OUTCAST: Trust, Friendship, And Injustice (Beauty 0f Life Book 9)

by Laura Acton

  Lexa yawned and closed her eyes. Rational? I have not been logical or sensible lately. That needs to change. I need to focus on rehab, so I can return to the team. Once I’m back, everything will go back to normal … or mostly. I hope Dan and I can still work together, and Boss doesn’t kick one of us off the team for breaking the non-frat rule.

  Uneasy sleep claimed her thirty minutes later, and images of Dan appearing much as he did after the fight for his life against Basto in Rouge Park last summer plagued her dreams.

  Hanging On

  17

  May 8

  Somewhere on the Outskirts of Toronto – Dawn ~ 6:00 a.m.

  Dan woke with a start, coming out of a pleasant dream of sleeping with Lexa nestled in his arms. Reality barged in, dispelling his wishful thinking as every ache and pain registered. A ray of dawn spilled through the window, highlighting the dripping faucet like a beacon, pointing the way to precious water which would reduce his thirst.

  The only problem, the tap was located on the other side of the room. He contemplated whether to roll over there or attempt to gain his feet and hop. Rolling won because the thought of falling again held no attraction for his sore muscles. With several groans as his shoulders screamed in protest, Dan rolled over and over to reach the spigot. Crap, everything hurts.

  After some maneuvering, he managed to position himself under the intermittent drip. The water tasted nasty, but he drank worse in Afghanistan, and he remained happy he had a water source. Wish the meager amount would increase, or I won’t be able to slake my thirst before Brogan, and the others return. If they find me here, I’ll lose my only water source.

  One agonizingly slow drop after another took the edge off Dan’s thirst but still left him in a dehydrated state. After what he estimated to be ten minutes, worried Brogan would come, he started the grueling process of returning to his spot. Scarcely attaining his prior position, the basement door opened. Dan shut his eyes and evened his breathing to appear asleep. This ability saved him a few times. Perhaps it would give him a longer reprieve today.

  Heavy steps which could only belong to Brogan creaked on the steps. He listened intently and detected the sound of the chair being pulled near and the whine of stressed metal as Brogan sat. A kick to his shoulder was accompanied by a loud, “Wake up, Danny boy.”

  Realizing Snow would kick him again if he didn’t wake, Dan blinked his eyes open.

  Brogan sneered, “Enjoy your comfy bed?”

  “Not too bad. Little softer than I’m used to,” Dan said sarcastically.

  “You still think your family is going to save you?” Brogan sneered as the other three started down the stairs.

  Wiggling himself to a seated position, Dan ignored the question and asked one of his own. “How’d you manage to get out of prison?” He recalled Brogan liked to brag so he might be able to delay some more by getting Snow to tell him how the hell they got out prematurely. They all had fifteen years left on their sentences, and he doubted they would be released early for good behavior.

  “I walked out a free man.” Brogan began his tale.

  Dan sighed once, covertly. Time. I gotta give the team time to find me. Though given a full day had passed, the first niggle of doubt entered. What if the call didn’t go through? What if my phone broke?

  Endeavoring to push the pessimistic thoughts away, Dan focused on his teammate’s characteristics. They’ll come. Bram will worry I didn’t call him. Loki will undoubtedly call Lexa to ask where I went on vacation, and she won’t know, which will set the techie to worrying. They will come. I just need to hang on.

  TRF HQ – Briefing Room – 9:05 a.m.

  Alpha Team sat around the long, conference table sipping coffee, prepared for pre-shift briefing. Nick’s hand rested on a folder containing inmate dossiers which he needed to share with them. Unable to sleep last night and running late this morning, he rushed through dressing, only to be stopped by Tia as he passed her desk and handed him the packet. Enclosed were the profiles of about a dozen men released from prison in error.

  Nick took a moment to assess his team. None appeared to be well-rested, but Jon’s haggard face indicated he also had not slept much. “No bread and butter warrants on the books today, but we’ve got BOLOs to review.”

  Hating to disturb the team as they began, Tia stood at the entrance and said, “Sarge, there are two Internal Affairs detectives here.”

  Nick turned to the entry, and so did the rest of them. “Did they say what they want?”

