SERENITY: A Path Home (Beauty 0f Life Book 6)

by Laura Acton

  TRF HQ – Briefing Room – 7:00 p.m.

  While he waited for Boss to finish changing and drive him home, Dan took another sip of his steaming coffee and thought about today. Even after a long, warm shower, it took nearly a half hour before his body quit the occasional little shivers.

  He joined the team in the briefing room after changing into a dry uniform. Loki and Lexa stopped at Timmy’s on the way back and got hot coffee for the entire team. Dan happily drank his coffee enjoying the warming sensation during debriefing. Overall, debrief went smooth and quick, and he decided not to lay into Jon for his mother hen ways. He needed the team’s help to get down, and they did it without making a big deal.

  The team shared a hearty laugh at Miguel’s belief that a sniper crazy enough to stay in a tree in nasty weather would happily shoot him so he could come in from the cold. Though, each was grateful the vision of Dan in the tree resulted in Miguel giving up with no one being harmed.

  Nick also told them Miguel, Hugh, and Alicia confessed to all the robberies to finance their drug habits. Hugh revealed to the authorities Miguel said he knew two others who would help them. They picked up Tatum from her house then headed to Cory’s home. Things went sideways when Mrs. Partridge’s arrived. Miguel realized she overheard him bragging about how they scored by robbing houses and urged them to join him. Nick also reported that after their visit home, Cory and Tatum were headed back to rehab to finish their treatment program.

  Debrief ended right before lunchtime, and Jon ordered him to stay put. Jon, Bram, and Ray went to grab something to eat for all of them. Dan relished the time the team spent bantering all afternoon. So different from last year.

  With no additional critical calls, the remainder of the day was spent at headquarters doing inventory and a little training. A rare quiet day, undoubtedly due to the weather. It was too cold to go out and commit crimes.

  Dan glanced up at Lexa as she entered the room and his smile grew. He wished he could go home with Sexy Lexie tonight, but Boss offered to drive him, and he couldn’t refuse. Dan kept his voice neutral, “You leaving?”

  Lexa stopped on the opposite side of the table. Getting nearer would be difficult to maintain the detachment she must show at work. Earlier, she had wanted to do more, to make certain he was alright. She desired to take him home and feed him something warm and filling, but she couldn’t without raising the guy’s suspicions. “Yeah, just checking to make sure you are still feeling okay. No ill effects from your frozen adventure.”

  Dan gave Lexa a lop-sided grin. “I’m good.”

  She gave Dan an appraising look. Is he telling the truth? Lexa came to the conclusion he was. “Alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Lexa turned to leave when Bram, Ray, Jon, and Nick headed towards the briefing room. She waited a moment to say goodbye to them too.

  Knowing Boss was ready to go, Dan stood. He hated to be an imposition and tried a few times during the day to change Boss’ mind about giving him a ride tonight and tomorrow morning. Boss wouldn’t budge, even when Dan said he would call a cab. Dan joined the group as Loki came bounding up with a bright smile on his face.

  Loki said, “Wait you gotta hear my newest song.” Everyone waited while he cleared his throat and grinned at Dan. “I’ve only got the first verse done, but I’m working on the rest of it.”

  Dan grimaced. “I’m not so sure I’m gonna like this new song.”

  “Sure you will, buddy. Hang on a sec.” Loki fiddled with his phone and strains of an instrumental version of the Twelve Days of Christmas started playing. Loki belted out in a surprisingly pleasant singing voice, “On the first day of Christmas, Alpha Team gave to me, a frozen sniper in a pear tree.”

  Dan groaned. I’ll never hear the end of this.

  Loki grinned and slung his arm around Dan’s shoulders.

  The rest of Alpha Team burst out laughing.

  Nick motioned his head to Dan. “Let’s go. How about we grab a bite to eat on the way home? I know a great little place on the way to your apartment. They make a spicy venison chili, and the cornbread has jalapenos in it.”

  As Lexa walked out with them, she smiled. Boss would take care of Dan and make sure he ate. This team is family, and they all care.

  Nick’s Home – 9:30 p.m.

