by Laura Acton
“Good, Dan. If anything changes, inform me.” Pleased with Dan’s progress, Nick kicked himself for not mentoring him before. He truly failed in his duty as a sergeant with Dan. But now he sought to rectify his errors in judgment. Refocusing on the task at hand, Nick asked, “Tia, do we have a name yet?”
Tia’s monitor chose that moment to pop up the detail needed. “The flat is rented to James and Lorelei Digby.”
Loki said, “I’m on it.” He held his laptop with one hand as he typed with his other to find background information on the couple. “Whoa, Lexa!” Loki cried out as she took the turn fast and he bumped into the door.
“Loki, not sure if this helps, but the subject is wearing an Army uniform with corporal insignia.” Dan continued to observe as the team arrived.
“Sure does. Thanks, Dan,” Loki responded. He smiled at Lexa, put a hand over his mike, and whispered, “Most he’s talked to me in a month.”
Lexa gave him a slight nod and half-smile. Moving at a snail’s pace, but at least they made some progress with Dan.
Outside Mulberry Apartments
Jon and Ray arrived last. When Jon stepped out of the SUV, he said, “Ray, less lethal. Join Bram upstairs in case you need to go in and cover Boss.”
“Copy,” Ray replied. He changed out his clip to the rubber bullets, grabbed a shield, and headed inside the building.
Engaged in interviewing the neighbors, Lexa gleaned as much detail as possible. Loki slipped into the command truck and began running background checks on the Digby’s and facial recognition on the images Bram captured with the flexible camera he inserted under the door.
Jon noted Broderick’s location and realized the choice was an excellent position. Though uncomfortable with him in the primary sniper role, still unsure if he could trust the rookie, Jon decided to give Dan a chance. “Dan, you’re Zulu One. I’m taking up a secondary position and will be Zulu Two.”
Nick joined Loki in the mobile tech truck. “What do you have for me?”
Loki reported, “Corporal James Digby, twenty-four, married to Lorelei Digby, twenty-two. They leased the apartment nine months ago. James joined the Army at twenty as a communications tech. Based on the photo Bram sent, our subject is James. No hit on the male hostage but a driver’s license confirms the female hostage is Lorelei.”
Nick nodded. “Patch me through to their phone and keep working on identifying the other hostage.”
“Copy.” Loki worked his magic to connect Boss.
Nick watched the images from the snake cam on the monitor as the phone rang. When James picked up the receiver and slammed it back down without answering, Nick said, “Bram, they’re not picking up. I’m coming up. Can you hear anything?” Nick jogged toward the entrance. He would need to initiate negotiations through their door.
Mulberry Apartments – Hallway Outside 50C
Bram stood outside the apartment, listening. James stopped yelling, and he could only hear snippets now and relayed them to Nick. “I’m only getting fragments. I think the male hostage is a friend of James. He keeps saying you betrayed me, but he also said I trusted you, you want a divorce, and the baby can’t be mine.”
When Bram finished, Lexa said, “The neighbor only saw Mrs. Digby in the past six months. She considers her to be a quiet and pleasant neighbor. She overheard one man, I’m assuming the subject, say he would kill both for being disloyal. Lorelei indicated she is pregnant and asked if he would willingly kill his unborn child. To which a male replied, it isn’t mine. She called 911 after that, and they told her to move away from the common wall.”
“Thanks.” Nick reached the Digby’s door and raised his voice, “Hello in apartment 50C. This is Sergeant Nick Pastore with the police Tactical Response Force. One of your neighbors reported a possible problem in there. I would like to help if I can.”
A shout from inside, most likely James, said, “Go away. This is none of the police’s business.”
“All the same, can you tell me if everyone is alright? Would you open the door so we can talk without shouting?”
“James is gonna kill Bobby. You need to stop him,” Lorelei screamed.
Nick said, “James, let’s talk. I would like to resolve the problem without anyone getting hurt.”
Rooftop of Fire Stick Grill
Dan listened as he kept his sights on the distressed subject. He didn’t bother to ask permission to fire. Procedure dictated either Sarge or Jon would give him the signal if he must take the shot.
