Laura Acton

Sneak Peek

TRF HQ – Briefing Room

Standing near the windows of the main conference room, Lexa McKenna’s eyes kept darting to the empty chair once occupied by the love of her life. A man of valor used to sit there, but after rejoining the military to successfully rescue his best friend’s son and former CO’s sister from terrorists, Dan was now stuck in JTF2 for an undetermined amount of time.

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Lexa missed him dearly but put on a brave face. Though Boss approved of their unsanctioned relationship, she chose to hide her deep despair from the rest of the team. With no idea how long Dan must serve or if terms existed by which his father might convert his full activation to a special assignment, she wanted to avoid further complications preventing him from returning to Alpha Team.

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Sadly, the army whisked him away from her the fateful night the old shoe factory blew up, and she hadn’t heard from him. Although she tried calling and texting him, he never responded. She received not a single call, text, email, or letter from him—almost as if he never existed. Almost.

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However, her soulmate did exist. The cozy fire he built in her heart warmed her spirit. In her dreams, she would cuddle with him, and oh, it felt so real. She lay with her head on his bare chest over his heart, counting the beats—each thud an echo of Dan’s love for her.

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Though he hadn’t communicated, she never doubted his devotion. He would never abandon her like her father and brothers. Their love and passion for one another would endure, and one day they would be together again. Or at least that’s what she told herself during the lonely, dark nights. Sunrise, Dan’s favorite time of day, always brought her renewed hope of his return.

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In her peripheral, Lexa caught a glimpse of a military uniform at the entrance. She turned to find Major Donald Blain—known to them by his call sign Blaze. His erect bearing while wearing his walking-out dress surprised her, but she peered past him, giddy excitement blooming, hoping to spy Dan behind him. Lexa’s gaze shifted back to Blaze when no one followed. Her intuition screamed to life as she read sadness in his hazel eyes.

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She swallowed hard as Blaze halted beside Sergeant Pastore, then faced the team. Her gaze raked over his dress uniform, all spit and polish, before glancing at Nick, Jon, Bram, and Loki, noting their likewise eager expressions gradually dulled as the stoic major remained silent.

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The axis to her world tilted when Blaze’s sorrowful voice said, “It is with extreme regret I am here to inform you that Master Corporal Broderick—”

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“Nooo!” Lexa shrieked as tears burst forth, drawing everyone’s gaze to her. As she began to sink to her knees, Nick rushed forward, caught her in his arms, and held her as she sobbed into his shoulder.

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Jon’s voice thundered over her weeping. “How? When?”

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Blaze’s solemn response shredded her heart. “I’m not at liberty to divulge details, but I received word he died yesterday.”

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The scene becoming surreal, Lexa hung on the words exchanged, not willing to believe Dan was gone … truly and utterly gone.

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“Why can’t you tell us?” Jon bit out.

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Blowing out a shaky breath, Blaze said, “Classified.”

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“When will he be brought home for burial?” Bram asked with profound grief.

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Lexa stared at Blaze as a lone tear trailed down the major’s cheek, his answer scarcely audible. “Nothing to bring home.” Then turning towards her, he held out a single dog tag and a sealed envelope and said, “Dan left these for you.”

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Heart and soul shattering … Lexa collapsed.

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August 2 – St. Michael’s Hospital – Lexa’s Room – 5:00 p.m.

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Amy hurried to her dear friend’s bedside, panicking when Lexa screamed and continued to whimper in her sleep. Endeavoring to rouse her but cognizant not to jar Lexa’s broken arm or injured shoulder, Amy shook her lightly.

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When the desolate sounds coming from Lexa didn’t abate, she pressed the call button. Only moments later, the door opened. Expecting the nurse, Amy kept her eyes on Lexa as she said, “She’s having a horrible nightmare and won’t wake up for me.”

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Quick steps brought Jim to Lexa’s side, his face awash with concern.

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Amy’s gaze flicked to the man wearing shorts and a faded t-shirt with the Vancouver Canucks logo on it—definitely not associated with the hospital. “Why did the guard allow you in here? You can’t be here. You must go, now!”

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Jim gripped the woman’s hand, gently removing it from Lexa’s arm. “Leave her be. She’s not endangering herself, so it is best not to wake her. The nightmare will pass.”

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“Who are you to tell me what to do?” Amy retorted.

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“My name is Jim Shea, a friend of Lexa’s with ample experience in dealing with nightmares.”

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Amy blushed. Lexa had mentioned Jim several times. The man previously served with Dan in Special Forces and was currently a Toronto paramedic. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” Amy waved toward Lexa. “She seems so distraught, and I hate seeing her in such pain.”

