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

by Laura Acton

  Lexa looked down at her own hand as it stroked through Dan’s hair. Something deep inside of her that she hadn’t been aware of before must’ve known that this motion was one that would reach and comfort Dan. She allowed her fingers to continue to gently caress his head.

  “After trying to get through to Danny with no success for God knows how long—it felt like forever—William tried the last thing he could think of. He used his command voice and ordered Danny to stop and to come with him. It twisted William’s gut that Danny immediately stopped screaming, dropped Sara’s hand and shoes, stood at attention, and said ‘Yes, Sir.’”

  Jon softly said, “I know the sick feeling of doing that. I had to yell at Dan at the bank yesterday. It was the only way to calm him down so he could get a breath in after the wind was knocked out of him.”

  Nodding his head in response to Jon’s comment, Walter continued, “Danny was so traumatized he marched to the car and got in the backseat. There were no more tears and Danny didn’t speak at all—he just stared straight ahead. When we arrived at William’s home, Danny marched straight into the living room and stood at attention in the corner where William usually disciplined him. Danny just stood there and stared straight ahead—his eyes were vacant and fixed on a spot on the wall in front of him.

  “William tried to get Danny to come with him upstairs to wash off the blood and to tuck him into bed, but Danny wouldn’t budge. He couldn’t bring himself to order Danny again—it had hurt William too much to yell at his son the first time. He didn’t want to forcefully move him either—especially after such a trauma. So William decided to just wait and see what happened—to give his boy some time to sort through things.”

  Gambrill stood, walked over to Dan, and placed a hand on his leg as tears burned the back of his eyes. He took a slow breath and willed the tears to stop, but his eyes glistened anyway. Walter took several deep breaths and turned to look at the others again. Then he looked down at the suicide note lying on the table.

  Walter made eye contact with Nick as he shared, “This is the part where the missing pieces come into play. Danny had been standing there for over an hour when he started speaking. The words Danny said confused both of us. Danny said things like, ‘Yes, Sir, it’s all my fault. I understand I failed to protect her. It’s my job to protect her and I failed, Sir. Yes, Sir, no crying allowed. No, Sir, I won’t cry—no more crying. Yes, Sir, I’m not worthy—I failed in my duty. Yes, Sir, I clearly understand you—I should be dead not her. I’m so sorry, Sir. It’s all my fault and I’m not worthy’.

  “William quickly knelt in front of Danny, eye-to-eye, and tried to counter everything Danny said. He tried so hard to get Danny to understand it wasn’t his fault and that it was okay to cry. William tried in vain to tell Danny that he didn’t fail and that he would never wish Danny was dead. But again, nothing got through to Dan. Danny was locked inside his head—seeing God knows what—it was so painful to hear his little voice saying those things.

  “It shattered William’s heart hearing his little boy say he should’ve died instead of Sara—it’s only the second time I’ve seen William cry in his life—the first was at the accident scene. William was breaking into pieces because he couldn’t help his little boy.

  “We had no clue where words like that were coming from. They were things that William would never in a million years say to his kids. He was stern outwardly, but he was never cruel like that, and he loves his children deeply—they’re his world.

  “When Danny started shaking uncontrollably and still wouldn’t allow his father to hold him, William called the medics. He knew his boy needed more help than he could provide—we feared he was going into shock. In hindsight, we should’ve taken Danny straight to the hospital to be with Yvonne. If we had, maybe none of this would’ve happened.”

  Visibly shaken by the intense memories, Walter unsteadily walked back to the chair, sat down, and put his head down on his arms on the table, “Give me a minute to regroup.”

  Everyone took several cleansing breaths in and out. The tension was thick and heavy and no one moved from their spots as their eyes went between Gambrill and Dan.

  After several minutes, Walter took another deep breath and blew it out slowly. He had regained control and his voice was steadier. “Danny remained at attention, shaking uncontrollably, looking like he might collapse at any second, and still repeating those damned words until the medics arrived.

