by Laura Acton
Heather replied, “Got everything and some things he didn’t ask for—I like being prepared. I’m really glad you guys called me to help with Dantastic, he’s special, isn’t he?” She smiled and followed Loki to the elevators.
“Yeah, very special,” Loki responded.
Major Plouffe had walked into the lobby and saw a pretty woman standing at the desk apparently waiting on someone. He’d sat down in one of the chairs in the opulent lounge area and pulled out the newspaper to read while he waited the thirty minutes before his dinner reservation. He overheard the banter between some man and he assumed that woman and thought Dantastic was a stupid nickname for someone—it was probably a dog or something.
As Nigel half listened to them he read that Aaron’s funeral was planned for the nineteenth. He knew his brother was waiting for some of Aaron teammates to return before they held the funeral. He was disgruntled that newspaper allotted tons of space to the injured Broderick and his exploits that day, but barely a word was printed about Aaron. That wasn’t right, Aaron was a better man than Broderick—the article should be singing Aaron’s praises. Hell, even the dammed gang lord, Pedro Basto, got more attention than Aaron.
Plouffe rustled the newspaper in frustration. Damn, he needed to plan, he still needed a plan. He’d gone to the hospital after talking with Murphy to get Broderick’s room number so Murphy could slip him an overdose of morphine, but his toy soldier wasn’t there.
From the little information that he’d gathered from an orderly at the hospital, Broderick wasn’t in the best shape. Before he could kill his toy soldier, he had to find him. Plouffe decided to check his apartment tomorrow. If his toy soldier wasn’t there, then he’d have to expand his search.
Grand Citadel Hotel – Dan’s Room – 6:05 p.m.
William took several moments to look at Daniel as Bram exited the room. He then pulled on his General mantle and his stance and demeanor became authoritative. He commanded, “Attention.”
Blaze, Winds, and Patch all abruptly came to attention.
General Broderick looked over the men as he held them at attention for some time. William stated firmly, “I am your commanding officer. That display in the TRF conference room was conduct I never expected from my best unit.” His icy gaze met and held Corporal Simons’. “Corporal Simons, you are damned lucky you never drew your weapon. You will stow whatever personal feelings you may have towards me at this time and focus solely on your duty, soldier. Your priority is the safety of Daniel Broderick. Is that clear?”
Winds bit back the words that wanted to fly out of his mouth, words he had held at bay for years. His voice was clipped as he said, “Crystal clear, Sir.”
General Broderick then turned his attention to the Captain. His voice was ice hard as he stated, “Captain Blain, you were in breach of regulations when you mentioned GU and blackout protocol in the presence of persons without proper security clearance. In all the years that you’ve served, I never imagined that you would be so careless. You will also stow whatever animosity you may feel towards me personally and focus on your priority.”
Blaze knew he screwed up, but he felt an urge to belt the General here and now. It took all his control to keep his hands down as he stated, “Yes, Sir.”
William pivoted away from the men as he stated, “At ease.” He was trying to quell the emotions that were swirling in him. He hated dressing down the men that had stood protectively between him and Daniel—they were devoted to his son. But he couldn’t allow insubordination like that—if he did, it would be a slippery slope that could collapse the command structure.
Blaze, Winds, and Patch all went to parade rest as they watched the back of the General. They watched his hands clench and unclench. Then they watched one hand rake through his hair. Blaze thought for a moment how Blondie’s and the General’s body movements were so similar. If he didn’t know better, he’d think the General was trying to recompose himself—the motions were so like Blondie when he was teetering on an emotional edge.
Getting a hold of his emotions and locking on his mask, William turned back to the men. He began, “This one time I will excuse your conduct given the extenuating circumstances. Now, Captain Blain, explain to me why you believe Daniel was under blackout protocol.”
Blaze crisply stated, “We have searched for Blondie for the past year and found nothing on him—no trace of where he was at. As you know, we have some rather good resources to call upon—and I called upon them—but they found nothing. Furthermore, we were denied access to Blondie during the review board process. All that points to blackout protocol.”
