FORSAKEN: On The Edge 0f Oblivion (Beauty 0f Life Book 1)

by Laura Acton

  “Nevertheless, I do require you to treat Dan with professional courtesy from this day forward. Swift and severe repercussions will be dealt out if you fail to do so. Each of you need to examine your motivations and find a path forward with our rookie.

  “I realize it’s a two-way street and we’ve shown Dan our worst side. He has most likely developed opinions of us based on our actions. So, don’t be surprised if he resists or rejects your overtures in the beginning. This will not be easy, but if you all give this your best effort, we can affect change. Any questions?”

  It was silent for a long time. Nick nodded. “Alright. If you have any concerns or issues, I am always available to talk. You can call at any time.” After they all acknowledge him with a slight nod or tilt of the head, Nick stood and asked, “Who wants ice cream?”

  “You got any double chocolate fudge?” Lexa needed chocolate, her go to comfort food when her mind was in shambled.

  Nick chuckled. “Always have chocolate on hand for you, Lexa.”

  The team all took Nick up on his offer. Their conversation subdued as they ate dessert. Each one privately reviewing what Boss shared with them tonight and the directive they received from Gambrill. One month to fix this. Most ended up asking themselves two similar questions. Is this doable? If not, am I one who will be leaving TRF or Alpha Team?

  Not a Turkey Shoot

  26

  October 9

  TRF HQ – Briefing Room

  As the klaxon alarm sounded, Tia’s voice called over the loudspeaker, “Alpha Team, critical call. Shot fired at Arriba Foods.”

  The team scrambled to the gun cage to gear up. Already wearing his vest and sidearm, Nick stopped at Tia’s desk. “Any Details?”

  Tia glanced at Sergeant Pastore before returning to her monitor. “Multiple calls report two women fighting and one handgun. Address is three thirteen Jarvis Street. That’s all so far. I’ll relay any additional details as they come in.”

  Outside Arriba Foods

  Arriving on scene, Nick engaged with the first responding patrol officer to obtain current details. Jon and Bram began assessing the building. Loki and Ray headed inside the command truck to search for blueprints and determine if there were any security cameras they could link with to get a view into Arriba Foods. Dan and Lexa geared up at the back of one of their black SUVs.

  Dan scanned his surroundings, noting the business was located on the first floor of the multistory building. An awning covered the entire window and hung down half way. Multiple ads hanging in the windows obscured what little window the canopy didn’t. Directly across the street was an open greenbelt common area. No suitable perch with visibility of the targets… subjects.

  He readjusted to TRF terminology. After almost three months, adapting to their language still posed problems, like setting off Hardy when he used a wrong term. In his head, he could hear Hardy shouting, “Subjects, not targets. Zulu position, not sniper perch. Neutralized, not kill confirmed. PapaGolf, not cleared to fire. Solution, not target acquired. No joy, not target lost. Talk before tactics.”

  “Jon, sending blueprints to you now.” Loki clicked send.

  “Copy. Thanks, Loki. Fast as always.” Jon pulled up the image.

  Dan glanced over to Hardy and Bram who now reviewed the blueprints and discussed a tactical plan. I could walk over and tell him there is no suitable sniper position but why bother? Not like Hardy will even listen to me. Shuts me down every single time I suggest a location. Dan decided to wait until the hard-assed tactical lead told him what he wanted him to do. After clipping his MP5 to the cord attached to his vest, he closed the back of the SUV ensuring it locked.

  At the conclusion of his mandatory week off he met with Gambrill and agreed to stick it out for a month. That was two and a half weeks ago, and a few things changed. Although everyone, except Hardy, was no longer openly hostile towards him, Dan remained cognizant of not being wanted on this team. The only one showing his true feelings was the tactical leader, and Hardy made it clear by riding him hard for every real or perceived error.

  Still needing a job and being a man of his word, he continued attempting to make the transition. He resolved to make the most of the situation by adopting a new attitude for the four weeks he pledged to his godfather. Utilizing his keen observation skills, he would watch, listen, and learn. Which meant he would do exactly as told and refrain from providing input unless specifically asked. He would do his job, protect the citizens and the team, but he stopped all attempts at integrating with them … a fruitless endeavor and waste of energy.

