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

by Laura Acton

  “One afternoon, my mom and I laid in a field filled with butterflies, and she told me the beauty inside was more important than external looks. The next day she gave me a silver butterfly necklace and encouraged me to spread my wings, to go after things I believe in, and not to worry what others think. She’s the reason I worked so hard to become a cop. I followed my passion.”

  Dan continued to stroke the tattoo as he bent down and captured Lexa’s lips in a soft kiss. Lexa shifted on the sofa, so Dan didn’t strain his muscles. They enjoyed tenderly exchanging kisses, both knowing Dan wasn’t up for more than first base tonight. Lexa scooted up to sit in his lap so she could run her fingers in slow circles over his back as their lips danced a leisurely waltz.

  The fire burned brightly in each of them, both fighting for restraint and to keep the flames of passion banked. When Dan’s kisses became more ardent, and she felt other parts of him come alive, Lexa reluctantly pulled back. She gazed into his smoky, glazed eyes—still amazed she had this effect on him.

  “Dan, I should go now. We both know you’re in no condition for more.” She couldn’t resist the small tease as she smiled. “Even though you are at attention, soldier. Time to stand down.”

  Despite his nerve endings being on fire, and desperately wanting to make love to Lexa, her humor made him chuckle. “Way to kill the mood. Yeah, you’re right though.” He leaned in for one more kiss before he released her.

  Lexa stood. “Get some rest. When you return from Ottawa, we can …”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” Dan stood. “Let me walk you out.”

  Lexa shook her head as she headed for his door. “No, go to bed. Night.”

  “Night. See ya tomorrow, partner.” Dan followed her to his door kissed her once again and clicked the door shut after she left. A grin on his face, Dan ambled into his bedroom. He stopped at his dresser to pull out the butterfly pendant. He gazed at it for a few minutes before putting the box away. Now more than ever, Dan believed he was meant to buy Lexa this butterfly.

  We Got Your Back

  54

  December 24

  TRF HQ – Briefing Room – 7:10 a.m.

  Jon strode into the room, noting he was last to enter—well, not last, Dan isn’t here. He had held back in the locker room waiting for Dan to show up, but it was now ten after, and he still had not arrived. Shades of last year when Dan failed to appear on time without calling flashed through his mind.

  Finding Dan in his freezing apartment rasping for breath due to bronchitis, which could’ve killed him, bothered Jon for a long while. That experience coupled with his knowledge of Dan’s character heightened his concern. The rookie had yet to call in, and repeated calls to him went unanswered.

  Stopping just inside the door, Jon glanced at the others. What a difference time made. He noted the anxious atmosphere saturating the entire team. Dan is one of us now, and we know enough about him to be concerned he is late—this is not like him. There’s still enough soldier in Dan that the possibility of oversleeping is slim to non-existent. There must be another reason.

  Unbidden, the image of Gould slamming Dan into the cruiser, popped into his head. Dan avoided his question regarding any history with the officer. Another thing Jon began to notice about Dan—he’s a master at deflection. Dan redirects and changes the course of a conversation with practiced ease. His lost childhood and military training most likely contributed to the development of those skills. Jon’s eyes landed on Nick last. “Did he answer your call?”

  Nick shook his head.

  Lexa worked hard to hide her worry, needing to ensure the team only saw a concerned teammate, not a freaked out … dare she refer to herself as … girlfriend. Controlling the tone of her voice, Lexa said, “He looked happy when I dropped him off last night. I told him I would pick him up, but he insisted on taking a taxi this morning.”

  “Perhaps the taxi got delayed,” Ray said, not truly believing his words.

  “He would’ve called.” Bram paced near the window, continually checking for a cab, and wondering why Dan was late. Five unanswered calls. Five. This isn’t like him at all. What the hell happened?

  Unable to rein in all her concern any longer, Lexa stood. “I could do a welfare check. He isn’t responding to our calls. Perhaps he can’t.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Loki popped up as he turned his expressive gaze to Boss hoping he agreed. We need to take action. Ten minutes late for Dan is equivalent to hours for ordinary people. Heck not being five minutes early is a huge red flag for him. Something had to have happened to Dan.

