“Dad, we ran into a bit of trouble in the lower forty-eight and needed a place to hide out.” Lena pulled back and glanced between her parents. “I’m really sorry. We’re only staying the night, then I’m taking them to the cabin.”
“Nonsense, honey. You all can stay right here.” Dad draped his arm over her shoulder and led her back to the Rands.
“No, Dad, we can’t.” The fear of the organization piecing things together and finding her family bunched her muscles with tension. It was a mistake to have come here. If something happened to her parents, she’d never forgive herself. “It’s too dangerous for you. It’ll be safer for everyone if we disappear into the wilderness.”
“We can take care of any trouble that comes this way.” His offended scoff made her lips twitch.
She didn’t doubt her Alaskan born and raised parents could handle any problem they faced. They had an arsenal that rivaled even the Stryker’s artillery, but she’d witnessed the destruction and deprecation the people they were up against could inflict. She couldn’t risk it.
“I know, Dad.” She patted his hand on her shoulder as they walked to meet Marshall and Carter. “My team and I have a plan.” Not completely a lie. “I need to get this family to my cabin.”
“Well, if you’re sure.” His voice trailed off, like he wanted her to change her mind.
She wasn’t sure, but it was the only plan she had at the moment. Marshall scrambled to his feet as they approached. His eyes bounced from her parents to her, his gaze holding hers and making her chest tight. There was something different in his expression, something she hadn’t seen before. The intensity of it had her chest and neck warming, and she ducked her head in embarrassment.
Lena Rebel didn’t do embarrassed … or blushing innocence, for that matter.
All that started and stopped with Ethan Stryker. She peeked up to find Marshall’s lips tweaking up in a grin. At least, she thought it had ended. She really shouldn’t have let her guard down.
Her dad’s eyebrow rose as he looked between Lena and Marshall, and his smile broadened when he reached out his hand to Marshall. “Welcome to our home. I’m Arne Rebel, and this is my wife, Katie.”
Lena would have to squash whatever thoughts ran through her dad’s head and made that eyebrow lift. Lena stepped from under Dad’s arm and strode to the helicopter. She didn’t want her parents getting any ideas.
“I’m so glad you all made it for the party.” Her ma gushed, bending down to talk to Carter. “Looks like you’ve found a friend.”
“Noflake nice. He’s my friend.” Carter gave Snowflake a hug.
Lena wished she could get over her fears as fast as Carter. She’d gotten good at hiding them, and she’d learned early in her childhood that even when you were afraid, you could still act. Growing up in the Alaskan wilderness didn’t leave room for getting frozen in fear. How would life look if her fear of losing those closest to her didn’t cause her to push everyone away?
Wow, Lena, really? There were more important things to worry about. Like not dying, for one. She dropped a duffle of clothes and supplies they’d picked up in Canada at Marshall’s feet and hiked her backpack farther up her shoulder.
“Party? What party?” Poor Marshall.
He’d been so confused over the last few days. Lena really needed to do better at clueing him in. Not wanting to talk about the organization and his, albeit unknown, involvement with them, she’d mastered the distract and evade method while traveling. It should thrill her to finally expose his actions for what they’d done. She’d been dreaming of how she’d do that since she’d first started researching that stupid bill two years before. Now, though, her need for justice had cooled, hardening to a boulder of indecision in her gut.
“Oh, nothing big, really. Just family coming over to celebrate our anniversary.” Leave it to Ma to downplay what would probably be an afternoon of chaos.
“You don’t mind us crashing it?” Marshall glared at Lena before picking up the duffle and slinging it over his shoulders.
“Are you kidding?” Dad draped his arm over Lena’s shoulders and rocked her back and forth like a child. “You brought our long-lost Lena back. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. Move in, even. We’ve got plenty of room.”
Lena’s face burned hot as she elbowed him in the side. “Dad.”
“Carter, would you like to help me make the snacks?” Ma stood and held out her hand.
“Noflake come too?” Carter squeezed Snowflake’s head like he worried they would leave the dog behind.