  As his fate in life appeared sealed, he began to accept his plight. He would remain alone in the world. Loneliness would be his penance for failing to protect Sara and for killing Brody. Denied solace, Dan still spent his nights waking from nightmares and wanting to put the pistol to his chest and pull the trigger, but he promised Brody to try to find the beauty of life.

  Dan doubted beauty existed for him. His sins unforgivable and his soul torn to shreds. He didn’t merit beauty or solace. He deserved to walk this earth as a lonely, empty shell until demons dragged him into the pit of hell. While he remained earthbound, he must attempt to redeem himself by protecting others, but part of him accepted there wouldn’t be any salvation for him.

  Lexa observed the rookie out of the corner of her eye as she prepared. Why did he just close the SUV? Why isn’t he preparing his Remi in case Jon makes him Zulu One or Two? She pushed down her irritation. Still a little miffed Jon always assigned Dan as the sniper if he didn’t take the position himself. Zulu Two used to be her position. Now rarely used in that capacity, she usually engaged in profiling, witness interviews, and negotiations.

  Okay, stop! Attitude adjustment needed. You don’t mind being assigned those positions. In fact, you really like working closer with Boss. He stepped up his mentoring of you in those areas, and you possess a natural talent for the negotiations beyond only teenage girls. So stop acting like a petulant child and get your head back in the game before you screw up and lose all you value.

  After chastising herself, Lexa’s mind shifted as she glanced at Dan again. He should be preparing the Remi. She softly sighed. Jon is gonna ream Dan for this lapse. Jon made clear the fact he didn’t like Dan remaining on the team while the rest of them endeavored to repair the damage. Despite the prolific apologies for their behavior, Dan shut them out entirely no matter how they tried to connect with him.

  The first week back, Loki attempted to prank Dan, but every time he snuck up on Dan to scare him, the rookie heard Loki coming. And more often than not, Loki ended up getting spooked when Dan turned and leveled an icy glare at him. The second week, Loki resorted to telling jokes. Dan never cracked a smile at the witticisms. Loki grew so outrageous in his efforts to make Dan laugh that Boss told him to dial it down, and not to force something which needed to come naturally.

  When they were in the briefing room just shooting the breeze, Dan declined to participate in any conversation unless asked a direct question. And then his reply would be monosyllabic. Not once did he initiate speaking to any of them unless related to the call. He came in, did his job, and left.

  On calls, he went from being gung-ho to zero. Lexa’s eyes roamed over Dan’s hard body as he stood by the SUV waiting to be told what to do. He had no initiative anymore. The one-hundred-eighty-degree shift perplexed her. Overall Dan confused her. She had never met a man like him, undeniably not in the “S’s” or any other letter she dated. He would be considered attractive to women, who like her, had a thing for ruggedly handsome, sapphire blue-eyed blond men with well-built sinewy bodies.

  Lexa sucked in a breath turning away from him as her heart skipped a beat. The lean, mean, fighting machine isn’t my type. No! I am not nor have I ever been attracted to him. I can’t be because he is my teammate, like it or not.

  Her heated internal debate as to whether or not she liked it, raged for the last two weeks. Part of the reason the jury remained out was her respect
for Jon and his opinions. She wondered what Jon perceived which made him so adamant Dan didn’t belong on this team. Does Jon detect something I missed? Is my one-night stand with Dan clouding my judgment? Yeah, probably.

  Though in truth, she was the only one who glimpsed a different side to Dan. She experienced passion and consideration. The electric fire they shared … no one ever seared her soul and refused compensation. He displayed true gallantry when he stopped because he didn’t have a condom ... a tidbit Lexa would never share with her teammates.

  Something about him, beyond the sexual appeal, niggled at her. He’s like an itch I can’t scratch. Why the heck does he irritate me so much? Frustration grew … with all her profiling abilities, she couldn’t decipher which parts of the man were real. Perhaps everything he shows is a façade. If so, why?

