SOLACE: Behind The Shield (Beauty 0f Life Book 2)

by Laura Acton

  Glen Turpin, Delta’s sergeant, sighed at his rookie’s actions, aware of Cooper’s arrogance which needed dialing back. Cooper would eventually make a well-rounded officer but required close monitoring because he kept adopting more of Aaron’s traits than Glen would like.

  Aaron, although a decent officer, had serious attitude issues which Glen had yet to correct, the man often held on longer than expected to erroneous beliefs, like his dislike for Broderick. Glen decided pairing Cooper with Frank Hudson more often would be beneficial for Cooper. Frank was a solid member of his team with a level head and healthy attitude.

  Everyone watched as Dan made his move. He went to Loki’s right, then in a fluid, simultaneous motions he shifted to his left and switched the blade to his right hand, as he seized the opportunity of Loki’s opening. In a flash, Dan cautiously simulated the rubber knife fully embedding in Loki’s left lower quadrant below the tact vest then promptly twisted and lightly sliced across Loki’s jugular displaying an impressive and unexpected move.

  Hamming it up, Loki dramatically fell to the ground in an exaggerated death scene with the requisite gurgling and death twitches, resulting in laughter from most observers.

  Jon clapped Dan on the back. “Interesting move. Didn’t expect your last move, we need to work on a defensive strategy for that tactic.”

  Dan reached out a hand to Loki, to pull him up. “Challenging opponent. You made me work hard for it, Loki.”

  Loki chuckled. “Glad it is a fake knife. Why did you switch hands?” He rubbed his neck as he realized if it were real he would be dead. Loki learned a lot from Dan lately. Dan utilized moves none of them had ever seen before, and openly shared his knowledge with them.

  “You tend to leave your left side open. I can share a few tactics which will help you shield against what I did,” Dan said.

  Loki nodded. He didn’t realize he had a vulnerable spot. He appreciated Dan’s low-key insights because he never shoved it in their faces if he noted something wrong in their technique. Dan only stated what he observed, and the whole team worked with them on improving it.

  Cooper scoffed, “Lucky shot.”

  Bram glared at Cooper. Over the past four months, he concluded the rookie was a bit of a jerk. Cooper appeared to possess a high opinion of himself and his close-quarters-combat skills. Though no doubt talented, otherwise, he wouldn’t be TRF, Bram thought it might be beneficial to have Dan teach Cooper a thing or two and take him down a notch. It could save a life at some point because being too cocky put the entire team at risk.

  “So, think you can do better than Loki against Dan?” Bram asked Cooper.

  “Broderick isn’t so tough. I’ll take a shot,” Cooper preened.

  Dan shrugged. “Sure why not. You want to be the attacker?” He liked the challenge of sparring different people. He enjoyed training, and he learned something new about himself or the other person most times.

  “You wield the knife. You’ll need the protection. You’re going down hard,” Cooper bragged.

  Aaron smirked. He disliked Broderick. His uncle kept telling about how he was a screw-up and how he only got into Special Forces because of his daddy the general. Broderick didn’t have to work a day in his life for the things he got. Broderick lived a life of privilege all because of General Daddy and his ultra-rich, snobbish mother Lady Yvonne Loving-Broderick, the heiress to the vast Loving family fortune.

  Both teams started cheering as the two squared off. Bets were laid. Most of Delta Team naturally rooting for Cooper while Alpha Team went with Dan. Everyone viewing the contest noted the two were fairly evenly matched as they went back and forth. Each landed a couple of hits and blocked more—an exciting bout.

  Cooper maintained a safe knife range as he danced around Dan, but sparred harder than usual, not willing to pull his punches or kicks. He would teach this pretty boy a lesson. If Broderick wanted to play with the big boys, he was gonna end up on his ass—hard.

  Studying Cooper’s movements, Dan assessed his opponent, a bit put off by the force Cooper used sparring. During training, they should not be trying to injure one another. It appeared to Dan that Cooper had a chip on his shoulder, but he had no clue as to what or why. He wondered if it might be because Cooper, being the newest rookie in TRF, believed he needed to prove something to his team.

