Wild Thing

By Lux Miller

Two wild nights. Twenty years of mystery. A daughter determined to unravel her mother's secrets and a mother equally determined to hide the truth forever.

December 31, 1999

On the cusp of Y2K, the Rogue Minions were stars of the underground on the verge of a breakthrough. Within weeks, they would be a global success plucked from obscurity with millions of rabid fans poised to fall at their feet.

Jeanine Michaels was a shy singer-songwriter ahead of her time with one thing on her mind - finish high school without making a name for herself in the WRONG way. But with her inhibitions thrown out the window, she makes a decision that could cost her everything, because she's not going to make it out of this night with her dignity, her career, and her heart intact.

December 31, 2019

Lyric Michaels and her mother were always like sisters with a bond so tight, nothing was secret between them. Sharing everything from clothes to crushes, the only dark spot between the pair is the identity of Lyric's father. And finding that answer isn't going to be simple. Despite refusing to discuss the matter, Lyric discovers her mother had been honest that she really didn't know who he was and has only narrowed it down to possibilities based on vague memories of a night she's tried to forget.

Can Lyric figure out which Minion is her father before she reveals her intentions and blows her cover? Will the answer lead to more questions and secrets? And who is the dashing young gentleman who offers her an all access pass to help her solve the greatest mystery of her life? Only time will tell... and she doesn't have much before the clock strikes twelve...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lux Miller
• Release date: Dec 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201961336

Book preview

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Copyright © 2021 by Lux Miller

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Warning: If this book has been downloaded from any website other than through the author directly or without monetary compensation to the author through a legitimate channel, it has been stolen. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Contents

1. Chapter One

December 31, 2019

2. Chapter Two

December 31, 1999

3. Chapter Three

December 31, 2019

4. Chapter Four

December 31, 1999

5. Chapter Five 

December 31, 2019

6. Chapter Six

December 31, 1999

7. Chapter Seven 

December 31, 2019

8. Chapter Eight

December 31, 1999

9. Chapter Nine 

December 31, 2019

10. Chapter Ten 

December 31, 1999

11. Chapter Eleven 

December 31, 2019

12. Chapter Twelve 

December 31, 1999

13. Chapter Thirteen 

December 31, 2019

14. Chapter Fourteen 

December 31, 1999

15. Chapter Fifteen 

December 31, 2019

16. Chapter Sixteen 

December 31, 1999

17. Chapter Seventeen 

December 31, 2019

18. Chapter Eighteen 

December 31, 1999

19. Chapter Nineteen 

December 31, 2019

20. Chapter Twenty 

December 31, 1999

21. Chapter Twenty-One 

December 31, 2019

22. Chapter Twenty-Two 

December 31, 1999

23. Chapter Twenty-Three 

December 31, 2019

Also By

About Author

one

December 31, 2019

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Moooooooooooom!

It’s a groan all too familiar that spills from my mouth as I close my eyes to prevent myself from rolling them.  It’s a horrible habit I’ve developed in my young adult years, but with my single-parent mother seemingly always on my case about something, it’s become nearly impossible not to let my frustrations show sometimes.  And those sometimes are getting more frequent lately since I effed up and let my New Year’s plans slip.  She’s not exactly thrilled that I plan to make the drive over to Vegas to party the night away and welcome in the new decade.

Come on, lighten up some, Mom.  When have I ever disappointed you beyond a C on a quiz?  I’ve always promised you that I’d behave and I have.  I never even snuck out as a teenager when all my friends were doing it and I was definitely tempted.

She narrows her jade eyes at me like she’s trying to see straight into my soul and I shudder from the heebie-jeebies that crawl up my back like the cold hand of guilt.  I know she’s trying to sniff out any hint that I’m about to make some kind of monumental mistake, but I can’t help laughing when I see the serious expression on her face.  I understand her concern, but I am not heading into Sin City with the implicit plan of screwing up my life.

Geez Mom.  It’s Vegas, not some kind of sin den.  Would you take a chill pill?  We’re just going to have a little fun.  I can’t even drink, so it’s not like I’m going to go get trashed and do something I regret.

Her nose wrinkles up just like mine does when I’m trying to come up with some kind of smart ass remark and I shake my head, sticking my index finger out and plopping it on the end of her nose before she can try to roast me, Uh uh uh, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.  No souvenirs for me.

She rolls her eyes at my blase attitude, then turns those piercing green orbs back on me, "That’s what I said, too.  Yet here we are… or rather, here you are."

I frown at her crass description of how I came to be.  She’s never held back the truth that I was conceived in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve twenty years ago, though she hasn’t been as forthcoming with other details regarding that night, no matter how much I press her for details.  "Still can’t narrow down the possibilities for me?  I mean, seriously Mom, you have to have some idea, right?  You can’t seriously expect me to believe you don’t remember anything…"

Her expression turns to exasperation as she shakes her head slowly, turning away from me like I just slapped her.  The heavy sigh that accompanies the slight drop in her head initiates a feeling of guilt deep in my gut that I know is going to eat me alive if I don’t clear the air with her. "Mom, I know it’s a sore subject, but I’m not a kid anymore.  I figured out years ago why you can’t tell me who my dad is and honestly, the thought of it was weird at first.  I’m not gonna lie, kinda grossed me out when I first guessed it. Not because it’s gross, but because it was unexpected.  You’re just so… prim and proper."

