Taking A Chance (Rebels 0f Forbidden Lake Book 2)

by Elana Johnson

  Feeling defeated and depressed, she pulled into the nearly full parking lot at the diner and waited, not even looking for a spot. Sure enough, the blue sedan slowed down as if it too would turn into the lot, but it didn’t.

  The angle of the sun made it such that she couldn’t see the driver, but he was clearly looking for her. Time hung in that moment, and Allegra trembled when she felt the weight of eyes on her.

  Then the driver punched the gas, the tires squealed, and the blue sedan shot down the street.

  With shaking fingers, Allegra found a space in the back of the lot and sat in her car, too keyed up to even make the quick walk to the entrance and get lost in the obvious crowd inside the diner.

  She had several friends in town, but she’d told none of them about Devon—if he even was the stalker. “Of course it’s him,” she whispered to herself as she thought about who could come meet her for lunch and then might allow her to sleep on their couch that night.

  Leah Hoff, a woman she’d met almost eight years ago when she’d first moved to Forbidden Lake, came to mind. Allegra texted the bank teller and asked her to lunch, relief almost stronger than happiness when Leah said she could make it.

  Leah was tall and strong, and she also happened to be dating a firefighter with more muscles in his body than humanly possible. Allegra should really tell someone about Devon, and as the minutes ticked closer to when she was supposed to meet Leah, her determination to get some help before the sun set that winter day hardened.

  All she needed was someone to go by and feed her four cats….

  * * *

  “Rise and shine, Queenie.”

  Allegra’s eyelids fluttered open to see the sun had already started to lighten the January day. She sighed as she heard Leah giggle as she moved into the kitchen.

  “You have to go home, don’t you?” Leah asked.

  Allegra pushed herself into a seated position, Leah’s couch more comfortable than her friend claimed. “Yes,” she said. “I can shower there and everything.” She drew her knees to her chest. “Thank you, Leah.”

  “You should file a complaint,” she said from the kitchen, the distinct sound of bread being set in the toaster pinging through the small house. “I mean, what right does he have to scare you?”

  “Did you talk to Bryson?”

  “Yes, and he said you should file a complaint.” Leah hooked Allegra with her dark eyes. Her afro looked particularly good today, and Allegra would give anything to have hair that held even a smidge of a curl.

  “I tried that,” she said.

  “No, you tried to get a restraining order. Bry says there’s a difference. He’s coming over tonight to talk to you about it.”

  “Great,” Allegra said, though a tremor of fear squirreled through her. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like a baby when she talked about Devon possibly stalking her. Like she should be able to take care of herself somehow.

  “I might be a bit late,” she said. “I’m out in the State Forest again today.”

  “He’s bringing Chinese food and maybe a friend from the fish and game department.”

  Allegra groaned loudly and rolled her eyes. “I don’t need to be set up.” Hadn’t Leah heard that Allegra’s last boyfriend was now stalking her?

  “All right,” Leah said with false nonchalance. “But I have to go. See you tonight. Bring a bag, hon. Stay as long as you want.” She gave Allegra a hug and breezed out the door, leaving Allegra to stare at the door and wonder what it would be like to be able to waltz through it without peering through the peephole first.

  Without having to check left and right before leaving the apartment for good. Without having to constantly check over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t heading into a remote area with Devon right behind her.

  She checked her phone and found a few pictures of her less elusive felines from her friend Bea, who’d gone over last night to make sure the cats got fed and watered.

  Thanks! she texted back before asking, Can you check on them again tonight?

  Bea didn’t answer right away, as she worked swing shift at the mall and usually got home pretty late. Allegra didn’t offer any explanation, and Bea hadn’t asked last night. But she fully expected her neighbor across the hall to start asking questions once she got up and saw the texts.

  “So you’ll deal with them then,” Allegra told herself.

  She ended up showering at Leah’s and putting on the same clothes she’d worn the day before. She wasn’t going into the office today, and no one would be the wiser.