  Regardless of the reasons, Dan did not appreciate Cooper going all out. Landing powerful punches and kicks while training was unacceptable behavior and might result in an unnecessary injury. In fact, a few of the strikes Cooper landed hurt, but Dan hid the pain by gritting his teeth. Instead of complaining, Dan decided he must step up his game and take this guy out before Cooper’s uncontrolled actions did real damage.

  Dan didn’t relish the possibility of an injury sidelining him, especially if it required a trip to an emergency room … he visited more than enough hospitals since joining TRF. Ten minutes into the hard-fought match Cooper started to make another move at the same time as the klaxon alarm sounded and Dan’s focus immediately shifted waiting for Tia to speak.

  As he stopped, listening for Tia’s details and the unit to be designated, almost everyone else froze in place too. One focused solely on his purpose, oblivious to his surrounding, Cooper found his opening and decided to follow through with his kick and take Dan down.

  Tia called out, “Critical call, Alpha Team. Shots fired at Grandwood Mall.”

  Dan missed Cooper completing his turn for a spinning hook kick. Dan pivoted to head towards the gun cage to gear up, and Cooper’s foot connected full force with his groin. Dan dropped like a rock, cupping himself and groaning in pain.

  Lexa, Ray, Loki, Bram, and Jon halted their movements and glanced back at the sound, surprised to find Dan on the ground.

  Glen Turpin glared at his rookie as he yelled, “Cooper, what the hell was that? This is training. You better have a suitable explanation.”

  Dan rolled back and forth, curled up tight, as pain washed through him.

  Jon stepped back to the mat and knelt next to him. Concern and anger mixed in his voice. “Damn, Dan, you okay?”

  Dan only groaned in response, his eyes shut, and jaw clenched.

  Cooper peered at Sergeant Turpin and made a show of contrition. He wanted to bring him down, but not by hitting Broderick in the family jewels. “Sarge, he was distracted. Christ, I didn’t do it on purpose. I did not aim for there. Broderick turned into my kick.”

  Inwardly, Aaron Plouffe smirked. Perhaps Cooper didn’t hit Broderick in the nuts intentionally, but it sure as hell is satisfying to see Broderick drop like a sack of potatoes. TRF doesn’t need screw ups like Broderick.

  Waving off Jon’s and Bram’s help, Dan got to his knees, and said with a pained voice in a slightly higher octave than ordinary, “I’ll be right there. Go.”

  Bram gave Dan one last look. “You sure you’re okay?”

  Gruffly, Dan answered, “Yeah. I’m coming.”

  Bram and Jon rushed off. Dan gained his feet, a little shakily with a hand from Sergeant Turpin and Delta’s tactical lead Bill Raffin.

  Turpin noted Dan’s pained expression. “Sorry. I’ll be having a long talk with Cooper. He had no business going full force.” He patted Dan’s back as he released his arm. “If you’re not okay to go on a call, I’m sure Jon—”

  Dan cut him off. “I’m fine. It was an accident. My fault for not maintaining focus.” He hurried after his team as best he could. Shit, this hurts.

  TRF HQ – Gun Cage – 10:30 a.m.

  As Dan geared up faster than average to compensate for the time it took him to get here, Ray asked, “You alright? The blow had to hurt bad. Cooper went full-bore. Can’t fathom what possessed him to do such a thing.”

  “Doesn’t matter now,” Dan said as he tapped his headset indicating they needed to focus elsewhere. He grabbed his pack, picked up his MP5, and jogged with an odd hitch in his stride, following Ray to the SUVs.

  Ray let it drop for now, but he comprehended Jon and the
rest of them wouldn’t let Cooper’s cheap shot slide. They would ensure Cooper learned if he messed with one of their family, he would be called to account for his actions. Thinking of Cooper having to go one-on-one on the mat against a pissed off Jon made Ray cringe.

  Gangs, Gumballs, and Glass

  39

  April 1

  En Route to Grandwood Mall – 10:35 a.m.

  Lexa viewed Dan gingerly slide into the passenger seat of the SUV. She witnessed him go down after the hard, cheap shot. She decided to teach Cooper a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget. Nobody hurts a member of my team and gets away scot-free. As she pulled out and Nick began receiving details on the call, she glanced at Dan again.