He wondered a bit why Jon had not taken over Zulu One. Every previous time when they were both in a sniper position, Jon always made him Zulu Two. The change in Jon and the others perplexed him.
Dan cleared his mind of his personal issues and focused on the dialog, amazed when Sarge managed to persuade James to allow Sarge and Bram to enter. The situation presented set Dan’s teeth on edge, both men were too close to the weapon, and Bram covered Sarge without a ballistics shield.
His own lack of protective equipment was the subject of Jon’s most recent tirade after one of their warrant calls this week. ‘Don’t go in without cover’ his tactical lead bellowed at him. He only entered without the shield because it was necessary. One subject shifted to a position from which he could’ve taken out the entire team. With no time to explain, not that Jon would’ve listened, he acted immediately. Although going unprotected put himself at risk, he needed to save them regardless of how they treated him.
Apparently, the team operated under the axiom ‘do as I say, not what I do,’ as it appeared the rules only applied to him and not the rest of them. Confident Jon wouldn’t ream Bram and Sarge over this in debrief, but if it were him and not Bram, Jon would be raging and slamming the training manuals down in front of him again.
While James spoke to Sarge, Dan recognized the man’s voice lost the angry edge and now sounded despondent as he said, “I got back from deployment this morning excited to hold Lorelei. I wanted to surprise her, but she ended up surprising me. My so-called best friend … right … the man who supposedly had my back … was screwing her when I walked in.”
Through the scope, Dan monitored as James lowered the gun and turned to his buddy and said, “Why did you betray me? We are brothers. I would’ve taken a bullet for you. How could you fuck my wife?”
Dan noted the slump of James’ shoulders. He empathized with the guy. His wife, pregnant by his supposed friend, stabbed in the back by the man he claimed as a brother. Betrayal hurts so many.
When James turned towards the window, Dan’s breath hitched. Green eyes. Brody’s visage swam before him in the same instant Jon called out, “PapaGolf.”
In his scope, Brody’s jade-green eyes stared at him. He couldn’t kill Brody. Dan froze. His finger didn’t move to the trigger. A gunshot rang through his headset followed by a rifle report.
No! No, not Brody. He nearly screamed as Brody crumpled into the dirt. I didn’t fire! Who shot him?
Dan’s world shifted as Jon’s voice sounded in his head. “Subject neutralized. Boss, Bram, status?”
Peering through the scope the image morphed back to reality, James Digby lay on the carpet with blood pooling at his head. Dan scanned the room and found Bram on the ground with Sarge kneeling next to him. He slammed his eyes shut. I failed again. I didn’t shoot, and the subject shot Bram.
Dropping his Remi, Dan smashed his fists into the wall with all his might. He punched, again and again, needing physical pain to override the emotional turmoil. After several minutes, his breaths came out ragged, and he slumped to the roof in a daze. He heard none of the words of the team over the sound of blood rushing in his ears and his internal recriminations.
Where’s Your Boyfriend?
32
October 19
Outside Mulberry Apartments
After beating the hell out of the wall on the roof and somewhat recomposing himself, Dan packed the Remi. His steps down the stairs were slow and methodical carrying him to what was certain to be ano
ther verbal dress down from members of the team.
Through a milky haze, he tried to make sense of the last seconds of the call. The subject went from a docile green to flaming red in a split second. How? Why? Important questions, but more so he sought to comprehend why he froze when he should’ve taken the shot. He had never done that before—never. In doing so, he failed to protect Bram which ate at him.
Stepping outside, he fully expected to be screamed at by at least one team member but was surprised to find them otherwise occupied. As he scanned the area, he noted Sarge spoke with Inspector Pope turning over the scene to him. Ray assisted Bram over to the paramedics to be examined. Lexa and Loki appeared to be packing up their gear. None of them even looked in his direction, which spoke loudly in and of itself. They behaved just like his unit—he failed, and they refused to acknowledge him.
He strode to the rear of the SUV he rode in with Bram and put away his Remi. As Dan closed the vehicle, he glimpsed Agent Donner escorting Jon to an NRB sedan. Jon’s gray eyes burned with hatred for him as their gazes met. Yeah, I deserve his wrath.