  “Danny started screaming when the medics touched him. He fought like a wildcat and William had to forcibly hold his son while the medics sedated Danny. It was gut-wrenching to watch. William cradled Danny in his arms and got on the gurney with him, unwilling to relinquish his hold on his boy.

  “When we got to the hospital, I left to go check on Yvonne for William—he refused to leave his son. William stayed in Danny’s room all night. Very early the next morning while Danny was sleeping, William stepped out of the room to check on Yvonne who was in a room two floors below Danny’s room.

  “William was gone less than ten minutes. When he exited the elevator on Danny’s floor, he heard Danny screaming again. William raced to his son’s room and threw open the door.

  “He found two burly orderlies physically restraining a thrashing Danny. A male nurse was roughly trying to force pills into Danny’s mouth. The men were yelling at Danny to quit screaming, to quit fighting them, and to swallow the pills. William said that Danny had a wild terrified look in his eyes.

  “The General was livid that they manhandled his little boy and bellowed at them to stop. All four stopped moving, following the order instantly. Danny’s face was still terrified, but his little body was motionless and completely rigid. Seeing the red finger marks on Danny’s face, arms, and legs from where the men had held him, William lost it.

  “William was so enraged that he dressed down the men in a booming voice that could be heard throughout the entire floor. In very colorful language, he told them to get out, that they didn’t belong, and that they were complete and utter disappointments to their professions and their families for treating a little boy like that. He barely maintained enough control not to strike the men as he yelled at them.”

  “Dr. Pastore, who is Broderick’s personal physician, heard everything as he was starting his rounds. Jasper came in, dismissed the others with a hard rebuke for their actions, then quickly sedated Danny. Jasper felt it was best to keep Danny sedated for several days.

  “William crawled up in the bed with Danny and held his son in his arms the entire time. He only put Danny down for the few seconds needed to use the facilities, but even then, William never let Danny out of his sight. When Jasper finally allowed Danny to awaken, he had a blank, lost little boy expression. There was no light in his eyes—they were dull and so full of pain.”

  Tears welled and glistened in almost everyone’s eyes whether they recognized it or not as they looked at Dan. So many things were swirling around in their minds, but each one of them realized that something like that might be why he hated hospitals—he’d experienced trauma upon trauma in a few short hours at such a young age.

  Feeling the emotion thick and nearly choking him, Walter cleared his throat. “After that, things were never the same between William and Danny. Over time, William deduced that Dan’s traumatized mind had twisted events. Warped them to the point Dan believed it was his father that told him those things that Danny said in the living room. William just didn’t know where those words came from.

  “He believes that the dressing down he gave the men in the hospital in front of Dan had also been distorted in his son’s mind. Danny’s traumatized child’s mind erroneously interpreted it as William telling Dan that he didn’t belong, he wasn’t family, and that he was a disappointment.

  “Over the years, William has tried so many things to get Dan to see it differently. He never found the right words. He tried to show it by actions, but that didn’t work, either. Somehow things always got screwed up.” Walter blew out another
long breath, clearly emotionally taxed.

  Nick assessed his team and could see they were overwhelmed just like him. As he personally tried to comprehend the complex gravity of what he’d heard, he realized he needed a bit of time to sort out his emotions. So Nick stated simply, “That’s a lot to take in. I think we all need a break.”

  “The General should be here in a while. We’ll resume then,” Blaze stated gruffly. He was confused because the General he knew didn’t fit at all with the General that was just described. Blaze laid his head on his knees, needing to think.

  He thought that perhaps Commander Gambrill had twisted memories of what really happened or saw them in the light of an old friend who didn’t want to see reality. The General that Blaze knew was a cold-hearted bastard towards his son—the pieces didn’t fit together in any way at all. And to top it off, his gut was screaming at him again—well … actually it had never stopped. Something was off—completely off. But Blaze was damned if he could figure it out what was wrong.

