Long Live the Rebel

by E L Irwin

  “No one else will be hurt. We’ll get this person. We’ll stop them.”

  “You don’t know that!” I screamed at him.

  Ryler pulled me against him, his arms locking like vices around me.

  I struggled against him, trying to free myself.

  But he just held me. He held me tight as I fell apart. As I shattered.

  “Shh…” he whispered against me. “It’s all right, AJ. This will be all right. We’ll figure this out. I promise you.”

  “I can’t go through this any longer. I’m just so tired. I can’t…” And then the sobs started. They shook me, tore me apart, and drained me.

  “I know,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to me again and again. “I know, and I’m sorry. Let me take care of you. I’ll take care of this.”

  Eventually, my tears ran their course, and I was dry. Hollow. As if I was simply a shell. My heart and my throat ached, though from different reasons. This time when I pulled back, Ryler let me, but he didn’t let me get far. Only about an arm’s distance. He took one look at me and pulled me close again, let his mouth linger at my forehead, then said, “Come on.”

  He led me into the bathroom and shut the lid of the toilet, then settled me on it. He ran the water in the sink until it was ice cold and soaked a washcloth in the icy stream before wringing it out lightly and gently wiping my face. He rinsed the cloth once more, wrung it again, then handed it to me. Taking it gratefully, I held the cool, damp fabric to my hot face, savoring the way it felt, the way it refreshed.

  When I was done, he gave me two Tylenol and a glass of water. I wondered if he could read the headache pounding inside my skull on my face.

  Ryler lifted and carried me to bed, only he settled onto it first then simply held me. His heartbeat soothed, calmed, and restored. My eyes became heavy, drifting downward, until I finally gave in and let go.

  Amber sat before her computer screen and fingered her red hair. She looked through the numerous photographs she’d collected of the object of her desire. Her heart swelled with emotion and longing. If only AJ would be sensible. None of this needed to happen. But AJ was being childish and selfish, and now Amber had to be firm with her. People were going to get hurt. Amber clenched her fist as she thought. You are mine, AJ. I will find you, and then you will know and love me.

  “And,” she said aloud to herself, “if that boy is keeping you away from me, then I’ll have to stop him. I’ll have to hurt him, too.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Crosshairs

  Ryler stood beside the bed, his gaze on the woman asleep there. AJ was in the crosshairs, and Ryler would give anything to protect her and keep her safe. How, was the question. His one lead had unraveled last week. Now he was back to square one, and AJ was still in danger. Silently, he checked the locks at the back door, then made his way to the front room. He brewed a pot of coffee and watched as a doe with two fawns made their way across his lawn.

  It was just after seven on a Thursday morning. The last week or so had been stressful, and Ryler was feeling it. His body was stiff and sore, and despite lying beside AJ, her warmth pressed against him, he’d needed to get up and move, stretch and flex. He refilled his mug and returned to the window. Something had to give. He could feel the mounting tension, the pressure in the air, like a storm bearing down on them. He just wanted to be in control as to when and where it landed.

  Soft arms came around him from the back. AJ’s hands crept upward, spreading across his chest. Her front to his back. He closed his eyes as his hand slid to cover hers. This was heaven, and he wouldn’t let it be destroyed.

  Ryler was strength. He was purpose and energy. And I held all of that in my arms. It was a heady feeling. As I listened to his breath come in and go out again, I felt the warmth of the safety that he radiated. Briefly, I closed my eyes and simply held onto that safety. Let it engulf and consume me. He drew me around to the front of him, and my head nestled against his chest. His hand came up to cradle the back of my skull, and I let the tension go.

  My breath came easier than it had these last couple of weeks. Fear no longer suffocated me. I’d believed him that things would be all right, that he would take care of me. Amber would be stopped.

  “Coffee’s hot. You want a cup?” he rumbled quietly.

  “Yeah, that sounds good.” I blinked through a yawn. “Then maybe we can sip it on the porch?”

  “It’s a bit frosty out there this morning. Only in the upper thirties. Are you sure?”

  “The sun is out. How cold can it be with the sun out?”

  “Plenty. But, yeah, we’ll go out there.”

