OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood, And Beauty (Beauty 0f Lifee Book 4)

by Laura Acton

  The first tentative smile in nearly a year fleetingly crossed Dan’s face. “Yeah, I like climbing. Higher the better, but I’m not allowed out to go climbing.”

  Brock grinned and tapped Dan’s shoulder as he laughed. “Tag. You’re it.” Brock ran from the room towards the front door.

  Dan took off running after Brock.

  Present Day – August 26

  General Broderick’s Home – Study – 10:15 a.m.

  The smile on Daniel’s face as he ended his recollection settled William’s aching heart. “I watched from the study door as you ran after Private Brock. He was a godsend and spent much more time with you than I ever imagined. You two would be outside for hours at a time running, God knows where.”

  A smile dangled on the corner of Dan’s lips. “I didn’t know Brock’s brother was a paraplegic. By the way he talked about Davey … and all they did together … I never had a clue. Thank you for bringing Brock … into my life. He helped a lot. I enjoyed running and working … out with him.”

  Daniel’s smoother speech also made William happy. “In Brock’s eyes, Davey was only his brother. Loved and valued no less and no more because of his physical limitation. Davey went on to participate in the Paralympics. He’s now a counselor and coordinator at a center which helps children cope with traumatic injuries. Brock volunteers there when he’s on leave.”

  “Wow! You still keep in touch with Brock?”

  William registered the shock in Daniel’s face at his comment. “Occasionally. Haven’t connected with him for about five years now. Last I heard he was stationed at CFB Gagetown.”

  The alien is full of surprises, Dan thought. Turning his attention back to the chessboard Dan figured out his move. He set his piece down on the square and then gazed at his dad with gleaming eyes, cocked his head, and gave him a lopsided grin. “Checkmate!”

  William stared at the chessboard slack-mouthed. His features slowly morphed into a toothy smile. “Ah, Grasshopper, I do believe you’ve learned all I can teach you.”

  Dan and William both chuckled as their eyes met across the chessboard.

  From her position, at the study door, Yvonne spied her two favorite men. She sighed with a glint of happy tears welling in her eyes. William and Danny were connecting. Marvelous. She turned and left the two alone together as she overheard Danny. “Another game, Dad?”

  Fights and Ice Cream

  58

  August 30

  General Broderick’s Home – Study – 1:00 p.m.

  Yvonne overheard the yelling from the kitchen and rushed to William’s study. She threw open the door to find Dan and William glaring at each other. Yvonne demanded sternly, “What’s going on?”

  William turned to Yvonne, and his voice wasn’t modulated down as he thundered, “A difference of opinion!”

  Not willing to back down Dan yelled, “You can’t control her life!”

  Turning back to Daniel, William shouted, “She’s my daughter. Becca will do as I say. This is for her protection.”

  “Becca needs to live her life. … No sign of … Pletcher. You can’t keep … her locked away … here on the … off chance. … She … deserves to … live … her … life.” Dan found it harder to breathe the more he yelled. He wanted to say more but stopped and leaned on the back of the chair as he focused on recovering his breathing.

  “Stop yelling this instant. Both of you, sit down!” Yvonne ordered as she went to Dan when she noticed he was breathing heavily.

  William growled, pivoted, and strode to the window unwilling to sit.

  Firmly, Yvonne took Dan’s arm and guided him to the chair. She recognized the determination in his face—in both their faces. But yelling was out of the question for Dan right now. Once she got Dan seated, she turned to William who defied her by standing at the window.

  She lowered her voice and said calmly, “Will, please take a seat and we can discuss whatever the issue is like rational adults.”

  William spun around and stared at Yvonne. He lowered his voice, but the icy edge remained. “There’s nothing to discuss. I made my final decision, Becca stays here—”

  Dan interrupted, his voice lower but no less firm. “Becca’s not … your prisoner. You can’t … keep her here.”

  William’s voice edged up in volume. “I’m not keeping her prisoner! I’m keeping her alive!”

  “At what cost?” Dan bit back.

  “Acceptable cost!” William retorted.

