The Accidental Hero Read Online Free Page A

always prescribed the best remedy for
such situations.
    From the foot of the stairs I saw dimmed light
leaking out of the bedroom. It wasn't even date night, but I had a
pretty good idea what she was thinking. So before going up, I
stopped by the kitchen, filled a pair of glasses with Merlot and
set out a little box of chocolates on a breakfast tray—my secret
weapon.
    As I climbed the stairs I
smiled. The closer I got, the more I could smell the fragrant
candles. From the crack in the door classical music flowed
out: Pie Jesu from Faure's Requiem. Must've been writing a love scene. She always
used my classical CDs to set her in the right
mood.
    A beam of amber light reached through the
crack in the doorway into the hallway. The alarm system beeped. She
must have shut a window. It had just started to rain and Jenn hated
when the curtains got wet.
    Kathleen Battle's angelic voice
soared.
    Pie Jesu
Domine , Dona eis requiem , Requiem sempiternam.
    Jenn didn't know a word of Latin. She just
liked the pretty tunes.
    I nudged the door open with my
foot.
    "Honey?" Caught a glimpse of a silky leg on
the bed. Oh, yes. I pushed the door open.
    Shock ignited every nerve ending in my body
like napalm. The tray fell from my hands. Crashed to the ground.
Glasses shattered and the red wine bled darkly onto the
carpet.
    Jenn lay partially naked,
face-down, the sheets around her soaked crimson.
  Stab wounds scored her entire body.
Blood. Blood everywhere!
    "Jenn!"
    I ran to her, turned her over.
    She gasped, trying to speak. Coughed. Red
spittle dripped from the corner of her mouth. "The
kids..."
    I took her into my arms. But her eyes begged
me to go check on them.
    "You hang on, honey. With all you've got, hang
on!" I reached for my cell phone but it fell out of my belt clip
and bounced under the bed.
    On my knees now, I groped wildly until I found
the cell phone. Dialed 9-1-1. Barely remembered what I said, but
they were sending someone right away.
    Jenn groaned. Her breaths grew shorter and
shorter.
    "Bethie... Aaron."
    Her eyes rolled back.
    "I'm going. Hang on, baby. Please! You gotta
hang on!" I started for the door. Felt her hand squeeze mine twice:
Love-you.
    No.
    Tears streamed down my face. As I began to
pull away, she gripped my hand urgently. For that split second, I
knew. This was the end. I stumbled back to her. Gathered her
ragdoll body in to my arms.
    "Jenn, oh God, Jenn. Please don't!"
    "Whatever it takes," she said. Again, she
squeezed my hand twice. "Mercy, not...sacrifice.” One last gasp.
She sighed and then fell limp in my arms, her eyes still
open.
    Holding her tight to my chest, I let out an
anguished cry.
    All time stopped. Who would
do this? Why? Her blood stained my shirt. Her dying words resonated
in my mind. Then I remembered. The
kids . I bolted up and ran straight to
Bethie's room.
    Bethie's door was ajar. If my horror hadn't
been complete, it was now. I found her exactly like Jenn—face down,
blood and gashes covering her body.
    Though I tried to cry out, nothing escaped the
vice-grip on my throat. When I turned her over, I felt her arm.
Still warm, but only slightly. Her eyes were shut, her face wet
with blood.
    "Bethie! Oh, sweetie, no!" I whispered, as I
wrapped the blanket around her.
    I kissed her head. Held her hand. Rocked her
back and forth. "Come on, baby girl. Help's on its way, you hold
on," I said, voice and hands trembling. She lay there unconscious
but breathing.
    Aaron.
    Gently, I lay Bethie back down then got up and
flew across the hall. To Aaron's door. His night light was still on
and I saw his outline in the bed.
    Oh God, please.
    I flipped the switch.
    Nothing.
    I dashed over to the lamp on his nightstand,
nearly slipping on one of his Thomas Train toys on the carpet.
Broken glass crackled under my shoes.
    I switched on the lamp on his nightstand. When
I looked down to his bed, my legs nearly gave out. Aaron was still
under his covers, but blood drenched his pillow. His