  Unable to figure it out, Blaze lifted his head and stood up. He went over to Blondie and placed a hand on his shoulder. Blaze vowed silently to solve the puzzle and to keep the man he would proudly call a son safe from future harm. Blondie needed a protector and he was just the man for the job—Blaze would gladly sacrifice his life for Blondie’s without hesitation and without regret.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  July 16

  Military Aircraft Landing in Toronto – 4:10 p.m.

  After almost two hours of pacing, General Broderick had taken a seat for landing. He was still mulling over the little Gambrill had said. Walter said he knew how and why, and that there was hope. How did Walter find out? It was something William had been trying to understand for a long time.

  William knew he was at fault—it was entirely his fault—but he couldn’t put all the pieces together. Hope, was there really hope? The screams, Danny’s screams—his heart was ripping apart again. He had failed his son so miserably. Could there really be hope? Could he fix this? He had tried and failed so many times and only managed to push Daniel further away.

  He hoped this time would be different as he pulled out his phone and dialed. When Walter answered, he stated, “I just landed. Be there in ten.” Then he strode from the plane towards the waiting helicopter.

  Murphy’s unit and the others deplaned for their two-hour stopover before continuing to Ottawa, but he stayed onboard to make a call once he was alone. When Plouffe answered, Murphy spoke quietly so he wasn’t overheard by any of the flight crew still onboard. “I just landed in Toronto. We got diverted after the General got a phone call. You’re going to love what I have to tell you.” Then he proceeded to tell Plouffe how the General had behaved on the flight.

  TRF HQ – Briefing Room – 4:20 p.m.

  The occupants of the briefing room were startled from their quiet contemplation when a commanding voice bellowed, “Where is my son?”

  At the commotion, Gambrill went to open the main door. Walter knew the anxious father would breach any obstacle to reach his son. He called out loudly, “Dan’s in here.”

  Blaze moved and placed himself in front of Blondie to bar the General from him. Winds and Patch moved quickly to flank Blaze—creating a solid wall of protection for their little brother.

  General Broderick strode into the room with purpose, but he came up short when presented with the wall created by Daniel’s former unit.

  Blaze met the General’s glare head-on. There was challenge in his hazel eyes and his voice was rock hard. “Stop right there, General Broderick. Blondie’s under my protection and no one—including you—is going to harm him.”

  “Get out of my way, now!” General Broderick boomed.

  Winds’ hand moved to his sidearm. He wasn’t about to allow the General to hurt Blondie ever again. He’d die before he allowed that to happen.

  Alpha Team and Commander Gambrill watched the confrontation. The tension was palpable. When Walter saw Winds’ hand move to his sidearm, he moved forward prepared to intervene, but stopped when Blaze spoke again.

  Blaze continued to glare at the cold-hearted bastard who had nearly killed his son by abusing the power of his position. He had no idea what the General’s game was right now, but he’d be damned if he was going to play along any longer. His voice still hard, Blaze stated, “I can’t do that, Sir. Colonel Sutton placed him under my protection—GU protocol. That means I have the authority to do as I see fit to ensure his safety.”

  “Who the hell do you think ordered Daniel be put under protection?” William’s ice cold voice demanded.

  “Got my orders from Sutton,” Blaze responded with scorching heat.

  “And Sutton got them from me. Now move or you won’t like the consequences, Captain.”

  Blaze, Winds, and Patch remained firmly in place. Alpha Team watched two unyielding soldiers square off in a battle of glares—icy blue met fiery hazel—neither flinched nor blinked. General Badass and Captain Blaze looked like they could kill one another. The team wondered if the two of them would come to blows. It was clear that there was an undercurrent and things that they were unaware of going on here.

  “I’m not sure what game you’ve been playing, but I’m telling you here and now … Blondie’s done being manipulated and harmed by you,” Blaze stated. He was ready to kiss his career goodbye to save the kid. He should’ve challenged the General years ago. Better late than never, he thought.

  Winds sarcastically said, “Great mission planning. You left Blondie hanging out to dry—no one had his six—yet again.”

  Jon flicked his eyes to Winds. Mission? Was Dan still in Special Forces? He blurted out, “What mission?”

