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Chapter Twenty-three

Pain rips through my body as I land on the deck. I need to get away from this man. I need to fight. I kick out landing a hit to his leg. It doesn’t seem to have much of an impact only to irritate him. I’m rewarded with a hard slap to my face. “No, stop!” I scream.

“Next time, I won’t be as nice!” he sneers. The way he says it shoots fear straight to my gut.

“Please,” I beg in between cries. “I’m sorry!”

“Heard your speech back there, don’t think that you are.” His fist tightens on my hair. He’s dragging me, pain rips through my head again. “Get up!” he roars.

I scramble to my feet even though his hold on my hair hasn't loosened. I search around me, looking for anything I might be able to use as a weapon, but I don't see anything. I struggle to try and get out of his grasp. Something hard and cold presses at the back of my head.

“Don’t fight, or I’ll blow your fucking head off.” There is a certainty that Mike’s voice holds that frightens me even more than I already am. All I can think about is Lily and Jake. I have to do what he says until I can figure out a way to turn the tables on him. My Lil needs me. Jake needs me. What if he kills me, then goes after them? No, I can’t let that happen. I’ll do anything to make sure it doesn’t.

He leads me onto the boat. Another stab of fear runs through me as I fall backward onto the spot where we fought so long ago. I land on the deck, a piece of wet, rotted wood soaks my shirt. “Why are you doing this?” I call out in fear with his gun pointed at me.

“Why? Let’s see. You killed me, or so you thought. I guess I should be thanking you, though.”

“Why?” I ask before I can stop myself.

I’m met with the evilest laugh. It fills the air and ricochets off the trees making it feel like we’re all alone. I don’t hear any birds chirping. There are no leaves blowing in the wind. Even the river seems to have stilled. It’s just the two of us on this boat that started it all.

“Sit.” He motions to the shredded vinyl chair that leans against the wheelhouse. “The time for telling isn’t now. First, you have to do your part, and get my boy here.”

I sit in the chair not seeing any other option with the gun pointed at me.

I know that if he gets Jake here, he’ll kill us both. I can feel it. At least, Lily will have one of her parents. No, I can't think that way. I need to get out of here. I need to figure this out, but I won’t lead Jake here. “You’re the worst thing to ever happen to Jake. I won’t lure him here, you sick fuck.”

Whack.

A sharp crack against my face make my eyes hit the back of my head and I fall sideways hitting the deck again. Mike raises the gun towards me and I scream loud as it goes off hitting the wooden rail next to me. I scream again afraid that he’s going to kill me. “Noooo!”

“That one was a warning,” he approaches me and I want to squirm away, but fear is holding me captive. My face stings from his blow as he leans over me. I can smell his musty body odor. It repulses me. He repulses me.

He reaches into my pocket and pulls out my phone, presses a few buttons and places it on speaker as I watched through a swollen eye. The face of my phone flashes,
calling Jake
.

It rings, once, twice, three times and then four. I pray that it goes to voicemail.

“Mommy?” my little girl answers and fear coats her voice. Oh, God. Oh, no. Not my Lily.

“Talk,” Mike says under his breath. “Get him here!”

“Lily, listen to me!”

“Mom, what’s going on? I’m scared,” she asks cutting me off.

“Baby, where’s Dad?”

“He,” she sniffles, “We heard you scream.”

“Lily honey, I need...” The phone is ripped away and Mike Daniels hits end, then tosses it again.

“Sounds like my son should be here any second.” He grabs me by my hair again lifting me off of the ground and pulls a rope from the side of the boat. I yelp in more pain.

With the gun still trained on me, he points to the chair again and orders me to sit like I’m some feral dog.

“Why should I, you’re just going to kill me?” I scream hoping that I can buy some time for Jake.

“Bitch, I’ll kill you if you don’t,” he orders again and shoves me onto the chair.

I’m trembling with fear. I don’t want to die, but I don’t want anything to happen to Jake or Lily either.

“You’re sick!” I spit.

He backhands me again. The pain slices as my lip splits open and blood trickles down my chin.

“Leave her alone!” Jake’s voice booms. He comes into view, walking onto the deck and I see a look of disbelief along with anger wash over his features.

