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

  Loki nodded and the rest of the team dispersed to take care of business.

  Nick and Loki helped Dan to a seated position. Nick leaned down close to Dan and said softly, “Good work, Dan. I’m so proud of you and glad you’re a member of this team. You connected in a way none of us could have. Thank you. I know that was hard. If you ever want or need to talk about what you shared today, I’m here—we’re all here for you.” He rose and stepped away to give direction to the patrol units and crime scene officers.

  Dan appreciated the offer, but he’d never willingly talk about those things with anybody again—once had been enough. It was too agonizing to let them escape. Those feelings had to stay locked tight in that dark prison he’d made for them.

  Crap! Let them escape and dark prison? he’d never used that terminology before. Was it a prison? Did those emotions want to escape? Get control now, Broderick, Dan yelled in his own mind. Now isn’t the time to try and sort this out. You are on the job.

  For now, it was sufficient to think he’d pulled them out because it was the only way to connect—to save others. How he put them back before they killed him would have to wait. What? Before they kill you? Aw man, this was gonna be harder than Dan originally thought to shove back down. He’d never thought in these terms before—harm, yes, but not kill. He winced as another realization hit him hard—almost taking his breath away like the bullets to the vest.

  He’d done it again. Crap! Jon would be pissed if he knew. He’d taken what Jon referred to as ‘unacceptable risk’ again to save someone else. Dan sighed softly—relieved Jon wouldn’t lay into him over this because Jon wouldn’t ever know … because this ‘unacceptable risk’ was a risk no one else could see.

  Dammit, dammit, and dammit again! The rookie did it again, Loki fumed in his own head. Loki didn’t think anyone on the team knew. Boss might suspect, based on the talk only—the Boss was intuitive like that. What Boss just said to Dan indicated he was holding out a hand, but Dan would get to choose to take it or not at this point, because the Boss only suspected.

  Loki knew that Jon certainly didn’t know or else Jon would’ve laid into Dan already, injured or not. Loki reasoned he was the only one that knew, truly knew without a doubt because he was the only one to see Dan’s face as Dan spoke with Jason. Dammit, why was Dan always risking himself for others? Today Loki had a front row seat and saw a profoundly wounded soul. Today the risk Dan had taken wasn’t physical, but it was no less lethal.

  Right now, Loki had no idea how to help Dan. For now, all he could do was watch and wait and be the lifeline that caught Dan if he fell. Loki had been, and still was, utterly serious when he told Dan he’d hold tight and never let go. Loki took a deep cleansing breath and plopped down to sit on the floor next to Dan—thoroughly spent emotionally.

  “So, what’s the prognosis, Dr. Broderick?” Loki quipped trying to lighten the mood.

  Deeply engrossed in his own mental musings, Dan wasn’t sure what Loki meant and just stared blankly at him.

  “Your injuries, ribs, shoulder?” Loki clarified.

  Oh right, Dan got it.

  Loki watched as Dan began to probe his ribs and shoulder to determine the extent of his injury. He knew Dan had training in medical self-assessment and treatment thanks to the Special Forces. It was one of the few truly personal things he knew about the man. Other than what he’d—they’d—all just learned. Tortured for three months? Loki swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. No one should ever have to experience that.

  Dan knew his physical body intimately and how it reacted to various types of injuries. He had a mental catalog of every injury he’d sustained and how long it took to heal. The bruising would be vivid—it always was, even when it was a minor injury. The way he bruised always garnered horrified gasps from anyone who saw them. It sucked that they always looked worse than they actual were.

  He healed extremely quickly, except for bruising. Dan also had a high pain threshold—which was a good thing because he hated taking pain medication of any type. He’d rather deal with the pain then the loopy, out-of-control feelings pain meds usually caused him.

  “Well, the patient is bruised, but no real damage. He’ll be sporting awesome shades of red, blue, black, purple, green, and yellow over the next week or so. He might be a little sore and stiff, but no need for meds. I release the patient for active field duty, effective immediately,” Dan replied as he looked at Loki with an assessing gaze.

