BELONGING: Hope, Truth And Malice (Beauty 0f Life Book 3) Read online

  “You know Broderick?” Sean asked.

  Trevor answered, “Sort of. Saw him a lot when I was a MP stationed in Kandahar several years ago. I only talked to him once, but given his state at the time I doubt he’d remember me. He looked like death warmed over when I met him.”

  Taking a quick bite and swallowing, Trevor realized they wanted him to explain further. He added, “I’d only been in the camp for two days and was on my way to the mess tent. I rounded a corner and saw this guy on his knees struggling to pull himself up onto a crate next to him. I went to help. Grabbed his arm and helped him sit on the crate.

  “He was covered in dust and grime, looked like he had just come back from days out in the field. Broderick looked up at me and mumbled thanks. Man, he was so pale and looked like he was gonna pass out,” Trevor said as he shuddered a bit at the memory.

  “I asked him where he was headed and he said the mess tent. Told him that’s where I was going too. He just nodded his head a bit and took a slow breath in. He was in bad shape, so I asked him if he needed help. He just stared at me with a look of ‘Why the fuck would you care?’ then shook his head no and stood up. He took several shaky steps before getting his footing and headed into the mess. I followed him to make sure he made it there.

  “This huge hulk of a man with a bright smile—never knew his name, but he worked in the mess—well, he took one look at Dan, steered him to a table, and sat him down. I went to get my food. I saw the cook return to the table he’d put Dan at with a plate loaded with food for him.

  “The mess was pretty full and the table Dan was at was empty except for him, so I went and sat down. Never seen someone eat so fast. After he finished the first helping, the hulky guy was there with another plate. He told Dan to eat, but slower this time or he would get sick.”

  Trevor took a drink and a bite of sandwich before he continued. “Midway through this plate of food, Dan told me his name and quietly asked who I was. I introduced myself and we spent the next quarter hour in conversation. Well, that’s not exactly right. I spent the next fifteen minutes talking. Dan just sat listening and slowly eating. I told him when I was done with my tour and got out of the military that I was planning on returning here and trying to get into TRF. Then I told him all about the TRF.”

  Becoming a little subdued, Trevor said, “As he finished his second plate of food this guy comes running up to him with a worried look on his face. The guy was about my height, had brown hair, and these striking green eyes. The exchange between them was cryptic and so intense. It was so powerful I remember it like it was yesterday.

  “The guy came to an abrupt halt at the table, immediately wrapped his arms tightly around Dan and hugged him for a full minute, maybe more. When he released him, he tilted Dan’s face to his, stared directly into Dan’s eyes and said, ‘Danny, hold tight, I’m here! How long?’ Dan replied ‘Seven’. The guy then asked ‘How bad?’. Dan replied so quietly I barely heard ‘Thirty-two’. The guy wrapped his arms around Dan tightly again and whispered ‘Remember the beauty of life’. Dan nodded once.

  “Then the green-eyed guy called out to five guys that had just entered the mess, ‘Found Blondie, seven and thirty-two. Move now!’ Three of the guys rushed to get food and water that the cook had already packed for them—that was weird, like he knew what they would need. A lanky guy with light ash brown hair rushed out of the tent, to where, I don’t know.

  “The fifth guy was a fierce looking giant. He had to be almost seven-foot and he had a nasty scar across his face. He rushed to the table—to tell the truth, he scared me a bit. But he just picked Dan up like he was nothing more than a child’s rag doll, and started for the exit. He was closely followed by the green-eyed guy and the other three.”

  Shaking his head slightly Trevor said, “Never did figure out what the numbers meant. Some code for their unit, I assumed. Anyways, saw him around the remote base often, but never had a chance to talk with him again. He always looked like crap, as if he’d just come in from the field. Units would roll in and out, but he was always there and he’d join up with them. That was strange, must be a Special Forces thing.

  “That first set of guys, the ones from the mess tent, seemed pretty protective of him whenever they were in camp. Through the grapevine, they said Dan was always in demand for his skills. Always in the field and always assigned to the most extreme missions. I don’t doubt it,” Trevor finished as Echo Team sat in silence absorbing all Trevor had shared about Dan.