“There you are, son. So good to see you again. I was just getting reacquainted with your girlfriend.”

“What? How? You’re dead!” Jake asks confused but approaching cautiously Jake will get us out of this. He has too. The look on his face tells me he’s determined. I don’t see a trace of fear.

“I’ll get to that, but first why don’t you come over here and have a seat next to your pretty little girlfriend? Oh, right. I guess she’s not that pretty right now seeing as I’ve seen to her face,” he laughs.

Jake doesn’t return his laugh. No, Jake’s face twists into something I could’ve gone my entire life without seeing. “Careful, old man. You keep talking and I’ll kill you before you get a chance to reveal how you’re still alive.”

“Oh, you’re feeling brave, are you?” Mike retorts.

“How are you here?” Jake asks again. His voice holds so much power you would think he was the one wielding a gun.

A look of surprise flashes over Mike’s face like he can't believe Jake is no longer the scared boy.

My heart is beating wildly.

“Oh, boy. You want answers? Thinking I’ll kill your girl first.” Mike Daniels raises his gun towards me. The next second happens so fast, I barely register what transpires.

Jake closes the distance and grabs the back of Mike’s elbow. He bends his arm backward making the gun fall to the deck and then a split second later he smashes Mike’s face into his knee, knocking him out.

Holy shit.

Jake swiftly kicks the gun away and then meets me halfway. I’m out of my seat and falling into his arms, careful to step away from Mike Daniels.

He cups my face, “You okay, Juniper?” I nod my head even though I’m so filled with adrenaline I can hardly breathe. I can’t believe Jake just took him down like that. I think I’m in shock. “Jake,” my voice wobbles as I say his name.

“God, when I heard you scream. I’ve never been more scared in my life,” Jake kisses my forehead.

“Lily?” I ask.

“She’s locked in the truck. I told her to call the police. Go to her. We’re parked by the clearing on the bank,” he commands. I reach up and kiss him. He’s careful not to break my lip apart worse than it already is, and I run like crazy to my girl who must be out of her mind with worry.

I’m so shaken up by everything that I slide on the mud. My knee hits the ground twisting it. “Fuck!” I hiss in pain as I try to lift myself from the thick sludge only to slide down again. I need to get to my baby. I need to make sure she’s okay. A dark, moss-covered root sticks out of the mud. I grab a hold and haul myself up. I stand and my knee shouts in protest. Putting my weight on it is hard, but I need to get to her. I limp along as quickly as I can, scrambling to the truck.

I lean on the truck taking the pressure off my knee and throw open the truck door.

“Lily?” I don’t see her in the cab of the truck and she doesn’t answer me.

“Lily!” I call out again. Using the strength in my arms, I hoist myself inside.

Empty.

Shit.

“Lily!” I call out again.

Silence.

“Lily!”

Nothing.

A flashing light catches my eye on the floorboard. I reach down wincing at the pain in my knee only to find Jake’s cell phone laying on the ground. “Lily, where are you?”

I’m afraid that I somehow could've missed Lily and that she headed towards Jake. I scurry back to the boat, moving with my limp as fast as I can.

I approach the boat with caution. I’m not even sure why, just something about the stillness makes me feel like I need to. What I see when the boat is finally in sight has my blood running cold.

Standing up, holding my daughter close to his side, is Mike Daniels with a gun aimed directly at her head. Jake is watching them intently. I can see a gash on his side. His shirt is quickly staining red. My family needs me.

Sirens echo in the stillness. My baby girl followed Jake’s order to call the police. I look around me, hoping to find something I can use as a weapon. The only thing I find is a jagged piece of wood with a nail sticking out of it. I pick it up and stick it in the back of my pants then pull my shirt over it. It won’t protect me against a bullet, but frankly, I don’t care. Mike’s already injured, maybe I can use that to my advantage.

I walk down the deck, knowing I’ll be seen right away. “Let my daughter go! You need to train a gun on someone? Train it on me, instead.” I not so gracefully climb on board the boat.

“Well, isn’t this nice. The family all together again,” Mike sneers.

Lily is crying hard, “Mommy, Daddy’s hurt. He hurt Daddy.”

