Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 53: Warm at Last

Daniel didn’t finish that statement.

With lightning speed, Min swung his staff in an arc to land on the side of Daniel’s neck, then reversed to jab the man in the stomach.

Daniel crashed with a gush as the air left his lungs.

Red flashing lights flooded the parking lot, and Daniel’s men looked antsy.

"Boss, are we really doing this in front of the cops?"

"Fuck, no." Daniel held out a hand as he tried to catch his breath. "Help me up."

His man helped him.

Daniel said, "This isn’t over."

Jake agreed.

Jake said, "Stiff, get Teela out of here. Min and I will handle this."

I said, "Are you sure?"

"Would you rather be stuck at the police station for hours answering questions?"

He made a good point. Yes, I could file charges for kidnapping, but against whom? I never saw Lettie face-to-face. She could deny it was her voice. Daniel didn’t show up until after my rescue. He certainly had deniability on his side.

No, I was better off on the outside, where I could help orchestrate a foolproof takedown.

Stiff opened the side door for me. "I’ve laid out clothes and supplies in the back. Go ahead and change. I won’t look."

Stiff peeking was the last thing on my mind.

"What’s been happening since I disappeared?"

"Change, Teela. I need to drive us out of here before the cops stop us."

Stiff shut the door and ran around to the driver’s side. I waited until he was settled behind the wheel before fumbling my way through putting on sweatpants and a hoodie. Jake’s jacket went over the outfit. Right then, there was no such thing as too many clothes.

I turned on the overhead light to check out the rat bite. It felt worse than it was, but I was thankful for the first aid kit Stiff had thought to bring.

I hissed as the antiseptic touched the injury.

"Tee, are you alright?"

"Yes. Rat bite." My teeth began chattering as the adrenaline wore off from my battle with the rat and our great escape.

"Rat bite! Teela, do you need to go to the emergency room? Rats carry diseases like rabies."

"No, no. Take me home."

I chugged some water after bandaging my foot and slid on a sock.

The city streets flew by as Stiff put distance between us and the cops.

"So, tell me. What happened?"

Stiff glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?"

"No. Yes. I guess it doesn’t matter. In one hundred words or less, I was kidnapped, drugged, stripped, and thrown into a reflection room. Lettie used the intercom to let me know I suck, then she turned off the lights and blasted me with cold air and heavy metal. When that didn’t entertain her enough, she turned off the music and added rats."

"That sounds horrible."

"You and Jake rescued me. That’s what matters."

I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them from taking you."

"Not your fault. So, what happened after that?"

What wasn’t he telling me? I kept asking the question, and he kept deflecting. It was making me edgy.

"When I woke up from being knocked out, I confronted King."

"Oh, I’m sure that went well—not."

"Not as bad as you’d think. King swore he wasn’t behind your abduction, and Teela, I believe him. He took off to confront his mom, and no one has seen or heard from him since."

"Not even Min?"

"Not even Min."

"That’s not good. We’ve got to get him out. Lettie is crazy. There’s no telling what she’ll do."

"What do you care? King’s been a thorn in your side this whole time. You don’t owe loyalty to anyone in that family."

I thought about Thing One and Thing Two. They were brats, but they didn’t treat me any worse than anyone else, and sometimes, they were super sweet. Ben, too, had been covertly kind.

Stiff was right. King was a pain, but he was also my husband, and he was in this predicament because of me.

Besides, there was a reflection room in that mansion. It needed to be destroyed.

King was many things—oblivious ranking number one—but lately, he had been trying. I had to give him that much credit. He’d also rescued me the last time Lettie had me in her clutches. Granted, it was King’s fault I’d returned to that house to begin with, but still, he tried to make it better.

"Just take my word for it, Stiff. I’ve got to get him out of there. You can help me or not. That’s your choice. I won’t hold it against you either way."

"Shit, Teela, I didn’t say I won’t help, but before you go storming the fortress to slay the evil witch, give Ben a chance to assess the situation."

"Ben? What does he have to do with it?"

"We needed eyes on the inside. Min talked Ben into helping."

"This day is just getting better and better. Toss me your phone."

"Why?"

"To call Jake. I told you. We’ve got to rescue King and now probably Ben."

"Teela, trust me. We will help you, but Jake has his hands full dealing with the cops. Plus, Ben didn’t return to the estate until after bedtime. He warned us beforehand that he wouldn’t know anything until morning. We should give him a chance."

"Is his number in your phone?"

"No, but Min’s number is."

It was ridiculous. I’d lived in the same house as Ben for three years and didn’t even have his number. I texted Min for the number and waited. We were practically home before Min messaged back.

I texted the number to my phone and then messaged Ben.

Me: Are you alright?

No response.

Me: It’s Teela. Please answer me.

Stiff pulled up to the church and shifted the van into park.

Me: I know it’s late, but I’m worried. Let me know if I need to storm the castle because I will.

Stiff opened the side door and helped me out. We entered the church and were greeted by a stampeding Bea and a more sedate Father DiMarco.

"Teela, I was so worried. Are you okay?" Bea wrapped me in a hug so tight that I had trouble breathing.

"You scared me half to death."

"Hey, loosen the grip, woman, before you crack a rib."

"Oh, sorry. I can’t believe you’re here and in one piece. When Stiff told me you were taken, well, my mind went to all sorts of freaky places."

Stiff’s phone vibrated with an incoming message.

"Hey, Bea, let me take this." I eased out of Bea’s death grip to read the phone.

Ben: Everyone’s sleeping. I’ll know more in the morning.

Me: We can come get you tonight. I know where the room is. We can break in.

Ben: I’m safe. Mom won’t do anything to me. We’ll talk in the morning. Don’t do anything tonight. Promise?

I checked the time. I was closer to dawn than midnight. Stiff was right. Jake was tied up. Ben was also right. He was already on the property. Might as well give him a chance to find King first.

Me: Promise.

I looked up at Father DiMarco. He was the cornerstone on which my new family was built. Solid as a rock. Just seeing his face was enough to relax me by degrees.

Father DiMarco asked, "Is everyone okay?"

I knew he was referring to Jake and his men. I nodded. "He’s handling the cops and clean up. We found kids, Father."

"Drake and Davon?"

"I don’t know. I doubt it, or Jake would have notified us already."

Father DiMarco nodded. "Well, I bet you’re hungry. We have soup and Italian loaf. How does that sound?"

I managed a smile. "That sounds good. And hot chocolate? Please tell me there’s hot chocolate."

Stiff said, "I’m on it."

An hour later, I was full and tucked into bed with Bea cuddled beside me. I left a lamp on next to the bed, and I had an extra blanket tossed over my side of the bed. The lamp’s gentle glow was warm and comforting. So was the blanket. I was home.

Unless Father DiMarco kicked me out, I may never leave this sanctuary, and I hoped my friends felt the same way. I was alone in a house full of people for so long. Now I was in a building full of people and I felt enveloped into something special.

I was determined to protect my new family and ensure that everyone in it knew how precious they were to me.

Stiff’s phone vibrated on my nightstand. Oops, I forgot to give it back. Tomorrow, I’d have to buy another new phone. At this rate, I should invest in multiple phones to ensure I always had a backup.

I didn’t want to invade Stiff’s privacy, but I was curious who was messaging him at this hour and concerned that it might be Jake or Ben.

So I picked up the phone.