  Loki snorted with laughter and said, “Can’t wait to see the awesome colors. Your bruises are always spectacular.”

  Good, I’ve got him laughing, thought Dan. He could tell that something was bothering Loki. Whatever emotion Loki was feeling always showed easily on his face—so unlike his own controlled mask. There was clearly something bothering Loki and Dan decided that Loki needed something to do, to focus on, to get outside his own head.

  “What do ya say we get out of here and head to the command truck? I need a change of scenery,” Dan suggested. “I can wait for the medics out there. I know the Boss won’t let me get away without them checking me out, but at least we can get outta here.”

  Loki hopped up and then offered a hand to Dan.

  Dan took it and slowly rose to his feet, a little shaky at first. He took a step and faltered a bit.

  Immediately Loki was at Dan’s side and providing stabilizing support.

  “Thanks,” Dan said softly when Loki steadied him—not letting him fall.

  “Anytime,” Loki responded.

  Chapter Eleven

  July 15

  Outside Central Bank

  Loki and Dan slowly made their way to the command truck and arrived just as an EMS rig parked next to it. Good timing, Dan thought. The paramedic had Dan sit in the back of the ambulance while he checked him over.

  The medic had grudgingly given Dan an all-clear even though he had wanted Dan to get x-rays to be one hundred percent sure there was nothing cracked or broken. Dan’s insistence that he was okay and mention of his Special Forces field training got the paramedic to back off and agree to clear him for duty. Dan was just about to put his undershirt back on as Lexa walked up.

  Lexa started to ask how Dan was—she’d gotten out, “How’s our guy, is he—” when her eyes landed on his chest. Whatever it was that she had intended to say after that, never left her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock and her hand flew up to cover her gaping mouth. Tears started to well in her eyes again.

  Dan understood Lexa’s reaction, it just wasn’t one he wanted her to have in public. Dammit, it was Julie all over again—well, not quite. The horror was the same, but there was only sadness now, not disgust. Dan hurriedly pulled his t-shirt over his head and down. In the two times that they’d had sex, Lexa had never seen his scars—he really hadn’t wanted her to ever see them—certainly, not like this. Although they were faded now, they were still visible and his scars disconcerted most people when they saw them.

  He desperately wanted to redirect her thoughts and quickly. So he plastered a cheesy, seductive look on his face and said in his best cocky guy voice, “Well, well … Sexy Lexie finally gets to ogle my awesome, muscular body, Loki. Ya think she likes what she sees?”

  Loki instantly realized on what Dan was trying to do—Lexa’s reaction was so similar to the one he’d had when he saw Dan’s scars for the first time. He chimed in with his best nerdy-boy, falsetto voice, “Nah, you macho, all brawn and no brain, he-man types don’t interest our sexy sniper chick. She’d rather ogle this sleek, finely tuned, and intelligent Italian stallion.”

  Christ! Did they just say what I think they said? Lexa thought. She swiveled her head back and forth between the two of them with an incredulous expression on her face. She then pinned them each with a ‘you’re dead look’ before she spun around and stormed away.

  Dan and Loki looked at each other with mock horror and fear and said simultaneously, “You’re in trouble now, dude. Me? Yeah, you.”

  Then they both br
oke down in a fit of laughter, until Dan clutched at the pain in his chest and started to cough. Loki patted his back lightly. As Dan’s coughing eased and pain receded, they stared at each other. They were truly amazed they’d said the same exact words at the exact same time. Then they broke into another fit of laughter.

  Loki silently thought, This is good, laughter heals the soul.

  Lexa knew exactly what those two had just done for her and loved them for it. They’d given her a reason to exit in anger instead of standing there fumbling with other emotions brought on by seeing Dan’s scars for the first time, especially, since the raw pain of what Dan had shared still hung heavy around them all.

  My God, it was just so horrible what Dan had gone through. No wonder he made love in the dark—he was probably afraid for her to see his scars. Lexa mentally braced herself, now wasn’t the time to dwell on those thoughts. Over the headset, she responded angrily, “You two are in so much trouble. You better watch your backs.”