  Outside, rain fell, and Allegra groaned. It seemed like even Mother Nature wanted to make her life miserable, and Allegra added her to the list of people she’d like to punch in the throat—right below Phoenix Addler.

  At least she wouldn’t be seeing him that day, even though he worked in the State Forest full-time. Their paths didn’t cross professionally, thank goodness. Allegra wasn’t sure she’d be able to resist him then, as she’d seen him in that forestry service uniform once. The very memory still made her throat dry.

  As she drove toward the Forbidden Lake State Forest east entrance, there wasn’t a single car behind her, and she thought maybe she would catch a break that day, even if the sky itself looked angrier than a caged cat.

  Chapter Three

  Phoenix stomped his feet on the mat on his front porch, finally out of the sleet. Chopping wood yesterday had taken a toll on his back, and it screamed at him to get inside, get some painkillers, and ease into a hot shower.

  He’d spent the day hiking through the State Forest, looking for the family of black bears that had been reported. He hadn’t seen a single bear, and he’d probably walked through trees and mud for over ten miles.

  For nothing.

  His frustration at the long day of nothing made him kick his boots off on the porch and then step inside. He’d stoked the fire before he left, but he’d been gone for ten hours, so while the embers in his potbellied stove that kept the cabin warm in the winter would still be glowing, they certainly didn’t heat the space properly.

  “Hey, Dozer,” he said to his Great Dane, who always greeted him at the door. The tan dog licked his fingers in welcome, and Phoenix smiled at him. “You let the fire go out.”

  His other dog, a white bulldog named Sally, yawned and stretched as she got off the couch. She was always slower to come see him, and he knew the cold bothered her old bones as much as it hurt his back.

  “I’ll get us warmed up, okay?” He patted Sally, whom he’d adopted the week after he’d been left at the altar. He’d rescued her from the shelter, but in reality, she’d rescued him from a complete mental breakdown. He wasn’t sure exactly how old she was, but the animal shelter had estimated her to be seven years old when he’d gotten her five years ago.

  He didn’t want to think about what he’d do when Sally died, which was why he’d gotten Dozer last year. The dog’s full name was Bulldozer, as he had a personality that ran straight through things without thinking.

  Phoenix’s fingers felt like icicles as he stoked the fire and added wood shavings to the coals. They caught the flames and kicked out some heat while he added logs. It wouldn’t take long for things to warm up, and he closed the hatch in the front and straightened with a sigh.

  After downing a lot of painkillers, he freshened the dogs’ water and food, and set the rice bag his mother had made for his bad back on the stove to heat while he went to shower. The water was blessedly hot, and a measure of relaxation entered his weary muscles.

  The fire had done its job, and by the time Phoenix returned to the main room for his rice bag, the cabin was cozy and warm. He ran his hands through his damp hair and positioned the bag against the arm of the couch before he eased back into it.

  Another sigh as his muscles released with the additional heat. Sally jumped onto the couch at his feet and laid down, licking her jowls, indicating she’d had dinner while he cleaned up.

  He’d injured his back when he was sixt
een years old in a dirt bike accident. The injury hadn’t prevented him from doing his very physical job, but his back sure did complain when he overworked himself. And all the chopping yesterday and then all the hiking today had reminded him that he had to take it easy tonight and for the next couple of days.

  He’d maybe use a drone to find the bears tomorrow. Or maybe he’d call in sick, because it was supposed to snow tonight. His eyes drifted closed as the glass in his windows shook. He opened his eyes and looked at the back of the cabin at the same time Dozer gave a single bark, as if they both could see the angry wind battling against the walls as it tried to get inside his cabin.

  His brother Jon had built this cabin, and there wasn’t a single crack for the wind, rain, or snow to sneak inside. His stomach told him he couldn’t laze around on the couch, even if his back would groan if he got up to make dinner.