  Setting his toothbrush down after rinsing it out, Nick stared into the mirror. He tried to see what Dan saw. Tonight as they enjoyed dinner at the Chili Deer, Dan had opened up a bit more than usual. A rare thing for Dan to let his guard down almost entirely.

  The five phone calls Dan got during dinner might have something to do with it. His cousins Scott, Adam, and Jeff called, and Nick learned some of Dan’s plans for Christmas. It sounded like a lot of fun. He deserved to enjoy the season after the years of estrangement from his family.

  His unit buddy, Jim called to check if Dan made his tux fitting appointment. Jim and Heather were getting married on the first. They put off their wedding until Dan fully recovered. Nick was happy for the couple. Their courtship was a whirlwind, much like his with Janie had been. Love at first sight.

  The last call was from Dan’s mother. She knew of the weather in Toronto today and phoned to inquire if he was well. The light in Dan’s eyes as he spoke to his mother filled Nick with joy.

  He perused his face, and nothing about him had changed. Dan opening up in all likelihood had more to do with alterations in Dan himself. Evidence of this shift was Dan spent the remainder of dinner telling him how he and his mother baked a ton of cookies together. A positive change to be sure.

  Nick noted Dan’s mood remained upbeat and positive as they conversed all the way to his apartment. Thanking him again for dinner and the ride home, Dan asked him to wait while he grabbed something for him. Dan came back down swiftly and handed him the bag filled with pignoli.

  Shuffling into the kitchen, Nick glanced again at the golden, moist, soft and chewy almond paste treats studded with pine nuts. Sorely tempted to eat another incredibly delicious cookie, but he just finished brushing his teeth. Resisting the urge, Nick filled a glass with water and set up his coffee pot for the morning.

  As he leaned on the cabinet and sipped his water, Nick’s heart settled. This Christmas he would count his blessings. He had a family, and they were all together and happy. Perhaps, putting up the tree this year wouldn’t be such a chore. Lately, he found it easier to remember all the joyful times with Martin and Janie. The hurt he carried for a decade released quite a bit when he decided to redecorate Martin’s bedroom and begin living again.

  Nick pushed off the counter, heading for bed. His eyes landed on the pignoli, and he stopped. Only one more. He gave into his craving, opened the baggie, took out one, and zipped it closed. Walking down the hall, Nick eagerly bit into his favorite cookie. What a thoughtful gift from Dan.

  An Undercover Assignment

  5

  December 13

  TRF HQ – Briefing Room – 8:00 a.m.

  Nick entered the room with Inspector Roman Pope and cast an eye over his assembled team plus Justine Forge of Charlie Team. Luckily, Dan showed no signs of illness after yesterday’s sojourn in the freezing rain. The weather today was much better, a beautiful winter Sunday. Which would be advantageous for the challenging assignment the team must take on today.

  Inspector Pope stood at the front as Nick called his team to order, “Okay boys and girls, we have a special assignment today.”

  The team settled down and stopped their conversations, put down their cookies Dan brought in, and turned their attention to Boss.

  Justine Forge glanced around at all of Alpha Team. No one is out sick, which I assumed would be the case when I received the call to report to headquarters at eight o’clock this morning. She asked, “Sergeant Pastore, any idea why I was called in?”

  “We will address that in a bit, Justine. Inspector Pope is here to brief us on a situation, and then I’ll explain our role today. Pope, the floor is yours,” Nick said then took his usual seat.

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nbsp; Pope cleared his throat as he scanned the TRF members, his eyes lingering on Constables McKenna and Forge a moment longer than the rest. He detested the possibility of what might happen to either one of these female officers. It turned his stomach. Call him old-fashioned, but he found it objectionable to put them in risky situations such as this one.

  The inspector launched into the explanation. “Over the last four Sundays, thefts occurred at high-end boutiques. In each incident, three subjects entered the stores during business hours to steal the cash and small high-value merchandise which is easy to carry or stuff in a backpack. Things like jewelry, watches, shoes, and such.”

  Pope’s face became grim as he said, “However, it is not merely thefts. The subjects also target wealthy young couples present in the store. They appear to case the place and pick out a couple who are, shall I say, affectionate while they shop. All four times, the subjects shot the men in the chest and kidnapped the women. Three men died on the scene, and one is on life-support. The four women were found the next day dumped off at a park, alive but in bad shape—pistol-whipped, raped, and barely conscious. None of them can provide a decent description of their attackers.

