Justice for Breeze (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha)
Team Cerberus Book 5
Melissa Kay Clarke
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Melissa Kay Clarke
More Special Forces: Operation Alpha World Books
Books by Susan Stoker
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
© 2018 ACES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.
Edited by Thomas "Woody" Johns
Cover by Eva Talia Designs
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the Police and Fire: Operation Alpha Fan-Fiction world!
If you are new to this amazing world, in a nutshell the author wrote a story using one or more of my characters in it. Sometimes that character has a major role in the story, and other times they are only mentioned briefly. This is perfectly legal and allowable because they are going through Aces Press to publish the story.
This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I might have assisted with brainstorming and other ideas about which of my characters to use, I didn’t have any part in the process or writing or editing the story.
I’m proud and excited that so many authors loved my characters enough that they wanted to write them into their own story. Thank you for supporting them, and me!
READ ON!
Xoxo
Susan Stoker
About the book
From the moment Asher "Finch" Finchly laid eyes on a Navy Officer when he was a child, his only thought was to become a SEAL. Every action he took was with the single minded goal of becoming an elite special forces member. He vowed to let nothing get in his way.
Then one night of revelry changed everything.
Two years into realizing his dream, Finch suddenly found himself as a father. Now, there was someone more important than his dreams or duty. Love for his daughter taught him there was something more to life. He would kill for one of Lolly's beautiful smiles - and then the unthinkable happens--she and her mother disappear without a trace.
Raised in an isolated cult, Breeze knows only her simple life - farming, taking care of children, and paying homage to The Mother Gaia. When one of the members escapes with her daughter, Breeze agrees to go along and help, so she leaves her world behind to face the uncertainty of the Outside. Everything is strange in this unknown world, but nothing is more unusual than the feelings she has for the father of the little girl. He stirs feelings in her she's never known and makes her question everything she stood for. Could her entire life be one big lie?
Finch is happy to have his daughter home, but something is not right. Someone is watching her - waiting for him to let down his guard, determined to take away everything he holds dear. He's in for the fight of his life to get back his daughter and the woman who has stolen his heart. Lolly and Breeze are all that matters. No matter what, he will keep them safe or die trying.
Chapter 1
The line at Clyde and Carra's was almost more than Finch wanted to face. However, he had been out of town for two weeks on maneuvers and the only thing he could think of after eating the tasteless rations was a double stack chili cheeseburger from his favorite place and a chocolate-cherry smoothie with a shot of peanut butter. Some may enjoy a home-cooked meal after a rough couple of weeks, but not Finch. Give him a greasy burger any day.
Standing there at the counter, waiting on his number to be called, he felt fatigue in every muscle of his body. It was going on two years now since he had passed his BUD/s and he was finally assigned to a permanent team. It had taken him a while to work his way up the ladder, but he was settling in. It felt good to have his life and career right where he wanted it to be.
"Asher?"
He started when he heard his name over the din of the restaurant. Turning, he saw a woman wearing one of the diner's uniforms wave at him. She looked familiar, but he couldn't place her. Figuring she must be one of the servers that waited on him before, he smiled and lifted his chin. Flicking his eyes down to her chest as she approached he saw a name tag pinned firmly in place. "Hey, Sarah."
"Oh, wow, it is you. How have you been?
He frowned but remained polite. He wasn't one to give out personal information so opted for the generic, "I'm good, thanks." He hesitated a second before continuing, "How're you?"
"All right," she replied with a nervous laugh. "So, how're things?"
"Fine," he drew the word out slightly. Giving her a tight smile, he glanced down at his ticket again and to the counter. Beside him, the woman fidgeted slightly.
"You don't remember me do you?" Her words were soft, and he barely heard them in the racket of forks being dropped and plates slamming onto tables.
Her words stopped him in place. Should he know her? He turned and searched her face. She was pretty, with large coffee-colored eyes, long lashes, a tiny upturned nose, and cupid bow pink lips that she gnawed absently. Her long dark blond hair was captured in some sort of hair thingy high on her head leaving long wisps to caress her face and neck. He saw a small beauty mark on her shoulder next to the expanse of her neck. He had a flash of pressing a kiss to that mark, but it was gone before he could grasp it and figure out what it meant. Drawing in a deep breath, he let it out and winced. "I'm sorry, I feel like I should, but I can't place you."
"It's all right. We were both pretty wasted that night." She threw her hand out. "Sarah Nolan."
"Nice to meet you, Sarah," he shook her hand lightly. "Asher, but you know that."