  Lexa realized she spent far too much of her time thinking about Dan. No other man ever occupied her thoughts so often. Why? She tried to answer the question a million times now and came up blank every time. Perhaps Dan reminded her of her protective older brothers. Whoa, not going there … too painful. She shut the door and locked it tight, returning her focus to the call as Boss began speaking.

  Nick shared, “Okay here’s the situation. Mrs. Bayberry and Mrs. Paulson are fighting over the last twenty-four-pound turkey. They both won a coupon for one free turkey from Arriba’s annual raffle. All the other turkeys are twelve pounds or less. Each claimed to have reached for the larger turkey first, but Paulson currently possesses it.

  “The assistant manager refused Paulson’s suggestion to allow Bayberry to get two twelve-pounders to resolve the issue. Bayberry became enraged, pulled out a gun, and shot up into the air demanding she be given the twenty-four-pound one because she needs to feed over thirty guests.”

  Bram, Jon, and Lexa shared incredulous looks. Sometimes the stupidest things made people go nuts. Lexa said, “Boss, how about I try to locate the manager? Perhaps he will authorize two twelve-pound turkeys.”

  “Good thinking, Lexa,” Nick said.

  Jon glanced at Broderick. The rookie only had his MP5, which meant Broderick wouldn’t be prepared if he needed to send him to a Zulu position. Scanning the area, he recognized the lack of desirable sniper locations, so he shrugged off the absence of his Remi. “Bram and I will take the front and cover Boss. Broderick, go around back and secure the rear door.”

  As Dan started to trot to the back of the building, Hardy’s snide voice hissed, “Broderick, you are not to go in unless I give you the signal. This is not a turkey shoot. We’re gonna try and resolve this with talking.”

  The chuckles from some of the team made Dan bristle, though his outer shell showed none of his exasperation. At every turn, Hardy gave him shit for his ingrained military habits. His tactical leader refused to acknowledge in the slightest way his efforts to transition.

  Sprinting to the back, Dan thought about his week of unpaid leave. It gave him time to assess his options and determine his path. He recalled the night when he was only sixteen and a police officer saved his life by taking him to Bella’s home. He had been hurting, frightened, and alone. The man’s compassion inspired him to become a constable … to serve and protect.

  He would’ve remained one except for the crap that went down with his training officer Brogan Snow and his three cronies. After he did the right thing, everyone shunned him. The hostility he faced put him and the citizens in jeopardy, forcing him to quit after only six months. Though, if fate had been kinder to him back then, he wouldn’t have met Brody in boot camp.

  When Commander Gambrill talked to him about joining TRF, he wondered if his past would cause him problems, but weary of killing he needed something different. He had ended too many lives. His kill count rose astronomically because his missions mostly involved multiple targets. Dan wanted to protect without having to snuff out life.

  Hardy failed to appreciate he had not suggested a single hard tactical method in the past two and a half weeks. The narrow-minded man refused to acknowledge he was striving to make the conversion from soldier back to his constable roots. No doubt remained in Dan’s mind that Hardy didn’t want him on his team. Dan released a frustrated breath. Only another ten days until I can talk to the commander. I will honor my word and give the team a month, but once complete I’m outta here. I don’t need to put up with Hardy’s shit.

  An idea began to take shape as he recalled a short chat with Sergeant Winter earlier this week. Winter pulled him aside and disclosed to him many TRF officers were displeased with the way Alpha Team mistreated him and clapped his back as he said Echo Team would readily accept him.

  Perhaps I should request a transfer to Winter’s team. Some of the guys are rather nice and told me they were shocked at how Loki and Lexa attacked me in the locker room. Maybe I don’t have to quit TRF, just leave this team. Shoving his musings to the background, he refocused on his duty as he approached the rear exit.

  Loki reported, “Got eyes in. The quality of the image isn’t good. I can scarcely make out … wait … yeah, the subject is pointing a handgun at a woman holding a big turkey.”