  How did Dan gear up and make it here so fast? Lexa noted a slight sheen of sweat, an adjustment of the affected anatomy, and a soft groan. She kept her mouth shut. Based on her experience with four brothers, guys didn’t appreciate anyone calling attention to that sort of injury. Lexa refocused on Tia instead.

  Tia informed them, “Mr. Coulson, head of mall security, reports there are at least six armed men. One victim is dead and another wounded. The injury suffered is minor but concerned for his safety Coulson moved him to his office. There are conflicting accounts as to whether or not the second victim fired back, though security didn’t find a weapon on or near him.

  “The subjects are young, late teens or early twenties and they dispersed, but security locked the doors, and patrol officers are now guarding each entrance, so they have not escaped as far as Coulson is aware.”

  “Coulson indicates gangs have caused problems at Grandwood lately. He believes this might be members of rival gangs or the ones shot were targets of a robbery gone bad. Coulson will meet you in the security area, Boss.”

  Nick said, “Thanks, Tia. Loki, need you to access their security cameras.”

  Ray hated dealing with gangs, but he possessed information which could prove useful. “Boss, this side of town, it is likely the Untamed or the Blooddrop Crew. My money is on the BDC. They’re known for excessive and blatant violence.”

  Nick grimaced. If Blooddrop Crew were involved, that would be difficult for Ray. For now, he held his tongue. He trusted Ray to speak up if he believed he could not operate professionally.

  “Loki, zero in on faces from the camera. Hopefully, we’ll score a hit which will allow us to identify the gang involved,” Jon said.

  “Pulling up gang records now. I’ll be ready to scan when I receive the stills from security,” Loki answered.

  Tia added, “EMS is on scene, but waiting for your all clear before going in to retrieve the victim. It is a non-life-threatening injury.”

  “Copy,” Nick said.

  Outside Grandwood Mall – 10:50 a.m.

  Lexa stopped the vehicle quickly and jumped out. She arrived at the back and opened it before Dan exited. He must be so sore. Ordinarily, he moves so fast he beats me here to gear up.

  As Dan rounded the back of the SUV, Lexa went against her better judgment and quietly asked with concern, “Are you up to this? I’m sure Boss would—”

  Dan gritted his teeth as he grabbed his MP5 but stopped her mid-sentence as he bit out more sharply than he intended, “I’m up to it, Lexa. Just stop already.”

  Miffed at the sharpness of his retort, Lexa huffed, “Fine. See if I care! You better not slack off, Broderick.” She rushed to where Jon started to outline their entry and search plan. Lexa immediately regretted her unkind words, but Dan rubbed her the wrong way sometimes.

  Something about him gets under my skin and makes me behave …. Ah hell, act imprudently, oddly, and differently. Dan knocked her off-kilter, and Lexa didn’t understand the emotions he generated in her. But she did realize she would have to make up for her harsh words to him later. Perhaps tonight’s burgers and beers will be my treat.

  Clenching his jaw against his discomfort, Dan jogged to join them. He didn’t mean to piss off Lexa, but he did. Later I should apologize to her. She appeared genuinely concerned, and I bit her head off. Maybe treat her to a beer and a burger and take her for a spin on the Ducati. She liked the idea of riding with me when I offered a week ago after dinner.

  Refocusing, Dan listened to Jon’s plan. The patrol units had covered every exit. According to security, shoppers generally arrived later for the best sales. There might be a few early-birds and mall-walkers since the mall had barely opened for the day, but luckily, they would not have the crowds later in the day would bring.

  As the team moved to head inside, Jon pulled Dan to a stop and carefully assessed him. “You okay to do this? That was a damned hard hit you took. No one would think less of you if you sit this one out. I can pull you if you need me to.”

  Can’t they just let this be? “No, I’m fine,” Dan ground out frustrated everyone kept asking.

  Right about now, Dan wanted to go back to when no one gave a shit about him. Thoroughly embarrassed, he wished to forget Cooper dropped him with a kick to the groin in front of two teams. Everyone continuing to draw attention to the event grated on his nerves.

  Jon eyed him closely. “Alright, but we’re dealing with Cooper later.”

  “Nothing to deal with. My own damn fault. I lost focus. Just drop it, okay?” Dan said flatly as he turned to catch up with the others.