Ma’s laugh flitted through the air like a chickadee’s song, lifting Lena’s spirit. “Of course, Snowflake can come.”
“How long have you been married?” Marshall asked as he helped Carter get untangled from the dog.
Dad threaded his fingers through Ma’s and lifted them to his lips for a soft kiss. “Not long enough.”
The words slammed into Lena, knocking the breath from her. She’d wanted a life filled with love like her parents had. Ethan had been her forever. One corrupted mission and a bullet to the chest later, her happily ever after had bled from her life.
“Not long enough.” Marshall’s quiet echo pulled her from the shock of grief.
He flinched, his Adam’s apple bobbing like he’d swallowed something whole. How could she forget that his love had been ripped away as well? The same people that had taken Ethan had blown apart Marshall’s happy family. Her pulse roared in her ears, drowning everything out and slowing the world around her.
Maybe Marshall wasn’t an enemy after all.
Devastation had crashed over his life just like it had hers. Worse when Carter was added to the equation. Marshall’s hand rubbed his wrist as he watched Lena’s parents head toward the house with Carter. She followed his gaze in time to see her dad pull her mom close and kiss the side of her head.
She trudged after her parents, her head spinning with questions. Could she forgive Marshall for his role in Ethan’s death? Could she forgive herself if she did? She wasn’t sure, and the warring in her mind weighed her body down and made her sluggish. Somehow, she had to push the questions aside and focus. She couldn’t keep Marshall and Carter safe if she allowed her doubts and troubles to distract her.
Eleven
Marshall stood on the porch, taking in the scene before him. Chaos reigned as the Rebel family played touch football on the lawn. It had struck him as odd seeing the expanse of green that would rival any country-club landscaping back in Kentucky. How was it possible to create such perfection in the wilds of Alaska?
But as he’d met each Rebel sibling, and chatted with Arne and Katie, he had realized that if the Rebels set out to tame the wilderness, they’d succeeded. It wouldn’t surprise Marshall if a pet moose came trotting on to the field. What was it about this family that had produced such successful and adventure-driven people? They seemed to thrive on danger, each picking paths that most never considered.
Between the seven siblings there was a retired pararescueman with the Air Force, who was now training for the nation’s most difficult dogsled race, the Yukon Quest. Becoming a PJ was one of the harshest programs the military offered. There was a bush pilot and hunting guide, a wildfire fighter, a fishing boat captain, and a Denali summit guide. That didn’t include Lena and Bjørn, who were both decorated, retired soldiers. All that greatness stuffed in one family left Marshall with a sense of lacking.
Marshall flinched as Lena barreled into her PJ brother, Gunnar, knocking the man to the ground with an audible grunt. Marshall couldn’t imagine what a tackle game of football would look like. He shook his head and checked on Carter. He happily played in the sandbox on the side of the yard with Snowflake keeping guard.
His son had slid into the family like he’d always belonged, soaking in the attention of each adult like he was a parched cactus during a drought. Marshall, on the other hand, had never felt as much of an outsider as he did at that moment. He’d never questioned his ability to protect
and provide like he did on this ranch full of heroes.
“Don’t let them intimidate you, son.” Arne stepped up beside Marshall on the deck, leaned his forearms against the railing, and cradled his steaming mug of coffee in his hands. “They may be rowdy, but they’re all a good bunch.”
Marshall forced a laugh as Sunny, the Denali guide who had just finished leading her last climb up the treacherous mountain for the season, clotheslined Magnus, the wildfire fighter, whose tall form and muscular build was the epitome of a chainsaw-wielding sawyer. “If I go out there, I’m dead.”
“Nah. They only play rough with each other.” Arne sipped from his coffee. “Here in the Interior, you either grow up tough or you don’t grow up at all.” He chuckled as the bush pilot brother, Tiikâan, dove and grabbed Sunny around the ankles, sending her face-first into the grass. “As they got older, the play just got rougher, like they had to make up for the months, sometimes years, they’re not able to be around each other.”