William couldn’t completely cover his shock as he said, “You were denied access to Daniel during the review board?”
Blaze nodded. “Yes, Sir. We were told that you ordered no visitors were allowed. Sir, that was cruel—Blondie needed support after Brody’s death.”
Shaking his head, William stated slightly confused, “I gave no such order. I checked the logs, if you attempted to visit it was never recorded as it should’ve been. I didn’t place Daniel on blackout protocol. And to be clear, he isn’t on a mission. Daniel has been a member of the Toronto TRF since July of last year.”
William took a seat and then motioned to the others to sit. “We are all very tired right now. There are things we need to discuss, but I’d like to wait until Daniel is awake so as to not repeat myself. Daniel has had a shock related to his sister’s death. I am looking to you men to maintain security for us while Daniel can process that. We will address the additional threat and the meaning of this pseudo blackout protocol once Daniel is capable of joining us.”
Blaze sat and watched the General. He was behaving so different from the man he knew or thought he knew. General Broderick looked weathered and weary as he sat in the chair. Blaze asked, “Is there anything I need to be aware of to ensure Blondie’s security?”
William thought a moment then looked at Shea, “I’m sorry for activating you. However, it was necessary.” He shifted his gaze to Blain and stated, “There are few I truly trust to keep my son safe at the moment. You three are among them. You may trust your other men, but they will stay on the perimeter. You three and Daniel’s TRF team will be his primary security.”
He drew in a breath and then exhaled slowly. He looked at the men. Blaze had level five security clearance, while Winds and Patch each had level four. He made a decision, one he hoped he wouldn’t come to regret. “We have a security breach in Special Forces. It is unclear who it is at this time. I trust you three, Galloway and his unit, Sergeant Srònaich O’Naoimhín, and Colonel Sutton. Everyone else at this time is not above suspicion.”
Patch’s eyes widened. Then he looked at Blondie. What kind of shit was going down? “Sir?”
Turning to look at Patch, William shook his head. “That’s all I’ll share tonight. When Daniel is awake, we will discuss further. All of us are too dead on our feet to be effective.” He stood and said, “Captain, work with Sergeant Pastore to figure out a security plan. I want TRF mixed with SF on each shift. Gambrill assures me we can trust Daniel’s team. However, you are not allowed to reveal that we may have a breach in our ranks. I am working on a level of clearance for his team, but it hasn’t been granted yet.”
Blaze stood and nodded. “You have my word that Blondie is my priority. I will not fail, Sir.”
The General walked to the door, placed a hand on the handle, and said, “I’ll order something for everyone to eat while you discuss plans with Sergeant Pastore.” He opened the door and headed into the main suite—he hoped he was right to open up to them about the security breach.
Winds leaned over to Blaze and whispered, “Shit!”
Blaze chuckled. “Aptly put.” He looked to Patch and said, “Sorry, buddy. I know you needed to leave this all behind.”
Patch nodded but said, “I’d walk through hell with Blondie any day because I know he’d walk through hell for me, too.”
Winds chuckled. “Yeah, we all would. Loo
ks like we’re headed in that direction again. Hope you have your fire-retardant boxers on.”
Blaze slapped Winds’ back and grinned because really there was nothing else he could do at the moment. Ah shit, what the hell was going on? A security breach in SF? The General only trusted a few? There was no blackout protocol? There was a threat to Blondie? He needed some sleep to think clearly.
Chapter Forty-Five
July 16
Grand Citadel Hotel – Main Suite – 9:00 p.m.
Heather entered the main suite and sought out Patch. She found him in a chair near the large fireplace which was unlit. Heather was in awe of this suite—she’d never been in this fancy hotel before and was stunned by the huge common area that made up most of this suite.