  Nick gave a small nod. He had requested Lexa keep an eye on Dan, so her suggestion to check on him made sense. Loki, well, he was developing a strong friendship with Dan and openly expressed his emotions. Ones Nick himself was actively covering at the moment. “Alright, you can go. I don’t want to overreact, after the two weeks Dan’s had, he might’ve overslept his alarm.”

  Secretly Nick hoped that was the case and not a reaction to pushing him hard in negotiation training yesterday or some other nefarious reason—Dan still had enemies. The court-martials of Plouffe, Pletcher, Merrill, and several others hung over his head, and there could be some who wished to do Dan harm which the investigation failed to identify. That thought he didn’t want to voice to the team—they were worried enough.

  After the two left, Bram glanced at Jon. “This isn’t like Dan. We are all well aware being late is out of character for him.”

  Leaning forward as his mind noodled on reasons, Ray said, “Perhaps he’s hurt worse than he let on. We should go with Loki and Lexa.”

  Bram shook his head. “Dr. Fraser wouldn’t sign off on light duty, and Jim would never allow Dan to snowball the doctors. He cares too much for him to let him work if he isn’t capable of doing the job. Jim wouldn’t risk Dan or us.”

  Wanting to know what was going on, but having a job to do, Jon moved to his chair and took a seat. “Lexa and Loki will handle whatever is going on. We must focus on planning tactics for a no-knock call.”

  “So, the warrant came in?” Resuming his seat, Bram banked his worry. If there was a problem with Dan, they would know soon enough.

  Nick refocused his mind on work. “It will, expecting it soon. We may need to do this one man down. Plan accordingly.”

  Jon displayed the blueprints on the big screen, and they began discussing entry options for the no-knock warrant on a gang of six men dubbed the Grinch Brigade who stole donated toys from charitable organizations. Sergeant Bailey of Guns and Gangs got a lucky break in his case two nights ago when a tip resulted in the apprehension of one of the members. In exchange for a lighter sentence, the man gave up the location and details of their operation. TRF would be serving the arrest warrant because the gang was heavily armed.

  Rollback – Dan’s Apartment – 3:00 a.m.

  Flashes, screams, and explosions invaded Dan’s dream. He thrashed back and forth fighting with his sheets. Freeing both arms, he whipped them around fighting off imaginary enemies. The lamp and clock went crashing to the ground. The clock’s power cord ripped out of the socket with the force of Dan’s strike. Bright red numbers faded to nothingness when the compartment broke open, and the backup battery dislodged from its contacts as the clock bounced and collided with the wall.

  His arms flailing wildly Dan screamed. He refused to be retaken. Legs wrapped tightly in damp sheets and blankets, trapping him, he panicked and struck out at his attackers as gunfire raged around him.

  Dan wrenched to the right trying desperately to escape. He must avoid capture. He jerked left. They were still coming. He twisted right again, and his head whacked the edge of the nightstand. His hands grabbed the bedside table and yanked hard, imagining it was the man who hit him.

  The stand and its contents went flying. His phone slammed into the bathroom door and landed in a cracked heap on the tile floor. A glass of water fell and shattered near the now broken cell phone. Water seeped into the device sealing its fate as a
now useless piece of technology. The bottle of pain pills landed with a soft thump on the carpet next to the dresser.

  Dan continued to fight until he ended up on the floor panting noisily. HIDE! His mind screamed at him. He crawled to his closet which in his nightmare was somewhere in Afghanistan in a little hovel of a house.

  Closing the door, Dan shook from adrenaline, cold, and fear as he cowered in the corner praying they wouldn’t find him before Blaze and Brody came to rescue him. All he needed to do was stay quiet and hide, or they’d take him. His brother promised never to let him be captured again—Brody would save him.

  “Brody, help. Brody, find me. Don’t leave me alone again. Save me.” Pure exhaustion overtook Dan, and his body pulled him into sleep.

  Slipping in behind Danny, Brody held him close, wrapping his wings securely around his brother’s shaking body. “Shhhh, sleep. Rest now. I’m here. Always here. You’re never alone. You are safe.” A golden glow shone under the closet door, unseen by anyone as Brody sought to warm Danny’s shivering body.

  Present – Dan’s Apartment – 7:35 am

  Lexa knocked on the door for the second time.

