by Laura Acton
Outlier
Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty
Beauty of Life
Book Four
Laura Acton
Copyright © 2017 by Laura Acton
All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise except for brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN: 9781521269336 (paperback)
Outlier: Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
By Laura Acton
Beauty of Life series:
Forsaken: On the Edge of Oblivion
Solace: Behind the Shield
Belonging: Hope, Truth, and Malice
Outlier: Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty
Purgatory: Bonds Forged in Hellfire
Serenity: A Path Home
Guardians: Mission to Rescue Innocence
Acknowledgements
Martha, Lisa, Julianne, and Venetia,
thank you for all your amazing help and encouragement!
Contents
1) Risk Taking
2) Hope and Malevolence
3) Coffee with An Alien
4) Extreme Measures and Empathy
5) An Unusual Interview
6) Precious Memories and Revelations
7) Beauty and Venom
8) High Price Being William’s Son
9) Confusing Dr. Fraser
10) Memories and Motives
11) F.I.N.E. Day for Men in Uniforms
12) Goodbye to an Honorable Man
13) Ten Fateful Minutes
14) You Can’t Die on Me Now
15) Deal with Me Like a Man!
16) Collecting Bobbleheads
17) Beyond Weary
18) Blood and Brotherhood
19) Waiting is Not Easy
20) A Sea of Sapphire Eyes
21) Be Completely Honest
22) Remember the Cherry Club?
23) Expressions of Love
24) Hidden Agendas
25) Never Too Old for Father’s Comfort
26) Shattered Beyond Repair?
27) Coloring for Uncle Dan and Ma’s Lunch
28) That’s Kinda Sexy
29) Oooooo Brodericks … Argh!
30) Colonel, We Have a Problem
31) Scott Saved Danny’s Halloween
32) Branded by Hellfire and Confusion
33) The Kiss
34) Guess Who Woke Up from His Nap?
35) This Is a Strange Hospital
36) For Now, It Is a Start
37) Dan Said Fine
38) Don’t Leave the Kid Alone!
39) Waiting and Plotting
40) Listening and Gauntlet Thrown
41) We Need a Tactical Plan
42) Stay … Please
43) Sleeping Beast
44) Help … Me … Dad
45) Early Morning Heart-to-Hearts
46) Flustered, Anxious, and Ecstatic
47) Risk and Protection
48) Funner Is Not a Real Word
49) Dark Side of Being a Sniper
50) Justice, Orders, and Protocol
51) Wow! So That’s Mason
52) Sunshine Starts a Good Day
53) A Mother’s Love
54) Full-Blown Pity Party
55) Respect and Blaze Takes Control
56) Siblings Yet Strangers
57) Do You Remember Brock?
58) Fights and Ice Cream
59) Cures for Dan’s Foul Mood
60) Cinnamon Sugar Kiss, Lipstick, and Mud
61) Determined, Delighted, and Disciplined
62) Courage to Embrace New Experiences
63) Hmmm … Comfortable Here
64) Wise Choice, Son
65) Daniel and Hobbes
66) I Kept My Promise, Brody
67) Welcome Back, Broderick
68) Beauty of Life Painted in Sunrise
Sneak Peek: Purgatory Bonds Forged in Hellfire
About the Author
Outlier
Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty
Risk Taking
1
July 18
Grand Citadel Hotel – Dan’s Room – 10:30 p.m.
Lexa tenderly pressed her lips to Dan’s again as his breathing steadied. She gently massaged his head to bring him a modicum of comfort. Her insides a jumbled mix of emotions, she decided not to resist the attraction to her teammate. Life was too fleeting not to take some risks—but this was a huge risk. If things went bad, this would destroy them both, but if this went well …
The thought abruptly stopped. Not ready to think beyond right here and right now she continued to kiss his bruised, full lips. Whatever this attraction was between them … they both need it … nothing else mattered.
