WHITEOUT: Above And Beyond (Beauty 0f Life Book 10)

by Laura Acton

  Dan’s jumbled mind cleared enough to grasp the situation. Loki took a bullet meant for me. Noah murdered Loki. Imbued with fury, a sudden surge of adrenaline, and unexpected strength, he roared, “You killed my friend!” Like a snow leopard pouncing on prey, Dan leapt at Noah.

  Hospital – Hallway

  The twin shots surprised Vinson. He rushed forward, and Price met him at the surgery doors. Both men peeked in via the long narrow windows and spied Dan sitting on a table, Noah Barton holding two guns, Jonas lying on a gurney, and two females, one screaming at the back of the room. Vinson’s hand tried the doorknob. “Locked. Don’t see Loki.”

  “Could be down.” Price knelt and pulled out a lock picking kit.

  “Faster if I blow it open.” Vinson started to aim his weapon at the locking mechanism.

  “No. We need to be careful. Don’t want any sparks with oxygen in play. Watch Barton.”

  Both heard the feral growl followed by, “You killed my friend!” above the shrieking, and Vinson added, “Oh Shit!” to the mix as he observed Dan fly off the table as if he possessed wings and slam into Noah, taking them both out of his line of sight.

  “What?” Price queried as he worked the picks, wishing the double-doors opened inward so he could’ve kicked them open instead of monkeying with the damned lock.

  “Dan went after Barton. We gotta be in there now! I don’t have a shot.” Vinson could only observe as the combatants grappled out of his view.

  Hospital – Surgery

  Urgency, fear, and something else drove Vanessa to pull Minna to the farthest corner in the sterile supply area when Dan launched himself at Barton. As Dan’s IV ripped out, and the two men ended up on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, she pushed Minna down and swiftly tugged one of the portable equipment cabinets in front of them as she crouched, sheltering her friend and hoping if Noah began shooting, the thick metal might protect them.

  Dan flew at Noah with such force he dislodged both weapons from Barton’s hands. The S&W skittered to the opposite side of the room well away from them, but Loki’s Glock landed a bit closer. In an all-out struggle, Dan strove to keep Noah from reaching the gun. His legs ineffective, Dan recalled techniques Ripsaw taught him and locked his arms around Noah’s torso, endeavoring to use his body weight to pin Barton.

  Noah fought back, countering Dan’s action. Tussling to gain an advantage, he rammed Dan into the table holding the surgical supplies. Dan’s roar of pain, as his injured shin struck the unyielding metal leg of the stand, accompanied the clanking of instruments scattering around them as the tray tipped. Another casualty of their scuffle, a bottle of benzoin tincture fell and broke on impact, dousing the cylinder of compressed nitrous-oxygen with flammable liquid.

  When Noah twisted again, fighting to free himself from Dan’s vice grip, he sent his fist into Dan’s temple once and struck again, hitting his cheek the second time. The two punches gave him the fraction of a second Noah needed to flip over and scrambled on his hands and knees, intending to reach the Glock, which came to rest under the head of Jonas’ gurney.

  Dazed from the blows, his strength waning, Dan still managed to seize Noah’s pant leg with one hand, catching the fabric at the calf. Aware he and everyone else would be dead if Noah gained possession of the gun, Dan pulled backward with every ounce of might he had left, dragging Noah back several inches. A protector to the core, Dan tapped into a well of reserves he didn’t realize existed, giving him the wherewithal to ignore the agony in his shoulder and hang on to Noah, preventing him from reaching the weapon.

  Brody’s hands wrapped around Danny’s hand, shoring up his grip, wishing to do more, but he spent most of what little energy he possessed moving Danny out of the way of the bullet’s path and assisting his lunge at Barton. He spared a glance at Bernael, who laughed as he stood watching the good versus evil battle being played out between Dan and Noah.

  “You’ve lost, Brody. Nothing you do will save Daniel’s soul. He is going to kill in a murderous rage, seeking revenge for Loki’s death. That is all Samael needs to claim his soul.” Bernael eyed the inert man, smiling as a copious amount of blood oozed out and coated the formerly pristine floor.