She cocks her head to the side so that her gaze peeks out through the curtain of long, jet black hair that she and I share and she sighs, Now.  I’m prim and proper now.  And now you know why.

I chew on my bottom lip for a moment before hesitantly asking, Because you’re ashamed of me?

She whirls around to face me, a horrified look on her face as she shakes her head quickly.  Of you?  Never.  Of the circumstances?  Absolutely and I will die upon that hill, Lyric.  I don’t regret you at all.  I just… wish that I had the answers you seek, but I don’t.

Inhaling deeply, I nod my head slowly as I think about the words I want to use carefully because this is the closest she’s ever been to giving me any kind of actual answer, Because the details you don’t know have nothing to do with when or why or how or where… it’s strictly who.

She winces and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head in a way I never have before.  I always assumed she’d just been a party-girl around the time that I came to be and was too embarrassed to narrow the options, but now I’m beginning to realize that there’s far more to the equation than I originally assumed.  Well, you’ve never made it a secret that there was more than one option for who my father could be… but the detail you always left out was that you never questioned when or where, did you?  You always knew those details with exact precision, didn’t you?

My mom swallows hard as she drags her gaze up to mine, guilt written on her face as she nods, There’s a reason behind my hesitance for you to go gallivanting around in Las Vegas, my love.

My eyes go wide as hers close with a sigh.  I can feel my entire body shaking with excitement as I squeal, He’s in Vegas?!?

She nods her head slowly as she corrects me, "They are in Vegas. At least they could be."

"They?  How many are we talking about here?  Who?  Where?  When?!?  Mom!"

When she opens her eyes again, I can see hesitance in them, and her voice is almost shaky as she swallows hard before muttering, The Rogue Minions.

I blink at her in stunned silence for several moments as my brain tries to process what she just said, but I feel like a fish out of water as my lips move with no sound coming out.  I can feel hands gripping my shoulders as she shakes me gently and calls my name until I’m finally able to focus on her.  The only thing I can manage to sputter out is, "Wait, my dad is famous?!?’

She nods slowly, blowing out a puff of air that sends my face-framing bangs skittering off my bangs, I supposed you can call what they do these days famous, but they once were.

I goggle at her like she’s lost her damn mind, "Mom!  You had sex with some of the Rogue Minions?!?  Oh my God!  Which ones?!?"

There’s a lump in her throat as she clears it, her green eyes surveying my face silently as she avoids making eye contact with me until finally it dawns on me, my throat going dry as I practically whisper, "All of them?  Mom!  You slept with all of The Rogue Minions?!?  My father could be any of them?"

She nods her head slowly as her shoulders droop for a moment before slowly rising back up as her posture recovers and she seems to gain a bit of her confidence back.  Yes, Lyric.  Any of them could be your father.

I can practically feel my brain short-circuiting with the barrage of new information as I stare at her, "So I have five potential fathers?  You slept with five dudes on the same night?  At once?  Well, at least close enough that they all coulda made a deposit that took?  Damn, Mom!  You took that whole ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ thing to heart, didn’t you?"

She gives me a condescending look, then pats me on the top of the head as her tone suddenly morphs from someone facing down the biggest embarrassment of their life into the motherly warning tone I’ve known all my life, "It was a different time then.  A lot of people were convinced the world was ending and the atmosphere of not knowing if we were counting down to the new millennium or certain doom had everyone wound up and we acted accordingly.  Which was stupid.  But seriously, with another monumental countdown tonight, do as I say and not as I’ve done… because my dear, you are walking proof that what happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay there."

two

December 31, 1999

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‘Sup girl?

Just as expected, about two into the shindig, someone called the cops and it got broken up like we were some kind of delinquents summoning demons.  There wasn’t even any alcohol involved.  You’d think the community would be glad their future was having a harmless party without all the hazing rituals we could’ve been engaged in, but so goes life.  Everyone thinks teenagers are just irresponsible freaks out to cause trouble.  It was a bit loud, but everyone was sober and clothed, as far as I know anyway.

I think I’m more irritated that I had to break down an entire set of gear before I could play than anything and shove it all back in the backseat of my 1984 Oldsmobile.  My car may be old and frumpy but at least it’s reliable, unlike that fancy new thing Aimee’s got painted hot pink to match the streaks in her hair. The fancy thing that breaks down nearly once a week, more often than not due to user error.  I adore my best friend, but she’s proof that being rich can’t buy common sense.  Or any sense, if we’re being honest. 

She didn’t even bother to let the phone finish ringing once before she picked it up.  I know her father would chew her a new asshole if he found out that he was paying extra for caller ID that wasn’t getting used, but I can’t be bothered to berate her over her ridiculous notion that she has ESP.  I’ve got news that’s too exciting not to share, though I’m momentarily distracted from it by the sounds of her heavy breathing. You sound outta breath.  Have to push it home again?

There’s silence for a moment before she emphatically replies, No!

Another pause, then a heavy