SOLACE: Behind The Shield (Beauty 0f Life Book 2)

by Laura Acton

  Grandwood Mall – Near Main Food Court – 11:45 a.m.

  Dan began to gain ground on the guy. Without breaking stride, he commanded, “Stop! TRF. Stop now, Kash. You’ve got nowhere to go. Police are at all exits.”

  Kash glanced behind him. Shit this cop’s fast. Rationalizing he would not be able to achieve his goal and outrun the officer, he had to do something to lose him. He recalled a secret way out, but he needed to get there first.

  Killing a cop would be tantamount to slitting his own throat. As he ran past the mega gumball machines, a diversion popped into Kash’s head. He could force the constable to slow down if he ruptured the dispensers. It works in the movies with ball-bearings, perhaps he will slide on the huge balls.

  Almost within tackling range, Dan’s heart jumped to his throat when Kash turned and fired in his direction. He breathed in relief when the shot went wild and struck a machine full of giant gumballs. His respite was only momentary as he realized the perp’s aim to be true. The bullet destroyed one of the globes, dumping hundreds of extra-large gumballs on the ground in front of him.

  “Shit!” With no ability to stop or change directions, Dan’s boots landed on several hard gumballs. Instead of crushing underfoot, they remained formed, causing him to slide uncontrollably across the floor as if on ice.

  Dan scarcely lifted an arm to shield his eyes before he went careening into the china shop’s storefront. The glass wall shattered as he slammed into it. The momentum generated from encountering the gumballs while running full tilt propelled Dan through the wall, barreling him into the first counter.

  Colliding with fragile glass shelving, his body acted like a tank demolishing the breakable contents. Off balance and unable to counteract gravity, Dan crashed to the tile flooring as crystal and china shattered, flying all directions. His forward motion continued to carry him into the shop, sliding on his side on the glass-strewn floor.

  Finally, Dan’s body stopped when he rammed into a second glass display unit with enough force to cause the contents to rain down. Fragments and shards of crystal flew around him for several more moments.

  Disoriented and incapable of responding to calls for status, Dan jerked as an enormous vase, which unknown to him had been teetering on the shelf’s edge, tipped too far and smashed to the ground in front of his face. Rolling to his stomach, he covered his head to protect himself from falling objects.

  Stemware dropped and shattered at random intervals for a few more seconds. Covered in glass and ceramic fragments, many of which lanced or embedded themselves in his hands, arms, and legs, caused a myriad of stinging cuts. His back and side ached from smacking into the displays.

  As he lay there attempting to regroup and control his pain, the shouting in his ear grew with intensity the longer he failed to respond. Dan was about to report, but pain shot through him when something sliced into his gluteus maximus, driving hard all the way to his hip bone. His deep guttural howl drowned out all other sounds.

  Panting, trying not to cry out again, Dan dared not move. He deduced one of the glass shelves must have broken off and embedded into his buttocks. Dan comprehended he must remain still to slow blood loss as warm liquid began pooling under him.

  Grandwood Mall – Security Office – 11:45 a.m.

  Nick’s concern as Kash fired at his rookie, turned to horror as Dan went crashing through the plate glass window of the china shop. Nick yelled, “Dan! Son of a bitch! Jon, Dan needs help, pronto!”

  The camera did not afford him sight beyond the window, and after Dan careened out of view, he wanted to run to him, but he maintained his post keeping tabs on Kash. Pulling himself together, Nick communicated, “Jon, Kash is heading right for you.”

  When Dan didn’t emerge from the store, Nick requested, “Dan, status?” and waited. When Dan’s piercing scream rang in his headset, he ordered, “Tia we need another EMS unit here now!” After giving the last command, he could wait no longer, and he raced out of the security room heading for the shop as he directed his tactical lead, “Jon, you apprehend Kash. I’m going to Dan.”

  Grandwood Mall – Heading to Main Food Court – 11:45 a.m.

  The sounds of a gunshot and shattering glass reached Jon’s, Loki’s, Bram’s, and Lexa’s ears. None were close enough to determine the cause, but Dan’s shout of “Shit” alerted them he was not the one to shoot and figured their rookie needed assistance. Boss’ shout to Jon confirmed their suspicion.

  As they ran flat out, Jon demanded, “Status … status now, Dan!”