Actually, huge wasn’t quite descriptive enough. It was big enough to almost fit her entire apartment in the common room alone. It boasted an ornate fireplace, plush carpets, three huge sofas, about a dozen comfortable looking chairs, a few ottomans, several end tables, and a dining table that sat up to fourteen. It had a huge desk, which Heather called command central because the security monitors, computers, and an array of electronics she couldn’t even begin to name were setup on it. There was also a smaller desk that was currently unused. Heather saw that Loki had tapped into the huge wall mounted TV screen and was displaying the camera feeds on it so more than just the person sitting at the desk could watch.
The suite also had a small kitchen area with a fridge, coffeemaker, sink, microwave, and a completely stocked bar. Near the dining table was a huge glass patio door that opened up to a balcony which contained another large table and multiple lounge chairs. Heather thought that it was a good thing the room was so large—they had ten people congregated in the area if she didn’t count herself, Dantastic, or the four other soldiers outside in the hallway.
As for Dantastic, he was in one of the two bedrooms that opened up to the common room. Heather headed right for Patch and said softly, “His fever is up to 103. Do you want to come take a look?”
Patch pushed up from the chair and nodded. He had a grim look on his face as he followed her in to check on Blondie. As much as he knew Blondie hated hospitals, Patch felt he really should be in one right now. But with things as they were, he knew Blondie was safer here. Especially if they didn’t know who was a threat to him.
Blaze reentered the suite with Master Corporal Angus MacDonald after checking in with his other men. He strode directly to the General who was seated at the large table with a cup of coffee. The table was still filled with an assortment of food, enough to feed an army. One of the reasons he went to check on his men was that they’d traveled here directly and not stopped to eat. He’d taken them each several sandwiches and coffee. He didn’t want them distracted by hunger and they could use the coffee to remain alert all night.
He and Angus sat at the table with the General, Winds, Jon, and Bram. Blaze grabbed a bottle of water and twisted the cap off. He downed half and then said, “General, we’ve laid out the plans for tonight. Angus will remain in this suite.”
William shook his head. “Not what we discussed.”
Blaze took a deep breath and stated, “Sir, reconsider. We need someone with fresher eyes watching the monitors tonight.”
General Broderick looked at Master Corporal MacDonald. He was part of a Guardian unit now. But could he trust him with Daniel’s life?
Angus had no clue what was going on, but he looked the General dead-on and stated, “Sir, I owe Blondie my life. He was in my unit several times over the years. Me and the boys wouldn’t have made it home if not for him drawing fire away from us. Me and Ripsaw were tight and I know Blondie saved his butt many times also. Ripsaw asked me to watch over Blondie when he was with my former unit. I did, Sir, and I will again. You have my word. Blondie will come to no harm on my watch.”
William asked, “You were friends with Master Corporal Preston?”
Angus smiled. “Yes, Sir. Best damned hand-to-hand and explosives expert we had. I was proud to know him and call him brother. May he rest in peace.”
“How do you feel about the fact that Daniel returned from that mission and Preston didn’t?” the General asked with a hard edge as he watched the Master Corporal closely.
Angus dropped his head a moment. He lifted it and there was sadness in his eyes. “Sir, we never know when our time will come. Although I don’t know the mission details, I know in my heart that whatever happened, Blondie tried to save those guys—that if there’d been any way to save them, he would’ve. But sometimes we just can’t. Sometimes it’s just out of our hands. So, if you’re asking, do I blame Blondie for Ripsaw’s death? My answer is, hell no, Sir.”
William nodded and turned to Blaze. “Okay, Captain, MacDonald can man the monitors tonight. Everyone else can get a night’s rest. I think we all should head off to our respective rooms now.”
Angus stood and came to attention. “Sir, I won’t let you down.” He pivots and crisply strode over to the monitors. His demeanor relaxed as he introduced himself to the TRF officer, “Name’s Angus MacDonald. You can just call me Angus.”
Loki shook his hand. “Dante Baldovino, everyone calls me Loki.”
Angus grinned. “Loki? Really? You mean like the trickster Norse god?”
Being tired—exhausted—and concerned for Dan, Loki just nodded and then briefly explained the cameras he’d put in place.