"Yeah. I do." She dropped his hand. Glancing at the name patch sewn into his uniform she muttered, "Finchly. I never knew your last name." She chewed her lip as she stood next to him saying nothing.
"So, where do I know you?" he prompted.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I sort of zoned out there for a minute. We met a couple of years ago at Shimmy. You and a bunch of your friends came in to celebrate passing some sort of test?"
In a flash, it all came back. Finch and the others had finished their BUD/s training and in celebration, had taken over a local bar. Images of Sarah wearing a short blue dress with spaghetti straps and strappy, high heels played through his mind. They had danced, drank and enjoyed each other's company until his memories became foggy. He did have a faint recollection of waking up in an empty bed in a downtown motel room.
"Sarah, oh yeah, I remember now." He pulled
her into a careful half hug. "It's good to see you."
"You too. So, I was wondering if we could go somewhere and maybe talk? I've been kind of looking for you for a while, but I didn't know your last name, and you've not been back to Shimmy's when I was there."
Finch shook his head. "I'm sorry. I've been out of town for a while, and it's just not a good night. Maybe some other time? Give me your number, and I'll call you sometime."
She jotted down her number and handed it to him. He took it and stuffed it into his pocket before dismissing her. The truth was, Finch wasn't looking to hook up with anyone. He rarely dated, if ever at all. He knew he was a good looking guy and could probably have his choice of women, but his personal life was on a back burner for now. Instead, he concentrated on the military career he had been dreaming of since he was ten years old.
He was brought out of his musing by his number being called. Stepping forward to grab his food, Finch turned and saw Sarah standing there, wringing her hands and biting her lip anxiously. He gave her a gentle smile and stepped to the side. "It was nice to see you again, Sarah. Stay in touch, yeah?"
"Asher, wait, I need to tell you something."
"I'm sorry, Sarah, but I'm tired right now. Can we catch up another time?" He started to walk off when her next sentence stopped him in his tracks. It only took four words to change his world in an instant.
"You have a daughter."
Eighteen months later.
"What do you mean you have a daughter?"
Finch winced as Cowboy stood next to Miley. The Thanksgiving table became a jumble of voices as everyone began to talk at once.
"Where is she?"
"Who's her mother?"
"Why haven't you told us?"
Miley, Olivia, and Olivia's Aunt Nat all crowded around Annabeth who had yanked the cell phone from Finch's hand to ooh and aaah over the tiny beauty grinning up from the screen.
Finch dropped into his chair and leaned back. "Yeah, about that. Well, see, I didn't know about her until last year. Her mom and I were sort of a mistake." He grimaced at the words then hurried on. "Not that she's a mistake. She's perfect." He sighed and shoved his fingers through his hair. "It's hard to explain," he finished lamely.
Annabeth handed him his cell phone and draped her arms around his neck in a hug. "She's beautiful, Finch. Congrats," she whispered then returned to her seat by Hick.
"Thanks," he murmured, then placed the cell on the table next to his plate. Glancing around the room he could see the others waiting for him to talk.
"You guys know I don't party much."
"Try never. I can count on one hand the times I've seen you cut loose," Toad grumbled. "You don't even drink. Well, not much, anyway. Like maybe one beer a month." His words held an accusation as if Finch was breaking some sort of man-code by not cutting loose more.
Railroad nodded. "Yeah, your career was the only thing that mattered. Hell, I get out more than you do, and I'm practically a hermit."
"Yeah. When I was in the fourth grade, one of the kids brought his father to school on career day. He was in the Navy, and he was amazing. He told us all about his experiences - seeing the world, fighting the bad guys. I was hooked. After that day, it was all I ever thought of. I wanted to be just like him. It's the only thing that mattered to me. That was until I met Lolly." He smiled softly. "She's amazing."
"Lolly is your daughter? I thought you said her name is Lorelei?" Olivia asked.
"It is. Sarah, her mother, said she couldn't say Lorelei so started calling herself Lolly instead. It sort of stuck."
"It's cute," Miley murmured. "And so is she. You did good, Finch. She's precious."
"She's the light of my life." He blew out a breath and continued. "So, anyway, Sarah and I met during a party to celebrate finishing BUD/s. You guys know how hard the training is and we wanted to go blow off some steam."
"So you picked up some random chick and knocked her up?" Toad shook his head sadly. "Haven't you heard of condoms? Boy, I thought you knew better."
"Jesus, Toad, I do know better. I didn't even remember sleeping with her, I was so wasted. I didn't know about Lolly until Sarah ran into me and told me about her."