At the light knock on the door and Heather calling out, she stopped kissing Dan and pulled back. His sapphire blue eyes, a tad unfocused, gazed up at her. She brightened registering the effect she had on him. “Dan, let go. Heather’s coming in,” she whispered when his arms remained around her.
Dan Broderick released Sexy Lexie, bereft at losing the warmth of her body and the touch of her soft lips on his. He missed the tingling sensation of her fingers on his scalp. A comforting touch which reminded him of long ago. The same comfort, yet different. Something deep inside him craved the sensation like he craved Alexandra McKenna.
Focused on her lovely golden flecked hazel eyes, he feared what might come—though he would never admit that to anyone. His fierce physical attraction to her drove him to be reckless and jeopardize all he’d gained in the past year. He wanted to care about her. She belonged in his arms, yet he needed to protect her. Fate always took those he loved away from him.
If he allowed himself to care for her, fate might screw with him and leave him alone and broken again. Am I willing to risk everything for Lexa? His nurse speaking to him interrupted his thoughts.
“Good to see you awake, but you really should be sleeping. How’s your pain level?” Heather Barkley asked.
“I’m alright. Patch took care of me before my shower.”
Heather glanced from Dan to Lexa, and by the expressions on their faces, she got a strange sense she’d interrupted an important discussion. “Well, if you need any relief, you let me know. Would you like anything to eat or drink?”
“No, thanks.” He flicked his eyes to the bathroom door. “Gotta make a little trip, though.” He pushed himself up, and he clenched his jaw as his muscles howled in protest at his movement. Stupid move—now the painful throbbing in his jaw increased.
After his one-on-one fight with Basto in the ravine, he hurt like hell. The former middleweight boxing champ gang leader had the advantage over him both in size and physical condition. His pre-existing injuries had made it difficult for him to fight Basto. Using Ripsaw’s strategies saved his ass—Aaron’s distraction also helped.
If not for Aaron Plouffe, he would be dead. Basto would’ve killed him—with his own gun no less. Another pain, not a physical one, sliced through Dan. Aaron died saving him, and he could do nothing to protect Aaron. Ironically, one Plouffe tried to kill him for years, and yet he lived today because of another Plouffe. A small groan slipped out as he used his right arm to push himself up.
At Dan’s groan, Lexa and Heather both m
oved to assist him to stand. Refusing further assistance, he shuffled to the bathroom.
Once the bathroom door closed, Heather turned to Lexa. “I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. The fact he’s up and walking with all his injuries … well, it boggles my mind.”
“Dan isn’t an average man,” Lexa said.
“Yeah, I think you’re right—he’s Dantastic. I’m glad so many people care about him. Terrible what Donner did to him. My friend said Donner called Dan a murderer and accused him of putting you all at risk and putting blood on your hands. That disturbed man flung such horrible words at Dan. I hope he didn’t take any of it to heart.”
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Lexa vowed.
Yeah, Alpha Team is one of the rare ones, Heather thought.
Several minutes later, Dan exited the bathroom and found Lexa was still in the bedroom. He gave her a small smile. He hated to appear weak in front of her, yet he was glad she was still here. When he got to the bed, he tried to position himself with no help. He used his sprained left hand to scoot to the middle of the bed and clamped his jaw as a hiss escaped.
Due to the gunshot wound in his right arm, using it was out of the question. He cringed inside when Lexa and Heather came forward. Reluctantly he accepted their help to move into a comfortable position.
His little trip wore him out. Sleep beckoned him, and he found his eyelids heavy as he blinked trying to keep them open. Once he was lying propped up against a boatload of pillows, making breathing easier with his cracked ribs, he sighed and tried to relax. “Thanks.”
Lexa smiled as she placed a pillow under Dan’s left arm to elevate his sprained wrist. Then she sat on the bed and began to lightly brush through his golden blond hair once more. “Go to sleep now. You have a long day tomorrow with the Nonpartisan Review Board interviews and Aaron’s funeral.”
