Pieces of Broken Time

by Lorenz Font

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Acknowledgement

  About the Author

  Also by Lorenz Font

  Pieces of Broken Time

  By

  Lorenz Font

  First published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop, 2014

  Copyright © Lorenz Font, 2014

  The right of Lorenz Font to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000

  This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  All characters and events in this Book – even those sharing the same name as (or based upon) real people – are entirely fictional. No person, brand or corporation mentioned in this Book should be taken to have endorsed this Book nor should the events surrounding them be considered in any way factual.

  This Book is a work of fiction and should be read as such.

  The Writer’s Coffee Shop

  (Australia) PO Box 447 Cherrybrook NSW 2126

  (USA) PO Box 2116 Waxahachie TX 75168

  Paperback ISBN-978-1-61213-256-3

  E-book ISBN-978-1-61213-257-0

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the US Congress Library.

  Cover Images: Ginasanders/dreamstime John Pilge/sxu.hu

  Cover Design: Claudia Trapp/Phantasy Graphic Design

  www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/lfont

  Dedication

  To Doug Nelson,

  A friend, gentleman, and guardian angel.

  You will never be forgotten.

  Chapter 1

  July 10, 2000

  “Bro, you good?” Trent Shaw’s voice broke into Blake Connor’s thoughts, distracting him from the hypnotic drone of the plane’s whirring engine.

  Blinking his eyes, Blake nodded and patted his best friend on the back. “Yeah. It’s all good.”

  En route to Nigeria for an extensive training mission, they faced endless hours of hard work and planning as members of the Special Forces. Briefing had taken less than a week and while the exact purpose and length of their service in the region was still being debated in Washington, Blake was eager to get his first real assignment underway. Training was a different mindset. He’d been jonesing for the real deal.

  Alongside Blake sat a fellow Californian, Trent, with sharp green eyes and an easy smile, as well as two rednecks, Robert and Shane. The excitement inside the cabin was palpable.

  Robert blew a big gum bubble and made a loud, annoying sound as he popped it back in his mouth. “I hope this stint finishes in time for the baby.”

  “I’m crossing my fingers for ya, buddy,” Shane said.

  Blake grinned as the rest of the guys muttered their agreement and saluted Robert.

  Fatherhood was a blessing but not something Blake was ready for. In fact, he doubted he’d ever commit until he was out of the military. Going off on assignments for an unknown period of time and leaving a family behind should be avoided, in his book. Remaining unattached was the only way to go.

  With a thirty minute estimated time of arrival, Blake felt the plane drop altitude. His heart skipped a beat and he glanced at Trent. His best friend for the past year was completely lost in the photograph he held in the palm of his hand. Without even seeing it, Blake knew it was a picture of Trent’s girlfriend, Jennifer Owens.

  He elbowed Trent. “You’re going to burn a hole in that picture if you don’t stop staring at it.”

  “Be that as it may, I miss the lady already,” Trent said and lowered his lips to the picture, giving it a loud kiss.

  “Dude, we’ve only been gone for eleven hours. You gotta be kidding me.” Blake shook his head.

  “You’re such a lech, Shaw.” Joe, another Ranger from Texas, teased Trent.

  Rolling his eyes, Trent gave the picture another kiss before placing it in his pocket. “I’m just keeping it real.”

  The pilot’s voice crackled over the speaker to announce their arrival at the small military airstrip.

  The plane continued its descent, and Blake readied for action.

  Deep down, he envied his friends. Blake’s decision to remain single had nothing to do with not finding the right girl but with wanting one that wasn’t available. Although Katrina had been more than willing almost from the start, Blake hadn’t been able to bring himself to commit, and it wasn’t fair to string Katrina along when she wasn’t the woman invading his every waking thought.

  Blake shoved his beret off and ran his hand over his skull trim, inhaling a deep breath. With a final glance at Trent’s pocket, Blake exhaled slowly and admitted, even if it was only to himself, that this whole thing was a nightmare waiting to happen.

  Colonel Norwalk stood up once the aircraft settled to a stop, and removed an unlit cigarillo from his mouth. “You kids ready to roll?”

  A collective and enthusiastic response echoed from all the rangers present, and they exited the plane like an ant colony ready for a hard day’s labor.

  “Hey, baby. Is everything okay?”

  Blake heard Trent whispering into the phone on one of their rare work breaks. A long pause followed and he assumed his buddy was listening to his fiancée on the other end. Blake tried to move away to avoid hearing any more of the conversation. He’d rather not be in the same room but the cramped space didn’t allow for much movement. He turned his back and picked up a local newspaper as a distraction.

  As much as he’d been able, Blake had been keeping his feelings on a tight leash concerning the woman he’d been thinking of, which had been difficult since all the eavesdropping had made him privy to the rough patch that Jennifer was going through back home.