  Yvonne sighed. At least they stopped yelling. “What precisely is the issue regarding Becca?”

  Dan looked to his mother. “She wants to go … to fashion week in New York.” He stopped and took several breaths. “The general won’t let her go.”

  William winced inside. That was the first time Daniel called him general since he came home. Outwardly, William remained unyielding.

  A warm smile graced Yvonne’s face. Becca has a champion. William went round-and-round with Becca on her desire to go. Danny supported his sister—wonderful. Though William remained adamant. She understood why he refused. He feared losing another child. Yvonne feared that too yet understood caging her forever in the name of safety was wrong.

  She stayed out of it until now preferring to let Becca handle her own affairs. Though with Dan involved now she decided to share her opinions. Yvonne strolled over to William and lay a hand on his arm. “Becca has been patient for many months. She’s young. Becca can’t live in fear cooped up in this house or another safe house. It’s like putting her in prison, and she’s innocent.

  Appealing to William’s need to safeguard his family, Yvonne asked softly, “What can you do to help keep her safe, but allow her to live her life?”

  William recognized a more powerful force arrived on the battleground. He was defenseless to her quiet, rational method of waging war. He gazed into Yvonne’s eyes and quietly admitted, “I can’t lose her.”

  Softly, Yvonne expressed her thoughts, “There is more than one way to lose a child. You may keep Becca alive but lose her anyway. Find a way to support what Becca needs to do and keep her safe from Pletcher.”

  Raking a hand through his hair, William blew out a harsh breath. He glanced at Daniel. Yvonne was right—there are many ways to lose a child. Realization came to him. The pendulum had swung to the complete opposite side. He had been so hands-off with Daniel and almost lost him. Now he reacted the complete opposite and became too hands on. Keeping Becca wrapped so close, and so tightly he was smothering her at a time when she needed to grow and become her own woman.

  Recovering his breathing as the heat of the argument dissipated, Dan stared at his dad as a rational idea formed in his head. “How about sending undercover security with Becca. I’m sure Galloway would figure out how to help them blend in.”

  William inhaled deeply. He looked out the window. Becca laughed as she ran the obstacle course and her long, blonde ponytail bounced wildly like it did when she was a little girl. She wore a pair of pink and green camo print pants, a matching green tank top, and a pair of pink combat boots. William recognized the outfit she designed and made last week.

  His daughter was a free spirit and keeping her here crushed her. Not only did Daniel pay the price for being his child now Becca did too. Fatherly concern notched up when Becca tripped and Master Corporal Merganser helped her up. It soared to new levels as he caught sight of Merganser’s expression.

  Yvonne’s eyes twinkled when Drake assisted Becca up. She sighed. “I do believe romance is brewing between those two.”

  William whipped his head to Yvonne. “What?”

  She patted William’s arm. “Relax dear. Becca is twenty-two and quite capable of handling herself. I like Danny’s idea. You could send Drake with her posing as a new boyfriend. That would allow security to be close to her at all times. And who knows …”

  Dan hid his smile. His mother certainly understood how to manage the general. As for Drake, his brotherly concern grew. He might need to have a talk with Drake—he
wouldn’t let anyone hurt Becca.

  William caved in. “I’ll speak to Galloway about it tonight.”

  Yvonne rubbed William’s arm lightly, glad he accepted a rational option from Danny. She decided father and son needed another reminder of the connection they once shared. She walked over to Dan and said, “I’d like to take a walk. Would my two favorite men accompany me?”

  Dan stood as he smiled. “Lead the way.”

  Yvonne linked her arm with Dan and looked over her shoulder as she held out her other hand to William. “Coming, Dear?”

  William strode forward as a smile came to his face. He clasped her hand, and the three headed out of the study.

  Park Near General Broderick’s Home – 1:50 p.m.

  Adam and Scott joined the trip to the park because although Dan walked longer distances, sometimes he got into trouble with his breathing and needed assistance. But they kept their distance as they listened to Aunt Yvonne sharing memories of when Dan was young, and all the times they spent together at this park.