Dan lowered his eyelids in compliance. In no way did he look forward to either of those, but at least the NRB agent wouldn’t be Donner. Dick was dead. He still had to sort out his feelings about the man who committed suicide in front of him. Richard Donner might be as much a victim of the events of Sara’s death as he was.
Oh, crap! Today is the eighteenth. Which means tomorrow is the nineteenth. Dammit! I’m definitely not firing on all cylinders. Dan took a steadying breath. It was too late to change the NRB interviews. Now he must do it. Could he get through tomorrow without falling to pieces in front of everyone? Without crying in front of the general?
“Hey, are you okay?” Lexa asked seeing Dan’s eyes squeeze tight, and his lips purse together so hard his split lip reopened—he was in pain. “Do you need meds? Should I call Patch?”
As he forced his eyes open, his tongue darted out to lick the blood off his split lip—it stung again. He outright lied. “Only a temporary pain. It’s gone.”
Lexa eyed Dan carefully. She believed none of the words out of his mouth—his eyes told a different story. Though it was clear, he didn’t want to talk about it. She kept many of her own hurts private, so she didn’t push ... if he wanted her to know, he would share.
“Alright. Close your eyes and let me help you relax.” Lexa reached up to his head again and resumed her gentle massage. She watched as the tension slowly ebbed out of Dan’s face and his breathing slowed.
Dan shelved his worries about getting through tomorrow, allowed himself to relax, and focused his mind on Lexa. He drifted off to sleep with the feeling of her fingers massaging his head and the memory of her lips on his.
Heather noted the small upturn of Dan’s mouth when Lexa touched him. She went to sit down and left Lexa at the bedside. Heather picked up her book and took another glance at the bed thinking Alpha Team was extremely close. It made Heather happy but also caused her concern. She worried what would happen if one of them died in the line of duty—it would surely devastate the team. Heather heard Dan’s soft regular breathing and assumed Lexa’s massage had put him to sleep.
Once Dan fell asleep, Lexa stood. “Goodnight, Heather.” Lexa headed for the door.
“Goodnight, Lexa.” It was so sweet how Lexa helped Dan fall asleep—very touching. Heather opened her novel, “Secrets: Passions and Perils of Dating a Teammate” as a niggling thought crept into her head based on her observations tonight. A smile lit her face. Could Lexa and Dan be dating? If so, that might be rather interesting.
Grand Citadel Hotel - Main Suite - 10:40 p.m.
Lexa shut Dan’s door behind her and scanned the main room of the hotel suite, ready to pull Loki away from the computer if she had to. If the team let him, Loki would work himself to the bone trying to find evidence proving Major Plouffe’s crimes against Dan. Not finding Loki at the desk, she glanced about the room. A soft smile settled on her lips as she found him curled up on a couch near Bram. Loki’s laptop was open on the table in front of him.
Turning, Lexa saw General Broderick coming out of the other bedroom connected to the large suite. Lexa was surprised yet again how much Dan took after his father. The general was muscular, had the same rugged good looks and golden blond hair as Dan, and their expressive eyes were the same shade of sapphire blue. Even though the general appeared more relaxed in his t-shirt and sweats, he was no less commanding than when he was in his uniform. Honestly, she admitted to herself, the general intimidated her—his moniker ‘General Badass’ fit him well.
General Broderick also appeared to be as complicated as Dan, and both father and son were so skilled at keeping their emotions hidden. Witnessing the tears in the general’s eyes today had been difficult—there was so much sadness in them. Lexa recognized the general cared for Dan. She shouldn’t judge the general—but she did anyway.
It angered Lexa a lot. Dan had suffered tremendously because the general had virtually abandoned him. His misguided way of protecting Dan caused Dan so much pain—much like her own father hurt her. Knowing she unfairly applied her feelings for her own father to Dan’s dad didn’t change they were similar. The general had ignored Dan in an attempt to protect him, but in doing so subjected him to greater harm.