  In that battle, his stomach always won, but Phoenix stayed still on the couch until the heat from the rice grains was almost gone. Feeling ten times better than he had an hour ago when he’d arrived home, he entered the kitchen and started making tacos.

  He was decent at the stove, and he could put together simple meals that incorporated all the food groups. His mother would be so proud. Sometimes he talked to himself or the dogs as he chopped, diced, and browned, but tonight, he simply wanted the silence.

  Dozer hovered just outside the kitchen, the same as always. Phoenix had trained the dog to do so, and he always rewarded him at the very end of the meal prep. So when the lettuce, tomato, and olives were chopped, the meat cooked, and the cheese shredded, he put together a taco bowl for Dozer and one for Sally before making himself a handful of tacos.

  They all ate together, the dogs finishing much quicker than Phoenix did. His phone chimed, and he glanced around the cabin trying to remember where he’d left it. He finally found it in his coat pocket and saw that his other brother, Liam, had said that their sister Karly had made dinner and he could come eat if he wanted.

  Already made tacos, he texted back to his brother.

  Probably for the best, Liam texted back. It’s snowing like crazy out there.

  Surprise moved through Phoenix, though he knew the forecast had called for snow. He peered through the front windows, and sure enough, the porch light illuminated the thick snowflakes falling furiously toward the ground.

  At least an inch had accumulated already, and Phoenix had never been more grateful to be inside, warm and fed for the night. The dogs would need to go out before bed, and he prepared by getting a few towels out of the linen closet and putting them by the back door. A glance at the clock told him he had hours before bedtime, though it felt like midnight already.

  “So, what should we do, guys?” he asked the canines. Dozer cocked his head like he was really trying to figure out what Phoenix had asked, but Sally simply huffed and put her head on her paws.

  He chuckled at her, because he actually agreed with her. He set his rice bag to heat again before flipping on the television. He normally wasn’t a movie-watching guy, but every cell in his body seemed exhausted, so he didn’t want to work through one of his puzzle books or try to fit pieces together on the jigsaw puzzle near the back windows. Plus, it was too cold back there.

  A cry lifted into the air, and Phoenix looked toward the front door. But that was absurd. There wouldn’t be anyone outside in this storm, certainly not out here in the middle of nowhere. He glanced back at the TV, determining the sound must’ve come from there.

  A few minutes later, he heard something else that didn’t quite fit in the sitcom he’d put on. He muted the TV and cocked his head the same way his dog did, listening.

  Nothing.

  He heard nothing.

  He got up and collected his rice bag, something not sitting quite right in his gut. Maybe it was the five tacos he’d wolfed down. Or the extra painkiller he’d taken. Maybe he was simply ready for bed despite the fact that it was only seven o’clock.

  With the sound back on his show, he heated his back and started to drift toward sleep. The cabin had a single bedroom, but Phoenix often slept on the couch with his dogs. Sometimes in the dead of winter, he needed to get up and keep the fire going, and it was easier to do that if he stayed right here in the main room.

  He didn’t hear anything strange, and his uneasiness disappeared. He watched only one episode of his favorite show before easing to his feet. “Come on, guys. Let’s go out. Time for bed.”

  Because his cabin sat in the very corner of the Addler property, he did have a fence on two sides. It didn’t matter. Dozer and Sally never ventured far in bad weather, and Phoenix flipped on the light before opening the door to let the dogs out.

  Dozer went right outside, but Sally hesitated in the doorway. “Go on,” he said, nudging her. He knew how she felt, because the cold that night felt wicked, and the wind whooshed right into his house.

  She finally waddled out, and he closed the door behind her, moving to the window to watch them so he could let them right back in when they were done. Though Sally went out after Dozer, she finished first, and Phoenix let her back in.

  Dozer stood in the corner and barked.

  “Dozer,” Phoenix yelled at him. “Come on.” He peered into the wilderness, but the darkness combined with the still-falling snow made seeing anything impossible.

  The dog continued to bark, and alerts sounded in Phoenix’s mind, body, and soul. Maybe the black bears had smelled the tacos, though with all the precipitation, he doubted that.

