Rebel (#3): The Riptide Series

by Brooke Page

  I grinned at her, but it was hard to keep my lips from twitching into a frown. I knew Lauren loved Colby, but damn it, hearing shit like that only fueled my jealousy and reminded me what a dumbass I was for letting her go.

  “Whenever you miss him, I want you to think of driving in the mud with your dad. Then you’ll have happy memories and not sad ones.”

  She smiled, but like her mom, it didn’t match her eyes, so I did the best thing I knew to do.

  “There’s another way that always works to make someone happy.” I tickled her sides and she giggled, her little laugh music to my ears.

  Lifting her from the bench and setting her on her feet, I took her hand and headed toward the arcade. “Come on, let’s get you back to your mom so she can get you ready for carnival rides.”

  “Yes!” she squealed, jumping up and down the whole way to the arcade.

  ***

  I dropped an energetic Tessa to Lauren who was finishing up her shift. We agreed to meet back at the arcade in an hour, giving both of us enough time to shower and get ready for the night. Colt and Marcy were going to meet us as well.

  I was getting comfortable with the four of us being friends again. Getting used to this new normal was fitting, and I didn’t want it to disappear like it had before, but Riley was right, I had a job to do, and once I finished it, I’d fall into this routine permanently, as long as Lauren and Tessa would have me.

  The arcade wasn’t as busy with the Fair shadowing over it, but that still didn’t stop a few locals from showing their faces. I was hoping Jonah would make an appearance later this evening as he always did. He had a routine of it, going into the back shed then heading up the hill past my house. I’d searched the shed dozens of times, trying to find where his stash was, but I never came up with anything. Once Lauren and Tessa were safely asleep in their beds, I’d follow Jonah where ever it was he went. I doubted Lauren would want me to stay all night. Needing to explain why I was still there in the morning to Tessa wasn’t something she would be ready for.

  “Vance!” Tessa shouted, running toward me. I held my arms out to her, and she jumped to me, her hands reaching so I’d pick her up.

  She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck, and a glowing Lauren followed behind her. “You look beautiful,” I complimented, eyeing her faded jean shorts and tank top. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, elongating her sleek neck.

  She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Thanks. I literally showered and threw clothes on.”

  “I showered, too,” Tessa announced, her hair still damp.

  I made a point to smell her cheek, causing her to snicker more. “I can tell. You smell good enough to eat.”

  “No!” She giggled. “Eat Mommy!”

  “I just might.” I wiggled my eyebrows at Lauren, and although she sent me a glare, I could see the heat in her eyes.

  Colt’s patrol car found a place in the parking lot by the arcade, an overdressed Marcy climbing out of the passenger seat. “I hate riding in that thing!” she whined, her heels clicking against the gravel.

  “I like your skirt, Aunt Marcy,” Tessa gasped, wiggling to get down from my arms so she could go give her a hug.

  “Thanks, Tess, you’ve always had good taste.” Marcy hugged her and patted the leopard print fabric that tailored to her waist. I thought it was a bit much for carnival rides, along with her done-up hair and makeup.

  Colt trudged behind Marcy, scooping Tessa up to give her a hug, spinning her then setting her back on her feet. “I think it’s a bit much,” Colt grumbled to Tessa. “You’re beautiful outfit is more appropriate.”

  Tessa snickered, tugging on her striped tank top and jean shorts. “I wanted to match my Mom.”

  “We ready to venture over?” Colt asked, taking Marcy’s hand.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Marcy sighed.

  I looked to Lauren, who held her hand out to Tessa. “Let’s go!”

  Tessa grabbed it, and I let my hand settle on Lauren’s lower back when we crossed the street and headed for the Fair.

  We had about an hour of daylight to cruise through the strip. Fairs were always a puzzle to me. I never understood the attraction. Everything always seemed overpriced and grimy, not to mention filled with criminals. I kept a close eye on Tessa, sure to follow her if she took a few extra steps toward a game or ride.