  Alpha team had tuned in when they heard Dan’s name mentioned and had listened intently to every word of Trevor’s tale. They exchanged shocked looks with each other. They had no words, none at all. They were completely dumbfounded with this insight into Dan’s past.

  Rouge Park – Section Seven – Near the Clearing – 7:40 p.m.

  The team was just cresting another ravine when Lexa called out quietly, “Dan, I think I see movement in the small clearing ahead.”

  “Team hold, take cover,” Dan ordered.

  They dropped and took cover. Dan stealthily moved forward and surveyed the clearing. He brought out his binoculars and zeroed in on the three figures. Lexa had a good eye. Three subjects were sitting on rocks in the clearing.

  “Lexa, send the coordinates to the Boss,” Dan whispered and switched to channel one, “Boss, we have a visual on three subjects in a small clearing. Lexa’s sending the coordinates to you. Confirmed one subject is Basto. We’ll surround and try to keep them contained. We could use some backup before we go in to arrest them.”

  Aaron and Frank shared a look and a smile. They’d be bringing in Basto. They checked their weapons and prepared to move on Dan’s command.

  Rouge Park – Command Post – 7:40 p.m.

  Bram wondered if the cook in Trevor’s tale was Jarmal. It would fit. The guy did watch out for Dan. He’d stepped up without hesitation when the Boss had asked him to care for Dan back in October.

  His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the Boss say, “Copy that. Doug Starveling’s team is closest. I’ll notify them and have them start toward your coordinates. Then switching to channel seven with you, Dan.”

  Crispin Winter had come over to grab a coffee and heard the conversation on channel one. He tapped Nick on the shoulder then said, “I’ll notify Doug, you go ahead and switch to channel seven.”

  Nick nodded and motioned for the rest of Alpha Team to switch to channel seven as he simply said, “Basto.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  July 15

  Rouge Park – Section Seven – Near the Clearing – 7:40 p.m.

  Dan relayed to the team, “Boss is notifying Doug’s team, they’re our closest backup. Lexa, go around left, find a Zulu position. Frank, provide cover for her. There’s still one subject unaccounted for. Aaron and I will approach from the right. We’ll contain them here until Doug’s team gets here,” Dan directed.

  The four moved out quietly trying to get close to the subjects without alerting them. With it being Basto, Dan felt it was too risky to apprehend the subjects with only the four of them. Basto had too much firepower and Guns and Gangs wanted him alive, if possible. Waiting for backup would be best. Dan followed Aaron as they made their way to the right.

  Lexa found a suitable location, settled in, and took aim on the three subjects. “Dan, I have the solution. How do you want to do this if they start moving?”

  Frank stood behind and just to the right of Lexa, covering her back. They knew where three of the remaining four subjects were, but Dan was right, the fourth one could be anywhere. He continued to scan the area as he listened for Dan’s instructions.

  Rouge Park – Section Seven – Hiding Near the Clearing – 7:45 p.m.

  Unseen by the team or by Basto and his goons, two members of the Jackals gang, Damir and Miro, were crouched behind a grouping of small trees. They had been closing in to kill Basto when they saw the cops. Two cops had moved into a position a few yards in front of them while two others were still circling
around the other side of the clearing.

  Damir whispered to Miro, “I hate cops with a passion—more than Basto. I wanna kill the cops first then we can deal with Basto.”

  Miro shook his head. “No, we let the cops kill Basto, then we kill the cops.”

  “Idiot, the cops will arrest them. We kill the cops then we kill Basto,” Damir stated.

  Miro nodded. “Okay, we do this your way, but we need to kill Basto. Yegorovich will reward us good if we take him out.”

  “Cops first, then Basto. Agreed.” Damir crept forward to get a better bead on the cops closest to him. Miro stayed where he was—hidden in the trees.

  Rouge Park – Section Seven – Near a Clearing – 7:45 p.m.

  Dan stopped to scan the clearing and the three subjects to answer Lexa’s question. He was about to answer when he saw a flash of light reflected off metal behind Lexa and Frank. He instantly found the subject’s gun rising to aim at Frank’s head.

  As he took aim, Dan urgently whispered, “Down! Gun! Behind you!”