  “Samael isn’t going to win,” Brody declared even as the last of his ethereal force dissipated, and he lost his hold. His brother was on his own now. No reinforcements would be coming since Hamon and the other guardian angels were still too drained from saving Danny from Samael’s touch this morning.

  When the firm grip on his leg slackened, Noah kicked with his unfettered leg, his boot connecting with Dan’s head and freeing himself from the cop’s clutches. He crawled forward and seized the gun, a sense of victory filling him. Though panting and needing a moment to recover his breath, Noah grinned as the thrill of the coming kill coursed through his veins.

  Upon the boot’s impact, pain ricocheted through Dan’s skull, and he ended up on his side. His vision blurred as he tried to refocus on Noah. Dark thoughts of being an abject failure danced on his fragile soul, along with overwhelming guilt for another friend’s death. Dan almost welcomed his impending demise to escape his torment and anguish.

  As he lay awaiting the inevitable, a vision of Lexa with glistening eyes came to him. When his Beauty pleaded, “Please don’t die,” the banked embers in Dan’s heart flickered to life. The light of the flames illuminating his heart spurred him to defend himself. Using his forearm, Dan lifted his torso slightly as he squinted, scanning for anything he might use as a weapon.

  Spying a scalpel in the pool of Loki’s blood, grief washed through him again. Death became familiar, but never easy, especially the passing of someone he claimed as family. Tears welled, and he blinked to dislodge them.

  Whether hallucination or reality, when Loki’s lashes fluttered up and his brown orbs shone with regret as he whispered, “I tried my best. Tell my ma I love her,” Dan recalled the ravine when Arron died. Refusing to allow the scenario to repeat, he breathed out, “You’re gonna tell her yourself, buddy.”

  Dan planted the foot of his uninjured leg and pushed himself towards the tiny blade. Although little, if thrown with precision, it would be a deadly weapon. His fingers clasped the handle as Loki’s eyes closed, and Noah said, “Gonna enjoy killing you.” Dan turned towards Barton as the murderer pivoted towards him, still on his knees. The malice reflected in Noah’s light brown eyes turned them to obsidian.

  Wishing he had time to switch the scalpel into his left hand, but recognizing he didn’t, Dan hoped his injured shoulder didn’t hamper him, and his aim would be true. This was one time he didn’t want to miss … Loki’s life depended on him. He only had one chance and must time his throw perfectly.

  Dan sighted Noah as if he were taking a lethal shot to neutralize a subject in the red zone, drew in a steadying breath, and held it as Noah began to level Loki’s pistol in his direction.

  Hospital – Hallway

  “Sarge, we need to be in there now!” Vinson caught glimpses of the men thrashing about on the floor. When he spotted a tuff of dark hair at the top of the gurney and a hand grabbing the firearm underneath, he reported, “Barton got the Glock! Open the damned door. I don’t have a clear shot.”

  Price struggled with the lock, cursing under his breath, close but not quite there. “Break the glass to distract him.”

  Hospital – Surgery

  Finger on the trigger, preparing to kill Dan, the shattering glass drew Noah’s attention. Starting to rise, Noah turned towards the doors to find out who attempted access.

  As Noah leveled the pistol at him, Dan had no other options—kill or be killed. Dan threw the scalpel, aiming for Noah’s carotid artery, but when Barton stood and twisted at the sound of breaking glass, the blade embedded in his wrist instead.

  Noah roared as his hand jerked, firing off a shot. Spying a soldier, he continued his pivot, beginning to bring the gun up, pissed Dan knifed him but needing to deal with the armed man outside first.

  “Got it!” P
rice said, rising and grasping a handle at the same time Barton’s head cleared the table, presenting Vinson a clean shot. Flipping his rifle around, Vinson scarcely had a chance to aim and fire, as Noah’s weapon came up. His shot struck Noah between the eyes, causing his body to lurch, and his trigger finger to involuntarily squeeze. A third gun report sounded a millisecond before the room exploded.

  Outside Craig Hospital

  Deeply worried for Dan and Loki, Lexa spent most of the ride from the RCMP station silently begging, please don’t die. Exiting the snowcat, the howling wind and icy blast took her breath away as she sank into waist-deep snow. She caught Bram’s slight smirk despite the seriousness of the situation. Yeah, being five-foot-two is quite challenging at times.