  “To talk to Dan.”

  Glancing at each other, both Loki and Ray wondered if this had anything to do with Dan’s unscheduled vacation.

  “Show them in here please.” When Tia left, Nick addressed Jon, “Did Dan ever call or text you?”

  Jon shook his head.

  Catching Nick’s worried tone and the flash of concern in Jon’s eyes, Bram realized Dan had not returned his call either.

  Loki chimed in, “I called him last night, didn’t return my call. It isn’t like him. He always calls me back or at least texts me.”

  “I left him a message too,” Ray shared.

  The only one who did not possess an ounce of apprehension was Kinsey. She had been with the force long enough to understand impromptu leaves usually occurred for two reasons. One, a family emergency. Two, a discipline problem the brass wanted to sort out before making an official reprimand. Her thoughts ran along much different lines than the others.

  Churlish Broderick must’ve gotten himself into trouble. Otherwise, IA wouldn’t be here looking for him and Nick would’ve said something yesterday to alleviate the guys’ concerns for the spur-of-the-moment time off.

  The logical conclusion is he screwed up somehow, and Sarge is once again cutting Broderick slack. I can’t stand how they all excuse his behavior towards me. Yesterday with him absent was the first day I truly enjoyed being here. We worked well without the moody sniper mucking things up.

  Two older, well-seasoned detectives entered, and one spoke as he extended his hand to shake Nick’s. “Sergeant Pastore, I’m Detective Terrance Arbor, and this is Detective Dieter Fulco. I understand Constable Broderick is a member of your team. We must speak with Dan urgently.”

  Nick replied, “Dan’s on vacation at the moment. Is there anything I can help with?”

  Arbor glanced at Fulco receiving a slight nod before he asked, “Do you know where he’s vacationing? It is imperative we speak to him.”

  “Dan didn’t provide a destination, but perhaps I can pass a message to him. May I ask why you need to talk to him?” Nick didn’t miss the glance the two men shared. Internal Affairs tended to be tight-lipped. Understandable given they investigated officers. Nick wondered if word of Dan’s and Lexa’s relationship somehow made it to IA, though he couldn’t figure out how.

  Nick noted the change in their body language when the decision to share was made, and Fulco stepped forward. “As Arbor said, it is critical we communicate with Broderick. His life might be in danger.”

  The remark captured everyone’s attention, but Jon’s eyes drilled into Fulco’s as he asked, “Why? How?”

  “This is a bit complicated, but it is related to an investigation he took part in almost eleven years ago,” Fulco responded.

  Loki’s knee started to bounce as the niggling concern he harbored since yesterday surged.

  Aware they had not been able to connect with Dan, Nick took charge. “Please explain the situation. We would like to help if possible.”

  Fulco and Arbor took seats, and Arbor began to explain. “Dan was a rookie fresh out of the academy assigned to Division Fourteen. After his first six weeks, he approached IA with concerns regarding his training officer and three other constables. With his help, we obtained evidence to put them away for twenty-five years on extortion, assault, and other charges.”

  The men of Alpha Team glanced around at one another. They always thought of Dan as the ex-Special Forces guy. No one ever bothered to think or ask abou
t his time with the department before the military, but they recalled the morning Gambrill introduced Dan to them.

  Words burned into Ray’s memory because of the way he mistreated Dan rolled through his mind. Enough! Constables back off now! Let me put this in plain words. Dan is your new teammate. He graduated from the police academy and spent time with the Fourteenth Division before joining the Army. He comes to us with two years of military police experience with almost a year with their Quick Reaction Force and most recently six years as a Special Forces sniper.

  Jon’s gut didn’t like the sound of this. “Okay, so Dan assisted in putting away dirty cops. How is his life in jeopardy now?”

  Fulco appeared irritated. “We only learned of the incident this morning from the Crown Attorney’s office, but from what we have been able to uncover so far, the Blooddrop Crew arranged for the computer system used by prisoner processing to be hacked before a scheduled upgrade about three weeks ago. They did this to facilitate the release of Alonzo Nores.”

  “So, it was not a fluke he got out?” Ray’s stomach soured.