  The other guys on the team had heard the entire exchange and soft chuckles were heard.

  Lexa concentrated on deep breaths in and out. She slowed her pace to a walk and headed over to where the Boss was located. Lexa knew she had NRB to deal with.

  Nick piped in, “Behave, children. You do realize you’re all still on the auto-scripter, right? Human Resources might be stopping by to conduct sexual harassment and sensitivity training if you’re not careful.”

  Laughter exploded again, this time from every single member of the team drawing curious gazes from those around them not privy to the entire conversation that had transpired.

  When the laughter died down, Dan’s mind wandered back to the workout this morning when he realized that he was truly and deeply happy that his chosen family had accepted and cared for him. This call and his teammate’s actions and reactions were tangible proof that they were a family and affirmed Dan’s feelings. A quirky smile flittered onto his face as he finished buttoning up his uniform shirt and walked towards the Boss. He still had NRB to deal with from the previous call.

  Kendall Stevens was a seasoned NRB agent who had recently transferred from Winnipeg to Toronto. She had heard from several of her fellow agents that Alpha Team was the best. This was her first time on a call with them. Her coworkers were absolutely right—this team was good, very good.

  Courtesy of an earwig that allowed her to hear, but not communicate to the team, she had watched and listened to this latest byplay among the team and delicately smiled. She could see they were the best because they truly cared. They cared about the hostages, they cared about the subjects, and they cared about each other.

  Kendall was glad that she was the agent to get this call. She knew she had a special kindness about her and always treated subject officers gently when investigating them. She was fair and balanced and bristled at procedures that didn’t treat the officers like they were human. Those procedures actually ticked her off and she was happy to ignore them when necessary.

  She had arrived on scene just as the team started to enter the bank. She watched in awe as the team seamlessly worked and sadly listened to everything Constable Broderick said. So today, when Constable McKenna had basically thrown the Remi at her in a desperate run towards a fallen teammate, Kendall had backed off and completely ignored the ‘take them before they talk to anyone’ procedure.

  The team was being recorded with the auto-scripter, so all the details were captured anyways. Kendall had chosen to simply observe from a respectful distance and give Alpha Team the space needed to take care of one of their own after such an emotionally fraught call.

  She was of the mindset that the officers were human, and they put their lives on the line every day to save strangers. Watching McKenna cradle Broderick’s head in her lap and gently stroke his hair before she knew if he was dead or alive had touched Kendall’s heart. The way the entire team responded impressed her. They cared for and were fiercely protective of one another—that was clearly evidenced today. Kendall was so relieved when she found out the young officer was alright.

  Lexa, Dan, and Kendall all arrived at Nick’s location at about the same time. Kendall introduced herself. “Sergeant Pastore, my name is Kendall Stevens with the NRB. I need to take Constable McKenna in for her interview. I can also take Constable Broderick with me, if he’s been cleared for duty by the medic. I understand he needs to be interviewed for a prior call.”

  “Dan, what’s the word from the medic?” Nick queried.

  “All clear, just bruising and little soreness to be expected,” Dan answered.

  Nick scanned Lexa and then thoroughly scrutinized Dan making his own assessment of their status before saying, “We’re all done here and the units have taken over. So okay, you two head off with Agent Stevens and we’ll see you both back at headquarters when you’re done. We have a couple of tough debriefs to get through as a team.”

  Dan and Lexa nodded in acknowledgement and the three had just turned to head towards the agent’s car when Tia’s voice called out, “Alpha Team. Critical call, armed robbery in progress at Bennie’s Gas Station.” She then gave the address and sent it to their phones.

  Nick blew out a harsh breath. “Copy that, Tia. At this rate, today’s gonna be a long one.” He fixed his gaze on Agent Stevens. “Sorry, Agent Stevens, interviews will have to wait. I need Dan and Lexa for now.” Nick waited for Kendall’s nod of acknowledgement then turned and hurried away saying, “Tia, details please.”