  “Follow me.” Bram used his massive six-foot-four frame to forge a path through the snow for the team.

  Lexa hunched over and slogged behind Bram, Boss, and Jon. Ray brought up the rear, and she believed that was mostly due to his desire to ensure the wind didn’t blow her away since she barely weighed one-twenty in her full tactical gear. She halted under the ER entrance covered portico with the others while Boss attempted to make contact with Sergeant Price to assess the current status before they entered.

  Shivering as the biting wind buffeted her and burned her exposed cheeks, lips, and nose, Lexa might not tell the guys, but she appreciated it when Ray, Jon, and Bram created a semi-circle around her. In so many ways, this team, her family, took care of one another when they perceived a need. They went above and beyond without hesitation. She hoped they arrived in time to help Loki, Dan, and everyone else.

  Her gaze shifted, and through the near whiteout conditions, she could make out the medical team’s snowcats coming to a halt. Once the Bartons were in custody and the scene deemed safe, they would disembark to render aid. Refocusing on Ray, who stood closest to her, she noted the worry in his usually placid expression. As she adjusted her grip on her MP5, Lexa opened her mouth to offer words of reassurance, but they never made it past her lips as an explosion rent the air.

  “Alpha Team, Let’s move.” Jon raced for the double-doors, followed by Bram, Ray, Lexa, and Nick.

  Searching for Survivors

  47

  November 24

  Hospital – Hallway

  Weapons raised, unsure what occurred or who they might face, Jon took point followed by Bram, Ray, Nick, and Lexa. After clearing and finding both the emergency room and the outpatient pharmacy waiting area empty, the team progressed cautiously down the hallway. Thick, white vapor billowed towards them as a fire alarm continued to scream its warning.

  Jon coughed as he inhaled smoke, and his eyes burned, causing them to water. After blinking to rid the pooling fluid, Jon put a fist up to stop his teammates when he spied movement through the haze.

  After wiping away welling protective tears, Bram spotted why Jon halted them. As the swirling smoke dissipated slightly, he discerned three figures clad in white, two prone and unmoving, and the third unsuccessfully struggling to gain his feet, and falling against the wall. “Soldiers?”

  “Yeah,” Jon answered loudly over the annoying shrill. Starting forward again, when they reached the three men, Bram and Ray checked the two on the floor, finding them to be alive but unconscious. Jon maintained guard ahead of them while Lexa covered their rear as Nick moved to the soldier endeavoring to stand.

  “Sit before you fall. Can you tell me where the Bartons are?” Nick asked as he gained eye contact.

  Though impossible to distinguish specific sounds with his ears ringing, Forbes recognized the TRF uniform and gave a brief sitrep, “I’m Forbes, Price’s second-in-command. The Bartons and four hostages were in the OR before the blast. Sarge and Vinson tried to enter. Scott is in the stairwell. Two more of my unit are upstairs covering the patients.” Forbes swayed on his knees but still strove to rise, wanting to check on his downed men.

  Nick placed a hand on Forbes’ shoulder, pushing him down. “Stay put. My team will take it from here.”

  Unable to hear, but understanding the gesture, Forbes nodded and sat because with his splitting headache, if he somehow managed to hoist himself up, he would likely fall over. He turned eyes to Thorson and Ramos, concern for them increasing. Though they were some distance from the explosion, blast waves could be deadly. “Are my guys alright?”

  Nick shifted to peer at the two men. “Bram, status?”

  “Strong pulses, starting to rouse.” Bram set a hand on the waking soldier, wanting him to stay down, unsure of any internal injuries he may have sustained. “Be still.”

  “They’re alive,” Nick relayed, but receiving only a scrunched face of confusion as Forbes rubbed both ears, likely trying to lessen the effects of the tinnitus, Nick gave the concerned corporal a thumbs up.

  A bit of tension left Forbes’ taut body, but his gaze moved down the corridor to where Vinson and Price had been. With the smoke too dense to determine their position or fate, he allowed his eyes to shut as a wave of nausea hit, resisting the urge to hurl. Damn, not another concussion.