  Jon didn’t have time to think about it now, but there was no chance in hell he would drop this. Cooper’s attitude during the sparring must be addressed. In fact, Turpin should’ve squashed the unsafe behavior by now. The arrogance and aggressiveness Cooper displayed would end up getting someone killed.

  Inside Grandwood Mall – 11:00 a.m.

  Nick, Jon, and Loki strode for the security office. Uniform officers were in place at each exit, but the TRF team would be the ones searching inside the mall. Dan partnered with Ray today, and they had been assigned the west side. Bram and Lexa moved toward the east side. Once Loki set up the links, depending on what he found, he and Jon would assist where needed.

  Loki rapidly identified the criminals from the security video. They were indeed Blooddrop Crew members, one of the more violent and brazen gangs. None of the six were high ranking members, only a few of their low-level thugs. The dead man and injured victim appeared to be random targets of violence, not rivals invading their turf.

  That bit of information caused Nick some grief. His wife and child had been random victims of senseless violence. Arbitrarily selected and gunned down outside Martin’s daycare. The perpetrators, when caught, gave no reason other than availability.

  According to mall witnesses, six youths hung around near the ATM. Shortly after two men withdrew money, the gang jumped them. When one man refused to give up his cash, they scuffled, and that is when he was shot. The other man was grazed in the arm as he tried to help his friend. Nick recalled the sarcasm in the second victim’s voice as he gave his accounting of the incident when he said they made such a big haul. They murdered his buddy for a whopping twenty dollars.

  After forty minutes, both teams cleared the first level and took five of six gang members into custody. They now headed to level two as Loki and Jon scanned the live security feeds trying to locate the final one.

  Loki pointed to the monitor and exclaimed, “There! That’s Kash Pugh. Ray, I spotted Kash run into the candle shop near you.”

  Grandwood Mall – Candles Forever – 11:40 a.m.

  “Copy,” Ray said.

  Ray and Dan communicated silently as they jogged a short distance to the designated shop. Dan followed Ray inside, and they cautiously made their way through the shelving units and around tables stocked full of candles of various sizes and bottles of scented oils.

  Dan crouched and spotted shoes under a display. He motioned with two fingers to his eyes and then down to the counter to Ray. Understanding the signal, Ray motioned for Dan to go one way and he would go the other. As Dan swiftly shifted into position, he gave Ray a nod, and both moved to apprehend the last subject.

  Ray rounded the corner and shoute
d, “TRF. Police. Hands where I can see them. Hands, now!”

  Kash stood and squirted scented oil in Ray’s face before darting away as Ray squeezed his eyes shut against the burning sensation and groaned.

  Dan called out, “Ray, you okay?” as he pursued the fleeing subject out of the store. The little shit isn’t going to escape. We’ll be adding assault of an officer to the list of charges.

  Damn! The oil hit me squarely in the eyes. Though they stung severely, Ray tried not to rub as the action would make the consequences worse. Concentrating Ray responded in priority order. “Dan needs backup. He is in pursuit of Kash. I got squirted with oil or something. Burns my eyes and they are watering too much to follow.”

  Grandwood Mall – 11:43 a.m.

  “Stay put, Ray. Dan, we’re on our way. Which way are you headed?” Jon queried when he didn’t find Dan on the monitors.

  “Northwest off the main food court,” Dan replied as he chased Kash.

  Jon nodded to Nick before he and Loki rushed out at full speed towards the mall’s west end.

  Loki, Jon, Bram, and Lexa ran in Dan’s direction from opposite sides of the vast mall.

  “Lexa, go to Ray, he’s vulnerable. I don’t want him alone with Kash on the loose. Take him outside to EMS,” Nick instructed.

  “Copy,” Lexa responded as she sped towards Ray’s location. Crud! I hope whatever the thug sprayed into Ray’s eyes didn’t impact his sight.

  Worried about Ray’s vision, Nick paced as he monitored the situation via the camera feed. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered. Nick stopped and studied the screens as he followed Dan’s movements to keep the rest of his team updated on Dan’s position.

  From her hiding place, the Candles Forever shopkeeper offered, “Constable, may I bring you a cloth?”

  Ray shook his head. “No. You’re safer staying hidden until we apprehend the man.” He untucked his shirt and began using the unexposed material to dab his eyes, attempting to clear them enough to regain some vision.