Laura Acton

Chapter 1:  What Have I Gotten Myself Into

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Military Plane En Route to Afghanistan

While Brody conversed with the guy next to him about music, Dan leaned back and closed his eyes, happy to finally give his vocal cords a rest. His voice had gone hoarse after talking about everything under the sun to distract his best friend for the past eight hours. Though they both took a short nap early during the long flight, neither slept well for different reasons.

 

Dan understood Brody’s restlessness stemmed from a mix of his fear of flying and the excitement of joining their unit. Hence, Dan’s constant flow of words to help his buddy stay focused on the upbeat aspect of Brody achieving his dream of becoming a member of JTF2.

 

However, Dan’s inability to relax was more complex. He would do anything for Brody Hunter. Joining Special Forces was a sacrifice, one Dan never imagined making. But for the man he regarded as his brother, he willingly did so and must now live with the consequences. Dan sighed as his mind slipped back to the day he bearded the lion’s den to make his first and only request of his father.

.

 

Flashback – One Year Ago, June 29 – General Broderick’s Office

Dan entered the room, closed the door, and came to rigid attention in front of the general’s desk.

 

“At ease, Corporal,” General William Broderick ordered as he peered at a younger version of himself. Noting the military perfection exhibited by his son, fatherly pride swelled. His golden boy would go far if he started using his talents instead of piddling around in the Canadian Forces Military Police.

 

Though moving to parade rest, Dan’s body remained unyielding as he waited for the general to initiate the conversation.

 

“To what do I owe this unexpected visit, Daniel?”

 

Face-to-face with his stern father, Dan couldn’t find his words. Only a strained, “Um,” eked out. Trying again, he stammered, “Sir, um ... I ... um.” Frustrated by his inability to articulate himself, Dan sighed. Finding this more of a challenge than he expected, Dan made a third attempt to voice his appeal. “Sir, if, uh ... I mean—”

 

Impatient, William interrupted with a sharp directive, “I don’t have all day. Spit it out.” Based on his son’s reaction, the color draining from his face followed by an icy glare, William recognized he pissed Daniel off again. He rubbed his temples, wishing they could engage in a pleasant conversation, but the likelihood of that happening remained elusive.

 

After scowling at his father, Dan found his nerve by using his deep-seated anger. With an obvious edge to his tone, he stated, “Sir, I need a dispensation only you are authorized to grant.”

 

The statement got William’s attention, and he studied Daniel. His eldest child and only son hadn’t asked him for a single thing since before Sara’s death eleven years ago. Putting a governor on his emotions, he remained quiet. Unfortunately, he lost control of them far too often with his confounding son.

 

Boldly moving forward into the silence, Dan said, “Sir, I wish to join Special Forces. I know I don’t meet the age requirement yet, but I believe my abilities are best utilized as a sniper. It’s what you trained me to become, which is why I’m requesting an exemption so I may apply now. I desire a chance to prove I possess the maturity and skills necessary to be an asset to JTF2 regardless of my chronological age.”

 

It took every ounce of William’s training to maintain a stoic mien when he wanted to grin like a loon and heartily slap Daniel’s back. His boy finally came to his senses—no more of this police force and MP nonsense. His dreams for Daniel were coming true. Well, not precisely. He wished Daniel would’ve gone the officer route like him, but a request to use his sharpshooting abilities was a start down the path.

 

Using a neutral voice, William asked, “Why?”

 

Dan didn’t expect the question. He couldn’t reveal the actual reason. If he confessed that he didn’t want to be separated from Brody, he would sound like a whiny child. The general would view his motivation as a weakness and kill any hope of gaining agreement.

 

Instead, following a strategy he thought would be successful, Dan replied, “Sir, as I said, I believe that is where my skills would be best utilized given the terrorist threats facing our nation. A sniper is what you always wanted me to become. I’m stepping up to do it now. I will not fail you again, Sir.”

 

The last statement hit William hard. A twinge of regret swept through him upon hearing the hint of disdain in Daniel’s voice. Covering his sentiments, William stated more harshly than he intended, “If I grant this dispensation, I fully expect you to exceed all standards. Otherwise, it will be perceived as nepotism, which will sully the Broderick name and my reputation and undermine my authority. Do I make myself clear, Corporal?”

 

Dan clamped down on his emotions, holding firm to his poker-faced mask as his father’s words lanced his heart yet again. “Yes, Sir. Crystal clear, Sir. You expect me to be the perfect soldier.”