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“I understand. It is never easy to watch someone in the throes of a night terror. But … it is passing.” Jim pointed to Lexa.

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Noting Lexa’s face was now placid, and her whimpering halted, Amy sighed. “Thank goodness.” Weary, Amy sank into the chair as the night nurse entered.

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“What is the issue?”

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Jim turned and smiled at one of the best nurses in the hospital, glad she was assigned to Lexa’s care. “Hi, Betty. False alarm. Lexa only had a nightmare, but her vitals remained normal, and she’s sleeping peacefully now.”

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Betty swiftly moved to her patient’s bedside and checked the monitors for herself before focusing on Jim. “How is Heather doing? It’s gotta be close to her time now.”

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“It is. She’s due next week.” Jim beamed.

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“Wonderful. Heather will make a great mom, and you a fantastic dad. Excuse me, I must attend to my next patient.”

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As the nurse exited, Amy sighed. “So, you’re expecting your first?”

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“Yes.” Jim pulled over another chair and took a seat.

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“Shouldn’t you be at home with her? Regardless of doctors’ estimates, babies come on their own schedule. My first came two weeks early, while my third decided to stay put for three extra weeks.”

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Jim chuckled. “Heather insisted I check on our friends after she saw the report about the explosion. And ordered me to bring back a pint of orange sherbet and a watermelon.”

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“But the newscast didn’t give names. How did she know?”

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His mirth faded, realizing he couldn’t reveal how he learned Alpha Team was involved, or he’d get Nancy in trouble. Knowing of their friendship, Heather’s best friend called earlier to tell her Dan and Lexa had arrived in the ER. When he came home from work and saw her watching the news of the factory explosion, she begged him to find out how they fared.

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Jim suspected this had something to do with the safehouse disaster, but he never imagined he would be told Dan had been transferred with the rest of the soldiers to Ottawa. The turn of phrase, ‘rest of’ bothered Jim. It implied Dan was a soldier, but that couldn’t be the case. More likely, the general had him moved to be closer to his mother and extended family.

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Recognizing he needed to give her an answer, Jim simply said, “One of my buddies worked the scene and alerted me since I’m close with Dan.”

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“Oh.” Amy’s phone pinged, and she checked the text message. “Darn.”

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“What wrong?”

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Amy’s eyes shifted to Lexa and back to Jim. “I totally forgot I promised my son I would drive him and his five friends to Castle Loma to play Escape the Tower tonight. They worked hard to earn money to pay for the game and booked their slot a month ago. I’m the only parent available to take them, but I don’t want to leave Lexa alone.”

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“I’ll stay with her.”

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“Are you sure?”

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“Absolutely. Heather won’t mind, and kids willing to work for what they want shouldn’t be disappointed.”

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Amy’s gaze turned to the bed. “Okay, but tell Lexa I’ll be back later.”

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“I will if she wakes. With a concussion, she’ll likely sleep through the night.”

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Gathering her purse and book, Amy smiled at Jim. “Thank you. I should return by midnight.” With one last glance at Lexa, Amy hurried from the room.

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Jim pulled out his phone and texted Heather with an update and the change in his plans. Her response was as expected—telling him to stay as long as he needed, that she was alright … and she found a half gallon of orange sherbet in the back of the freezer, which sated her craving.

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He chuckled again, thinking of his lovely wife and how he might not have met her if not for Dan. Jim wondered at how the world turned … the good and bad and how things interconnected. Deep in his musings, he didn’t notice Lexa opening her eyes and staring at him.

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“Jim?”

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His head whipped up. “Hey, Lexa,” he whispered in deference to the headache she must have.

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“What are you doing here, and where is Amy?”

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“She left to run an errand.” Jim rose and came closer. “How ya doing?”

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“About as well as can be expected.”

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A slight grin formed. “I see you’ve learned to use deflection like Dan.”

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Despite how she ached, both physically and emotionally, the corners of her mouth twitched upward. “He is the master … I’m still a novice.”

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Grasping her hand, Jim said, “I’m relieved you all survived. I’m guessing this had something to do with what happened to Blaze’s unit and Brody Jr.”

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Lexa blinked. “You know about him?”

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“Yeah, Dan surprised the hell outta me when he told me about Brody’s child while I triaged Blaze. Did you get the boy and his mother back?”

Unsure if she was allowed to tell him anything, Lexa only nodded.

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“Good. I would’ve asked Dan, but apparently, they moved him to Ottawa. I’m assuming to be closer to his family.”

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Fragments of her nightmare seeped in, causing unexpected tears to well.

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“Hey, hey. I checked with Dr. Fraser. He said Dan was stable.” Jim reached for tissues, tugged out a couple, and gave them to Lexa.