  “Jon, Bram, Ray, check the surgery. Lexa, inform Captain Tadman his medical team may set up in the ER. I’ll remain here with these guys.” Nick focused on what he could do, not his worry for Loki and Dan, though he would hold on to hope they survived the blast.

  Outside Craig Hospital

  Lexa raced outside and toward the largest snowcat, the wind propelling her forward. Before she reached the vehicle, the front passenger door opened, and Tadman hopped out. Needing to raise her volume above Mother Nature’s rage, Lexa shouted, “You are cleared to go in the emergency room only. We found three soldiers in the hall who need care.”

  “Roger.” Tadman caught the petite officer as a powerful gust almost knocked her off her feet. He maintained his hold as he shouted orders to his team, then said, “Let’s get you inside.”

  Somewhat embarrassed to need the assistance, Lexa didn’t balk at the firm grip, more than glad to be going back inside to join the rest of her team in their search for Dan and Loki. As she pivoted to return, tears slipped out and froze mid-way down her cheeks in the subzero conditions. If anyone pointed them out, she would simply lay the blame on smoke irritated eyes.

  With military efficiency, the medical staff disembarked, carrying backpacks, and proceeded to unload plastic totes and cases filled with supplies and equipment before creating a human train heading into the hospital.

  Hospital – Hallway

  Ray, Bram, and Jon approached the T-intersection of the corridor, thankful for their non-slip boots since the fire suppression system flooded the floor. The ongoing spray helped to dissipate the smoke but also drenched them. Chilled, not only from the water, but by the view in front of them, all three shuddered.

  To their right, they spied a gaping hole in the wall into what appeared to be a breakroom. Following the trajectory backward, they discovered a matching hole on the left side of the hall. However, what caused them all to halt for a split second were the legs of two soldiers and one arm peeking out from underneath damaged steel doors opposite the operating room. The explosion blew the doors clean off their hinges. Together they lifted the slabs off the men and tossed them to the side. The clanking of metal barely registered over the still shrilling alarm.

  While Jon kept watch, uncertain if the Bartons were in the blast or still lurking around, Ray knelt and tugged off a glove to check for a pulse on the closest man. He peered up at Jon with relief. “Strong pulse.”

  Bram crouched and took his glove off before placing two fingers on the exposed neck of the second soldier, wincing as he gazed at the hairline laceration from which a stream of blood flowed. “Geez, head wounds bleed so much. Thready, but still alive.” He applied a pressure dressing as Jon attempted to report what they discovered to Boss.

  Their ears were treated to relative silence as the screeching alarm stopped. Only dripping water filled the airwaves. Over their headsets, Nick said, “Found the alarm’s shut-off switch. S
ay again.”

  Jon repeated himself as he surveyed the entryway to the surgery. His gut twisted upon viewing the destruction, believing anyone inside would surely be dead. Wanting to spare his teammates from finding Dan’s and Loki’s bodies, he said, “Wait here.”

  Hospital – Surgery

  Defying his tactical lead, Ray entered first, praying to God to find his brother alive, and fighting the dread flowing into his heart. In the dim room, his boots crunched on the fragments of glass covering the floor. Since the explosion destroyed the operating theater’s lighting array, the only illumination came from the meager emergency light in the hallway.

  With only one path through the mess, he went to the right, and noted what appeared to be the source of all the shards … a shattered glass panel wall which used to separate sinks from the central area. He discerned whatever made the holes in the hall walls originated in here, substantiated by a matching penetration through one of the stainless-steel sinks.

  As he proceeded, Ray wiped water from his eyes and used a penlight to search. When he reached an archway, he spotted a hand in the far corner. “In here. Found somebody.”

  Following on Ray’s heels, Jon joined him, and they began to move stuff out of the way so they could set a heavy equipment cart back on its wheels. Bram made his way in as the other two started shifting things. Due to his size and the smallness of the area, Bram left the job to them.

  Using his flashlight, Bram located the elder Barton crumpled on the ground against the built-in floor-to-ceiling cabinets at the back of the room. As evidenced by the body-shaped dent in the rigid metal, Noah struck with immense force. Bram’s cast-iron stomach threatened to disgorge its contents upon viewing Noah’s charred remains with a bullet hole between his eyes and a valve deeply embedded in his left temple.