Lexa walked over and gave the soldier a hard look. She wondered why the General had grilled the man and why he didn’t want anyone but Dan’s former unit and them in this room. Her exhaustion had her saying, “You let one hair on his head be harmed and you’ll have to deal with me.” She turned and headed out of the room leaving Loki and Angus staring at each other at the vehemence of her words.
Loki absently rubbed his arm where Lexa had hit him once when he’d thoroughly pissed her off. “Man, no one ever wants to deal with Lexa when she’s pissed. You better follow through if you want your arms to function normally.” Then he headed out the door.
Angus watched them go and got the impression that although Lexa was small, he would do well to heed her word. He knew how small Ripsaw had been—Ripsaw could take on someone Mason’s size and come out the winner. Hell, Ripsaw probably could’ve taken on three of Mason and come out on top. His eyes riveted to the monitor as the others started leaving the suite.
Grand Citadel Hotel – Dan’s Room – 9:05 p.m.
Patch finished checking on Blondie and instructed Heather when the next dose of sedative was due. He turned to see Blondie’s Sergeant enter the room.
Nick moved forward and looked at Dan. He rubbed the back of his neck and asked, “How’s he doing?”
Heather smiled. “He’s resting comfortably. I’ll keep a good watch on him tonight. Don’t you worry.”
Patch answered, “His fever is up, but that typically happens with him. Should probably break sometime tonight.”
Nick nodded then he looked at Patch and asked, “How do you know so much about Dan?”
His tired mind was not up for much discussion, so Patch said, “Lots of experience and the mentoring of a good doctor.” Then his mind latched onto something. He turned and looked at Blondie’s Sergeant. “Do you have any family that are doctors?”
“None that I know of. Why?” Nick asked.
Patch shook his head. “It’s just kind of funny. The doctor that kept Blondie alive … his last name is Pastore. Would be interesting if you were related.”
Nick tilted his head at the idea of another name coincidence in proximity to Dan—interesting. He gave Heather a small smile. “Thanks for coming to take care of him tonight. We all truly appreciate what you’re doing.”
Heather smiled and nodded then watched Dan’s Sergeant leave the room. She turned her attention back to the handsome paramedic. Her smile got broader, she couldn’t help herself—she was really attracted to this man. She’d learned his real name and she liked it—Jim fit him well.
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�I’m in room 1506 if you have any problems. Just call and I’ll be here in a flash,” Patch said in a tired voice.
Heather gently laid her hand on Jim’s arm. “Get some rest, Jim. I promise to call if anything needs your attention. I also have Dr. Fraser on speed dial. He said to call if we needed anything.”
Leaning down to Blondie, Patch squeezed his left bicep. “Rest easy, little brother. You have a pretty nurse watching over you tonight.” Patch looked at Heather and grinned at the slight blush he saw on her face. He stood and said, “Goodnight, Heather. Remember, I’m just a call away.”
Heather beamed at Jim—he’d called her pretty. She only nodded because she didn’t trust her voice not to come out in a squeak.
William entered the bedroom as Patch was leaving. He’d put Daniel in the room with two queen beds because William wasn’t leaving his son tonight. He looked at the nurse as he grabbed his duffel bag and said, “I’ll be back in a bit. I plan on sleeping in this room with my son.”
Heather nodded and watched the General head to the other bedroom. She pulled the chair close to the bed and positioned so she could see her patient easily, but also near a small lamp she could use for reading. She picked up her latest book and began reading.
Grand Citadel Hotel – Blaze’s Room – 9:10 p.m.
When Blaze and the rest stepped into the hall to go to their rooms, Blaze had held Winds and Patch back. “Guys, we need to talk.” Not wanting their conversation to be overheard he added, “Let’s head to my room.” The three entered his room a few moments later and Blaze closed the door.
“What’s up?” Winds asked, but already knew exactly what Blaze wanted to talk about. The same thing was on his mind and the storm clouds were beginning to form in his head. He’d held it together in the General’s presence but now—now he couldn’t help as the tempest whipped up.