  Scanning quickly at Dan’s warning, Aaron found the glint off the gun. He quickly calculated that making the shot from his and Dan’s position would be near impossible. Aaron began moving to get into a better position as he worried about Frank and Lexa.

  At Dan’s warning, Lexa and Frank spun around and crouched down at the same time, looking for the armed subject. Lexa saw the gun first and it was pointed at Frank. She was raising her gun, about to tell the subject to freeze, when two shots rang out one on top of the other.

  Lexa watched the subject fall to the ground as she heard Dan urgently call, “Status?”

  “No harm,” came from Lexa then she instantly looked at Frank because there had been two shots. Frank was sitting on the ground with a stunned look.

  Frank called out, “No harm.” Then he shook off the shock of the near miss. The bullet had hit the ground just to the left of him. If Dan hadn’t seen the shooter, he’d be dead right now.

  “Subject neutralized,” Lexa stated as she moved forward, picked up his weapon, and then turned back to the clearing.

  No one saw Miro quickly slip away.

  Aaron was shocked. The second shot had come from Dan’s gun. How did he make that shot from that location? It wasn’t possible. Or was it? Aaron knew he wouldn’t have been able to make it. Frank would be dead if not for Dan.

  Rouge Park – Section Seven – Clearing – 7:45 p.m.

  Basto and his two guards were alerted by the shots. Basto took off running one way, one guard bolted another, while the third subject sat on a rock with a scared look on his face, frantically looking all around.

  Dan ran in pursuit of Basto. He wasn’t going to allow Basto to get away.

  Still unseen by anyone, Miro took off in the same direction as Basto and the cop pursuing him. He’d kill them both.

  Lexa and Frank raced into the clearing for the subject on the rock. Frank moved forward and quickly disarmed the subject while Lexa covered him.

  Aaron ran after the other guard. He raised his gun and yelled, “TRF, police, stop where you are.”

  The guard was out of shape and trudging through the woods had exhausted him. He decided to make his stand here. He turned part way around with his hand on the trigger of his gun. He was taking a few cops with him to the grave. He saw a female cop as he slowly turned and adjusted his gun, preparing to fire.

  “I said stop,” Aaron shouted. “Lower your weapon. Get on your knees.”

  “Never!” the guard shouted.

  Frank had just finished cuffing the third subject when he glanced at the subject Aaron was dealing with. The intent and where the gun was aimed was clear as day to him. He yelled at Lexa, “Down,” as he launched himself at her.

  The guard pulled the trigger. It was the last thing he did. Aaron’s bullet hit him in the temple and the subject was dead before he hit the ground.

  Frank landed on Lexa and rolled as searing pain radiated in his left arm. He was hit. But if he hadn’t launched himself at Lexa, the bullet would’ve hit her in the head. It was a fair trade as far as Frank was concerned.

  Lexa got to her knees and saw Frank gripping his arm where blood was seeping through his fingers. She checked the subject and saw he was cowering on the ground with his hands securely restrained behind him. She looked at Aaron and shouted, “Subject neutralized. Back up Dan.”

  Aaron took off running in the direction that Basto and Dan had taken. Damn, he should’ve fired sooner. Frank was hit because he hadn’t seen the intent of the subject. Dammit. Dammit to hell. He should’ve seen the intent. He ran flat out. The trail was easy to see because Basto was just barreling through the woods trying to outrun them. Dan was alone and following a known murderer—Aaron knew Dan needed back up.

  “I’m okay,” Frank stated with a grimace.

  Lexa shook her head, ripped open his shirtsleeve, pulled out her pressure bandage, and began to apply it to Frank’s arm. Luckily, it was just a graze. A deep one, but a graze nonetheless. It probably burned like hell, though.

  “Lexa, status?” Dan called after hearing the shots and Frank’s statement.

  “One subject contained and one subject dead. Frank requires EMS, applying pressure to a wound on his arm. Aaron’s on your six,” Lexa communicated.

  “I’m fine, it’s just a scratch. My cat scratches me worse,” Frank stated. He grimaced and hissed as Lexa applied more pressure to stop the bleeding.