“I only have one younger sister who wanted nothing to do with me growing up.” Marshall huffed a laugh with the memory. “I wouldn’t play dolls with her. But this.” He motioned to the grown adults tumbling over each other like children. “This is something I can honestly say I’ve never experienced … or known I wanted until today.”
The last part was just a whisper, but Arne turned to face Marshall with a questioning look on his face. “Just what brings you running here, son?”
“Some people want me to change course in my business and political influence. It’s an organization that I know little about but seems to be a bigger part of my life than I ever realized.” Marshall took a deep breath and turned so his back leaned against the railing. “They threatened Carter, then showed up in Idaho, where we had gone to lie low so I could figure things out. Apparently, my head of security is also on their payroll.”
Arne whistled low and motioned to the lounge chairs up against the house. He eased back and relaxed into the seat, but Marshall sat on the edge of his. His unease and inability to keep Carter safe kept him from relaxing. Maybe it would be better if he left Carter here? Surely it would be easier for Lena to keep Carter safe if she didn’t have to worry about his father too. Marshall knew he couldn’t stay forever. He had responsibilities that had to be considered, but the thought of leaving Carter chilled him to the bone.
“What happened in Idaho, and how’d you meet up with Bjørn?” Arne took another long drink of his coffee.
“With the help of my security guy, Tony, two other men got the drop on us.” A shiver ran down Marshall’s spine at the memory, and he slumped back against the seat to hide his discomfort. “Thankfully, the other two men on my detail weren’t traitors, and when Lena jabbed Tony in the throat, they gave us enough time to get away. We don’t even know if my men are alive or dead or what.” He swallowed down the guilt of leaving his men. His eyes followed Lena, taunting Bjørn with the football. “Lena was incredible.” Marshall’s voice held too much awe, so he cleared his throat to hide his building attraction. “She had escape plans all laid out in her head and got us out of there within seconds.”
He clenched his fists as he remembered the two shots she took to the back. Thank God for June Rivas’s Supersuit, otherwise Lena would be dead, and Marshall and Carter would be in the hands of the enemy. He’d leave that part of the adventure out. He doubted Arne would want to hear that Marshall had almost gotten his daughter killed.
“She’s always had contingency plans, in camping and hunting, in paths for her future. Always prepared, that’s my Lena.” Arne sighed a deep sound that came from his toes, and he set his coffee on the side table. “But after Ethan’s death, her paranoia and need to always be on guard have gone too far.”
“Ethan?”
“Ethan Stryker, her fiancé.” Arne shook his head in sadness. “Their team was sabotaged on a mission two years ago, and Ethan got shot in the chest. Lena and Ethan’s wedding was supposed to be the next week.”
Marshall’s vision tunneled as pieces clicked into place. Stryker Security Force was named for a man killed in action. Lena’s conversation with Zeke popped into Marshall’s head. Somehow, the organization after him was involved with the death of her fiancé.
“Apparently a bill passed legislation that stripped the team of tech they used on missions. One minute the tech was there. The next it was unavailable.” Arne tsked. “Lena’s been obsessed with that bill, with figuring out how it passed in the first place. Says that Ethan and other soldiers that were killed because of that bill need justice.”
“It’s my fault. I’m the one who voted that bill in.” Marshall closed his eyes as he tried to take a deep breath but failed. “That’s why she hates me.”
He didn’t deserve her protection. Didn’t deserve her putting her life on the line for him. Would that one mistake haunt him forever? He thought of Lena’s aloofness that hid her anger and pain at losing the man she loved. Thought of all the men and women lost because he hadn’t been stronger in his convictions. He earned never finding peace the day he voted yes to a law that put the nation’s frontline at risk.
“How’s that?” Arne touched Marshall’s elbow.
Marshall opened his eyes and stared at the jutting mountains on the edge of the property. He couldn’t bear to see the disappointment that Arne would feel when Marshall revealed his deceit. When the truth was laid out, Marshall would retreat to the room Katie had given him and Carter so this family that had sacrificed so much wouldn’t have to look at him.