Jake looks at me like what are you doing here and up close I can see how pale his face is. He must be losing a decent amount of blood. “I see that, baby. He’s a bad man, but it’s all going to be okay.” I don’t know where my sudden calm is coming from, all I know is that I need to trade places with my daughter.

Mike laughs, “You’re just in time for story time. Lily, why don't you tell your Momma the first part of the story.”

Lily hiccups between sobs.

“Go on girl,” he nudges her with the gun. I don’t care about his story, all I care about is Lily, the fact that she’s scared out of her mind, and Jake.

“He… he said that you hittin’ him gave him the perfect opportunity. Did you hit him, Mommy?”

“Baby, he was hurting your daddy.”

Mike cuts me off. I take another step closer. “Stop. Don't move,” Mike bellows, “I’ll take it from here. So, where was I? Aw yes, you see, when you knocked me overboard I almost drowned. Almost. At the time, I was indebt with Eli. That part was all true, but Jake thinking I was dead gave me the perfect opportunity. I found Eli and told him that we could use this against you. Told him that Jake was so caught up in you that he’d do anything he asked of him. Made a deal with him to stay dead so we could get Jake to do whatever he wanted. It worked out good too. After a while, I was able to get a cut of Eli’s profits. See, Jake was so good at collecting and hurting people that it wasn’t even always Eli’s debts. After a while, word got out to every player in town that Eli had a boy under his thumb that could get anyone to pay up. We sold him. Anytime something needed to be done, we sold him. Paid real good too.” Mike laughs and I can see Jake’s face tighten.

“Enough!” Jake tries to yell but doesn’t have the strength.

“I’m just getting started, son.”

I hear sirens getting closer. Mike must hear them too. I can’t imagine this speech is going to go on long enough for the police to find us unless the police can’t find us. We’re not where Lily called them from. Hopefully, they can figure it out.

“Then, Jake left to chase after you, and our money source started to dry up.”

“How could you use your son like that? He was a kid,” I yell, not liking or really caring to hear the rest. I get it, from what he is saying, he used Jake and had no regard for him, not that I ever really thought he did, but everything he is saying just proves it.

“He was a brat and that woman loved him. Him of all people.”

Oh, his cruelty has no bounds, “You mean his mother? Of course, she loved him. He’s her son!” I yell and get close. My talking back to him has done the trick. He’s taken the gun off of Lily and has aimed it at me. “You didn't deserve either of them, and I’m sure your wife would be disgusted by you. She’d hate you.”

“You little bitch.” He steps forward and hits the spot on the deck with the rotted wood. It’s exactly where I was hoping he’d move.

“Lily, run!” I scream and at the same time Mike’s foot goes through the rotted wood. He screams out. Lily doesn't waste any time running to the side of the boat. Mike is caught off guard so I reach behind my back and grab the piece of wood I have shoved in my jeans and swing it with all my might, hitting his hand knocking the gun loose.

“Stupid cunt,” Mike yells again. I see Lily run from the boat and safely onto the deck dock. I reach for the gun, but I’m not quick enough. Mike grabs my foot and tries to drag me closer to him. The wood under him splinters more. The pain in my knee radiates down my entire body. Then…

Bang.

The gun goes off. Air swooshes past me as a bullet zooms by and hits Mike Daniels square in the chest. His shirt soaks through with blood. His body instantly goes limp and the rotted wood gives way completely. His entire body falls through the rotted deck and into the river below. This time, there’s no current to sweep him away. This time, he’s gone for good.

Chapter Twenty-four

It’s been five days since everything happened with Mike Daniels. Jake spent the first two days in critical care because of the amount of blood he lost, and since his dad used a rusty piece of the boat to cut him with, the risk of infection was really high.

Mom and Dad drove down as soon as I called them, filling them in on everything and have been helping me with Lily and Jake ever since.

We immediately got Lily into therapy and the therapist tells us that she is doing well with all things considered. We’ll go home when it’s safe for Jake to travel, which shouldn’t be too much longer.

“Mom, two more buttons and we’re at Daddy’s floor.”