  “Correct. However, Nores and his crew were not the only ones released. They used a significant security flaw, which the update corrected, to swap prisoner IDs. Fourteen convicts were freed from prison in April, and the four cops Broderick helped put away have been on the loose for two weeks. Dan is in danger because those men vowed revenge. They almost beat him to death the last time, and swore when they got out they would finish the job.”

  Nick flipped the folder in front of him open and scanned the names noting the offenses and finding only four with extortion listed. “Brogan Snow, Alfred Riqueti, Robert Bozonnet, and Charley Turner.”

  “Yes,” Arbor confirmed.

  “How do you know their names?” Kinsey asked.

  Tapping the file, Nick answered, “I was about to brief the team on these BOLOs, but I was unaware of the connection.”

  Jon’s gut clenched as Dan’s non-response to his many calls took on an alarming implication. “Loki, we need to track Dan’s phone now.”

  Loki jumped out of his chair before Jon finished. He raced to his tech room to grab his laptop. His eyes landed on Boss’ phone, noticing the mirroring completed, so he grabbed the cell too and rushed back to the room.

  When Loki entered, he heard the detectives describing what Dan did to catch the dirtbags as he handed Nick his phone. During a pause, he said, “Boss, almost ready, only needs a little more time to finish syncing your call history and messages. Should be all set shortly.” He took his seat and logged into the program which would allow him to pinpoint Dan’s cell phone. “Hey, Jon, call Dan for me. It will be the fastest way to triangulate his position.”

  Jon dialed Dan and sighed. “Loki, it went straight to voicemail.”

  “Darn! Why can’t anything with Dan be easy? I can’t track his cell this way when it’s off,” Loki said in a frustrated tone.

  Not believing his own words, but attempting to calm Loki’s growing anxiousness, Ray said, “He might’ve turned it off. Might be on a flight or at the beach relaxing.”

  Loki didn’t acknowledge the comment as he tapped away on his keyboard. There were other ways to find a phone, but they took longer. He continued working as fast as possible as his worry spiked. He wished he stopped by Dan’s place yesterday instead of only leaving a voicemail.

  Nick’s phone vibrated on the table. Syncing must be done. He scanned for missed calls. As he scrolled, he noted a couple from Christiana and several others but stopped when Dan’s number showed with the voice message icon. “Excuse me a moment.” He retrieved the voicemail and listened. Nick’s face slackened, and in the overly calm voice he used for tense situations which headed in a bad direction he said, “Dan’s in trouble. You all need to hear this.”

  Nick turned on the speaker to replay Dan’s message. After three seconds of silence, sounds of an altercation came through, followed by an unknown voice. “Keep fighting, please. I’ll happily decorate this wall with your brains.”

  Dan’s voice came across loudly, “You can remove the gun from my temple. I’m cooperating now. I’m unarmed since you took my knife.” After a short silence, he said, “What do you want from me?”

  The unknown male spoke again. “We’re waiting.”

  “You’re the sniper who shot me. Why?” Dan said.

  The silence elongated this time only to be broken by Dan shouting, “Who the hell are you three? Why did you bind my hands?”

  A phone rang in the distance, and the same man said, “Boss?” paused a moment, “Yes,” and a few moments later concluded, “It begins. Time to make him suffer,” before menacing laughter and a soft thud of someone falling played. The last noises were the distinct sound of duct tape being ripped and someone, they all knew who, being dragged away.

  Stunned, Alpha Team stared at each other wholly dumbfounded. Their teammate had been shot and taken at gunpoint by at least three men. Given the recent details the IA detectives shared on Snow, Riqueti, Turner, and Bozonnet they became the first culprits to come to mind.

  Kinsey regretted her earlier assumptions. For whatever reason, Dan didn’t like her being on this team, but it didn’t mean she wanted him harmed. She listened to what Arbor and Fulco revealed. As a fresh-faced rookie, Dan did the right thing and worked with Internal Affairs to halt the crimes of corrupt officers. A gutsy move filled with risk.

  She recalled how back in January, Dan told her she did excellent on her requalification and asked if she ever considered trying out for TRF. She conceded the fact she was only here now because he put her name on a short list of candidates. That had to count for something. Scanning the men, Kinsey noted their stunned expressions … frozen in place by the contents on Dan’s voicemail. She needed to help them get moving. “When did that voicemail come in?”