  Ray said, “Boss, I located information on Mrs. Paulson. Twenty-eight years old and a mother of five children under the age of seven. Her husband died six months ago in a freak accident on his way to work. A barbeque grill fell from a fourth-floor balcony striking Mr. Paulson in the head. A homemaker until then, she found work, but unfortunately, it lasted only for two weeks before the company shut down, and all the employees were terminated without any possible prospects. She hasn’t been able to find work since. They carried no life insurance, and she and the children are about to be evicted from their apartment.”

  Nick asked, “Anything on Mrs. Bayberry?”

  “Coming up in a second.” Ray continued to search.

  While Dan waited at the back door and Jon, Bram, and Nick moved into position at the front, Lexa received a call-back, which she relayed to the team. “Mr. Vickers, the owner of the store, authorized two free turkeys to make it equivalent. He’s not too pleased with his assistant’s lack of judgment.”

  “Got info on Bayberry. She’s the wife of David Bayberry, CEO of Bayberry Incorporated. Sheesh, the man is loaded. Why is she fighting over a turkey?” Ray asked unable to keep all the disgust out of his tone.

  With this information, Nick, Jon, and Bram entered the market and made their way down the aisle behind shields. Once they reached the women, Nick began to negotiate with the armed and distraught woman. After forty minutes, Mrs. Bayberry surrendered, breaking down crying as she apologized.

  Dan listened to the negotiations and marveled at the sergeant’s ability to persuade the woman to give up without any bloodshed. After Hardy directed him to return to the SUVs, Dan started down the alley but halted when he heard a scream. Turning, he witnessed a man yank a purse from a young woman carrying a little boy who appeared to be about one. With nary a thought, Dan took off running after the thief.

  Talking to A Friggin’ Brick Wall

  27

  October 9

  Behind Arriba Foods

  Dan called out, “In pursuit of a thief, heading down the alley toward Mutual Street. Subject wearing blue pants and a red long-sleeve t-shirt. Long black hair. Looks to be in his late teens. Victim near the exit of the market, young woman in jeans and white cable sweater with a small boy. Subject stole her purse. Heading north on Mutual toward Gerrard Street.”

  Swiftly gaining on the fleeing subject, Dan observed a group of kids up ahead waiting for the light to change to cross the road. No idea if the man was armed, Dan couldn’t allow him near those children. With a burst of speed, he launched himself and tackled the subject. As he landed, his shoulder slammed into the concrete sidewalk. Dan ignored his pain as he flipped the purse-snatcher on his stomach and cuffed him. As he pulled the guy up to his feet, Hardy and Bram came running up.

  Jon grabbed Broderick’s shoulder spinning him around to face him as Bram assumed custody of the cuffed su
bject. “Dammit, Broderick! What the hell do you think you are doing? You don’t go running off willy-nilly without backup. We have protocols! you need to learn them!” Unknowingly, Jon squeezed the shoulder Dan intersected with the ground. Jon’s anger prevented him from noticing his wince.

  Lowering his stoic mask, Dan welded it in place. Shields securely concealing the pain and rage he felt, he only stared at Hardy while receiving an unjust dress down for his actions. Respect the position had been drilled into his head from a very early age. Dan rigorously maintained his self-control when all he wanted to do was explode. He held his tongue, showing respect for the tactical lead position regardless of his opinion of the man—which at the moment fell somewhere below zero on a scale of one to one hundred.

  Dan’s internal monologue bellowed all he wished to say to Hardy’s face. Why the fuck are you yelling at me? I caught the bad guy. What should I do, let him rob that woman? I didn’t run off haphazardly and I told you exactly where I went. I had back up—you, you fucking bastard! Even as all this ran through his mind, Dan replied dully, “Yes, sir. Won’t happen again, sir.”

  A patrol unit arrived a short time later and Bram handed off the subdued subject to the officer. As Dan followed his teammates back to the SUVs, the young woman tearfully ran up to him.

  Stopping the blond officer, Brandi cried, “Oh my, God. The last of my money is in my purse and I need the cash to buy formula for my baby boy. He would’ve gone hungry if you didn’t grab the guy. How can I ever thank you?”

  Dan gave her a small grin. “No thanks are necessary, ma’am. Just doing my job.” His headset dangling at his waist, Dan was unsure if Hardy or Bram overheard the woman’s words because they continued walking.