  “Dozer,” he called again, finally getting the dog to look at him. “Come on.”

  The Great Dane looked back into the distance, barked a couple more times, and then came sprinting back to the door.

  He was a snowy mess, and Phoenix used the towels he’d put by the door to wipe the moisture and muck from his back and paws.

  The bending motion made his back hurt again, and he’d just pulled down the bottle of painkillers to take more and go to bed when someone pounded on the front door.

  His heartbeat jumped and adrenaline spiked through his body. He froze, though every instinct told him to go get that door open and invite in whoever was out there. Because it was freezing cold and snowing so hard, there were already inches on the ground.

  “Help,” a woman called, banging on his front door again. Dozer started barking, dancing in front of the door and looking at Phoenix expectantly.

  Phoenix flew into motion, crossing the small cabin in a few quick strides and yanking open the door.

  A woman stood there, looking over her shoulder, but she looked back at him, panic in her clear, blue eyes.

  “Allegra?” he asked before she tumbled into his arms.

  Chapter Four

  Warmth was the first thing that registered in Allegra’s mind. Warmth and strength from Phoenix’s body. A dog barked, startling her and reminding her why she’d come in this direction in the first place.

  “There’s someone out there,” she panted. “Close the door.”

  For once, he didn’t argue with her. He swiftly pulled her further into the cabin and shut the door behind them. The click of the lock sent relief shooting through her, as did the increased heat as he moved her to stand in front of a big, round stove.

  “What are you doing out there?” he asked while his dog sniffed her. She wanted to push the animal away, but she probably owed her life to him and his barking.

  She didn’t want to answer that question, because then she’d have to tell Phoenix something personal. The whole cabin smelled like him, with pine and musk and the smell of cooked meat hanging in the air.

  “I was just hiking,” she said, a clear lie.

  “In the dark?” he asked, his voice a bit on the demanding side. “And the snow?”

  “The storm came on faster than I anticipated.” At least that was true. And she had come out here much earlier in the day to do her work. She hadn’t wanted to go back to Leah’s to get set up with a fish and game agent, so she’d stayed lo
nger than she should’ve. And when she’d returned to the parking lot, she’d seen her car—and a blue sedan right next to her.

  The only two cars in the vicinity.

  The fear she’d felt still coursed through her, and her hands trembled as she held them up to the stove to try to get them to steady.

  Phoenix grabbed his dog and pulled him away. “Leave her alone, Dozer.” He turned back to her. “You should get out of those wet clothes.”

  “You wish,” she said, though she knew he was right.

  “Right,” he said, so sarcastically that Allegra wondered if they’d ever get along. “I’ll get you something you can wear.” He edged away from her. The thought of being left alone had her heart racing again, and she threw a look at him.

  “Can you stay for a second?” she asked, hating the vulnerability coursing through her.

  He looked at her with curiosity, and she started to shrug out of her coat. He returned to her side and helped her, asking, “Did you say there was someone out there with you?”

  She shook her head, tears pricking the back of her eyes. “I’m sure it was just an animal.” But that was just as frightening.

  “Maybe the bears,” he said. “I was tracking them today, though they were much farther north earlier.”

  Allegra knew the animal following her through the forest wasn’t a bear, but she didn’t say anything. She peeled the gloves off her hands and set them on top of the stove on a tray Phoenix had there. They sizzled, and steam lifted into the air.

  He took her coat to the hooks by the front door, pausing there to look outside. He flipped a switch, and the light that had beckoned to her through the snow and darkness went out.

  After hearing the barking, that light had saved her, and Allegra shivered again. “I suppose you should get me those clothes,” she said. “I’m soaked to the skin.”

  “You want to shower?” he asked. “The water’s plenty hot.”

  Their eyes met, and the spark between them was plenty hot too. Did he feel it? Or had he removed himself from his emotions as easily as he’d removed himself from society?