  “Security camera captures show two male and one female subject. The woman subject is the one who fired at the male victims. The female victims say both men raped them and the woman pistol-whipped them. They use a stolen vehicle to leave the scene each time. So far, we’ve discovered no evidence to identify them. They wear gloves and enter the boutiques wearing masks.

  “We believe they tap into the shop’s security cameras to determine who to target because we haven’t identified any potential fourth subjects. We found no witnesses in common, so no one could feed the three intel to choose a specific couple. We’ve kept a tight lid on this, hoping to catch them in the act. A task force formed after the third incident, but due to the threat level of the operation, we are requesting TRF’s assistance. Sergeant Pastore, back to you.” Pope strode to the table and sat in an empty chair.

  Alpha Team and Justine stoically sat as they listened to the situation. Everyone wondered what the TRF’s role would be in this. They remained quiet as Boss moved to the podium.

  Nick closed his eyes a moment and took a breath. When he opened them, he let his gaze roam the room as he spoke. “The task force has many upscale boutiques to cover and will be in position watching them. They have a few undercover people in place at many of the stores to dissuade couples from being overtly lovey-dovey for their protection.

  “This is where we come in. They need us to supply a young couple to be a decoy. To go into the upscale shops and behave in a manner which attracts the attention of the subjects.” Nick’s gaze moved between Lexa and Justine. “Ladies, you are the only female TRF officers. The only fair way to do this is to draw straws.”

  Justine blanched and swallowed hard. She would do this if selected, though the thought of it scared the bejeebers out of her. This is out of the ordinary. Being bait for killers and rapists doesn’t quite line up with my vision of being Charlie Team’s information officer.

  “Not necessary. I volunteer,” Lexa said.

  “Lexa, that isn’t right—” Justine started to protest, but Lexa cut her off.

  “No offense meant, but my team will be handling this. They know me, and I trust them. It’s better this way.”

  What the hell is Lexa doing? Dan stared at Lexa. She intentionally volunteered for a task which could end up getting her raped. He knew Boss would accept her offer, but Dan couldn’t let her do this without him. He needed to be close to protect her. “I’ll be the other half.”

  Lexa’s eyes shot daggers back to Dan. What are you doing? This is the worst possible thing we can do. We can’t kiss in front of the whole team! They might read something into our actions. Hell, Boss will—nothing gets past him.

  Bram, Jon, Loki, Ray, and Nick gaped at Dan. How could he volunteer given what happened to the men? They noted the flinty glare in his eyes. An expression Dan donned when any of them, but especially Lexa, was in danger. Changing his mind, short of a direct order from Nick or Jon, would be hard.

  Reluctantly, Nick nodded, but he would be unenthusiastic with any one of the team. This assignment was dangerous.

  Jon blew his top. “You can’t be seriously accepting Dan assuming that role. Pope said they shot them in the chest. Goddammit, we just got Broderick back. I’ll be the one doing the volunteering.”

  Nick stared at Jon. “Calm down.”

  Jon stood but lowered his voice. “I’m not willing to put him in the position of getting shot in the chest again. Not happening.”

  Pope cleared his throat, and everyone turned to him. “You don’t fit the profile of young couple. The officers who do are Broderick, Baldovino, and Palomo.”

  “I’ll do it,” Loki offered.

  Dan turned to Loki. “No. I spoke up first. Besides I’m better equipped to handle this assignment.”

  Ray snorted. “No more than the rest of us. But I agree Loki shouldn’t do it. Sorry, buddy, but your emotions play too easily on your face. I’ll do it.” He grinned at Lexa. “We would make a cute couple I think.”

  Icy blue eyes glared at Ray as Dan asked, “What experience do you have doing undercover work?”

  “Same as you. None.”

  “Wrong!” Dan turned his gaze to the boss. “I have experience in covert operations from my time in JTF2. I’m the right person for this role.” His eyes moved to Jon. “I don’t need mother hens. But as Lexa said, I trust the team to keep both of us safe. Let me do my damned job without worrying about my previous injury. I’m just as capable as you. I don’t need molly-coddling.”