  When he read the same sentence for a fourth time and still had no idea what it said, he knew he was choking on his feelings and losing all ability to concentrate.

  Trent covered the mouthpiece and summoned him over. “Blake, come say hi to Jennifer and cheer her up?”

  Hesitating, he had no idea how to get out of this one. He looked around the confined space as if the answer was hiding in a corner. It was too late to make a halfhearted excuse, so he took a deep breath and worked at modulating his voice to sound upbeat before he took the phone from Trent. “Hey, Jenny, how is our up and coming clothing designer?” Good enough. His tone came out sounding bright and cheery. Brownie point for me.

  Despite the dark clouds he knew loomed around her aunt’s health woes, Jennifer’s giggle surprised him and caused a strange sensation to ripple across his taut nerves.

  “I’m fine. How are you doing? Loving the weather so far?”

  “Sure. Showers are required three times a day in this oppressive oven.” He chuckled. Damn him for allowing himself to relish the sweet lilt of her voice. He cleared his throat and tried to settle himself. “Is your aunt going to be o
kay?”

  There was a pause on the other end.

  Blake could only imagine the difficulty of the situation, considering their wedding was scheduled soon.

  “I don’t know exactly what to think anymore. It’s scary.”

  Trying to sound optimistic for her benefit, Blake said, “Well, better get Aunt Debbie up and about. You don’t want to miss the rare sight of me in a tuxedo.”

  Another edgy laugh sounded on the other end of the line.

  Blake couldn’t stop the feeling of helplessness that hit him square in the chest. Helpless for wanting someone he could never have. He threw a quick glance at Trent, who was gnawing his finger out of nervous habit.

  “I’m crossing my fingers.” Jennifer sounded wistful, which only made Blake ache for her more than ever.

  “Well, I have to go now. We’re on a tight schedule here. Take care of yourself, ya hear?” It was a fib, but the longer he stayed on the phone, the more trouble he made for himself.

  “You men behave yourselves,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am. We’re all vying for sainthood here.” Blake handed the phone back to Trent and stepped back. He flipped through the newspaper in an effort to keep his mind off replaying the sound of her voice in his head, and not wanting to hear the sad goodbyes or silly I love yous.

  After the phone call that seemed to last forever, he and Trent walked out of the designated communication station and into the blistering heat. The night temperature hadn’t improved, and it left them sweating underneath their brown shirts and camouflage pants.

  “What’s the deal with her aunt?” Blake asked. He knew what had prompted the unscheduled call from Jennifer and sent Trent into a spiral of worry.

  “Aunt Debbie is not doing well. She refuses to be admitted to the hospital, and Jennifer is running out of hope.”

  “That blows. What about the wedding?”

  “I don’t know.” Sadness crept into Trent’s voice. “I wish I could be there to help out.”

  Blake had nothing more for his friend apart from a pat on the shoulder for comfort.

  They reached their barracks and slipped quietly through the dark, as lights out was already in force.

  “I hope she gets better so she can give Jennifer away. It would break her heart if her aunt couldn’t attend the wedding,” Trent whispered before they each climbed into their own makeshift cots.

  The next few days stretched into a blur of activities while the mission took form. In spite of the busy schedule, Blake spent each day vacillating between beating himself up for every thought of Jennifer and attempting to divert his full attention to Katrina. The task had proven difficult. His mind kept wandering to the beautiful, petite blonde with expressive eyes. While he had spoken to her countless times, he’d only seen her once, but it had been enough. He had known the moment he’d seen her smile that he was in trouble.

  August 15, 2001

  After the short gig in Nigeria, followed by a reassignment in Sierra Leone, Blake returned to the States expecting to finish off the rest of the summer awaiting his next deployment. A brief lull from working and travelling called for a little rest. Relaxing was a well-deserved change of pace. He welcomed the comfort of sleeping in his own bed and looked forward to the time where he and Drew, a Doberman puppy he’d recently bought, could spend time in the park playing ball and taking long walks.

  With keys in hand and Drew in tow, they were ready to sail out the door when the phone rang. The strong urge to ignore the call was replaced with worry. His parents were the only ones who called his landline.

  “Hello?” he said, gesturing for Drew to heel.

  “Hey, my man, Jennifer and I are in town, and we have to hang out.” Trent sounded too enthusiastic.

  “In town?” Blake glanced at the wall clock and swallowed his groan. “When? Where?” He wasn’t ready to see Jennifer again. No matter how nice she was or how hard he’d tried to keep his feelings hidden, he might slip and that would be a shitload of trouble.

  “Yeah, we’re in a hotel in Westwood right now. Why don’t you drive here and we’ll meet you at the bar?”

  Crap! This can’t be happening.

  “Um, okay. I’ll be there around seven tonight.” He wrote down the name of the hotel and hung up feeling as if he were about to attend his own funeral. His plan had been to avoid Jennifer until the wedding.