Rage at himself boiled to the surface once more, and Dan tightly clenched his fists at his side. Congealed cuts on his knuckles from punching the rooftop wall reopened and blood oozed, soaking his gloves. Close to losing control, Dan needed to punch something again to release his emotions. He spotted a walkway between the buildings across the street and headed directly for it.
Almost to the alleyway, Dan heard a familiar voice call out, “Hey, Dan!” He stopped at the wall and turned, shocked by the voice. Dan sighted Jarmal Tate. No mistaking him. Jarmal’s perpetual broad smile showing perfect, white teeth reflected the joyful and optimistic inner man.
What is Jarmal doing here? The man had changed little since Dan last saw him two years ago. Jarmal’s polished onyx skin glowed, the chiseled face clean-shaven, and his biceps still bulged. The only visible change, instead of short military cropped hair, Jarmal now sported thick, chin-length dreadlocks.
Jarmal jogged up to Dan with a huge grin. Too long since he set eyes on two of his favorite people on earth. Stunned but pleased to see Dan in a TRF uniform, he expected Brody would be close at hand. This is great! I can invite them to my restaurant and make a special meal. Perhaps Dan’s favorite burger for old-time’s sake. Those burgers, made to Patch’s specifications with a few added vitamins and protein powder mixed in, helped Dan put on weight during his recovery and gave him fuel for his demanding physical therapy.
As he came to a stop, Jarmal grinned. His voice boomed happily, “Where’s your boyfriend Brody? You and your partner are inseparable, like an old married couple. Where one is, so is the other.”
The question and comment shocked Dan. He paled. “Brody’s dead.”
Jarmal’s face fell and his brown eyes filled with sorrow as he reeled from the blunt statement. “My God! I’m sorry. He was so very special to you. You two had such a deep connection.”
As he gazed at his buddy, Jarmal took in his appearance. Not far off to being as thin as when he was recovering from captivity, his eyes dulled … almost dead, and the dark circles under his eyes spoke of endless sleepless nights. Softly, Jarmal asked, “How did Brody die?”
Dan lost all self-control as the agony of Brody’s death ripped through him. He rapidly struck the brick wall full-force multiple times.
“Whoa, Dan!” Jarmal exclaimed as he reached out to stop him.
When a hand grabbed his upper arm, Dan whirled around. “Leave me the fuck alone!”
Jarmal released his grip and took a step back with his hands up.
Dan pivoted and sprinted away—his demons chasing him.
His eyes wide with concern, all Jarmal could do was shake his head as he muttered, “He looks terrible. Almost as bad as he did when he was lost for three months.”
Jon stopped the NRB agent from putting him in the sedan with one hot glare when he spotted Dan striding towards the narrow alley. His anger at Broderick spiked—the rookie failed to shoot. When the gun came up towards Boss, Jon recognized James’ intent changed from murderous to suicide by cop, and they couldn’t do a damned thing to save James’ life.
He called out PapaGolf expecting Broderick to take the lethal shot—but he didn’t. Digby managed to fire, and Bram moved in time to take the hit in the vest instead of Boss being struck in the head. He was pissed at Bram and Boss for going in without a shield. What were they thinking? He neutralized the subject before he shot again.
Broderick’s reaction just now puzzled him. When the large muscular man came out of the Fire Stick Grill and called to Dan, he resisted Agent Donner’s insistence on getting into the car. Close enough to overhear their conversation without his headset which was already switched off. The man asked where Broderick’s boyfriend was and the rookie didn’t dispute anything but indicated his partner was dead.
Confused and shocked by Broderick’s behavior many things ran through his mind. Is he gay? He doesn’t seem the type, but then again, does a type exist? Could this be why Broderick left the military? Was his lover Brody killed? What did the man mean … when was Broderick lost for three months?
“We must leave now.” Richard Donner yanked on the officer’s arm.
Jon turned his cold gunmetal gray eyes on Donner. He learned from Gibbson how this dickhead treated Dan in his first NRB interview. And although on the whole he didn’t much care for Broderick, no one messed with his team—particularly this jerk. “Back off, Dick!”