  When Boss told them Kash headed toward them, they went on higher alert scanning the area for an active shooter with their weapons ready. After Dan’s agonizing scream ripped through their earpieces and Boss informed them he was going to the rookie, they realized something terrible occurred.

  A moment later, they zeroed in on Kash, and all four shouted a version of, “Stop, TRF.”

  The armed subject spotted them and turned around, racing back the way he came. He darted into a shop with tons of gumballs and glass fragments strewn around on the tile outside.

  Grandwood Mall – Marfont China – 11:48 a.m.

  Dan wanted oblivion to take him away from the pain, but his mind registered another threat. He turned his head, catching sight of Kash rushing into the shop and pointing the gun at him.

  Sliding to a stop in front of the store Jon, Bram, Lexa, and Loki took cover as best they could to do a quick assessment. Noting Dan had become a hostage, Jon and Bram stepped forward and inside.

  Lexa passed by the opening, her destination still set for Ray’s location. Her heart lurched glimpsing Dan lying in a sea of glass and wanted to help, but she continued to Ray. With Ray’s vision impaired he would be in as much danger as Dan if Kash somehow escaped.

  Above the rushing sound in his ears, Dan heard Jon’s voice harshly command, “Kash, freeze. Put down the weapon.”

  The next thing Dan knew, Kash gripped his hair, yanking his head up, and shoved a gun to his temple as he yelled back at Jon. Too disoriented to make out the words, Dan glanced toward the shop’s entrance. His eyes connected briefly with Bram’s before closing so he could concentrate on breathing to control his agony and lower his heart rate to slow the loss of blood oozing from his backside.

  Taking Care of Our Own

  40

  April 1

  Grandwood Mall – Candles Forever – 11:50 a.m.

  Racing into the candle shop, Lexa found Ray near a counter wiping his eyes. As she came close, she announced herself to him. “Ray, it’s me.”

  Ray blinked only glimpsing an indistinct figure through his constantly watering eyes. “What the hell happened? How’s Dan?”

  “I’m not sure. Jon, Bram, and Loki are with him and the subject. Come on. Let’s get you out of here. Can you see at all?”

  “Blurry. Won’t stop tearing.”

  Lexa carefully led Ray out of the shop and to stairs in the opposite direction of the china shop. As they approached the exit, she overheard Jon yell, “Kash, freeze. Put down the weapon.”

  After reaching the EMS rig, Ray said, “Go. I’m fine.”

  Lexa ensured Ray was secured on the gurney before racing back inside. Cognizant of the escalating angst despite their professional demeanor, Dan’s situation rapidly deteriorated as they faced one of their worst fears, a teammate becoming a hostage. Listening to Jon negotiate, Lexa ran up the stairs. “Put it down, Kash. Dan is injured. You don’t want to add to your problems. Lower the gun and allows us to help him.”

  Grandwood Mall – Marfont China – 12:05 a.m.

  Nick and Lexa arrived simultaneously from opposite directions. Approaching the scene, they noted Bram using his massive body to shield Jon as the tactical leader lowered his weapon to talk with Kash. Loki assumed the Zulu position off to the side of the entrance, aiming his MP5 at the subject to protect both Bram and Jon.

  Lexa replicated their actions as she drew a bead on Kash. She refused to focus on Dan at the moment but didn’t mis
s the growing pool of blood at his hip or the long, jagged glass shard sticking out of his backside. He required medical help pronto.

  While being tended to by medics, Ray listened as Jon endeavored to reason with the gang member. Not sensing any progress in their verbal exchange, he offered his insight from personal experience with the Blooddrop Crew. “Jon, Kash is a low-level member. This may not be a sanctioned activity. He is probably more frightened of what the leaders will do to him than the cops.”

  “Does that make him more or less of a threat to Dan?” Nick asked.

  Loki spoke through gritted teeth, “Does it really matter? Dan’s gonna bleed out if this takes much longer. We need to resolve this now. Got a solution.”

  “I have the solution,” Lexa’s flat tone added.

  Bram didn’t speak, but he also had a clear shot at Kash and would fire if necessary. He tried to focus only on Kash but witnessing the pain in Dan’s eyes when they shared a brief connection almost unraveled him. The sound of Dan’s scream kept playing in his head. And the occasional groans when Kash jerked his head were hard to listen to without reacting.

