Valor Amidst Decay by AJ Somers

Chapter One: Dahlia

Pulling my headphones out of one of my ears, I glance around, trying to see if anyone has gotten the okay to leave their seats yet. We landed over an hour ago but for some unknown reason, we haven't been able to exit the plane. The attendants have only walked by once, leaving us to stew. The pilot announced over the intercom that there had been a few minor delays, but we would be able to disembark shortly.

Clearly, those delays were more than minor. I internally roll my eyes. Although I still have a little bit of time, I need to be at work in a few hours. The longer I wait here, the more likely I'll end up late.

Not that I care about this job anymore.

A gentle tap on my shoulder has me glancing over to the window seat. I pull the other headphone out to hear what the elderly woman is trying to ask me.

"-by now?" She finishes, although I caught none of it since Atreyu was blasting in my ear.

Her hair is snow white, the color so many women would kill to have as they age. Her large, brown eyes are soft as she takes in my face, waiting for me to answer her question.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I had my music on. Can you say that again?" I ask her politely, giving her a small smile, hoping I don't seem as awkward as I feel.

"Oh. I said, shouldn't we already be off the plane by now?" She repeats herself.

I glance back down the aisle in search of an at-tendant, but they're all still nowhere to be found.

"We should be, but I'm not sure what's happening." She mumbles something about missing her grandchildren, but instead of continuing to con-verse, she places her reading glasses on her face and returns to her novel.

The vintage cover is bright despite the book's worn appearance. On the beach, there's a shirtless man embracing a woman in an off-shoulder gown, completely transfixed in each other. I need to hold back the snicker at the thought of her reading a bodice ripper.

Damn, grandma.

The tropical cover has me thinking back to yesterday with my best friend, Meg. If she had been here, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold in the laugh.

"So, have you gotten a chance to meet up with Jax's friend?" Megan asks. She rolls onto her back and covers her eyes with her arm.

We're both lying on our towels in the sand. I usually prefer to enjoy the water, but if I want to catch up with my friend, I'll have to take the time to suntan. As if someone like me could tan. I only fry.

I'm not overly pale, but my freckled skin isn't made for long exposure to the sun.

"Jerry?" I snort. "No. I'm not interested. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to meet someone, but he seems a bit, what's the word... boring? No, maybe just too formal? I don't know. I'm not into the rich, 'I went to Uni overseas' frat boy types. That's the vibe I get from him." I roll over onto my stomach and lay my head on my arms, facing Meg. "He's too pretty.

Plus, he was wearing boat shoes when we met him, Meg. Fucking boat shoes." I laugh, genuinely wondering what Jax was thinking in trying to play matchmaker. I take a sip from the tall can while I ponder if I should tell her how crappy the last setup was.

Screw it, it's Meg. If I can't be honest with her, who the hell else can I be honest with? "Plus, the last date you set up for me was one of the worst I've ever been on. I don't think I trust you two to find love for me, okay?" Laughing again, I close my eyes.

"Honestly, I agree with you. I told them he wasn't your type, but we want to have a 'couple' friend, you know what I mean? Plus, I only want to see you happy," she says.

"Yeah, I know. And I appreciate you for it." A genuine smile breaks free. Without her, I don't know where I'd be right now.

"But I'm so sorry we can't find some tormented, broody soul for you." She snorts a laugh. I open my eyes to sneak a peek at her.

She stays silent for a while, taking longer sips from her fruity seltzer. "So, I know you've told me probably fifty times already, but seriously, when are you going to start dating?"

I almost spit out my beer as I hold back a laugh.

Swallowing, I say, "For fuck's sake." I continue to laugh. She'll never let this go. I take another drink of my beer and sigh when she keeps giving me the

'well, come on' look.

"T've told you. I won't brush the idea off, but I'm not looking for anything. You remember the last time I tried to get serious with someone?" She hums in response before I continue. "Things were going well enough, and then he just ghosted me." I take another sip of my drink, thinking over that last experience. "Do you also remember how when we ran into each other, he acted scared as if the reaper would find him for only speaking to me?" As I think back to that day, I still can't figure out why he seemed so afraid of me.

"Anyways, the others who showed any interest were the goody two-shoe men who also wanted to go into the police force. I don't want to date cops. I don't even want to be one anymore." I let that thought slip, admitting it out loud for the first time. Meg, knowing me as well as she does, sits up, ready to ask me unending questions.