  Without overwhelming Dan, everyone tried to help him sort out his childhood memories. Things were so fragmented, and their cousin often questioned the truth. It was hard to witness Dan struggle to put things back together—but worth all the effort when he smiled.

  Yvonne motioned to the bench near the monkey bars. “Let’s sit here for a while. I need a rest.”

  Dan knew his mother only said that because his breathing came in heavier pants as he pushed himself to take fewer breaks on the walk here. He gladly sat, needing the respite.

  William surveyed the park. Very little changed little in all the years. His eyes skimmed the monkey bars and the swings. Good memories of Danny and Sara flooded in. His children spent so many afternoons in this park when they were young. He lowered himself next to Daniel and leaned back, relaxed.

  Dan’s attention was caught by kids riding bikes as they passed an ice cream vendor. He turned to his mom. “I have a question.”

  “I have an answer. Let’s see if they match,” Yvonne said with a smile.

  “A vague memory … I’m not sure if it is real or not.” When his mom gave him an encouraging smile, Dan asked, “Did I teach Sara to ride her bike without training wheels?”

  William answered, “Yes, you did. You were seven. You taught her here one day. You also got into a fight protecting Sara. When you two came home, you told your mother and me everything.”

  “I sorta recall, fuzzy, only bits and pieces,” Dan said.

  “William, why don’t you share with Danny what occurred,” Yvonne prompted knowing William cherished this memory.

  Scott and Adam plopped down on the grass behind the bench to listen as Uncle Will started to share the story of one afternoon in this park. They hadn’t heard this one before. To be honest, no one talked about memories which included Sara. It was high time they did.

  Flashback – Twenty-One Years Ago – June 29

  Park Near General Broderick’s Home – 2:00 p.m.

  It was another boring, hot summer day. Seventeen-year-old Justin Laguna sat in his folding chair behind the ice cream cart. He got this job as the ice cream vendor at the park for the summer so he could afford to take his girlfriend to the movies and such. Most kids in the park were well behaved and from military families, like him. So, the days were usually dull.

  However, a few bad seeds sometimes broke up the boredom. Three preteen boys, Reggie, Drew, and Perry, would come to the park intent on causing problems. Typically, an adult would end up sending those boys home after scolding them when they pulled their dumb stunts or bothered the little kids.

  Justin stood as three children approached, each knew what they wanted. He took their change and pulled the item out of the freezer. The kids ran off happily chatting to their mother and headed out of the park eating their treats.

  The slow afternoon wore on, and Justin wished for some excitement. Today the park was empty because many troops happened to be preparing to deploy. Most the families were busy. Justin sat and pulled out his hot rod magazine to pass the time.

  He glanced up as familiar laughter met his ears. Justin tracked the two blond kids riding bikes into the park. Sara seemed to be riding better now. They came to the park almost every day this summer though they rarely got an ice cream. More kids should be like them, they play nicely together and with the other kids. Justin chuckled as Sara called out, “My Danny, I’m gonna ride faster today.” Cute but weird she always prefaces her brother’s name with a ‘my,’ but it doesn’t seem to faze Danny.

  Justin was aware they were the general’s kids because General Broderick came to the park once to pick them up. About a month ago, the general showed up looking like he came straight from the field. Sara ran merrily screaming to her father and jumped into his arms. She surely missed him. Danny however, became rigid, and the smile faded from his face. Almost as if the kid came to attention. Well, he sorta did, everything except for a salute.

  He also found it odd Sara chatted away calling the general daddy while Danny became reserved and called him sir. The kid behaved differently in front of his father. It must be a Broderick thing. Justin’s dad told him all Broderick males for eons went into the military. He put down his magazine and watched them since he read the periodical cover to cover several times now.

  Dan turned and looked at Sara behind him. He really, really wanted to speed faster on his bike, but he didn’t want to be too far ahead of Sara, so he rode slower. He stopped at the bike rack and hopped off.

  Sara pedaled speedily and braked as she approached the rack. She sat on her bike—easy to do with training wheels holding it up. Eagerly she gazed at Danny. “Did you bring the tools?”