  Loki pulled out a small pouch as he waited next to Lexa, feeling anxious. The drive over didn’t take that long, but they had to hike up ten flights of stairs. “Should I pick the lock?”

  She nodded and stepped aside as Loki selected a lockpicking tool.

  Worried what he might find, recalling Jon’s description of Dan when the boss and Jon discovered him in here near death, his hand shook a little, and it took him longer than average to unlock the door. “Getting a bit rusty,” Loki said to cover his anxiety.

  “No, you’re good. I was thinking. He was okay last night, no sign of being ill. The investigation into his military service … he has enemies. We may not have found everyone who was in league with Plouffe and Pletcher. I think we need to take precautions.”

  His eyes rounding, Loki sucked in a breath as he stood. He never even considered that possibility. His hand went to his holster, unlatched and withdrew his gun, holding it down at his side. “Agreed.”

  Lexa drew her weapon while Loki positioned himself on one side. She turned the knob and thrust open Dan’s door. They scanned the interior and found no threat before entering the apartment. Everything in the main room and small kitchen appeared in order. No signs of a struggle. Lexa pointed at Dan’s go bag near the front door which indicated he had not left.

  Loki nodded, and they made their way to Dan’s bedroom door which was closed. Lexa positioned herself as Loki placed a hand on the doorknob. At her signal, Loki opened the door rapidly. Both halted, stunned to see the disarrayed state of Dan’s room. It appeared there had been quite a struggle.

  Entering with caution, Loki moved toward the bathroom. He scanned and finding no one said, “Clear.” Loki turned to Lexa with apprehension etched on his face. “This is bad. What happened here?”

  Lexa shook her head as her mind began to assess the room. “I’m not sure.” She stared the shattered lamp on the floor.

  Glancing down, Loki spotted Dan’s broken cell phone in a puddle. He picked it up and showed Lexa. “This explains why he isn’t answering. It’s toast.” Surveying the destruction around him, Loki voiced his concern, “Appears Dan tried to fight off attackers. We should call Boss. You’re right he has lots of enemies. This could be anyone.”

  Time slowed down for Lexa as she studied the scene and her thoughts whirled in so many directions at once. Fear for what might’ve happened to Dan drove her to take a deep breath and focus on her surroundings. Calming herself, letting her rational and logical mind take over, she critically examined the room searching for clues as she would in any abduction case.

  Her eyes followed the trail of covers which appeared to stretch out in the direction of the closet. Her keen eyes traveled around the room taking in the location of each item. Haphazard, not directed. Only a fraction of a minute passed since Loki spoke when Lexa responded, “I don’t think this is what it appears to be.”

  Moving towards the closet, Lexa gradually opened the door. Her heart wrenched seeing Dan curled compactly in the back corner and covered with clothes from his hamper. Turning to Loki, her eyes reflected compassion and relief. “Found him.”

  Loki’s jaw dropped and his eyes rounded as he glanced at the chaos of Dan’s room again before returning to Lexa. “Nightmare?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I suspect. We don’t want him too embarrassed. How about you give me a little room? I’ll wake him.”

  Blowing out a relieved but concerned breath, Loki exited the room as he said, “Sure, I’ll inform Boss he’s okay.”

  Loki closed the bedroom door to give Lexa and more importantly Dan privacy. His friend would be self-conscious being found in his closet. Being a frequent recipient of Lexa’s deft handling of humiliating circumstances, Loki believed she would be better at easing their teammate’s discomfort. He ambled into the kitchen area and dialed the boss to report Dan’s status.

  Nick answered, “Did you find Dan?”

  “Yeah, he’s at home. Lexa’s waking him now. Appears he had a rough night from the state of his bedroom. We think he had one heck of a nightmare. His phone is busted, which is why he didn’t answer any of our calls. And his alarm clock is dead too.”

  “Is he fit for duty or does he need a day off?”

  “Not sure yet. We’ll let you know shortly.”

  “The warrant should be in by nine. Need you and Lexa back here in the next thirty minutes to prepare. If Dan isn’t up to coming in today, tell him he’s approved for a day off.”