  William blinked. “Mission?” They thought Daniel was on a mission? Why?

  Blaze stated, “Yes, mission. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. He’s been black for a year. No information to be found on him—I know, I looked. We all looked damned hard for him, but it was like Blondie didn’t exist—like if he were on blackout protocol. Yet here he is, in Toronto, left wide open again with no backup. So what’s the mission and who wants to kill him?”

  Loki looked at Ray with wide disbelieving eyes and whispered, “Dan’s on a mission?”

  Ray could only shrug. He was just as dumbfounded.

  Lexa looked at Dan. What the hell? Was he just playing her? What the hell was he doing here? She kicked herself for letting her defenses down and being pulled in by him. But then her little devil said, “If he’s still in Special Forces that solves your problem—he wouldn’t be on the same team—not really.”

  Nick observed Gambrill stiffen as he looked at the General. The Commander looked shocked and angered. But angry at who—Blaze or the General? His eyes glanced at Dan and wondered how he would react to what was playing out before them. Maybe it was a good thing he was sedated—Dan didn’t need any more to deal with.

  Bram watched the General. There was a slight slump in his shoulders and a flash of shock crossed his face which was followed by regret and sadness before a familiar emotionless mask covered his face. Bram thought, like father like son. They had the same eyes, the same rigid carriage of their bodies, and they both hid their emotions so well.

  “Yours is the second …” the General stopped. That was the second time he was accused of having Daniel on blackout protocol. And what the hell was Blain doing mentioning Guardian Unit protocol in a public area? He would have to deal with all of this and find out what Walter had found out—why there was hope. But not right now—right now, seeing Daniel was his top priority.

  William locked down his emotions, then stated calmly but with authority, “Daniel is not in the military. There is no mission, no blackout protocol, no GU. Captain, you know better than to bring up classified items in a non-secure area. Now, step aside so I can see my son.”

  “No blackout protocol?” Blaze was confused, very confused—his gut was screaming at him—something was very wrong here.

  William’s
eyes were shards of deep blue ice, but his voice was still calm and commanding, “No. We’ll discuss things later, Captain. For now, I’m ordering you to move aside. Now!”

  Blaze and Winds shared a brief look and then both reluctantly stepped aside. Both were confused, but agreed they were close enough to take out the General if he tried to harm Blondie. Patch looked at Blaze, he received a slight nod and Patch moved to where Blaze and Winds were now standing. All three of them kept vigilant eyes on the General and Winds’ hand never left his sidearm.

  Gambrill breathed a sigh of relief that the confrontation ended peacefully. But it left him with so many questions. Why would Dan’s buddies think he was on blackout protocol and on a mission? Those questions could be answered later. For now, he stepped to where the team was located.

  All of Alpha Team was now gathered in the corner farthest from Dan to give as much privacy as they could without leaving the room. They all stared. No one spoke. They were confused by what they’d just witnessed.

  William approached his son. He stared for several moments and his heart ached. In an uncharacteristic move, William publicly showed his affection for his son. He gathered Danny into his arms. Distress was clearly shown in William’s expression. He held Daniel gently with one arm, cradling Danny’s head on his shoulder as he lightly stroked his son’s hair.

  He whispered words meant for Daniel’s ears alone, unaware that the acoustics of the room carried his words to everyone’s ears. “Danny, I’m so sorry, my son. I’ve made a mess of things between us. I promise you that I’m here for you. I should’ve realized sooner … rest now, my son. No one will harm you again. You were not abandoned by the family—they’re all coming. We’ll work this out.”

  William lightly caressed Daniel’s face. “God, you look terrible, you bruise so easily—just like your mother. I know she would want to be here, but I’m glad she won’t see you like this. It would break her heart. My God, you look nearly as bad as the first time in Kandahar—gunshot is in the arm this time instead of the thigh and hip. I’ll never get used to seeing you hurt—it’s torn me to pieces every damned time I’ve seen you injured.”