Cowboy threw his hand up. "Woah, wait a minute. You didn't even know about her? I hate to be the one to bring this up, but do you know she's really yours? There's a lot of women in this world who would like to bag a SEAL and reap those government benefits."
Finch felt anger rising in him. He slammed his fist down, causing the dishes to rattle." Don't you think I know that? When she told me about Lolly, the first thing I did was get a paternity test. She's mine, no doubt about it. As soon as I found out, I asked Sarah to marry me, but she refused." Finch winced at the feelings of rejection that still stung. "She didn't want to end up in a marriage of convenience. She didn't love me, and I didn't love her, but I was willing to make it all legal so that I could take care of them both. She let me add Lolly to my insurance, so she gets benefits, but she refused to marry me so she could have them too."
"Why keep her quiet? Damn, man, how could you keep her a secret all this time?"
Finch raised his shoulders in a tight shrug. "At first, I was worried what everyone would think about it. Here I am, Mr. Do Everything By The Book and I messed up. I was new to the team, just finding my place and I didn't want you to think the worse of me. The longer I waited, the harder it became." He drummed his fingers on the table. "My parents just found out about her last month. Let me tell you, they were furious. I don't know if my Mom will ever forgive me."
Auntie Nat nodded her head. "I can understand that, but she will forgive you eventually."
Presently Bruiser spoke. "You told me about her when you put her on your insurance. You asked me to keep it quiet, and I did. So what happened to her? Why have you been searching for her?"
Finch blew out a breath. "Sarah is a free soul. She doesn't stay anywhere very long. I don't know a lot about her, only that her parents disowned her and threw her out when she was sixteen. She lived all over the US and finally settled in California. Up until recently, she would bring Lolly to see me a few days each month. Sometimes I got to keep her for a while, sometimes not. Then Sarah suddenly vanished, with Lolly. Nobody has heard from her since the summer. I've been spending all my time off looking for them. Every lead I've turned up has dead-ended."
Once again, the table erupted with voices as everyone talked at once. Bruiser picked up his butter knife and tapped the tabletop with it, getting everyone's attention. "Okay, so we have a missing little girl to find. No time like the present to get to work."
As he stood, Nat began to gather the dishes. "I'll take care of this." She gave each of the people in the room a hard stare. "Bring that baby home, or you'll have me to deal with."
"Yes Ma'am," Cowboy replied. "We'll find her."
Auntie Nat gave a curt nod and disappeared into the kitchen while the others filed into the living room. As Finch sat on the sofa, he felt a bit of the weight lift from his shoulders.
"I'll call Digger. If there's any information out there, he can find it." Cowboy pulled his cell out of his pocket.
"I'll contact the Center for Missing and Exploited Children," Livy was already scrolling through her cell. "Even though Lolly is with her mother, they may do something."
"Bull is still a detective in New Orleans," Toad added. "I'll see if he can do some searching as well."
"I've got a cousin who has a radio show," Railroad added. "I'll call her and see if she can put out a segment for you."
Miley was sitting in a corner designing a missing poster while Annabeth sent emails to everyone she knew to post a message on social media. His phone lay abandoned on the table between them, no longer needed since they had all sent every picture of Lolly that Finch had to themselves. The hum of activity rose and fell as Nat and Jayden ran back and forth to help wherever they could.
Finch's heart swelled with gratitude. They were going to help him get his baby back. If anyone co
uld find Lolly, it was these people, who were closer than family to him.
Chapter 2
The whisper of the wind stirring oak leaves high in the canopy was the only sound other than the raspy breathing coming from the woman curled in a ball a few feet away. Beside her, big blue eyes wrinkled in worry as a tiny hand gently stroked a mottled forearm that shook. Rising from her seat, Breeze took a few steps and knelt beside the woman, placing a hand on her brow and frowned. The fever that appeared yesterday was much worse than even an hour ago when Lily collapsed in exhaustion.
Picking up the rough bag of supplies, Breeze pulled out a canteen and opened it. Carefully, she poised the opening over Lily's cracked lips with a murmur of "Drink."
"No," Lily croaked weakly. "Save it for her."
With a sigh of frustration, Breeze closed the bottle again and dropped it into the bag. "You can't keep going like this. If you don't go back, you aren't going to live."
"We aren't going back." Lily groaned and pushed herself upright then swayed slightly. "We need to keep going."
"Mommy?"
"Shhh, baby. It's okay," she whispered. Lifting a hand wrapped in strips of stained cloth, she touched her daughter's cheek then let her hand fall away. "You're so brave. I'm proud of you."
Gaia smiled and hugged her mother. "I love you, Mommy."
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