Accidental Rebel: A Marriage Mistake Romance

by Snow, Nicole

  My rage burns hotter, hearing her talk about threatening my children. I want to strangle this bitch.

  It’s bait.

  I know better than to answer except on my own terms. And now, I’m ready.

  “I’m not running or hiding anymore, Jackie,” I bite off. “Matter of fact, I’ve been expecting you. Took you forever to drag yourself here. Must be that bum leg.”

  “Fucking prick,” I hear her swear under her breath before she regains her evil poise. “Hasn’t kept me from wearing my nicest heels out here just for you, Rush. The tall ones with diamonds in the tips and hundred-year-old ivory heels. The boys, they told me not to do it, said I’d have trouble walking on this turf, but you know what? You really want to know?”

  Like hell I do.

  I can’t even see her face through this darkness, but I know she’s grinning like a Cheshire cat when she says, “I wore them so I could pluck your shitty eyeballs out, one by one. And then I’ll make both your babies eat them before we toss your carcass in that big lake. As for the brats, well, I’m sure we can find something to do with them.”

  Goddamn, I’m gonna kill her.

  She and the men are looking frantically toward the shed. It’s doing exactly what I want it to do, bouncing my voice off the sloped roof so they think that’s where I’m at.

  “But you know, call me crazy, it doesn’t have to go down like that. No kids or steely-blue eyes need to be harmed. Do you want to make a deal, Miller?”

  “For what?” I growl, knowing it’s total bull. She’s trying anything she can to flush me out.

  “We both know the answer to that. Every man has his price.”

  I scan the road behind them, trying to see Eagle again, or the other goon.

  Too dark.

  They’re still coming, but not close enough.

  The front man who’s scouting ahead just needs to take two more steps, and he’ll be in range to get the full brunt of a concealed blast.

  I can’t set it off before then, or they’ll scatter like rats.

  “I don’t have anything you want, Jackie, and vice versa.”

  She laughs. “Don’t lie to me. Not after all the trouble you went through with Keith breaking into encrypted systems.” She’s talking to the shed, and all three men are busy scanning the roof. “Tell me, Miller, have you heard from him lately? Ran off somewhere deep in the Ecuadorian rain forests, didn’t he? Nasty places, I hear. Lots of predators.”

  I squeeze the remote so tight my knuckles pop. I haven’t heard from Keith since I got the new phone and sent him the cryptic text about jellybeans. J.T. told me last week he’d made contact with people he knew down there, and they’d let him know the instant they heard something.

  So far, nothing.

  I hope he’s had better luck than me shaking these Mederva pricks.

  “Oh, now, cat got your tongue?” Jackie starts walking again, her ridiculous heels crunching the ground, and so do the others.

  “I wouldn’t come any closer if I were you,” I snarl.

  “Why’s that? Don’t tell me you have company? We’ve been watching since yesterday, and we know it’s just you, your kids, and that twitchy redhead who for some ungodly reason decided to sign her death warrant, following you here. They’re still in the cabin, which Lex is dousing with gas right now. And after he’s got your kids out safely, we’ll all have a nice, big bonfire. Unless, of course, we can come to an agreement to get you to cough up those files you stole.”

  Shit, maybe she does want the data. Is she that insane, thinking I’ll hand it over?

  My eyes shift back to the front man. His next step lands him exactly where I want him.

  Holding my breath, I tap the red button on my remote. The searing blast knocks him on his ass and sends his gun flying. Then hell opens up.

  Jackie crouches down, covering her head, shouting, while the other two men freeze in their boots.

  “That’s why I wouldn’t come any closer, Jackie,” I whisper into the night.

  “You arrogant idiot!” she yells. “Stop. Just give me the damn footage you stole from my security cameras and we’ll leave. We’ll–”

  “I collected a hell of a lot more than footage off your cams, Jackie.” My turn to laugh. I let that sink in for a bitter moment, then add, “But it’s not really mine anymore. It’s about to make one hell of a headline. Almost as good as the one I almost made, writing your obituary.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Miller.” She stands up, my name like a curse on her lips. “I’m the only one who wants what you have. The only one willing to pay your stupid ass for it.”