  “Copy,” Loki replied then hung up. He sighted the cold coffee and decided to make a fresh pot as he wondered what set off Dan’s nightmare.

  Once Loki closed the door, Lexa holstered her Glock and crouched down outside the closet. She took a few moments to examine Dan. She noted a new bruise on the side of his head. He must have smacked it on the nightstand or something else during his nightmare.

  She bit her lip, hoping that him telling her about the beating he and Brody received at Woody’s Wonderlounge didn’t trigger this nightmare. Though she may never know—Dan fought many demons. He lived through too many terrible things in his life and appeared to bounce back easily. At least that is what he portrayed to the world. Lexa wondered if that might be another shield he hid behind.

  The man before her had scars, both visible and concealed. Well versed in unseen wounds herself, Lexa understood Dan on an unconscious level. She suspected they both harbored deep hurts and insecurities they hid from everyone. Perhaps that is why I’m drawn to him.

  Lexa pushed those thoughts away. None of that would help Dan right now. She perceived his embarrassment for being found in his closet. He might even believe he failed in his duty by not showing up for work on time. She called softly, “Dan. Dan, it’s Lexa. Dan, time to wake up.”

  A soft, familiar voice beckoned to him. Dan blinked his eyes open and caught sight of Lexa’s beautiful face. He started to grin, thinking how pleasurable it was to awaken next to Lexa, but the grin froze half-formed as several realities crashed into his sleep-fogged mind. I’m in my closet. My head is throbbing. Lexa is crouching outside staring at me.

  The last thought caused his eyes to flare open. Lexa’s fully dressed in her uniform. I overslept. Missed my alarm. How? I’ve heard the beeping when I woke in the closet before. Why not today?

  “Ah crap!” he said in a gravelly morning voice as his face flushed red.

  Lexa pretended nothing was amiss and gave him a warm smile as she said, “Morning. You’re a tad late for work. Your alarm apparently didn’t go off. Want to grab a quick shower and ride in with Loki and me?”

  Dan began to rise but stopped when he realized he was naked beneath the clothes covering him. “Yeah, give me ten, and I’ll be out.”

  Lexa rose, and as she turned to exit, she said, “Careful of the lamp and glass fragments on the way to your bathroom.”

&nbs
p; After Lexa closed his door, he crawled out of the tiny space and scanned the destruction in his room. He spotted his now dead clock. Shit! Explains why I didn’t hear the buzzing—there was none. Dan cautiously made his way to the bathroom, watchful of where he stepped, the last thing he needed was a sliced foot—waking in a closet and being late was bad enough.

  In the bathroom, Dan inspected his lovely new bruise. Damn, no hiding this from the team. At least I didn’t split it open. Jon and the rest would mother-hen me to death if I did. As Dan stepped into the shower, he recalled the familiar nightmare. Unsettled by the dredged-up images popping into his mind, and unsure of the trigger this year, Dan tried to shove the memory back into his box. He washed swiftly then brushed his teeth.

  As he pulled on a comfortable pair of faded jeans, a long-sleeve pull-over shirt, and his soft chukka boots, Dan contemplated facing the team—extremely awkward. The boss and Jon would undoubtedly be pissed after having to send the team to find him. Damn, a sucky way to start my day.

  Once ready, Dan viewed the disordered state of his bedroom wishing he had time to put it to rights before leaving. It irked him to leave his place in disarray. He would clean things up before going to Mayfield this afternoon. Dan scanned for his phone, but couldn’t locate it. Where the hell did it go? Giving up his search for now because Loki and Lexa were waiting, he spied his pain meds. Dan retrieved the bottle and slipped it into his pocket.

  The door opened to Dan’s room, and Loki glimpsed the slight pink blush on Dan’s face. Loki ambled over and handed Dan a travel mug. “Coffee’s hot. Let’s go. We’ve got bread and butter action this morning.”

  Dan took the mug and glanced at his teammates. Neither of them acted like anything out of the ordinary happened. That was kind, and he appreciated their behavior a lot. Deciding to act normal too, Dan said, “Thanks for the coffee. Can’t find my phone. Gonna need a loaner today.”

  Loki chuckled. “You’ll need more than a temporary.” He showed Dan his destroyed phone. “No worries, I got your back on this one.”