  “You he-man macho types are all alike. It’s gonna need stitches.” Lexa grinned at Frank and he grinned back. Then she got serious. “Thanks, Frank.”

  Frank nodded. “It’s what we do at TRF. We’re all on the same team, we’ve got each other’s backs.”

  Lexa joking with Frank had eased Dan’s mind, as did hearing Frank’s voice sounding strong and clear. Dan responded, “Copy that,” and poured on more speed as he chased after Basto. The man wasn’t making it easy to catch him.

  Rouge Park – Section Seven – In Pursuit of Basto – 8:00 p.m.

  Dan was getting tired of the chase. The subject had a lot of stamina and speed. But Dan knew he had a lot in reserve and he would wear Basto down or take him down. However, to take Basto down, Dan had to get close enough to him and that was proving to be a bit of a challenge.

  “Lexa, Basto must be part rabbit. Damn, he can move fast,” Dan said with a laugh as he took another turn in the woods following Basto’s path.

  “Wile E. Coyote, haven’t you caught that roadrunner yet?” Loki quipped.

  Dan chuckled, so the rest of the team had switched to channel seven. They must be finished with their section. He joked back, “I could use some help. Wanna ship me an Acme rocket so I can catch up to him faster?”

  “Nah, you don’t need one. Just watch yourself out there. Nothing good ever happens in the woods,” Loki replied as he hid his nervousness at being in the woods again. Nothing good ever happened to him in the woods—that was for sure. Basto was bad news and Loki hoped Aaron really had Dan’s back. The conversation they overheard earlier was racing through his mind.

  Aaron was running flat out and was still losing ground as Dan pulled further ahead of him. He thought, Dan is more like the roadrunner. Shit, he’s fast. Where the hell does he get all that energy?

  “Boss, Basto, his two guards, and the unknown shooter make four subjects which brings the total to fifteen. That’s all of them according to the intel, right?” Dan queried.

  “According to the intel, yes,” Nick replied.

  “Good, let me just get Basto, then Loki can guide me out of here. Taken so many twist and turns, not sure where I’m at anymore,” Dan joked.

  “Dantastic, you couldn’t get lost even if you tried, but I’ve got your back. Transponder emitting a strong signal,” Loki said.

  “Go careful, Dano. Remember, Basto is dangerous,” Jon chimed in.

  “Got it, Jon. Napping in the woods is off limits,” Dan quipped.

  “Dan, I’m serious. Got it? Go careful,
no unacceptable risks. That’s an order,” Jon sternly said.

  “Yes, Sir. Copy that,” Dan replied only slightly winded.

  Aaron was falling further behind. He just couldn’t keep the same pace. It pissed him off that he was breathing hard and Dan was talking and joking all while he ran flat out. Within five minutes, he’d completely lost visual of Dan and Basto.

  “Lost visual of Dan and subject, but still following their trail,” Aaron panted out heavily. He stopped to catch his breath for a moment then started to jog again looking for signs of which way they went. Luckily, the trail was still easy enough to follow because neither of the two he was following were trying to hide their movements—there were broken saplings, disturbed leaves, and footprints galore to indicate which way to go.

  Dan smiled as Basto started to slow down, unable to maintain the pace he’d set. After searching up and down ravines for hours and now pursuing Basto at a grueling pace for the past fifteen minutes, Dan was ready to end this chase and get the guy into custody. Dan called out loudly and firmly so Basto could hear, “Police, TRF. Stop, stop now. There’s nowhere for you to go.”

  Basto was in top shape and usually left everyone in the dust when running. He was breathing heavily now. As he continued to run, he thought, Damn, I get a fucking robo-cop on my tail, he’s not even winded after running flat out for fifteen minutes. I’m not gonna fucking out run this guy. He suddenly stopped, raised his gun, then turned and fired at Dan.

  Dan closed the gap quickly when Basto stopped cold. When Basto started to turn, Dan had already launched himself in the air for a flying tackle. He couldn’t change his course mid-flight and the bullet ripped through Dan’s right arm. Dan’s body hit Basto squarely in center mass as his arms wrapped around Basto’s body taking him down.

  Rouge Park – Section Seven – Clearing – 8:00 p.m.