“I was the vote that put that bill into law.” Marshall spoke low, remembering the conflict and grief that had raged within him as he put his yes down. “I knew there was more buried in the bill that we didn’t understand. The thing was a tome and being pushed through quickly. There wasn’t time to read it, let alone understand it.”
“Why’d you vote to pass it then?”
“My wife, she begged me to support it. Said a law that beefed up the borders couldn’t be bad.” He rubbed his hand down his face as shame heated his skin. “When she died in a car crash the day before we voted, I let my grief overrule my logic and checked yes in honor of Amara.” He snorted a humorless laugh. “Come to find out, she never really wanted it to pass. She was being threatened, told if she didn’t convince me to back the bill, then something bad would happen to our family.” He touched the pocket where her journal entry hid. “If I would’ve been paying more attention to her, I would’ve known something was wrong. I could’ve protected her. Wouldn’t have betrayed Lena’s fiancé and the other soldiers. It’s my fault that bill passed.”
“Son.” Arne leaned over and placed his hand on Marshall’s shoulder, causing him to flinch. “How many other members of Congress voted for that bill?”
“That’s not the point.” Marshall scooted to the edge of his seat and shook his head. “I promised my constituents that I would lead in the push toward healing our country, but I betrayed them and allowed others to use me to hurt the soldiers I swore to support.” He turned to Arne, his eyes burning with angry tears. “Did you know that was my running platform? I promised to strengthen our nation and always stand behind our troops. Always. The people surrounding Fort Knox would expect nothing less from their representative. And I let them down.” He waved his hand to the Rebels still playing in the yard. “I let them all down.”
“We all make mistakes, and there were two hundred and seventeen other members of Congress who share in that blame with you.” Arne shifted to the edge of his seat and leaned his forearms on his knees. “Yet you’re the only one I’ve seen making amends. What have you done to correct that mistake since you voted?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Marshall hung his head. “It can never make up for all those I hurt. Never make up for Lena losing Ethan. For Amara being murdered.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Arne’s sharp jab to Marshall’s bicep hurt. “If I remember right, for the rest of your term in Congress, you did everything you could to shift
the current political landscape while transforming your entire billion-dollar company back in Kentucky to assist in the production of tools for the military.”
“How do you know all that?”
“When Lena became obsessed with it, I started researching.” Arne’s lips twisted up in a slight grin beneath his dark blond beard. “When she called to tell us she would be working for you, I wondered how she’d handle it.”
“She hates me. After what I did, I don’t blame her.” He stared at Lena, who had stopped playing football to sit with Carter.
He swallowed the longing that had grown toward her, stuffing it deep down in the never-gonna-happen part of his brain, and slammed the door closed. If he couldn’t see past his own disgust and regrets, what made him think she ever would? Being up here was a mistake. He would never find answers and couldn’t continue his fight against this evil if he stayed hidden. He’d get them settled wherever it was Lena wanted them to hide out, then talk Bjørn into getting him to an airport. Knowing Carter was safe and putting some distance between his growing desire for Lena would let him focus on his goal. He couldn’t support the military and reduce corruption in the legislature if he was hiding in the Alaskan wilderness.
“Lena doesn’t hate you, not really,” Arne said.
Marshall snorted and shook his head, though Arne’s words raised a pathetic sense of hope within him.
“She may have at first, but Lena isn’t dumb. If I found out all that about you, she would have too.” Arne clapped Marshall’s shoulder. “I’m praying hard for her. She needs to forgive, to let God heal her, but the longer and tighter she holds on to that anger, she’ll never find peace.”
Peace. Marshall’s nose stung as he fought to control his emotions. What would it feel like to have a peaceful heart again, to have joy overpower the regret and pain? Was there any possibility he and Lena could find it together?
“Maybe … maybe you could pray for me too?” He breathed past the tightness in his chest and looked at Arne.
Honoring Lena Page 6