  Ten minutes later, I was rethinking my beliefs on the sun and the cold. Shivering, I leaned closer to Ryler, and sipped my coffee.

  “Cold?” he asked.

  “No.” I shivered. “I’m fr-freezing. How is it possible to be this cold in this much sunlight? Where is the warmth?”

  Ryler chuckled. “We’re in the north, you know? It gets cold here.”

  Sighing, I sipped more of my coffee and snuggled in to him. “You know what I miss?”

  “What’s that?” he asked as he rubbed his nose along the back of my ear.

  “Heat. The sun. The kind that bakes your skin. I miss the hot sand and the sound of the waves crashing.”

  Ryler became still. I hadn’t thought about what I was saying until after I’d said it. Hadn’t considered that my desires might not be taken as enthusiastically as I’d hoped they would. “You’d go with me, right? Just for a little bit, just to visit, to feel that warmth?”

  “I… don’t know. I’m not really a hot sun, beach kind of guy, you know?”

  “You wouldn’t go?” I turned to face him.

  “AJ, come on.” He tapped his prosthetic leg. “Remember? This isn’t exactly a beach-fit sort of body.”

  “Well, I think your body is great. And who cares what anyone else thinks. You’re not going to be with them, you’re going to be with me.”

  “Yeah, I get that. I just… The beach isn’t for me.”

  I opened my mouth to respond when Ryler’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. “It’s Andrews,” he announced as he checked the Caller ID. “Caleb,” he said as he answered. “Oh, yeah? Whatcha got? Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah, I got it. I’ll let her know. Thanks.”

  “What is it?” I asked as he ended the call.

  “They got the results back on that body. It wasn’t Paul. It was a guy that’d gone missing from Port Townsend last month.”

  “So… so, I’m confused. Does that mean Paul could still be alive? He could still be alive! Are they looking for him?”

  “Yeah, yeah, they’re looking for him.”

  Hope filled me. Just maybe I wasn’t responsible for two murders. My eyes filled with tears. Ryler cupped my face, “Hey, none of that. We don’t know what this means.”

  “Yeah, I know, but he could still be aliv—” Ryler jerked and something sticky, warm, and wet sprayed up my neck. His hands drug from my face as he fell backward down the steps, and I stumbled with his sudden absence. My leg gave way, unable to hold my weight, and I pitched over. And then, as my face neared the wooden beams of the porch, I heard the sharp report echo off the surrounding trees. I knew that sound, knew what it meant. I had heard it before.

  Trying to break my fall, I put my hands out in front of me. My shoulder wrenched with the impact, sending pain through me. My cheek slammed into the deck, and my ears were ringing. My heart pounded. Something was wrong. Something had happened. Ryler. Where was Ryler? What had happened?

  “Ryler!” I coughed.

  A groan came from somewhere out of sight. Then I heard in a rough, whispered cough, “AJ, get inside.” Ryler was panting heavy.

  Blinking, I tried to clear my head. I needed to get to my feet. Ryler needed help. Crawling, dragging myself with one arm, I reached the steps and saw Ryler sprawled there facedown. Deep red stained the back of Ryler’s grey shirt.

  A sob choked from me. “Ryl
er!” I reached for him.

  “AJ, listen to me. You need to get inside. Now. Lock the doors.”

  “Not without you!” Gritting my teeth, I clawed my way to him. Ryler’s face was pale. So much blood. He tried to turn over, but his arms gave way. His legs were tangled, so I helped him get them situated then helped him to turn over.

  “Now, come on. Help me. We need to get inside. Help me, Ryler.”

  His right arm hung limp at his side, blood pulsing down it. Ryler pushed with his legs, trying to get up those steps. And as he pushed, I pulled. Inch by inch we made slow progress. Four steps had never seemed remotely like a challenge before. Now, they were more like Everest. With much panting and cursing, we somehow made it up those steps and into the house. The blood was coming faster now, and Ryler collapsed just over the threshold. Shiv was barking frantically and in the way. I got the door closed behind us then hobbled down the hallway and into the bathroom for towels, calling for Shiv as I went.

  Blessedly, the big hound came with me, and I was able to shut him in the bedroom. I gathered the supplies I’d need. Towels, bandages, and on a whim, grabbed my box of tampons. I was sure I’d read, or heard somewhere that soldiers would use them while in the field to stop the bleeding from a bullet hole. I made my way back down the hallway and was halfway there when I jerked to a stop.