  Peltora’s question broke the spell holding him immobile, and Nick glanced at his new phone. Outwardly he kept it together, though inside loads of guilt landed on his shoulders as he noted the call came in right after he broke his phone. I failed Dan once again. If only I had not given into rage and thrown my phone, I would’ve received his call. “Seven a.m. yesterday morning.”

  Jon’s head whipped up. “He’s been gone more than twenty-four hours. We need to find him. We can’t assume Snow and the others took him. With Dan’s history and the court martials, he has lots of enemies from his time in Special Forces. We should contact General Broderick for potential subjects.”

  Ray nodded but put forth another option. “Alonzo managed to arrange things from prison before. The remnants of the BDC might be acting under his direction to seek retaliation for Pablo’s death.”

  “Dan’s name was withheld, they won’t know it was him,” Jon countered.

  His mind spinning in many directions, Loki offered, “Don’t forget the Cignotti’s. Dan neutralized my ex-stepfather, and evidence found implicated Ralph Bewick, putting a huge dent in the crime syndicate’s operations.”

  “There is the Settimo connection too. He may be in prison, but he still might want revenge for what occurred at the Christmas party and ballet,” Bram added to the list of possible suspects.

  “You’re all right. Dan’s abductors may or may not be the ex-constables. We shouldn’t make assumptions. We must concentrate our efforts on discovering where he was seized and gathering data to locate him.” Nick pushed aside all self-recriminations for now. They needed to focus solely on locating Dan. There would be plenty of time for guilt later.

  Arbor’s brows rose at the plethora of potential threats against Broderick.

  “Can you replay the message?” Fulco requested. As it played, he listened closely, and when it stopped, he addressed Pastore. “No need for assumptions. Without a doubt, I can tell you the male speaking is Alfred Riqueti. Dan’s in real trouble. Those men will make him suffer before they kill him.”

  The team went into action to gather information. Dan indicated he had been shot, so Jon requested Tia delve into yeste
rday’s 911 calls for any shots fired reports around the same time. Nick, Jon, and the detectives discussed the MO of the former officers. Bram, Ray, and Kinsey began reviewing the files on the four men searching for anything which might be useful in uncovering their whereabouts.

  Loki started investigating Dan’s phone records and the last cell towers which were pinged. It was easier to do with the multitude of pings to his phone yesterday. Holy smokes, Jon tried to call Dan twenty-eight times. An unknown, wait, Boss’s loaner phone once. Me, Bram, Ray, and Lexa all called once, and seven calls from others.

  Tia entered, worry etched on her features as she reported. “There was a 911 call for a gunshot early yesterday. The patrol officer sent to investigate found nothing out of the ordinary.” She handed a slip of paper to Nick. “Here is the name and address of the person who reported the sound. Figured you might want to interview him yourself.”

  “Thanks, Tia.” Nick began to rise, as Loki shouted, “Got a radius!”

  Loki peered at Tia and asked for the address. He plugged it in and then said, “It corresponds to the general area. We have a place to start searching.” As he rushed out with the team, Loki’s thoughts were similar to the rest of the guys. Hang on Dan we’re going to find you.

  Somewhere on the Outskirts of Toronto

  Coming around again, Dan let out an involuntary groan. He lifted his head and glanced towards the window trying to gauge time by the position of the meager light. Still sometime in the morning, but he had no clue how much time had passed since he blacked out this time.

  After Brogan finished bragging how they merely walked out of prison, the beating commenced. In between strikes, they told him how they followed him for the past two weeks. Silently he chided himself for being so lax about his surroundings that these bastards tailed him with impunity. Though the worst part was when they harassed him about the dialog they overheard when Lexa ended their relationship and Jon’s tirade.

  They made lots of snide remarks about how he was so pathetic a woman picked her job over him. How his bosses recognized how inadequate he was and Lexa deserved someone better. All the comments hit their mark, penetrating deep into his heart. Dan was unsure how he managed to keep his mouth shut and not take their bait. Apparently, they didn’t like his silence any better than his smart-aleck mouth, so Al slammed his head into the wall again which caused him to lose consciousness the first time.