  Disbelief fills me. “Is that what you still think this is all about, Jackie? Money? You think you can buy your way out of this?”

  “What else could it be about?!” she barks into the night. “Seven figures, Miller. Think about what that could buy.”

  She sounds unsure now. Like she’s sold off her soul for so long she can’t possibly fathom why I care about those kids she’s helping fucking murder.

  “Four million dollars!” she calls out loudly. “All you have to do is just hand everything over.”

  “Bitch, you couldn’t pay me enough to give you anything. Not what I’m after. What you’re doing at Mederva is wrong.”

  “Hardly! No one’s getting hurt! Do you even know the diseases those labs are close to curing thanks to this? How much longer it’d take without our leg up? Or are you that dense? Those kids are already dead and on ice every time they show up!”

  “Shut the fuck up.” Anger rips through my veins like a current.

  Perfect timing. There’s movement, a shadow that has to be Eagle creeping around the cabin, his rifle coming up. Two more seconds and we’ll end this, but we don’t get the chance.

  A bloodcurdling scream splits the air, turning my blood ice-cold.

  I recognize who it belongs to.

  Same with the hoarse shout from a man who must be Lex. “I’ve got the little girl, Ms. Wren!”

  Shit!

  Lauren, Shane, and Gwen, all flash through my mind, my heart, my soul at the same time. Eagle ducks back around the corner, just as thrown as I am.

  I don’t even give the Queen Bitch a second to smile.

  Snarling, I jack my thumb into other buttons on the remotes for all the mines near the front of the cabin. Then I leap out of the tree, praying I don’t snap a leg.

  17

  Splash (Gwen)

  My lungs burn, gasping for air, choked on fear and the overwhelming stink of gasoline.

  I can barely see through the tears stinging my eyes, but my ears are still working just fine. Lauren’s scream has me spinning around.

  “I’ve got the little girl, Ms. Wren!” a man roars.

  Think again, jackass!

  I grab Shane’s arm, pulling him out of the lean-to shed that houses the generator. “Now, Shane! Run! Just like I told you. We’ll be right behind you, big guy, I promise.”

  He gives me a harsh look, biting his lip, but he knows how serious this is.

  There’s so much determination in him as he bolts right out of my arms. I know where he gets it.

  While Shane makes his escape, I barrel toward the faint outline of a man in the darkness. He’s running to the edge of the cabin – another group of people? – with Lauren in his arms.

  No sign of Miller.

  I have to get her back.

  I hate that I lost her to begin with, but as soon as I smelled the thick, vicious gasoline scent hanging in the air – a ton of it – I knew we had to move. Get the hell away from the cabin before the man rummaging around inside lit the whole place up.

  We didn’t have a choice but to flee into the night. But the bastard was waiting, and he tore her away from me, taking off around the corner before I could catch up.

  I don’t know if there’s more of them.

  If there are, splitting up like this at least gives us a fighting chance.

  My eyes focus on Lauren’s captor. He’s sh
orter than I am, but that’s all I know.

  He may be armed. He may be brutal. He may be a flipping coward.

  Whatever he is, I’m about to find out, and suffer the consequences a thousand times over if it means she goes free.

  I plow right into him as hard as I can. For once, my tall, nearly Amazonian bones help me out. He’s pure muscle, like hitting a wall, but I think I’ve caught him by surprise.

  He topples over, just long enough for me to snag a fistful of his hair. A split second later, the entire world goes boom.

  Several explosions erupt in a messy circle around the whole property, sending bright orange up like flares and dirt raining down.

  Oh, Jesus.

  It’s like the Fourth of July, only louder, and a thousand times scarier. The flashing lights show me exactly what I need to see as I wrench harder on the man’s hair, forcing him to turn. He’s still doubled over in shock. I seize the chance to land a hard knee to his face.