  Ryler was alert, his eyes on me. The front door was open. And standing just to the left of Ryler, near the sofa, was a figure. The woman wore a light brown flowy dress, with large yellow and white roses printed on it. A cream cardigan sat on her shoulders and nylons were on her legs. Her hair was deep red and hung unadorned, straight past her wide shoulders. I couldn’t see her face, angled the way it was, and the hair offered good concealment.

  But her hands. Her hands gripped a handgun. And it was pointed right at Ryler. “Come in, AJ.” The voice was high-pitched and girly, almost sounding put on, or fake. And the tone, the attitude behind it, as if she was happy to see me, as if she and I were friends.

  Nausea curled in my stomach, and my vision clouded. Still Ryler stared at me.

  “Come in and join us,” the woman continued in her singsong voice. “Sit, AJ. Or I’ll kill him right now.”

  Knowing I was in the worst danger of my short life, I whispered in a trembling voice, “Okay.”

  Slowly, I made my way to the couch, sitting nearest to Ryler.

  The woman moved, pivoting around Ryler, keeping us both in her sights. She closed and then locked the door. Then she walked toward me, her gait almost a sway, as if she was executing a dance move as opposed to just taking a step. I kept my eyes down, on Ryler, trying to garner from him whatever his eyes were trying to tell me. The woman cleared her throat expectantly, wanting me to look up at her. Ryler dipped his chin ever so slightly. So, taking a slow, deep breath, I looked up into familiar plain brown eyes.

  “Paul?” I gasped, shocked and even more lightheaded. His palm slapped across my face, bringing tears.

  “My name is Amber, AJ.” Paul spoke in the girly voice. “Say it. Say hello, Amber.”

  Tears and fear choked me, and I couldn’t get the words past my lips.

  “Say it!” Paul yelled, a note of hysteria in his voice.

  “H-hello, Amber.”

  “There.” He smiled at me through lips smeared in a deep red. “Now, you be a good girl, AJ. We’re going to spend some time together. You’re going to love me, just you wait and see.”

  Shiv had been barking and snarling at the bedroom door, and I cursed myself soundly for locking him inside. The barking stopped, and then we heard the loud crash of shattering glass, and a high-pitched yelp. And then everything went silent. We sat there quietly for several moments, our eyes darting around the room, from window to window, and door. Ryler lay still, though his eyes were bright with pain. “Um, Pa— Amber. May I please help him?” I indicated Ryler, who shook his head at me. “He’s bleeding.”

  “He’s going to be a problem, isn’t he?” Paul asked.

  “No. No, he isn’t,” I quickly assured him, sniffing back tears.

  “Don’t lie to me, AJ. I won’t abide a liar.”

  “I’m not. Please, I’m sorry.”

  “I forgive you. Now, I think I’d like a drink. I’m a little thirsty. Please, get me a drink.”

  Ryler again nodded. His eyes glanced to Paul’s gun then back to me. And then I remembered the insurance gun Ryler kept behind the fridge. After rising to my feet, I turned away from them and moved toward the kitchen.

  “What would you like, Amber?” My voice trembled and I tried to calm it. “I can see what’s in the fridge.”

  As I reached the kitchen, I glanced over my shoulder, and froze. Paul stood there in the entryway. I hadn’t even heard him move. He was just close enough to keep both Ryler and me in sight. His gun was still trained on Ryler.

  Swallowing, I opened the fridge and peered inside. “We have, um, iced tea, water, and Guinness.”

  “Water, please. With ice. And thank you,” he intoned, as if I was truly being a gracious host.

  Pulling a bottle out, I turned back to him, offering it with an outstretched hand.

  “I said with ice, AJ. Did you forget? Please take out a glass, add some ice, then pour the water in it. Thank you.”

  I did as he said, and once again offered it to him.

  “Let’s take it the living room, please.” Paul was everything that was kind and polite. And I wanted to hit him. My mind raced, trying to figure out how to stop him. How to get help. How to aid Ryler before he bled out.