  We threw ping pong balls at bowls of water, failing miserably to sink any. Colt and I shot baskets, neither of us making any through the oval hoop, and shot water at a target as a group, winning a tiny stuffed teddy bear for Tessa. The thing was as hard as a rock, but she wouldn’t let go of it.

  I’d sneak touches to Lauren whenever Tessa got on a kiddie ride, but had to be cautious because she’d wave every time she saw us.

  It wasn’t until Colt and Marcy agreed to take her on the Ferris wheel that we had few minutes to ourselves.

  To my surprise, it was Lauren who wrapped her arms around my waist and snuggled into me. “Thanks for coming tonight,” she hummed.

  I held her to my side, my lips finding her forehead. “I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.”

  She gazed up at me. “Do you really mean that?”

  I nodded. “You’re what I’ve been searching for. I meant what I said about not letting you go this time.”

  She stood on her tip-toes, coaxing me to tilt my head and give her a kiss. She grinned. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.”

  “I know the feeling. Let’s do it again.”

  We both laughed, and then kissed, nothing but sweet little pecks until Tessa got off the ride with Colt and Marcy.

  I dropped my hands at first, but Lauren kept her arm around the back of my waist and her head on my shoulder.

  “Mommy, that was so much fun! I could see Grandpa’s arcade from the Top!”

  “Did you see anything else?” Lauren asked.

  Tessa rambled off all that she saw, including the other rides and the barns filled with animals, and when she was finally done, Colt took her hand and headed to the cotton candy booth. “She didn’t notice you two sucking face, if that’s what you were wondering,” Marcy teased.

  “We were so not sucking face,” Lauren gasped. “It was just a little bit of friendly kissing.”

  Marcy lifted a brow at both of us then took off after Colt and Tessa. Both Lauren and I laughed, giving each other one more kiss before following them.

  The line was a mile long for cotton candy, so Colt and Marcy went to another vendor for a different snack, while Lauren and I waited with Tessa. I was preoccupied with Lauren stroking the palm of my hand and up my forearm. It was the softest of touches, and I loved the tingles it shot through me.

  The past few weeks had been the best of my life, and I couldn’t wait to finish my job for the FBI and settle down with Lauren. No way was Harris anything like The Shore, but I was willing to give it all up for these two. I’d trade in my flip flops for work boots, sell my surfboard and kite for a horse for Tess, and wear those uncomfortable coveralls instead of board shorts.

  I leaned in to kiss Lauren, not caring that Tessa were standing in front of us. Lauren was giggling now, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me back.

  This was too perfect.

  “Excuse me, but what kind would you like?” the worker asked, interrupting mine and Lauren’s affection when we finally found the front of the line.

  Lauren flushed, and I grinned like an idiot. “Sorry, Tess, what kind do you want?”

  When she didn’t answer, I looked to either side of Lauren and me, but she was gone.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lauren

  “Tessa?” My voice went up an octave, my arms dropping from Vance’s shoulders.

  My heart began to race when I had done a complete circle, my little blonde baby nowhere in sight.

  “Where did she go?”

  “Tessa?” Vance called, louder than before.

  “Oh my God,” I panicked, beginning to walk away from the cotto
n candy cart.

  Vance followed me. “She couldn’t have gone far.”

  My chest tightened with fear. “I wasn’t even paying attention.” I was short of breath, my eyes searching through the mass of people.

  “We’ll find her. Maybe she saw Colt and Marcy and ran over to them,” he suggested, but my gut was telling me it was something way worse. It wasn’t like Tessa to leave my side, especially in a crowd of people. She knew better, too.

  Colt and Marcy were a few venders down, both eating fried food and laughing. “Is Tessa with you?” I asked in a rush, scanning the new area.

  Colt stood from the table, a scowl setting on his face. “No, I thought she stayed with you?”

  My voice shook. “She was, but I looked away for one second, and now I can’t find her.”

  My hands went to my head and my breath escaped me. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Marcy jumped to her feet, putting both of her hands on my shoulders. “We’ll find her. I’ll go back by the cotton candy vender in case she makes her way back. The three of you spread out and look.”