"Finally!" she exclaims.

"What the heck do you mean by finally? I ask her.

"I've been waiting for you to admit that already. I knew you loved the classes in school, but you never seemed a hundred percent into the actual job description. You hated when your dad was an investigator. And let's be real, you always preferred the dangerous sort. Bad boy stereotype seems to stick with you, my friend." She snickers as she throws her empty can into a bag and opens a new one.

She takes another tall can out, offering it to me before continuing, "T'm only half joking. Your track record just sucks when it comes to the bad boy type or, more like the crazy type. I'm glad that's finally behind you, though. I won't lie; I was worried about moving away and leaving you alone." I chug the rest of my warming beer and take the offered one. "I'll be fine. You don't need to worry.

It's been years since he's bothered me," I say as I adjust the headband holding back my messy, red curls.

Meg knows most of the story, but I never told her the full extent of it. I haven't told anyone. Since she was around for the beginning of that catastrophe, she knows how it began but never saw how it progressed other than the restraining order I had got-ten. To her, he was a bad ex-boyfriend of sorts who had a problem with the word no.

"Anyways, I think maybe I want to go back to school. I have no clue what to do with myself," I mention, shoving the feeling of uncertainty back.

I'm supposed to be relaxing, not stressing about how, at twenty-seven years old, I still have no clue what the hell I'm doing with my life.

Fuck, if my dad saw me now.

"You'll figure it out, Dahl. I wish you had more faith in yourself. You're one of the most capable people with a clear and smart head on your shoul-ders. You need to give yourself some more credit and be easier on yourself," my childhood friend says. Her bright smile is filled with so much love that I can't help but feel the gratitude warming me.

"Ma'am!" Startled, I whip my head around to the smutty grandma. "Are you going to get that, dear?" she asks, pointing to the phone on my lap.

Shit! "Thanks." I give her an awkward smile before glancing down at my chiming phone. I don't even need to see the screen to know who it is. Only two people would be calling me: my boss and Meg. I swipe across the screen, answering.

"You will not believe this shit storm, Dahl!" Megan says over the phone, jumping right into it before I can say hello.

Peeking over at the woman, I find her back in her book. Lowering my voice, I say, "Hey, is everything okay? What shitstorm?"

In the call's background, I hear what sounds like an intercom. "We had an emergency stop in Parowan, Utah." She pauses, speaking to someone else before returning. "There are no flights leaving this airport or any buses. Apparently, there are mass cancellations all over the States. I'm stuck." That can't be good. I glance back down the aisle for what is probably the twentieth time.

Still no attendant.

What the hell?

"Girl, you there?"

Huh? "Oh, shit. Sorry, Meg. I'm wondering when the hell they'll let us off the plane. We've been waiting to disembark for way over an hour now," I tell her as I shove my headphones into my backpack.

Although I don't care about my job as a police dispatcher anymore, I can't help but stress about being late. My dad engraved in me to be punctual, and I honestly can't help but feel ashamed of myself at the thought of calling out. He'd only be disappointed in you, Dahlia.

My friend's voice brings me back to the conver-sation. "I wonder what the heck is happening. It was like that for me, too. They wouldn't even tell us why we needed to land. By the time we got off the plane, all flights I could find were being delayed or canceled."

That's bizarre. "Have you spoken to Jax?" I ask her.

"No. They had a shift at the hospital tonight, I think. I left a voicemail. Hopefully, they can respond to me soon. I even tried the hospital reception but got no answer. It must be a busy night for them." She sounds worried, but knowing her, she'll find a way to get a hold of them.

"Shit, Meg, I'm sure Jax will call or text you soon. You're safe, though? You have a place to stay, at least for the night?"

A car honks in the background, briefly interrupting her answer. "Yeah. There is a motel I'm going to stay at for now. Looks like we'll all be giving this small town a bit of business tonight." Her chuckle sounds forced. "Anyway, I'm going to call Jax then. I just wanted to be sure you were good and vent a little."

I can't help the smile that curls my lips. I already miss her.

"No problem. I love you. I miss you already," I say quietly into the phone.

"Miss you too, Dahl face."

Once we hang up, my chest tightens as if my heart knows something I don't, like a foreboding warning.

------

We hope you are enjoying the book so far. To continue reading...