  After I was settled back on the couch, again as close to Ryler as I could get, he slid he hand ever so slowly and lightly gripped my ankle. Barely keeping from jerking at the unexpected touch, I glanced down at him. His eyes shifted away from me, going to the easy chair near the fireplace, then back to me again. He did this several times, until I finally caught on.

  There must be another gun somewhere near the chair. How to get it? I needed Paul to relax. To trust me. I needed him to talk. “Um, Amber…” I turned to Paul. “…have, have we ever met before? Like, how do you know me?”

  “Oh, AJ… I’m your biggest fan. I’ve read all your books. And I’ve followed you faithfully, but then you left. You left me, and that wasn’t very nice.”

  “I’m sorry, Amber. I didn’t know.”

  “Don’t lie to me! You did know, AJ. I told you. We talked.”

  “When?”

  “On your webpage. You talked with me. I told you it was selfish for you to leave. But you wouldn’t listen.”

  “I-I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right. I don’t blame you. I blame him. He took you away from me.”

  “Amber,” I said, trying to get Paul’s attention off of Ryler. “Amber, do you know Paul? I used to know him. We lived in the same house.”

  “Paul?” He seemed momentarily confused, blinking several times.

  “Yes, Amber. Paul. He lived with me in the big house on Coronado. With Mrs. Carson. Do you remember her?”

  “She was mean.” Paul sounded petulant, like a spoiled child. “She wouldn’t tell me where you’d gone. And she screamed… a lot. It was very annoying. I was glad when she finally shut up.”

  Bile surged its way up my throat, and I had to physically swallow it back down, blinking my eyes, trying to fight the tears. “How do you know Paul, Amber? I’m… I’m worried about him. I haven’t been able to reach him. Is he all right?”

  Paul, or rather Amber, sat and stared at me silently. I now suspected he might suffer from split personality or something, with Amber being the other person in his brain. Something flashed in her eyes, and a thrill of fear shot through me. Her hand, the one holding the gun, trembled ever so slightly. “Are you cold, Amber? You’re shivering. Would you like me to stoke the fire? Make it a little warmer in here?”

  Amber smiled at me, “I’ve had you both in my crosshairs so many times.” She giggled girlishly and continued, “But, killing you from afar wouldn’t
have been very satisfying. I wanted you to see me and know me first. You’re going to love me before the end, AJ. I just know it.”

  Swallowing my fear, I said, “Amber, would you like the fire stoked? I don’t want you to catch cold.”

  Good girl, thought Ryler. Keep him talking. Keep him distracted. Ryler needed time. He needed…

  He blinked, trying to stay focused. His body felt heavy and light at the same time. He was fading; he knew it. If he didn’t get the blood to stop, he’d be dead soon. But AJ needed him. He’d made her a promise. He’d told her that he’d take care of the threat, and nothing and no one would hurt her. He’d failed.

  Ryler felt a pulse of anger at this thought, which brought some much-needed clarity. He hoped AJ caught on about the gun hidden beneath the cushion of the chair beside the fireplace. Ryler saw AJ stand, and he tried to follow her movements with his eyes, but then he faded out again.

  Standing, I made my way to the fireplace. I placed my hand on the seat of the chair, using it to brace myself as I knelt to gather more wood. My fingertips felt something beneath the cushions toward the back, against the spine of the chair, and my pulse leapt. That must be the other insurance gun. Keeping my hands and eyes away from its location, I went about my business, opening the grate, gathering more wood, raking the coals. Soon, I had a blazing fire.

  Feigning the need to catch my breath before I stood up, I sat in the chair for a minute, angling myself in Amber’s direction. The gun was now behind my left hip, still under the cushion. “Sorry,” I apologized to her as I took a slow deep breath. “I slipped and fell down the mountain a few weeks back and hurt myself, and I’m still a bit unsteady on my feet. You were telling me about Paul?”

  She glared at me then said, “Paul is my brother. I don’t want to talk about Paul. He has nothing to do with this. I know you never liked him.”

  “I didn’t really know him, though we talked a few times.”

  “Remember what I said about lying, AJ.” Her tone became stern, before relaxing once more into the girlish sounds she’d been uttering previously. “Now, that’s enough resting. You can come back over here now.”