 

Reading Daniel’s eyes, William realized his words cut deeply and wished to retract them. Daniel still felt he had failed him somehow when Sara died. William believed himself to be a terrible father and feared he would never get it right with Daniel. He needed to say something fast to counteract his callous words.

 

Pushing those painful thoughts down, aware Daniel would reject any semblance of paternal affection from him, William maintained his ingrained military bearing. “I will give your petition due consideration. For now, I grant you permission to sign up for the next prequalification. If you meet or exceed all other qualifying conditions, I’ll decide whether to authorize an exception.”

 

Surprised the general even considered his entreaty, words failed Dan again, and he only nodded.

 

Sadness welled in William for all the years of estrangement from Daniel. He blew out a breath and extended the only olive branch his son might tolerate. “You should visit your mother.”

 

Dan wanted to say, ‘hell no’ because his mother’s rejection, on top of dealing with General Badass, would be too much. All he desired to do now was return to Brody, where he belonged and felt accepted. Instead, he coldly asked, “Is that an order, Sir?”

 

William struggled to bite back harsh words before he regretted them. “No, only a suggestion. Do you need anything else, Daniel?”

“No, Sir. I’ll await your decision.” Dan came to attention.

 

Disappointed in himself for again not finding a path forward with his boy, William said, “Dismissed.”

With a desperate need to be far away from his father as fast as possible, Dan executed a precision pivot and marched out of the office.

​

Present – Military Plane

Dan’s mind left the past as Brody shook his shoulder. He cracked open his eyes to find a bottle of water in front of his face. “Thanks,” he croaked through his dry throat.

 

“Least I can do for you for keeping my mind off flying.” Brody’s jade eyes sparkled with light. “And for making my dream come true.”

 

Dan laughed as he unscrewed the top. “You did that all by yourself. I’m just along for the ride.”

 

“No, and no. I would’ve washed out of boot camp if we had never met.” Brody’s mien shifted to serious. “I’m glad we did. Don’t know where I’d be now if not for everything you’ve done.”

 

“I didn’t do much,” Dan said, then gulped down half the bottle.

 

“Like hell, you didn’t. I was a fat, loud, sloppy mess, and Sergeant Thompson pegged me as a washout from the moment he laid eyes on me. I only made it through because you taught me the things I needed to succeed.”

 

Brody chuckled before adding, “Like double-knotting my laces so I wouldn’t trip and to keep my mouth shut and not to respond with a smart-ass retort when being dressed down.”

 

Dan flashed Brody a WOW smile. “I thought Sergeant Thompson might have a coronary when you told him you never learned to take care of your stuff because your alcoholic father murdered your beloved mother in a drunken rage.”

 

Recalling Thompson’s near-apoplectic reaction, Brody emitted a hearty laugh, drawing attention from those around them. “Yeah, well, I did eventually learn ... and from the most squared-away soldier ever to enter BMQ. I swear I was so envious of you back in basic. When the rest of us were dying for our next breath, you appeared daisy-fresh and ready to do another twenty-mile run.”

 

Dan scowled as dark memories of his childhood flooded back. Sure, he was prepared for military life. It’d been the only thing he was trained for since he turned five. The general never wanted a son ... only a perfect soldier to carry on the Broderick family tradition.

 

Noticing the turbulent emotions in Dan’s sapphire eyes, Brody backtracked. “Sorry, Danny. It’s just when I didn’t have a clue about the hell you went through growing up with General Badfather, I believed you led a charmed life and had all the support you needed to flourish.”

 

Worried about the risk his chosen brother willingly took by placing himself under General Broderick’s command, Brody lightly patted Dan’s back. “Thank you for coming with me on this journey. I promise I’ll always have your back.”

 

Endeavoring to lighten the mood after noting Brody’s apprehension, Dan snorted and quipped, “Hell, with any luck, I won’t have to see him often or perhaps not at all. We’ll be reporting directly to Lieutenant Blain. I doubt the general will mess with me if I keep my nose clean and perform my duties perfectly as he expects.”

 

“He must, on some level, believe in you ...” Brody trailed off and lowered his voice to a whisper, “Being the youngest ever selected for the Guardians right out of JTF2 training required his approval. That’s got to mean something.”

Dan’s tone went flat, failing to keep things lighthearted, “Yeah, it means he wants me dead, and this is the most expedient way to achieve his goal.”

 

“Danny, I’m sorry—”

 

“Drop it!” Dan cut Brody off and stared at him.

 

Brody replied, “Alright, but remember, you’ve got me spotting your six. If that’s his game, he’ll have to go through me first.” He held out a fist and grinned when Dan’s knuckles bumped his. Settling back in his seat, Brody changed the subject. “I wonder what Blain is like?”

