hadn’t caught on to his true intent. It was like he was asking the jaguar at dinner what he might order on the menu. Something to keep the conversation going, instead of trying to figure something out.

Like where Alan might be.

“The Alpha’s pet? I was planning to use him against Big Bad but now Barnes wants him for… honestly, who knows with that sick bastard.” Bosch growled low, a deep rumble in his throat building. “Why they wanted that jack ass rabbit in charge, I’ll never know. He’s driving me insane, Logan. Pushing even my limits. Acting on his own accord without following the script I had neatly set up for him and the others.” The jaguar shook his head, holding the side of it as if a bad migraine was coming on. “Threatening to ruin everything I’m working towards.”

“Why put up with him then…?” Logan dared to push his luck.

“Just following orders.” Bosch answered as if it were obvious. “Like I have any agency in any of this.” The jaguar’s tail flicked. “I’m just told what they want to happen in the end and I’m the one that has to work out all the pieces so it falls perfectly into place so they can sleep soundly at night.” He scoffed. “A little fear might get them off their lazy asses to do something.”

“Lite a fire under them?” Logan offered and Bosch actually laughed at the idea.

“If only.” Bosch sighed, shaking his head. “At least you are here, Logan. One less thing to worry about.”

“Just following orders.” Logan mimicked back, still watching the others. “It’s what working for the government is like, huh? Keep your head down, follow orders and try not to ask too many questions after pulling the trigger.”

“Something like that.” Bosch licked over one of his fangs as the two talked. Talked as if they had never been apart these past couple of years. Bosch never mentioned where he had vanished off to and Logan didn’t ask.

Knowing Bosch would never tell him. Maybe that was why they couldn’t ever be together. Unlike the others, Bosch was the one that didn’t trust Logan it seemed. After all the predators Logan had bed, Bosch was the only one who hadn’t let his guard down around him.

“Sometimes I just want to run away.” Logan admitted, staring at the others. Dozer was now challenging the new guy to an arm-wrestling match. Only to see Gristle slam Dozer’s arm to table and laugh in his face after. “They’re going to kill each other before we even start…”

“Makes my job hell of a lot easier if they did.” Bosch chuckled as his tail swayed to the side, the tip brushing Logan’s arm. “If you could run away to, where would you go?”

“Bahamas?” Logan said without a second thought.

“Like you’d ever run.” Bosch chuffed in amusement. “Not until you catch him…”

“On the beach. Just the two of us. Under the shade of one of those oversized umbrellas you set up. I forget the name of them.” Logan continued as if he hadn’t heard the bait Bosch had thrown for him. “Sipping on pina coladas. Some cute waiter coming on over to give us refills as the warm breeze licks over our bodies and the waves kiss our toes…”

“A vacation well owed after all this.” Bosch nodded in agreement but didn’t say another word about it. “Now then,” with a clap of his paws he walked over to stop the others from tearing each other apart. “It’s time to get our game plan underway.”

Logan walked over on autopilot. Listening and going over everything with the others as he stared blankly down at the blueprints of the building they’d be guarding. He was sure Bosch would contact him on a private line. Telling him where and when to take Gristle out at. Targeting the wolf, away from the others.

To bring him there, of all places? A predator out in the open? He’d be a sitting duck. Logan might not even have to pull the trigger. Was Gristle aware of any of this? Did he suspect what Bosch was planning… and if he did, would it even matter?

What did Gristle gain from being here? Working with them?

Logan didn’t know, didn’t care. Not in that moment. That brief moment of peace before he went back out onto the battlefield.

He could hear it. As he stood there. The waves lapping over his feet. The sound of a seagull overhead as the sun hung lazily above them. Out there, on the beach. Drinking something as sweet as it was alcoholic. Logan wondered, then, as he closed his eyes fantasizing about it all.

Who was the man sitting next to him that his hand rested next to, but never against. As if, even in his dreams, he was unable to have them…