Flashpoint

by Barb Shuler

  “What’s the matter?” She asked me, but before I could respond, I was doubling over in pain. “Oh, shit.”

  “Quiet.” I stood up right and leaned into her slightly. “They’re almost done. Let them get their recognition.”

  “You need to sit down,” she said to me.

  I shook my head. “No. I’m good. If I move….”

  “Your water just broke didn’t it? Or did you just pee on my foot?” She chuckled when I grunted at her.

  I refused to answer her question because I was hoping this was all a bad dream. I was in a room full of Police Officers, Reporters and the freaking Mayor, this was not happening. I tightened the grip I had on her hand as another contraction hit. I tried breathing through it, but no, the little shit was determined to split me in two. Where were the other guys? Maybe I could just get someone to take me to the hospital and then they could tell Max after the ceremony was over. Yeah, that’d go over like a big pile of… Oh, fuck, this hurts.

  I could feel the pressure building down below. It was a feeling I knew all too well. This kid was coming soon, now.

  “Jenn. The baby. Is. Coming.”

  It was in that moment that Jenn let out an ear piercing whistle that made me wince. God, she had a loud mouth sometimes. The Mayor - who was in the middle of a speech - and every other person turned towards us.

  “Sorry, Mr. Mayor. Maximus, your wife is in active labor and well, you may need to play catch.”

  I felt my legs weaken and Jenn lowered me to the floor. I cried out, and then I gritted my teeth together.

  “Shit. Baby, why didn’t you say anything?”

  “You were busy!’ I growled out between clenched teeth.

  “Where’s Tony?”

  “He went to the bathroom.”

  “Find him!” Max ordered before bringing his attention back to me. “Breathe, baby, just like you practiced in class. In and out. Slow and steady.”

  “How far apart are the contractions?”

  “I’ve called for an ambulance.”

  “Do you need help, Officer Callahan?”

  There were so many voices around us that I had trouble keeping up. I fell back against Jenn and counted through the pain. My contractions were maybe a minute apart.

  “Max,” I whined.

  He turned and spoke to someone before he turned back to me.

  “I’m right here. You’re gonna be fine. I promise.”

  “Kennedy, woman, I swear next time he knocks you up you’re to stay home when you are close to popping.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Tony and shook my head when he winked at me.

  “Make a barrier, please. Let’s give the lady some privacy.”

  He had gloves on and was laying a jacket over my legs before I was finished with the last contraction. Sweet bloody Mary, this kid’s in a hurry.

  “The baby’s crowning. Damn, Kennedy, a few minutes longer and he would have just fallen out.”

  “Tony?” Max said, his grip on my hand still tight and reassuring.

  “A few pushes and he’ll be out.”

  “The ambulance is here.”

  “Let them in, but they have to stay back, I’ve got this.”

  Tony was all business now. I sat up with Max’s help and as we had done the last time, I started pushing. I bit down on my lip to keep from screaming as a pain tore through me.

  “Almost there, Kennedy. Give me another big push and you can meet your son.”

  With a push that had my head spinning, I felt the baby slide out. The rush of it all had me falling back against Max. I had to catch my breath. The baby let out a cry of his own, and the moment he was put on my chest, the tears started. I was so happy, elated even.

  “You did it, baby. Thank you.”

  Max leaned in and kissed me. I held onto him and my son.

  “What’s his name?” Jenn asked as she knelt beside me and hugged us both.

  We hadn’t talked baby names enough to decide. Or so I thought. Max’s next words had me sobbing in his arms.

  “Meet your nephew, John Anthony Callahan.”

  Tony looked up, stunned. After only a moment of hesitation his face broke into a huge smile. He was responsible for bringing both my babies safely into this world. It really isn’t surprising that Max decided to honor his dedication to our family.

  “Oh, My God….”

  Jenn burst into tears with me, and we stayed in a tight embrace until Tony and the EMTs demanded I get on the stretcher so they could transport us to the hospital.

  I knew my brother Johnny was looking down on us now, a big smile on his face. His nephews would grow up to know the kind of man he was. I’d make sure of it. Having little John made me feel closer to him in this moment. He had been gone for so long, but I’d never forget my brother.

  He was gone, but never forgotten.

  FLASHPOINT ~ PLAYLIST

  After the Rain - Nickelback

  Beautiful Soul - Jesse McCartney

  Breathe You In - Dierks Bentley

  Can I Get an Amen - Shannon Brown

  Danger Line - Avenged Sevenfold

  Even the Stars Fall 4 U - Keith Urban

  Hopin’ You Were Lookin’ - Rascal Flatts

  If I Told You - Darius Rucker

  It Ain’t Pretty - Lady Antebellum

  Liv Tonight - Nelly ft. Keri Hilson

  Love You Outloud - Rascal Flatts

  Parachute - Train

  PCH - Theory of a Deadman

  Road Less Traveled - Lauren Alaina

  Someday Nickelback

  Take It Out on Me - Florida Georgia Line

  The Betrayal (Act III) - Nickelback

  The Fighter - Keith Urban (ft Carrie Underwood)

  Treachery - (A Rescue Series Novella; Book 4) Sneak Peek

  PROLOGUE

  Life changes a person in many ways. I never imagined I’d be where I am now. I’ve seen things no one should see. I’ve lived through firefights, bombings and a multitude of other tragedies. Any one of them could have ended my life in the blink of an eye. Each new threat brought a new kind of awareness to my mind.