 

“Well, I heard his call sign is Blaze. It could mean he’s a hothead.”

 

Brody grinned and said, “True, or maybe he’s a blazing-fast shooter.”

 

While listening to Brody babble with excitement, speculating about all the good they would accomplish during their first deployment, Dan finished the rest of his water. Although he appreciated Brody’s upbeat attitude, he couldn’t shake a sense of dread. He only hoped that him becoming a Guardian would be enough to satisfy his father.

 

Dan wished they’d been given details on the unit they’d be joining, but specifics on Guardian members were restricted for their protection. Consequentially, although he and Brody seemingly reported through Special Forces chain of command, they were actually attached to an elite, covert unit that performed ultra-secret missions.

 

As Guardians, they required higher-level security clearance than regular JTF2 soldiers and received an additional four months of intense training. Once Brody and he accepted the offer for advanced instruction, they learned several Guardian units operated under the guise of being regular units, and one acted as General Broderick’s security detail.

 

They’d also been told the Guardians were initially formed to rescue citizens from dangerous, volatile areas and protect high-level officials. However, with the rise of extremism and global acts of terror, their objectives now primarily focused on extreme-threat operations when the government wished to conceal Canada’s involvement. So, to facilitate and maintain their covert status, the black ops units often completed many standard missions with non-Guardian units.

 

Several hours later, with Brody also all talked out, they prepared for landing in Kandahar. Dan placed his hand on Brody’s shoulder, quietly grounding him so his brother’s phobia of crashing and burning didn’t cause a panic attack.

 

Kandahar – Inside Special Forces Compound

General Broderick stood under the canopy outside his office as the white bus stopped near the entrance to JTF2’s restricted area of the base. With pride, he watched a recognizable golden-haired figure exit the transport, followed by a laughing brunette. Glancing around, finding himself alone, William allowed a rare grin to show.

 

He had been thunderstruck when his son appeared in his Ottawa office a year ago last June to request an age dispensation from him. As soon as Daniel left, he instructed Corporal Merrill to pull Daniel’s jacket to review his records. After checking the list of potential recruits for the next testing cycle, William realized Daniel’s true motivation—Corporal Brody Hunter.

 

His only son would never choose this path for himself. Regrettably, Daniel had willingly turned his back on the course every Broderick male followed—proudly serving their country in the military until retirement, medical discharge, or death.

 

When Daniel turned eighteen, he made his opinion crystal clear, eschewing at least eight generations of Broderick tradition by joining the Toronto Police. However, after the incident with Brogan Snow, which almost claimed Daniel’s and Bella’s lives, Daniel left the police force to become an MP in the army.

 

Upon inspection of his son’s file, he validated what he already knew to be true. Daniel possessed remarkable capabilities. Eventually, after a few years in a regular JTF2 unit, William believed Daniel would be an exceptional candidate for the elite, covert Guardians. So, he had granted the exception and fast-tracked his application, allowing Daniel to attend selection and training at the same time as Corporal Hunter.

 

His smile faded as he recalled Daniel almost died three times during training. Although he prepared his boy from an early age for the rigors of military life, and it would be a waste not to use his God-given talents, William had experienced the pain of losing one child, and he didn’t want to suffer that fate again.

 

Nonetheless, he couldn’t allow personal fears to cloud his judgment. So, when Colonel Tom Sutton, his second-in-command, approached him requesting approval to send Daniel and Brody directly to Guardian instruction after completing JTF2 training, he agreed.

 

Doing so wasn’t unheard of, but rarely done. Tom justified his recommendation with unimpeachable logic. Hunter and his son had graduated with high marks across the board, and Daniel also broke many of the long-standing course records.

 

Tom was right. They were prime Guardian candidates even if they didn’t possess field experience. So, after he approved Sutton’s request, William determined to treat Daniel as he would any other soldier and make any decisions from a purely professional standpoint.

 

To which William pivoted and headed inside instead of going to say hello. He would keep his distance and allow Daniel to navigate his path without interference ... well, without any more interventions. His only meddling acts were granting Daniel’s petition and placing him and Hunter with Lieutenant Blain’s unit.

 

Special Forces Compound Gate

When Brody held out their credentials to the guard, Dan surveyed the barren, brown landscape with trepidation. As the gate opened, Dan had a disturbing sense he was entering the gates to Hades. Adjusting the sniper rifle strap on his shoulder, he muttered, “Shit, what have I gotten myself into?”