  “Let go of her!” I’m screaming, frantic, pulling at her arm so hard I’m worried I’ll break her.

  The man roars, swearing at me, his foot caught on something. His eyes glow pure menace as the fading explosions illuminate his face.

  No time to stare, to hate, to fear. I need Lauren back, and I need to put distance between us and those explosions, now, before they risk reaching the gasoline-soaked cabin.

  My instinct does the thinking for me. Pulling back my other hand, I plant a fist directly in his throat and then kick him in the groin.

  It works.

  As he doubles over, I grab Lauren’s arm one more time, breaking her free, and swing her over my shoulder as I run, run, run for the lake.

  “We have to swim now, honey,” I tell her. “Just like I said in the basement, remember? All the way out to the pontoon boat.”

  “I know, Gwen,” she says, sniffling in this heartbreaking way. “I think...I think I can.”

  “You’ll be fine, baby. I’ve got you the whole time, you and Shane both.” Yes, I’m crying, and I don’t have the time.

  We need to move.

  I’m scared for her, for everyone, but this was the only plan I could throw together. More noises ring out behind us.

  Gunshots this time, bullets zinging through the air, and another deafening blast goes off as my shoes finally crunch the rocky gravel around the lake before scampering up the dock. It’s still painfully dark, but I can hear Shane, splashing just off the end, waiting for us.

  “Ready, Lauren?” I whisper, pulling off her shoes and then abandoning mine before I kick my legs into the water. “It’s now or never.”

  She gives me a nod, folding herself into my arms. I try to cover up the splashing sound as we submerge. I point Shane at the boat, barely a shadowy outline in the ink smear of dawn.

  I told the kids to stay down for as long as they could. To only come up for air or stay in sight of me, and to not kick their feet above the water, hoping that’ll prevent anyone from seeing us.

  I surface, watching the water until I see each one of them come up and then go under again.

  Even scared witless out here, I’m proud of them. So very proud.

  I keep surfacing every few strokes, making sure they’re never more than a couple feet away, and then swim a few feet behind them, urging them on until the pontoon isn’t just a distant landmark anymore.

  Shane touches its metallic side first and then swims around to the backside, where I’d mentioned there’s a ladder. He’s quick on his feet, strong, and he’s there to help Lauren up after him.

  Once I’m on board, I do a quick scan. It’s been a while, but I don’t see any weird leaks or abnormalities that would make our little refuge unsafe. Thank God for small favors.

  “Get down, guys,” I whisper, knowing how the water carries sound, even through the commotion and flashes I still see coming from land. “Stay on the floor, heads low, until I tell you different. Got it?”

  “Sure!” they both whisper, eager to listen, even if I can sense the terror in their voices.

  The worst part is, I’m not even sure it’s for us. There’s no telling what happened to Miller, and my heart beats with a sicker, heavier thud every spare second I stop to think about it.

  I barely made it here with the kids, and we’re not even safe. Not yet.

  I can’t lose him, too. I can’t–

  There’s louder shouting coming from the shore, but it’s too dark to see anything.

  For the first time in my life, I’m not bothered by the dark, knowing there are worse things in it. I’m also pissed because it seems like the sun will never rise. I’m sure we’ve lost five or ten minutes waiting through this chaos, and it’s no lighter than when we jumped into Rainy Lake.

  I hate this with a vengeance.

  The man I love is out there somewhere. Vanished. Fighting. Possibly hurt. And I can’t see a freaking thing!

  “Gwen, look!” Shane says, tugging at my hand. “That’s Dad! He’s...he’s yelling for us.”

  I squeeze his hand so he’ll pipe down and perk my ears up. It’s suddenly eerily silent across the murmuring waters. My heart skips a beat, waiting for his voice.

  “Gwen! Shane! Lauren!”

  It couldn’t be anyone else. Hearing him, knowing he’s alive, stings my eyes. And I know he wouldn’t be calling unless we were in the clear.

  I leap up to my feet, waving. “Miller! Mill-errrr! Over here!”

  “Dad!” Shane joins me, and I hug him tight.