  It seemed the mighty guy up there had other plans for him.

  Jennifer stared at Trent in disbelief. “Are you sure about this?”

  “I don’t want us to get married while Aunt Debbie is the way she is right now. I’m glad she finally relented to be taken to the hospital, though. I think it’s a good idea if we postpone the wedding until she’s feeling better and up on her feet.” Trent took her hand and kissed it.

  “I feel terrible.” She tilted his chin until his green eyes were gazing into hers.

  “Rubbish.” Trent smiled, a slow and easy one, and she knew he understood. “Besides, what is another month? You will be Mrs. Shaw in no time.”

  Aunt Debbie had been suffering shortness of breath, and the last stroke had snuffed every ounce of energy from them both. Jennifer had felt bad preparing for her wedding while her aunt’s health had been on a downward spiral, but she couldn’t help the sense of relief she’d felt with Trent’s announcement. He’d understood, and her guilt was killing her. She shouldn’t want to celebrate postponing their wedding. She knew the answer but cowardice made her ignore the facts staring her in the face.

  The wedding would take place in a month. There hadn’t been too many arrangements since she had made it clear that she wanted a small ceremony in front of a judge and attended by only a few family and friends, with a reception at a local restaurant afterward. She suspected that Trent was more interested in the honeymoon anyway.

  At Aunt Debbie’s insistence, Jennifer had agreed to let her move into a nursing facility close to home with twenty-four-hour health care professionals, even though she had hated her aunt’s decision. Jennifer had no doubt that it had to do with Trent’s arrival, but she’d had no choice but to follow the dear woman’s wishes. Caring for her only relative wasn’t a task. How could it be when her aunt had given up so much? It was the least she could do for the woman who had taken her in as her own after her parents had perished in an automobile accident.

  “Why don’t we go to Los Angeles and take in the sights? We can stay a couple of nights and maybe call Blake for a drink, too.”

  Trent’s suggestion sounded appealing, and the mini vacation allowed her to get away while still being close enough in case Aunt Debbie needed her. It could be nice seeing Blake again, too.

  Just nice?

  Jennifer had taken an instant liking to Trent’s best friend, Blake. He was easygoing, funny, and genuine. Trent was an only child, but the day they started training he had immediately adopted the man with the similar twisted sense of humor as his brother. During their deployment together, Trent had talked nonstop about his friend and Jennifer felt as though she’d known the guy practically her whole life.

  Jennifer chewed her bottom lip a moment longer before she pushed the smile into place. “Sure, let me just call the hospital. Let them know that I’ll be away for the weekend.”

  Packed inside Trent’s SUV and headed toward Los Angeles, Jennifer enjoyed the scenery and a few moments of comfortable silence when she noticed Trent furrowing his brows.

  “Penny for your thoughts?”

  “Hmm?” Trent glanced at her and smiled, reaching across the console to hold her hand. “I’m just thinking of the future. Life in general.”

  “What about it?”

  He only hesitated a second before answering, but it was enough that she caught it. “I don’t know. I’m just full of introspection these days.”

  “Are you getting cold feet?” She had no idea what had prompted her to ask. Trent’s reluctance to look her in the eye told her that she might be on to something. She expected to feel guilt for asking, bu
t it was relief that washed over her. Embarrassed at her internal jubilation, she stared straight ahead.

  Trent grinned. “Oh no. It’s not that. I’m just being silly.” He touched her chin briefly before focusing on the road again.

  “You know you can tell me anything.”

  Trent smiled. “You know I love you, right? And I’ll try to do right by you.”

  Jennifer nodded. “And I love you, too.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, hoping to find the nerve to admit that she wasn’t sure about anything anymore. As usual, she couldn’t say it. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Trent.

  The background music substituted for the lack of conversation, and Jennifer closed her eyes while the calming melody lulled her to the special place where she rarely allowed herself to go—the day of her engagement party.

  “May I have this dance?”

  Blake’s voice sounded so close, prompting Jennifer to open her eyes and glance at the man beside her before she was lost in her memories once more.

  Pride had radiated in Trent’s face when he’d kissed her hand and stepped aside, placing her hand in Blake’s. “Take care of her. She is a treasure.”

  “As she is to me.”

  Blake’s voice was barely audible, but she heard it. Her heart raced, making her weak in the knees. She expected to feel this way in her fiancé’s presence, not with Blake.

  “Excuse me?” she asked.

  Blake inclined his head and flashed a stunning smile. “Shall we?” he said, ignoring her inquiry. Without waiting for an answer, he spun her around and then placed a hand on the small of her back, swaying to the rhythm of the slow music.

  “What did you just say a minute ago?” Feeling a bit breathless, she let him guide her around the dance floor, basking in the strength of his touch. It felt wrong, and yet so right.