  Colt held his radio that was attached to his shoulder. “Code Adam, we have Code Adam on the Fair grounds. Please keep an eye out for a Caucasian six-year-old girl. Approximately fifty pounds and forty inches tall with blonde hair, white and red stripped tank top with jean shorts and pink sneakers.”

  “Marcy… we have to find her,” I choked, my heart spasmed underneath my hand.

  “We will,” she assured, then pushed me to go in the opposite direction, yelling Tessa’s name.

  Vance was behind me. “Lauren, don’t worry.”

  I threw my hand out to him. “Go the other way,” I snapped, not in the mood for his comfort. “If I hadn’t been caught up in your spell, I never would have lost sight of her. Please, just help me find her. You have no idea what kind of sick people live around here.”

  He swallowed and nodded, turning the opposite way. I didn’t need to tell him about sick people, he’d seen the worst of it working for the FBI no doubt.

  “Tessa!” I yelled, searching through my phone for a recent picture of her. “Have you seen this little girl?” I asked over and over, keeping my eyes peeled.

  Colt came jogging back to me. “Bonnie said she’s not at the arcade. Lauren, do you think she would have wandered off the Fairgrounds?”

  “I don’t think so, she’s only six!” I choked, trying not to cry.

  Vance was back in front of me and out of breath. “She’s not by the rides or up at the barns.”

  I shuddered, fearful for her. She must be terrified, afraid and alone, or worse, what if someone picked her up? I released a sob and my knees wobbled. Vance caught me before I fell.

  “Whoa, why don’t you sit down?” Vance said calmly.

  I shoved him away. “Sit down? Tessa’s all I have! I won’t sit down until I find her!”

  Vance flinched and dropped his hands.

  Colt stepped between us. “Did she get upset? Have a tantrum? Think, Lo, try to calm down and think where she might have gone.”

  “No, she wasn’t mad at all. She was smiling and happy.” I scrunched my eyes closed, trying to focus. We were both so stinking happy, what had gone wrong? Then, it hit me, my eyelids flinging open. “Did she see us? When we were hugging?”

  Vance shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  I rubbed my forehead. “Maybe she saw us kissing and got upset?”

  “Have you kissed each other in front of Tessa yet?” Colt asked.

  I shook my head, still searching the growing crowd. “No.” Guilt washed over me, mad at myself for letting my feelings for Vance come before Tessa’s. Dusk was setting in, and soon it would be dark, and I couldn’t imagine her being away from me, lost and afraid.

  I stopped pacing, an idea hitting me. “Colby.”

  Colt and Vance both scrunched their eyebrows, then Colt nodded, understanding where my mind was going. He knew where one of Tessa’s favorite places to go was, and that it was in walking distance.

  “I haven’t taken her there in a few weeks.” My words were rushed, moving through the mass of people toward the back entrance of the Fair. I’d been pre-occupied with Vance.

  “Vance, go with Lauren. I’ll keep checking around here, and I’ll send an officer your way.”

  “What’s going on?” Vance asked once we made it through a clearing of people, finding the dirt road that Tessa and I had been on many times. “Where do you think she is?”

  “She’s visiting Colby.”

  Vance came to my side, his stride longer than mine. “What? How? I thought he was dead?”

  I didn’t have time or the thought process to explain it to him. “Tessa!” I shouted, turning down the path along a chain link fence. A small pink blob was in the middle of the path, and I picked it up, recognizing the stuffed animal. It was the one Colt had won her. Hope filled me, knowing she must have dropped it on the way.

  We weren’t far, and the entrance would be in view soon. My feet picked up into a jog, my heart pounding with each step I took.

  “Lauren, please, talk to me,” Vance begged, a hint of frustration clear in his voice. He was right beside me, his jaw tensing when we reached a tall metal fence. It was the archway that led to the people of Harris’s final resting place.

  Harris Cemetery was written in script along the top of the arch, while overgrown grass and weeds were around the rusted posts.

  “Tessa!” I shouted again. The sun was down, and it was harder to see.