  Then Lauren pops up too, cupping her hands over her mouth. “Daddy!”

  “Where are you?” he roars.

  “The boat! On the pontoon boat!” I scream, right before fresh sobs cut me off, gathering Lauren and Shane to my sides. “We’re all here!”

  I kneel down and hug them closer. You know that awkward moment when your heart just ruptures at the seams and touchy-feely stuffing bursts out?

  Yeah, I’m living it. I can’t believe we made it.

  The thought of someone hurting them almost made me snap. Literally.

  Ginger-snap. Just like he calls me.

  The woman who loves their father and loves them.

  The woman who’d give all four limbs to keep them safe.

  Right now, the freaked out girl who just wants this to be over so we can have a second chance. A real life that’s just like our good times here, without the constant danger and armed stalkers looming over us.

  “Hang on, I’m coming!” he roars across the shore.

  At the sound of Miller’s voice, I release the kids and jump onto one of the seats to see into the water. It’s finally getting lighter, just enough so the lake looks more like dull liquid mercury than a seething dark mass.

  Our eyes are glued to him as he sails through the water, so swiftly and fluidly I wonder if even I could learn a thing or two from his swimming.

  “Dad, there’s a ladder back here!” Shane shouts, running to the end of the boat.

  Miller climbs aboard a moment later, his hair dripping, rugged and sexy and perfect.

  I hang back a second, giving him a moment with the kids. But when he steps up next to me, I nearly melt as those huge, inked, overprotective arms I feared I’d never feel again totally envelop me.

  “Thank fuck you’re safe,” he growls, kissing my hair, my forehead, my lips.

  Lauren and Shane go quiet, nudging each other and smiling. Honestly, I can’t stop myself from smiling either. Because if there’s nothing left to hide, if this strange, beautiful thing we’ve made has a fighting chance, then even this hell was worth it.

  I cling to him, not wanting to let go.

  Never. Ever.

  “Hey, Dad, what happened to the bad guys?” Shane asks, rubbing his eyes.

  Miller keeps his arm around me as he rubs Shane’s head. “They’re at the cabin, all tied up. A couple fled, jumped into their SUV and skedaddled, but Eagle’s keeping watch on the others.”

  Shane pumps a fist into the air. “Wow, so cool.”

/>   “You were so brave, Daddy,” Lauren whispers, throwing her arms around his leg with a sunny smile.

  No argument here.

  What he did out there, with barely any help, was nothing short of saving our lives.

  Miller kneels down and kisses Lauren’s forehead. “Don’t count yourself short, baby girl. You swam all the way out here in a crunch. I’m proud of you.”

  Lauren blushes, looking up at me. “I had a lot of help. Gwen said I could do it, and I did. And Shane...he was all right.”

  “All right? I yanked you up the ladder!” Shane folds his arms in such a melodramatic pout we all burst out laughing.

  “You did good, son. Everybody here did their part,” Miller says, leaning down to kiss Lauren’s head before looking up at me. “Especially Gwen. In the dark, no less.”

  So, I think he’s trying to make everyone here blush. My turn.

  “Wish I could say I faced down my fears but...I found bigger ones. Some guy was pouring gas all over the cabin, we could smell it from the basement. It was almost suffocating. We had to take our chances.” I shake my head. “I’m sorry we couldn’t stay put like you asked.”

  Fury crosses his face. Pure rage, hatred for the monsters who would’ve lit us on fire, if they’d had half a chance.

  “Don’t apologize. You did good, babe. Real damn good.”

  My nose itches and I search the shoreline again for obvious flames. “Miller, is the cabin...?”

  “Still in one piece last I checked. We got lucky. If I’d shifted those charges a foot or two closer, odds are your ma would need a new place to play Thoreau.”

  “Thor-who? Dad, Gwen also beat up that guy who tried to take Lauren! I watched the whole time from the dock. You should’ve seen her.” Shane throws a few air punches. “Pow, pow! Down he went.”

  Miller grins at me and nods.