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“Sorry … must be the concussion.” She dabbed at her eyes as the image of Blaze standing at the front of the briefing room telling them Dan died replayed in her head. She recognized the dream as a figment of her imagination, generated by her worst fear, especially since Blaze was severely injured, but the thought of Dan dying seared her soul.

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“Deflection isn’t necessary. It’s alright to cry after everything you all went through yesterday.” Jim’s mien conveyed compassion and sympathy.

Though obvious Lexa still cared about Dan as more than a teammate, he doubted she would ever reveal her inner thoughts to him.

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“Did Dan tell you?”

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“Tell me what?”

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“About us?”

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Jim shook his head. “What’s to tell?”

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“You can’t say anything … but we’re back together … since the end of May.”

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A broad grin formed. “Oh man, I’m happy for you both. Gotta be tricky being on the same team … won’t that still be a problem?”

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“Yes, and no.” Lexa’s lashes lowered.

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“How so?”

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Lifting her gaze to Jim, she said, “He’s no longer on the team.”

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“Did he transfer to another TRF team?”

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“No. He voluntarily reactivated to save Micky.”

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“Who’s Micky?”

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“Brody’s son. Dan nicknamed him Micky. Said Brody always wanted a son named Micky.”

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It took Jim’s brain a few moments to comprehend ‘voluntarily’ in conjunction with ‘reactivated,’ but when it did, his eyes widened as Dr. Fraser’s ‘rest of the soldiers’ comment now held new meaning. “Ah, damn!”

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“Yeah, exactly.”

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Although aware of the significant differences and consequences of voluntary re-upping versus being recalled involuntarily, particularly for Guardians, Jim still said, “Maybe his father will see fit to make this a special assignment and release him sooner. The general knows that isn’t the life Dan wants.”

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“We can only hope.” Lexa teared up again, unable to dismiss the dreadful roiling of her instincts telling her Dan might never make it back to her. She closed her eyes and sought to retreat from the conversation. “I’m tired.”

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Aware Lexa might need a moment to recompose herself or have a good cry, Jim moved the box of tissues to the bed and said, “I’m going to grab some coffee. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.” When she only nodded, he exited and stood outside the closed door to come to terms with the news himself.

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The soft weeping inside the room broke Jim’s heart. Dan and Lexa deserved a chance at happiness as he had found with Heather.

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Ottawa – Canadian Forces Support Unit Uplands Site – 1645 Hours

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General William Broderick strode down the aircraft’s ramp and straight for Colonel Thomas Sutton, who awaited him with the promised coffee. Though William hadn’t wanted to sleep on the flight here, his body had other ideas. After speaking with Tom hours ago, he nodded off and only woke as Mike alerted him to their impending landing.

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As he got closer, Tom’s expression signified something substantial transpired since their last conversation. Taking the cup from the outstretched hand, he asked, “What’s the issue?”

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“Damn, you read me like a book.” Tom glanced around and noted William’s security lead, Captain Mike Galloway, approaching with his three men behind him, as well as many soldiers and members of the general’s staff disembarking. “We must talk, but not here. Too many ears.”

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“Tell me on the way to the hospital unless it’s critical and I need to return to the base to deal with things.”

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“Hospital is the best. Perhaps bring Galloway with us,” Tom stated.

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William turned and spotted Mike with the rest of his security detail. “Galloway, you’re with me. Dawson, Hewitt, Merganser, you can grab a shower and something to eat before joining us at Montfort.”

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En Route to Montfort Hospital

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Allowing Mike to drive, Tom and William sat in the rear of the SUV. Tom waited until his commander consumed a bit of the coffee before he said, “My interview with Kostopoulos uncovered some disturbing news.” He paused, hating to cause his best friend more distress.

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“Spit it out, Tom.” William set the paper cup in the holder, giving his subordinate undivided attention.

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“Although Kostopoulos’ report came out in jumbled pieces, his recall of the entire chain of events made difficult by the concussion, what he does remember appears intact, as corroborated by the others, except for one item. He claimed Mousa put a price on Dan’s head through a third party named Bukhari. He said Cameo would likely confirm and asked if the computer they grabbed survived the explosions.

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“Unfortunately, the laptop didn’t, so I contacted Bransworth since Cameo is still non-responsive. He discovered a darknet posting offering a quarter million for proof of Dan’s death. The listing even included his TRF photo. Bukhari isn’t on our radar or any terrorist watch list. Bransworth is trying to track this Bukhari down, but so far, he’s come up blank. Therefore, I took steps to protect Dan, including asking Jasper to take over his care.”

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William’s eyes opened slightly, the only indication of his surprise.