Black Brick – Chapter Four

Dan Decker Books

This week’s episode features Chapter Four of Black Brick. Here is an excerpt from the show:

THE FROTHY WATER REACHED out to lick the tip of my shoe, but my foot wasn’t down on the sand long enough for it to matter. The pounding of my legs on the beach seemed to be in harmony with those of Bill Martinez and Tom Vandyke who ran to the side of me. The crashing waves kept time with our gait and the sunny day was a welcome change to the cold back home.

When we’d arrived at the airport the previous day, I’d been surprised to see Martinez, Tom, and Cherry Mann waiting for us. Beltran’s email hadn’t mentioned anything about them. Like Shannon and I, Cherry and Tom were still on temporary status.

Martinez wasn’t part of our usual team, but I’d worked with him in the past. I wasn’t happy to have him along because I didn’t like the way that he operated. The last time we’d been on an assignment together, he had broken a man’s kneecap to get him to talk. I could still hear the man’s screams whenever Martinez was nearby.

The flight had been uneventful, and we’d spent the evening before doing surveillance and research on our target, Jason Kurt. This morning, Kurt was still sleeping, and we’d all agreed that we could afford some time at the beach before he woke up.

I allowed myself to relax so that I could take it all in and was glad I didn’t have to attend class today. A run on the beach was a much better substitute.

The breeze was slight, the air warm, and the sun was out. It had been months since I’d experienced pleasant weather.

One day I wanted to retire and live in a place like this. I took a deep breath and let it out.

I closed my eyes and was a kid again, running through the desert sun of Texas, the beating sun cleansing my soul. That brought with it the disapproving face of Sister Bautista. I pushed it away and allowed my focus to return.

Beside me, there was a swift movement as Tom kicked out and connected with my shin. I shifted my weight to compensate and was barely able to keep from toppling into the surf and got my foot wet in the process. So much for dry feet.