I smile down at my girl. She’s almost as excited to get Jake home as I am. We step off of the elevator and Lily grabs my hand, the same way she has every time we’ve been here to see Jake since he moved to this floor; and just like every other time, as soon as we’re five feet from the door she drops my hand and runs for his bed. “Daddy!” she screams.

“Hey, baby girl.” He kisses her on the head. “You ready to help me break free of this place?”

“Silly, it’s the day you get out. You don’t have to break out. Mom says we’re going to wheel you out.”

I laugh and then lean into Jake and give him a kiss. “You ready to go?”

“So ready. Nurse Ratchet should be here any moment with discharge papers.”

“She’s not that bad.” Jake gives me a look that says, oh, really.

“You’ll be out of here soon enough,” I kiss him again. His soft lips against my own remind me of how much I could’ve lost. He’s here. He’s okay, I tell myself every time his lips touch mine, but I can't help feeling haunted by what could’ve been. I could’ve lost Jake… again.

“Hey, none of that,” Jake says noticing where my thoughts have gone.“I’m coming home, sweet Juniper.”

“Juniper, I like it. Can I call you that?” Lily asks.

“No,” we both say in unison.

Lily pouts, “C’mon”

“Sorry Lil, that’s mine. Besides, you get to call her the most special name.”

“What?” she asks innocently.

“Mom. You get to call her Mom.”

She huffs out just as the nurse walk in, “Alright, just need you to sign a few places and we’ll get you out of here. What do you want to do about all the flowers? I can get someone to help us, but we may need a few carts.” I laugh because Liz couldn't get out of work so she overcompensated by sending way too many flowers.

“We’re going to go back to Ohio soon. Can you donate them to patients who could use some happiness?” I ask.

“Sure, I don't see why not. Now, sign these, and we’ll get you out of here.” She hands Jake a clipboard and pen, then points to every spot he needs to sign. “Just remember to follow-up with your primary care physician in Ohio. No heavy lifting. Minimal activity.”

Jake gives me a look and nods toward Lily. I understand where his mind is at, so I bring Lily to the window and distract her by asking her to count the birds with me. This always seems to work.

I hear Jake behind me, “So, when can we, you know?”

“Not until your doctor has cleared you for normal activity.”

Jake sighs and I know how frustrated he is, it mirrors my own. A few minutes later the nurse is walking with us, wheeling Jake down the hallway. I can tell he isn't happy about it, and that he’s staying quiet about it because of Lily.

We climb into my SUV. I’m careful of my knee that was sprained during everything and we wave goodbye to the nurse.

“Got some news today,” Jake says once we’re on the road.

“What’s that?” I ask curiously.

“I found out that Dad’s property, including the house, after it was transferred to Eli, it was then transferred to an LLC, which happened to be owned by my dad.”

I shake my head, not understanding and then it dawns on me, “You’re the next of kin.”

“Yup,” he says, “Need to decide what to do with it, and I’m thinking that we need to tear the barn down, but maybe the house can be fixed up and sold.”

Of course, he’d want to tear the barn down. The police did a search of the house of the property and found a room in the back of the barn that Mike was living in. It wasn't so much that his belongings were there that was worrisome. No, what was really scary was the box of info on Jake, pictures of him walking out of prison, his apartment, him walking out of work, me, Lily, the entire thing screamed stalker. The irony of it is that Mike spent years profiting off of Jake being his enforcer, and in the end, it was that man that Mike turned him into that took him down.

“I think taking the barn down is smart. Let’s talk to a realtor and get an idea if it’s even worth it to fix it up.”

“I’d like to get the most money out of it. I hate that house. I hate everything it represents and I want to be able to give our kids the future they deserve.”

“Kids, huh? As in plural?” I ask.

“Well, yeah. I missed you being pregnant. Once we get settled and put this behind us, I plan on making our Lily a sister as many times as you’ll let me.”

“Seriously?” I laugh.

“Mom! I’m going to be a sister!” Lily shouts from the backseat.

“We should’ve had this conversation away from listening ears,” I say to Jake.

“Why? She’s right. You’ll be one soon enough, just not yet, baby.”

“Humph,” she sighs and starts to sing along with the pop song on the radio.