Backpedaling several steps at the ferociousness of the words and deadly glare, Donner swallowed hard and feebly said, “My name is Richard.”
Ignoring the agent and scanning the scene, Jon found Nick and yelled across the street. “Boss, you need to go after Broderick. I don’t know what the hell happened, but he took off running.”
Donner weakly interjected, “Officer Hardy, you are sequestered and not allowed to speak until after the interview.”
Jon’s gaze narrowed, pinning Donner with his glare. “My team comes first, Dick.”
“Richa…” Donner trailed off as the glare intensified.
As he jogged over, Nick inquired, “Which way did he go?”
Pointing down the road, Jon said, “He hauled ass that way and took a right at the light. He stopped to talk with that guy.” Jon pointed out the lone man standing outside of the grill. “After punching the shit out of the wall, he took off. Find him, but don’t start debrief until I return. I have a hell of a lot to say about this call. I’m not a happy camper.”
“Go with NRB. We’ll find Dan.”
After a curt nod, Jon got into the rear seat of the sedan.
Unmuting his headset, Nick said, “Lexa, Loki, I need you two to search for Dan. Pick him up and bring him to headquarters.” He gave them the directions that Jon had indicated.
“Copy,” both said exiting the building with the last of the gear. Rushing to the vehicle, they shared concerned expressions. Inside the apartment during Dan’s conversation neither of them realized Dan left. Clear to both something drastic occurred, they needed to locate Dan fast.
As a paramedic took his blood pressure, Bram said, “I should go, Boss.”
“No. You’re heading to the ER to be checked out properly,” Nick stated firmly. “Ray, follow Bram to the hospital and stay with him. If the doctor doesn’t require him to stay for observation, head back to HQ. We’ll wait to debrief until you arrive.”
“Copy, Boss.” Ray glanced at Loki as he sprinted to the truck.
Bram didn’t like it, but he sat back on the gurney and let the medic continue his exam. His chest seriously ached, and he wondered if he had cracked a few ribs. Digby had been so close the force of the bullet’s impact took his breath away and knocked him on his ass. Jon’s going to lay into me for not taking in a shield—a rookie mistake on my part. Why didn’t I grab one?
Focusing on Bram, Ray asked, “Why didn’t Dan take the shot? He is fast enough. Never seen anyone faster or more accurate—not even
Jon can match him. Do you think this has anything to do with this dead boyfriend, Brody?
Still, a tad shocked by that piece of information, Bram shook his head. “No idea. Though, I didn’t peg Dan as gay, not that it matters. Love is love.” Silently he added, and loss is a loss. The tears, pain, and desolation in Dan’s eyes make sense now. Dan lost someone he loved.
“True, but still … with all those ladies visiting HQ … gay is something I never would’ve thought about him.” Ray blew out a breath. Today is so messed up. Debrief will not be fun.
Bram didn’t answer Ray as the medics pushed his gurney into the ambulance and his mind whirled with questions. James became suicidal at the loss of his wife and best friend. Could a subject dressed in tan fatigues remind Dan of his loss? Did his boyfriend commit suicide? Perhaps all this hit too close to home for him and prevented him from firing. So many questions and so few answers.
TRF SUV
Lexa drove as both she and Loki searched for Dan. Muting their headsets, each mulled over things they learned about Dan. Every so often their headset conversations revealed matters they wished remained private.
As his knee bounced slightly, Loki said, “I didn’t get the impression Dan is into guys. I mean, women bringing him cookies and such.”
“If he is, and that is an IF, it doesn’t change anything,” Lexa replied tersely. Her hackles raised in defensive mode—an instinctive reaction she adopted long ago when she protected her older brother Aidan.
She was the only one Aidan confided in—afraid of what their older brothers and, more importantly, their father, would say if they found out he was gay. While they were in high school, Lexa tried to convince Aidan they would accept him with open arms … he was their brother and son after all.
Aidan never did tell them, and she swore to keep his secret. Now she was unsure they would’ve accepted him. They had forsaken her just because she chose to be a cop. All her brothers hurt her when they chose their father over her. Though, Aidan’s betrayal stung the most because of all them he should’ve supported how she wanted to live her life, as she supported him.