Her father abandoned her because she wanted to be a cop. He wanted her to be safe and gave her an ultimatum—be a cop or be his daughter. He just didn’t understand her desire to protect others and disregarded what made her happy. As a result, he caused her so much heartache when he cut her out of his and her four brother’s lives. Lexa forcefully pushed away those thoughts—none of that helped.
“I don’t think you ought to wake Loki. He looks comfortable, and he can sleep right there. There are blankets in the other room if you want to get one for Bram and Loki,” William Broderick quietly informed Lexa.
“Yeah, I think I’ll let him sleep here. He’s exhausted.” Lexa headed into the other bedroom and grabbed two blankets. She returned to the main suite and first covered Bram.
Dan calling out to Bram for help when he woke today was a good thing. It didn’t surprise her it had been Bram. Dan had connected with him first, and Abraham De Haven had a fatherly vibe. It came from the fact he had four young daughters, and Bram openly showed his soft side. He was like a giant teddy bear. His blue-green eyes always reflected how much he cared.
She would always find shelter in Bram’s arms—not that she allowed it often. Though on the rare occasion when things overwhelmed her, his hugs and soft-spoken words provided her the solace she needed.
Unfurling the second blanket, Lexa moved over to Loki and laid it over him. She noted Loki looked like a little boy in sleep—a baby brother. She liked having a little brother to watch over. She then realized Dan was one year younger than Loki. Goodness, they both appeared so vulnerable when they slept—all their defenses were lowered then.
The errant lock of black hair in Loki’s face beckoned to be brushed back yet again. Perhaps the wayward lock wouldn’t keep flopping down if he would cut his hair shorter. Then again, it was a part of Loki’s boyish charm she wouldn’t want him to lose. It also gave him something to do with his hands
when he got nervous talking to Tia. Lexa let out a long sigh.
Tia and Loki seemed so right for each other. Perhaps one day Tia would give up her rule against dating cops and give Loki a chance. Ready to go to her room, Lexa straightened up. At least Tia and Loki wouldn’t face the same hurdle as she and Dan did. Tia’s was a TRF dispatcher, so the rule didn’t apply to them the way it did for her and Dan. The Toronto Police Tactical Response Force protocol manual stated that no fraternization of a sexual nature was allowed between teammates.
Potential consequences for breaking the rule began with a verbal reprimand and reassignment to another TRF team up to the maximum penalty of being fired. Lexa knew she was taking a huge risk. Alpha Team was her family, and if she lost Boss, Jon, Bram, Loki, Ray, and Dan, then she would be all alone. And if she were fired, she would lose the only thing which gave her life purpose and meaning.
Lexa blew out a breath, put those thoughts in a box she crafted, ran a bead of liquid glue on the edges, slammed it closed, and nailed it shut ... that will have to do for now.
Hope and Malevolence
2
July 19
Grand Citadel Hotel – Dan’s Room – 12:05 a.m.
William Broderick entered Daniel’s bedroom, set his gun down on the nightstand, and studied his sleeping son. Daniel amazed him—so resilient. A warmth filled his heart as his son rested peacefully now.
He nodded to Heather sitting in a chair reading. As he turned to sit down on the other queen bed, his lips twitched up in amusement as he recalled Heather’s earlier action. The nurse dared to take his coffee away. No one except his wife Yvonne ever took his coffee away. Heather’s actions spoke loudly of her compassion. He relaxed, comforted by the thought Heather tended to Daniel at night—his son is in caring hands.
As he lay down, William tried to clear his mind of all the nauseating details he learned in the past few days. He wondered if Daniel would ever forgive him and if they could ever reestablish a father-son relationship. If Daniel rejected him … he would accept his son’s decision. He deserved the heartache for his actions and inactions. Though he fervently hoped Daniel would at least reconnect with his mother.