  Lexa and Dan shared a glance that said, ‘Saved by the bell,’ as they both gave a quick nod to Agent Stevens and then turned and jogged to their SUV.

  “Jon, with me,” called Nick as he approached the SUV. Nick needed a moment to talk with Jon privately before the team arrived at the next call.

  “On my way,” Jon responded as he sprinted to Nick’s location. The team paired off and ran to the remaining vehicles. Lexa jumped into the driver’s seat and Dan in the passenger seat of one. Bram and Ray took the last SUV and Loki headed over to the command truck.

  “Tia, a gas station robbery is usually a patrol unit call, not TRF territory. What makes this one ours?” asked Jon climbing into the driver’s seat. He knew calls were not routed to TRF unless they met certain criteria, but this one had sounded so ordinary that he needed the full details.

  Tia replied, “Usually, but this one has six young kids as hostages. According to the officer on-scene, a daycare van stopped to fuel up on its way to a zoo trip. The kids were inside when the subjects entered demanding cash. The cashier hit the silent alarm. When a patrol unit arrived, things went downhill and one of the subjects yelled they’d kill the kids if the police didn’t leave. There are two subjects and eight hostages, unknown if anyone is injured.”

  Checking the address, Jon quickly calculated how far away they were and then called out, “Thanks, Tia. Let the on-scene units know our ETA is about ten minutes,” Jon started the SUV as Nick turned on the lights and siren.

  Outside Central Bank

  A second EMS rig pulled up next to the first one as three TRF SUVs and a command truck pulled away from the bank. Jim Shea watched the SUVs leaving the scene and a flash of golden blond hair in the passenger side of one of them gave him a moment’s pause. Something seemed familiar—he did double takes when he saw blond men lately—ever searching. It was wishful thinking—or a haunting feeling.

  Trey watched his partner zone out again. It didn’t happen often, but enough that Trey knew that some serious shit must’ve happened to Jim while he was in Special Forces. His partner never spoke about what happened to make him leave and Trey never pried because it was none of his business. Trey just tapped his partner’s shoulder, “Hey, Jim, let’s go.”

  Jim shook off his feeling and they both hopped out of the rig and rushed towards the patrol car. The medics that were on scene were busy with one of the former hostages because the middle-aged woman had a delayed stress reaction. But then one of the subjects in custody started having difficulty breathing,
so Jim and Trey were summoned to the scene.

  They set to work when they got to their patient, Private Marty Green. While they did their initial check, Corporal Jason York told them that Marty had a damaged windpipe and asthma. Apparently, the stress of the situation brought on an asthma attack and impeded his breathing ability. They got Marty on the gurney and started oxygen and then hustled to get him to the rig. They were loading Marty into the rig when they overheard the other two medics talking as they packed up their gear after the woman had refused to be taken to the hospital and had instead gone home with her husband.

  Dave shook his head, “I can’t believe they said that.”

  Brad responded, “I can’t believe they’re still alive after they called her Sexy Lexie and a sexy sniper chick.”

  Chuckling, Dave nodded. “Yeah, I’m surprised too. Lexa is Xena Warrior Princess of TRF. She’s not someone you want to piss off.”

  “Damn, that’s a good one, Warrior Princess of TRF fits her. Never seen anyone quite so fierce. Don’t ever let her hear you call her that though.” Brad laughed then added, “Cause, I’m not too keen on breaking in a new partner.”

  “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.” Dave then shook his head and his tone changed from joking to serious. “But, man those scars—those were terrible. His back was scarred worse than his chest. I was glad they did something to distract her. The look in her eyes when she saw his scars—man, that was hard to witness—her eyes welled with tears. The Warrior Princess doesn’t show emotion like that—ever. Hell, I treated her when she got hit by a crowbar years ago. She was in so much pain but not one tear—not a single one,” Dave said.

  Brad was pushing the empty gurney into the rig as he said, “I wonder how he got all those long thin scars—looks like it happened years ago with how faded they are. Maybe I’ll ask him the next time we check him out. If his track record keeps up at the same pace, he’ll soon surpass Bram’s record for bullets in the vest.”