  Dan began fading in and out, and he only caught bits and pieces. He wished the guy would quit yanking his head. Every time Kash pulled on him, pain shot through him. Dan tried not to make a sound, but he couldn’t completely stop the groans from escaping.

  Jon calmly said, “Kash, there is no way you are getting out of here free. That isn’t gonna happen. If you threaten Dan again, I’ll be forced to give the order to shoot. I don’t want to, but I will. If you’re afraid your gang will come after you for an unsanctioned activity, we can protect you. Put your pistol down, and we will ensure you are safe in prison. You can be put in protective custody. All I need you to do is put down the gun now.”

  Kash didn’t want the trouble killing a cop would bring, but he feared the BDC more. “Are you sure about that protective … whatever you called it?”

  “Yes. But you must set the weapon down and release Dan now. If Dan doesn’t receive the assistance he needs and dies, things will be worse for you.”

  Backing-down and acceding to his limited choices, Kash lowered Dan’s head followed by his weapon. Jon and Bram moved in immediately, secured the pistol, and cuffed Kash. Loki, Lexa, and Nick closely followed as Jon escorted Kash out of the mall to a patrol officer.

  Nick called out, “Subject contained. Allow EMS in here now.” Kneeling near his rookie, Nick’s hand went to Dan’s cheek and lightly touched him avoiding the cuts. He appreciated Dan’s eyes opening in response to his gentle touch. “Hang on, Dan. Help is coming. You hold on, you hear me?”

  In a soft, pain-filled voice Dan responded, “Copy.”

  Lexa cautiously brushed off glass fragments from Dan’s body. Bram and Loki moved the damaged display case away from Dan ensuring no other objects fell on him and to clear a path for the paramedics.

  Once done, they stood back, wishing to provide him with some measure of comfort, but having been taught advanced first-aid procedures, they assessed the nature of his wound and recognized Dan must remain immobile. If not, the fragment might shift, inflicting more damage and substantially increase the level of bleeding. With the significant amount Dan already lost, he did not need to lose anymore.

  Jon returned with the medics who set to work, removing Dan’s guns and vest first. Shifting him only a little to accomplish their task resulted in the impaled glass moving, causing Dan to scream out in pain and pass out, providing both the rookie and the team a measure of relief. The senior medic inserted an IV, while his partner applied gauze around the wound to stabilize the embedded fragment for transport.

  Unfortunately, Dan came back to consciousness as the two paramedics sought to lift him to the gurney. Try as he might, Dan couldn’t contain another scream as they transferred him and he blacked out again. Within minutes the pair of medics had Dan situated face down and began wheeling him out to a waiting ambulance.

  Nick scanned his team who appeared to be in various stages of shock. Nick couldn’t delete the image of Dan falling through the plate glass window from his mind. “Alright, team. Loki, you go to the hospital with Dan and Ray. The rest of us will wrap up here and join you as soon as possible.”

  Loki didn’t need to be told twice. He shoved his MP5 at Jon and took off running. His best friend Ray and his newest friend Dan were both hurt, and there was nowhere else he wanted to be except near them.

  Noting the tension building in Jon’s jaw, Nick anticipated the imminent eruption before it came.

  Jon turned to Nick and with barely controlled rage. “What the hell happened? Did Kash shoot him? Did he hit the glass wall ducking from gunfire? What?”

  Nick bent over, picked up, and held out a gumball for Jon to view. “This is what happened. Kash fired, and the bullet struck the gumball machine. Dan could do nothing … too many gumballs underfoot as he ran at full speed.”

  “A damned gumball? This is the result of a goddamned gumball?” Jon yelled in frustration as he turned away from the others. His eyes traced the path of destruction Dan’s body traveled, ending at the puddle of congealing blood. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he blew out a breath. How in the world do I prepare my team for a scenario like this? Dammit. A friggin’ gumball!

  Lexa began picking glass out of her gloves. Her face paled as she listened to Jon and Nick. Of all the unforeseen things to cause them harm on a call—gumballs? Hard round candy and glass took Dan down. She gave up trying to remove the pieces of glass when she realized the gloves were soaking wet. Vaguely, she thought, how did they become wet? When the explanation dawned on her, she ripped off the fouled gloves and tossed them on the floor.