  I ran toward the back and past a giant tomb, Vance hot on my heels.

  “Thank God!” I gasped, seeing the summer blonde of her hair in the corner of the property. I nearly fainted when I got to her. She hadn’t moved an inch, only sat still with her legs to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at Colby’s headstone.

  “Baby!” I choked, stumbling to my knees and reaching for her, sitting on the damp grass and hugging her to my chest. She curled into me, a fresh wail releasing from her mouth. “Oh, Tessa,” I cried, shoving back my happy sobs of relief.

  She wrapped her arms around my neck, squeezing me with all of her might. “Momma, I saw him,” she cried.

  I pulled her back so I could see her. Wiping away her tears, I asked, “Saw who, sweetie?”

  She sniffled, trying to stop herself from crying. “Daddy.”

  My heart stopped, pain shooting to it from all directions. “Oh, honey…”

  “No!” She shouted, her face scrunching together. “He was there, at the Fair. He saw us, he was mad at first, but then he saw me. He smiled. It was him, Mommy, really it was!”

  I held her cheeks, my stomach twisting with each word she spoke. “Sweetie, you know it wasn’t him.”

  She looked at Vance, then back to me. “Yes, it was! He wanted me to come to him, but when I went to tap your arm, he shook his head and put his hand like this,” she held her pointer finger to her mouth, the international signal for silence. “Then he smiled again, waving for me to come to him.”

  “Then what?” Vance asked.

  She took a big gulp of air, her little body trembling. “He turned around and started to walk away, so I ran after him. He would look back and smile at me, but he wouldn’t slow down.” Her eyes filled with more water. “I couldn’t catch him.” She dropped her head into my shoulder, and more tears fell from my eyes.

  “Tessa,” I hushed, beginning to rock her in my arms. It was as if one of the worst days of my life was playing on repeat, the day after we buried Colby. I held Tessa and cried. I don’t think she understood why I was so upset until today. Was she seeing things? Did someone coax her to come here? The thought was chilling, and I was never going to be able to take her out of my sight again.

  “Why did you come here?” Vance asked. ”Why not try and find us?”

  “He ran this way, but I couldn’t keep up. I thought maybe he was here, since this is his home now,” she sniffed.

  Keeping her tight in my arms, I stoo
d, continuing to rock her in place. Vance kept his distance, his hands in his pockets. I was thankful he wasn’t in my space. This didn’t involve him, at least I hoped like hell it wouldn’t, but by his suspicious eyes, I knew he was reeling, and the FBI side of him was catching on, and I wouldn’t be able to avoid the inevitable for much longer.

  “Vance, could you call Colt and Marcy to let them know we have her? Pete and Bonnie, too. I’m sure they’ve gotten wind of it and are worried sick.”

  I kept Tessa to my chest like a Koala bear, and she didn’t fight me, only wrapped her legs around my waist and kept her arms snug to my neck.

  “I wanna go home,” she whimpered.

  I kissed her head. “That’s where we’re headed, baby.” A golf cart with a police officer met us when we were halfway back to the Fair. He shined his flashlight on us, and I waved to him. “We’ve got her.”

  His shoulders relaxed, and he gave us a ride back to the arcade. Vance climbed on the back.

  “Never run off without telling me again, do you understand? No matter whom you think you see.” She nodded, then snuggled back into the crook of my neck.

  “I thought he was going to come back,” she whimpered, fresh tears dampening my neck.

  I hushed her, keeping her locked in my arms.

  Vance stayed quiet in the back, the hum of the golf cart and rustle of the Fair not loud enough to drown out Tessa’s remark. He was listening to our every word, and I was going to have to let him in on what happened the seven years he was gone. The skeletons in Colby’s closet were going to come out, and I was terrified he was the real reason why Vance was in Harris.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Vance

  Lauren was still shaky when we were dropped back at the arcade. Everyone hugged Tessa, giving her kisses and expressing how thankful they were to have found her. She knew what she did was wrong, and was scared like the rest of us once she realized how afraid Lauren was when she didn’t know where she was.