  Life is a road of never ending twists, turns and back trails that you have to navigate. Sometimes with a partner, sometimes alone.

  After finishing out my career in the Army I moved back to my hometown. I missed Colorado, I missed the sounds and smells of home. I missed the mountains, cool air and open spaces. I needed to reset, unwind and get back into the right headspace. Being a Delta Force Operative keeps you on edge. No mission is to be taken lightly or for granted. There is only two ways it can end. Either you walk out alive on your own two feet, or you’re carried out. For a DF Operative, if you’re being carried it means only one thing… you’re dead.

  My intentions were to leave it all behind and become a hermit. Spend my time the way I wanted to.

  It sounded good, in theory.

  I came home to the small, sleepy town of Anderson Pass. I rediscovered the joy of the quiet. So much so, that I became the new Sheriff when Sheriff Randolph Morgan III, retired at the age of seventy.

  I gained a new partner, Hades. He’s the kind of partner that took some training, and some getting used to. But I can say this, I wouldn’t be the Sheriff I am without him. We don’t have much trouble up this way other than the occasional tourist getting rowdy or a lost hiker, which usually meant I recruited Graham to come in and help. He knew these woods and mountains like the back of his hand.

  I tried to keep my insecurities under wraps, and fell deeper in love with one of my best friends. He has no idea that he’s the one that I want, the one that I need. But I know it, I see it. I can feel it within every fiber of my being.

  I just can’t tell him.

  I thought I had everything under control.

  Until today.

  Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw today.

  Nothing compares to the onslaught of emotions raiding my system.

  Nothing can control the anger building in
side me.

  Today my world was pulled out from under me, turned ass-end up and inside out.

  Today I watched the man I love being taken from his place of business at gunpoint, and my desire to hunt these men down and put a bullet between their eyes is rising. The video shows him pointing at the big map on his wall, followed by the men nodding, after which a very heated argument started. That was when things went from bad to worse to deadly.

  Seeing that gun pointed at his head gutted me. I have to, no, I need to save him. I know I can’t do this alone. I can’t let Graham down by being stupid and acting before I think it through.

  I need help.

  I need backup.

  I need my team.

  I snatch my cell phone from my belt and dial a number that’s been programmed into my head for many years now.

  At the sound of the gruff voice on the other end I speak, “I need help.”

  “Sitrep?”

  “Graham’s been taken at gunpoint. If I go after him alone…”

  “Stop. Let me make a call. We’ll be there by the end of the day.”

  “Thanks, Moose.”

  “Anytime, brother. Later.”

  “Later.”

  I ended the call and looked at my Deputy, Liv Tanner, who was seated at her desk. The two men, Boris Anderson and Cletus Davis, who had witnessed the incident with Graham stood.

  “This is what’s about to happen. I’m going after them. When the State Police decide to get their asses up here, you tell them my team and I have it under control.”

  “You can’t go out there alone. Do you have a death wish or something?”

  “There were three of them and one was the size of a semi.”

  “Leave him be, boys, his mind is made up.”

  I give Liv a look. “I’m that easy to read, eh?”

  “Yep. You’ll need to get moving if you want a chance at finding their trail. Rain’s moving in. This storm is going to be a bad one.”

  “I’m waiting on my team. I won’t make a move without them. Get those videos from the store up on the monitors and the maps on the wall. I need to plot where they went. Knowing Graham, he was telling them about one of his hiking adventures. He got himself into trouble and had no idea it was happening until it was too late.”

  Six hours later, Moose, Rip Cord, Raff and I were hitting the edge of the forest. The map Graham had been looking at was one that showed the multiple hiking trails he used to show the area off. We were able to pinpoint a general area, but that was it. We would have to actually do some recon at each site to locate them.

  “Hades, heir.”

  I gave the dog another command and we started up the path. The packs on our back had enough supplies for a few days, just in case this turned into something more. My main concern was finding Graham, alive and unharmed.

  I pray he continues to do what the men tell him. Knowing that temper of his… shit was going to get dicey, fast.

  About the Author

  I’m a Carolina Girl by right and a Texan by birth... so I have a Texas-sized temper. Living and working in both states I’ve learned a lot about hard work, adapting to your surroundings and making the best of the path that you have been led down. My grandma Dollie once told me I would know what I was meant to do when it happened. She was right, as always.

  As with most book lovers, I am an avid reader. Reading has always been a hobby - a passion, really. Reading helps to expand the perimeters of one's mind. That is what got me to start writing as a kid. If I had paper...or a wall... I was writing. Words are a part of us all. Why not use them, right?

  During the day I work as a ‘desk jockey’ and help the residents of my county navigate themselves around our little, but not too little country town. By night I am either blogging, doing PA work for some of my favorite authors or I am fighting with the voices in my head. (They can be stubborn at times.) It’s a way to cope and make the troubles of the day disappear, if only for a few hours. It’s a blessing and I am cherishing every moment. For that which is my creation, may become someone else's treasure.

  Tomorrow is never guaranteed so I want to make sure I live the day as fully as possible.

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