  Bram came out of his stupor and stepped over to Lexa. Taking her hands in his, he said with deep concern, “Lexa, your hands. They’re bleeding.”

  Lexa shook her head and peered at him. In a cracked voice, she said, “Not mine. Dan’s. Soaked through as I tried to brush fragments off him.”

  When tears started to well in her eyes, Bram pulled Lexa close to hug her.

  Jon gruffly said, “Let’s retrieve our gear and turn over the site so that we can get to the hospital.” He strode out of the destroyed shop after first bending down and picking up Dan’s MP5 and Glock.

  Bram released Lexa, moving to judiciously salvage Dan’s vest. Glass tumbled down to the tiles making a clinking sound. He shook the body armor several times to dislodge most of the fragments.

  Nick took Lexa’s arm. “Come with me. You can wash up, and once you’re finished, we’ll retrieve Loki’s computer gear from the security office.” He wanted to keep a closer eye on Lexa since she appeared most shaken of the four remaining.

  Mercy Hospital – ER Waiting Room – 1:30 p.m.

  When Nick, Lexa, Jon, and Bram finally made it to the hospital over an hour later, they found Loki and Ray sitting in a corner.

  Jon walked up to Ray and squatted in front of him. Taking Ray’s chin in his hand, he turned Ray’s face in both a left and right direction to assess Ray’s eyes. Although red-rimmed and bloodshot, no protective patches covered them and since Ray sat here rather than a hospital bed, he assumed the oil caused no permanent damage.

  Ray willingly allowed Jon to move his head this way and that, understanding the needs of his tactical lead. Despite the gruff lion exterior, Jon possessed the temperament of a domesticated kitty cat, docile until his littermates were threatened or hurt. Jon cared for the members of his team and didn’t like it one damned bit when one of them suffered injuries.

  When Jon finished his appraisal, Ray assured him, “My eyes are alright. They flushed them well. No damage.”

  Jon stood, letting out a sigh. “Good. Good.” He began pacing. I am responsible for keeping them safe and prepared to face all eventualities out there. Oil! Gumballs! Glass! How the hell do we train for something like this?

  Bram understood his friend’s mood. “Jon, we can’t prepare for every possibility. I mean, who would come up with a
scenario where a subject shoots a gumball machine causing one of us to slip on said candies, and go flying through a storefront, ending up with glass embedded in our ass.”

  Loki laughed. When everyone stared at him, he shrugged and grinned. “Sorry. This is so ludicrous, it is funny. I mean, it isn’t, because Dan got hurt, but can you imagine? People are going to think we’re making this up when we tell them about the call. Particularly ‘cause it occurred on April Fool’s Day. No one’s ever gonna believe us.”

  Everyone smiled and chuckled a bit. Loki’s right, none of the teams would believe the debrief without hard evidence. Nor would any of them top this for the Weirdest Call of the Year award. As more time passed with no update, the seriousness of Dan’s injury brought them back to earth.

  Nick inquired, “Loki, did they give you any information on Dan?”

  He shook his head. With disgust in his tone, he said, “No. Apparently, I’m not family. They’re sticklers for that here. I tried hard to obtain his status, but the old biddy became tight-lipped and wouldn’t tell me anything.”

  Mercy Hospital – ER Information Desk – 1:35 p.m.

  After Loki spoke, Jon strode towards the info desk. Like hell we are not his family! Dan doesn’t have anyone but us in town. As Tactical Lead of Alpha Team, Dan’s health and well-being are my responsibility. They damned well better give me an update.

  Nick hurried and caught up with Jon. “Jonny, I know that look. You need to relax. In the state you’re in, you’re liable to get us all thrown out. Let me do the talking.”

  “Fine, but if they don’t tell you, I’m going back there and searching for Dan myself,” Jon declared and crossed his arms on his chest.

  Stepping up to the desk, Nick smiled at the older nurse as he spoke politely, “I’m Sergeant Nicholas Pastore of the TRF. One of my officers is here, Daniel Broderick. Can you please provide me his status?”

  The beady-eyed nurse peered up from her screen. “Are you family?” the nurse huffed, tired of dealing with people today.