  “Sara, are you sure do you want to do this? Maybe we should wait until the general is home. He can teach you.”

  “I want you to teach me. Once I learn then we can ride faster. Please, my Danny.” Sara hopped off her bike and gave Danny her best puppy dog eyes.

  Dan shook his head at her antics, those eyes always got to him. He pulled the tools from his backpack and crouched down by her bike. As he removed the training wheels, he said, “Okay. I guess you can surprise Mom and the general this afternoon. We have about an hour before we need to be home.”

  Sara danced around exuberantly as Danny took off her training wheels.

  Once he was done, Dan held the bike as Sara got on. “Now remember, you have to keep pedaling. You’ll wobble if you slow down.”

  Nervously biting her lower lip, Sara turned to her brother. “Don’t let go until I say, okay?”

  “Okay. You ready?”

  For twenty minutes Danny ran and pushed his sister as Sara pedaled furiously. After a few close calls where Danny caught Sara before she could crash to the ground, Sara began to get the hang of it. The patience and encouragement Danny gave Sara, impressed Justin.

  Dan ran as fast as he could, holding onto the back of Sara’s seat. When she pedaled fast enough, he called out, “Ready?”

  Sara confidently said, “Let go.”

  Releasing his hold, Dan ran along side of Sara for a bit. When she did well, he stopped. “You got it! Way to go, Sara. Look at you fly!”

  Sara pedaled as a huge grin settled on her face. She yelled out gleefully, “No more training wheels. Yippeeeeeeee!”

  Racing back to his bike Dan hopped on then pedaled fast and furious to catch up to Sara. The two made the circuit around the park several times laughing with each other as they rode faster than Sara had ever ridden before.

  “You ready for a solo trip around the park?” Dan asked.

  Sara chewed on her lower lip. “I want you next to me.”

  In a confident voice, Dan encouraged, “You got this. You can do it.” Then Dan peeled off to the side and let Sara ride around the circle on the sidewalk around the play area. He straddled his bike and grinned as Sara rode her first solo trip. He was so proud of her.

  Sara made it all the way around without incident. She stopped next to Dan. �
��I did it! Did you see me? I went the whole way by myself.”

  “Yes, you did. You want to keep riding or play on the swings?”

  “I still wanna ride. It’s fun without training wheels. But if you want to go on the swings or monkey bars … that’s okay with me.”

  A little tuckered out from all the running, Dan said, “You ride. I’ll watch you from on top of the bars.”

  “Oakie dokie.” Sara hopped back on and managed a wobbly start which quickly turned into a confident, steady ride.

  Dan ambled over to the tall, domed monkey bars and climbed to the top. He sat and hooked his legs on a bar. Swinging down, so he was hanging upside down, he swung back and forth as he kept an eye on Sara. After a few more solo trips, Dan took his eyes off Sara and stared at the ice cream cart.

  What he wouldn’t give for an ice cream. Hot and sweaty from teaching Sara to ride, a cold treat would cool him down, but he already spent his allowance on water balloons, and the water fight with Scott was fun.

  At Sara’s cry of, “Don’t!” Dan twisted to locate her as he dropped to the ground. He ran as soon as his feet touched the ground. Those stupid boys who teased Sara for riding with training wheels ran around her and kept jumping in front of her trying to make her fall.

  No one teased his sister, and no one hurt her. His head lowered, his eyes turned icy, glaring upwards through a lowered brow as his nostrils flared and he ran as fast as his short legs would take him. Dan yelled at the older and bigger boys, “Leave my little sister alone!”

  “What ya gonna do about it pipsqueak?” Drew loudly mocked.

  Reggie picked up two handfuls of sand and threw them in front of Sara’s path. Sara hit the sand. The tire of the bike slid as she wobbled and fell. Dan was too far away to catch her and Sara crashed to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees and began to cry.

  Dan poured on the speed and plowed into Reggie. They went down in a tangle of arms. Reggie might be twice his size, but Dan didn’t care. Scrappy, he let his fists fly as he yelled, “You hurt my sister. That wasn’t nice. You’re gonna pay.”