Jake looks like he’s being tortured having to listen to the song until it changes to a part where Lily has to actually sing. When she opens up her voice, Jake turns and stares at her in complete awe.

“Oh, yeah, she’s got your talent,” I laugh.

“You’ve been holding out on me.” I go to slap his shoulder, then stop myself, afraid that I might hit his chest and make it hurt.

We pull up to the summer house rather quickly and Mom and Dad greet us outside. They’ve been to the hospital a few times, balancing between giving us space and showing concern. Mom gives Jake a hug and Dad pats him on the back. “We have a surprise for you inside,” Mom says.

“Is it cookies, Grandma? I hope it’s cookies.”

Mom shakes her head laughing at Lily, then says, “Let’s see what we can find.”

I squeeze Jake’s hand letting him know it’s all good, and we slowly walk inside.

Sitting on the over-sized chaise is Mrs. Jones. She showed up here the day after everything happened and Mom, Dad, and Lily got to meet her. I was still at the hospital with Jake, but once he was moved from critical care, I made the effort to seek her out and introduce myself to her. This is the woman who breathed life into Jake when all he had was bad. She gave him music.

“Mrs. Jones,” Jake’s voice is soft and caring when his eyes land on hers. The tiny woman stands and wraps her arms around Jake’s middle.

“Heard about what happened to you. Wish I’d known what was happening years ago,” Mrs. Jones sniffles.

“Oh, no. Don't do that. Don’t take what happened on you. It’s not on you. You were so good to me. You were such a saving grace.”

“My best friend’s name is Grace,” Lily says changing the tone in the room.

“Why don’t you tell me about her, dear?” Mrs. Jones says sitting back down. Mom hands Lily a cookie and my girl curls up next to Mrs. Jones. “Well, Grace and I met when I was three years old. That’s a long time ago,” Lily says and continues to babble to an all too pleased Mrs. Jones.

“Thank you for bringing her here,” Jake whispers in my ear.

“I think this was all you. She’s wonderful and I’m so glad you had her.”

He kisses behind my ear and I notice him wince from pain as he straightens from the kiss. “You need to get off your feet.”

“I’m fine,” he says.

I shoot him a look and can tell he doesn’t have it in him to fight me. He takes a seat on the other chaise and winces again. I fuss over him, laying a blanket over him even though it’s warm, and Mom helps me by getting him pillows.

“Seriously, women.” Jake gives Mom and me a death stare which Dad sees.

“Why don't you ladies start dinner, and give that man a break,” Dad says to Mom and me. Mom pats me on the shoulder, and I follow her into the kitchen. I help Mom with dinner Every few minutes I peek my head out, only to see Jake laughing with Mrs. Jones and Lily.

“Relax, honey. He’s okay,” Mom tells me after I look in on him for the fourth time.

I sigh, “I know, Mom. It’s just I came so close to losing him… again.”

“You can't keep living in what happened. He’s safe. Your family is safe, and something about the way that man loves you makes me think that he’s never gonna let you go again.”

I give one last look into the living room and Jake catches my eye and the way those blue-greens shine back at me, I know she’s right.

After a delicious dinner, a goodbye and a promise to keep in touch with Mrs. Jones, we say goodnight to Mom, Dad and Lily. There isn’t an extra bedroom, so I find myself nestled close to Jake on the chaise in a darkened house.

“Mom told me you were never gonna let me go again.”

“Knew your mom was a smart woman,” he whispers while stroking my stomach.

“You know, I’m never going to let you go again, either. I trust you. I trust in us. I love you.”

“Juniper,” his voice is low and raspy. “I know. I feel it, babe.” He places his fingers against my heart and dips his forehead, pressing our heads together, “And I see it. I know it might seem crazy, but we’ve been fighting so long for us that it feels like we shouldn’t be breathing like everything is normal, but it’s going to be. You, me, our Lily; we get to have our life. We get to have our happily ever after.” He kisses me and it’s soft and sweet. We’re not rushed; not anymore, because he’s right from here on out, it’s us living, not looking back, but looking forward. We have right now, and we have tomorrow-without anything standing in our way.

The End