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“Let me go, asshole! You’ve got the wrong person.”
He sighed heavily, as if her words exasperated him. Then he opened his door. Fucking child locks. She thought they were only installed in the back ones, but apparently, she was wrong. Dan didn’t retrieve her, though. Instead, he went to the trunk and pulled out a cloth bag and a gas can, then made his way to the building.
Unease slithered over her nerves. When he bent to place the bag on the ground, she shifted a little to see what he was doing. He pulled something else she couldn’t make out and arranged them at the door before soaking it with the gas. Then poured it as he walked slowly away, leading the trail to the edge of the property. He set the gas can and his duffle bag to the side and retrieved her. She fought, because she had this sick feeling he wanted her to be in that building when it went up in flames.
“What are you doing, asshole?” She tried pulling away, but he only gripped her upper arm tighter. When she tried kicking him, he smashed her leg with his foot. She screamed at the pain that radiated through her body. Her leg threatened to buckle, but his hold on her prevented her from falling. “Please, don’t.”
He looked down at her. “But I have to. You’ll be all mine after that. No one else will take you from me. It’s going to be so beautiful.”
She shook her head. “No. It won’t. Fire isn’t beautiful.”
“Fire is everything, Rebecca. It’s life.”
From his pocket, he pulled out a lighter. Fear exploded and she began to fight again. No way was she going to burn to death without doing all she could to escape.
Then she heard an engine and the unmistakable noise of tires crunching over dirt and gravel. Dan heard it too, and he turned. It was Reece’s truck. Relief zipped through her.
“What is he doing here?” Dan muttered under his breath.
The truck came to a screeching halt, and a moment later, Reece exited the cab. His hands were up in a placating manner, and his gaze was laser-focused on Dan.
“You shouldn’t be here, Reece.”
“Let her go, Dan, and step away from the jerrican.”
Dan shook his head. “You won’t stop me from being with Rebecca. We’re in love.”
“That’s not Rebecca. That’s her identical twin. That’s Marnie.”
“Oh, no. No, no, no. You fell for her, didn’t you?”
“Dan—”
“No! She’s mine. I saw her first, coming out of a hotel, and I knew. She and I were destined for each other.” He gave a little chuckle that sounded like he’d lost all reality. He turned his head to look at her. “I tried to forget you and go back my clueless wife, but I couldn’t. I was drowning. After you called demanding your money by Monday, I knew we had a deeper connection. Why else would you call me again? I knew then that the money had been an excuse.”
“What about Anna, Dan?”
A frown settled in his forehead, and he turned back to Reece. “What about her?”
“She’s your wife.”
“She doesn’t make me feel alive!” he yelled, causing Marnie to jump. “I’ve been stuck for years not living. It’s all just a waste of time. Wife, kids, a mortgage. Go to work. Eat, sleep, repeat. It’s been strangling me for years. And now, now I’ve finally found something to make me feel. Do you have any idea what that means, Reece?”
Slowly, Reece shook his head as he inched closer. “No, because everything you have, I wish I did. I want a wife and kids. I want to bring flowers home when I’m late and miss dinner. I want to struggle figuring out how to get to soccer games and dance recitals when they’re at the same time. I want the ugly Christmas sweaters and being Santa Claus. That’s life, Dan, and you’ve thrown it all away like it was nothing.”
“It is nothing,” Dan said in a tone devoid of inflection. “And I don’t want to be nothing anymore. So, you can’t have Rebecca. She’s mine.”
In that moment, he relaxed his grip and Marnie took advantage. She yanked out of his hand and ran, knowing Reece would take care of him now that she wasn’t in the way. When she was far enough away, she turned and saw Reece looming over Dan, one hand holding onto his shirt and the other in a fist. Dan, however, seemed to have been knocked out. She ran back to Reece, and he caught her in his arms.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, holding up her wrists. “I’m fine. Or I will be once these are off.”
Reece reached into his back pocket and took out some pocket tools, folding out the small knife to cut through the zip-tie. When she was free, she practically jumped on him, hugging tightly.
“Thank you for coming for me,” she said.
“Always, babe.”