  Jon’s steady gaze stayed on Broderick. Dan’s eyes appeared as cold and icy as the damned pear tree yesterday. Clearly pissed off.

  Surprised and taken aback by Dan’s words, Ray stared at Broderick before he blurted out, “You’ve done covert black ops?”

  Dan inwardly cringed but maintained a flat expression. Damn, I opened my mouth and said more than I should. How do I phrase this, so it doesn’t reveal anything Guardian Unit related? Turning back to Ray, Dan replied, “Missions sometimes required us to blend in with the locals.”

  Nick, Bram, Ray, and Lexa all stared at Dan. There were many layers to the man, some they may never know about.

  Jon studied Dan. He had no desire to let Dan be the one undercover, but dammit, Broderick appeared to be the right one for the task since he had experience. Loki’s emotions could cause a problem. Ray might pull it off with his calm demeanor, but he lacked appropriate training. Jon directed his question to Pope. “What type of weapon did the subject use?”

  “Each time they used a semi-automatic 9mm.”

  Bram’s mind ran along the same lines as Jon’s, but Jon beat him to the question. The thought of Dan being shot in the chest again made him nauseous as he recalled all the blood in the church and Jim frantically working on Dan. And the weeks Dan lay in a coma followed by his months of rehab. None of that he wanted to be repeated. His face reflecting his concern, Bram said, “Level III armor is required.”

  Jon’s gunmetal gray eyes pierced Dan’s icy blue ones as he firmly stated, “You both go in with a vest, or you don’t go in at all!”

  Dan gave a curt nod of agreement. He wouldn’t allow Lexa to be harmed and there was no way in hell he wanted to take another bullet to the chest himself. A level III vest would provide him the necessary protection to stop a 9mm bullet and still allow him the mobility he would need to protect Lexa.

  As the tension between Jon and Dan dissipated, Nick breathed a sigh of relief. “It is cold so jackets will help cover the vests.”

  Loki spoke up, “Will the task force have video surveillance in all locations Dan and Lexa have to go to?”

  Nick answered, “They installed hidden cameras last night. Loki, you will monitor the cameras. Jon, you are Zulu One and will be in place before they enter the boutiques. The rest of us will go in and out of the shops separately
to provide them back up inside. Some of the sites will have other undercover officers too. Lexa and Dan will be well covered.”

  Lexa turned to Pope. “Inspector, when you say the couples are affectionate, what exactly do you mean? If Dan and I are going to attract the subjects, we must behave in the same manner.”

  Pope cleared his throat again. “Well, according to witnesses, they constantly touched and kissed one another. One witness described the couple’s behavior as new lovebirds. The gentlemen remained attentive and indulged the women buying whatever they wanted. The ladies, in turn, hung all over the men and spoke sugary words.”

  Oh crap, this is gonna be hard. Dan hoped his body would not betray his real feelings for Lexa. He needed the guys to think they were only colleagues. He just returned to the team and didn’t want to lose them. If they found out, Dan knew he would be the one kicked out for sure. Be cool Broderick. You can do this. Remember your training. This is a covert op. You can always play it off as being proficient at slipping on the undercover persona.

  Jon leaned back, and his eyes bounced between Dan and Lexa. Can they pull off acting like a couple? They certainly don’t look like one to me.

  Bram found a small smile on his face. Of everyone on the team, he believed Lexa and Dan would be the most convincing couple. Not that he was thrilled that either would be in danger, but they might lure in the suspects and rid the streets of treacherous people.

  Why did Dan volunteer? Kissing him in public is going to be difficult. Oh boy, I hope Dan doesn’t read anything into how I’m going to behave. I don’t want to give him false hope. We are only friends with benefits. This is only physical—nothing more. Lexa silently put another brick in the wall she built to fortify and protect her heart as the little devil on her shoulder cackled and said, “Is it now?”

  Ray glanced at Dan, and his mind went two directions. One he wondered if there was more to his experience than he let on. His explanation was rather vague and blending in with locals wasn’t the same as undercover work, though Jon didn’t seem to pick up on that nuance. Second, he felt a small thrill at the possibility he might get a peek into how Dan behaved with the ladies.