Protecting Summer

by Susan Stoker

  “I didn’t say I was gonna marry her, jackass,” Mozart mumbled throwing back the beer and almost finishing it off in one gulp.

  “Yeah, but you’re you, Mozart. You’re the flirt. You’re the one who takes care of the ladies when we’re on missions. If you’ve got one woman on your mind above all the others, you’re screwed. You’ve already tagged and branded her in your mind. You just have to catch up and do something about it.”

  Mozart put the mostly-empty beer bottle on the table and stared at Benny thoughtfully. Was he right?

  “Let me put it this way,” Benny continued, unconcerned about the turmoil going on in his friend’s head. “When did you see her last?”

  “About two months ago.”

  “And when was the last time you got laid?”

  Mozart didn’t answer, thinking back. Jesus. Yeah, he’d taken that one woman home, but he hadn’t been able to follow through. It’d been about two and a half months since he’d actually had sex.

  “About two months, right?” Benny pushed.

  “You are one scary guy, Benny,” Mozart commented, pushing his chair back and crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Look, just because I have this ridiculous nickname doesn’t mean I don’t see stuff. Mozart, you’re my friend. As much as I make fun of the other guys for being tied down to their women, I think it’s great. I’d give anything to be where they are. I see how content and happy they are and I can’t help but want that for myself. Stop fighting yourself. If you’ve found someone who makes you reconsider pulling your dick out for any woman that wants it, I say you need to explore that.”

  “That was certainly a crude way of putting it, but I get it.” Mozart felt the pit in his stomach swell to an almost unbearable size. He lowered his voice and fingered his scarred cheek. “I told her I’d be back, and I haven’t been. I hurt her. I know I did.”

  “Then make it right, Mozart.” Benny stated matter-of-factly. “Look at Alabama and Abe. She forgave him for the asshole thing he did to her. If this woman is meant to be yours, she’ll forgive you too, but you have to go to her. If you don’t give her a chance, you’ll never know.”

  “Jesus, Benny, I feel like you’re Doctor Phil or something.”

  Benny just laughed and slapped Mozart on the back. “Yeah, well, I don’t want to hear all the mushy details, just go and talk to her. See if she’s feeling half of what you are. If she is, you can see about making it work. If not, you’re no worse off than you are now. But at least you can move on if you know.”

  Mozart nodded. “I’ll see if the Commander will give me the weekend. I’ll head up to Big Bear and talk to her. “

  “Big Bear? Isn’t that where you went up to look for Hurst?” All of the team knew about Hurst and Mozart’s mission to make him pay for what he’d allegedly done to his sister. Mozart had told them where he’d been during their week off when they’d all gotten back. There were no secrets from the team. “Do you think he’s still up there?”

  “Yeah, I found evidence of a campsite, but he’d left by the time I had to get back here. Tex has been working on leads and says he’s not sure he’s left the area, but he doesn’t have a lock on him yet. He could be a thousand miles away, or he could be wintering up there at the lake.”

  Benny’s face turned serious as he put his beer on the table next to Mozart’s empty one. “If you need us up there to help track him, all you have to do is ask.”

  “I know, and I appreciate it. I think this time I’ll just head up here to see if Summer is still there. I wouldn’t blame her if she ditched that crappy motel and left for warmer weather.”

  “All I’m saying is if you need it, we have your back.”

  “I appreciate it, Benny, seriously.”

  They nodded at each other and Mozart stood up to head over to Wolf and Ice to let them know he was headed out. He congratulated both of them once again, and when Caroline stood up to hug him goodbye, Mozart bent her over his arm just to irritate Wolf. Laughing when Wolf snatched Caroline back into his arms as soon as Mozart stood her up, Mozart told them he was on his way out.

  “I talked to the Commander and he’s thinking we’ll be headed out next week,” Wolf warned.

  “Got it, I’m only going up for the weekend; I’m not tracking…this time. I’ll keep you up to date and I should be back on Monday.”

  “Is everything all right?” Caroline asked with worry in her voice.

  Mozart picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “Everything’s fine, Ice. And just because I know you’re nosy, I’m going up to see a woman.”

  Caroline rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry I asked. You aren’t satisfied with all the bitches throwing themselves at you down here? You have to drive into the mountains now?”

  Mozart simply smiled. He loved how Caroline wasn’t afraid to speak her mind around him or the other SEALs. “What fun would that be?” He wasn’t about to tell her the real reason he was headed up to Big Bear.

  Ice rolled her eyes, as he expected. Mozart gave a chin lift to Wolf and said his goodbyes to the rest of the team and Alabama and Fiona. As he headed out the door, he wondered what kind of reception he’d get from Summer. Lord knew he didn’t deserve for her to be glad to see him, Mozart just hoped she would be anyway.

  Chapter Six

  It was late Friday night by the time Mozart arrived at the cabins up in Big Bear. He pulled into the familiar parking lot and noticed only a couple of cabins had lights on in them. The office also had a light shining dimly through the grimy window.

  Mozart pulled his jacket around him and zipped it up as he stepped out of his truck. It was cold, the wind was blowing, making it seem at least twenty degrees colder than it actually was. There was no snow on the ground, but it was probably only a matter of time. Once the snow fell, the cabins would most likely become a bit busier because of ski season, but generally people who came up to this area to ski would choose a more well-known and popular hotel to stay at, rather than the run down, locally-owned motel.

  Mozart strode up to the office door and tried the door. It opened and a bell tinkled above his head as he entered. The space was empty, but it wasn’t too long before someone came out of a room in the back of the small building. Mozart recognized the man as the owner of the motel. He’d chatted with him briefly the last time he’d been up here.

  “Hey, I remember you. Need a room?”

  Mozart refrained from rolling his eyes at the desperate sounding man. Of course he remembered him. He was big and mean looking and had a huge scar on his face. Mozart wasn’t the kind of man that anyone would forget. “Maybe. I’m looking for Summer. She was the maid the last time I was here. Does she still work here?”

  Henry looked upset. “Why? What did she do? Did she take something?”

  “Jesus, no. Why would you automatically think that?” Mozart was pissed. He didn’t really know Summer, but he didn’t think there was a chance in hell she was a thief, and he was mad that it was the first thing this guy thought of. After what had happened to Alabama he was hyper-sensitive about people being accused of stealing with no provocation.

  “Sorry, man, I just didn’t know why else you’d want to know if she was still here.”

  “Is she still here?” Mozart growled with barely concealed impatience, wanting to reach across the scarred counter and shake the man.

  “Yeah, she’s still here. You want me to get her?” Henry placated, as if he knew Mozart was on the edge of losing his temper.

  “No. Just tell me where she is.”

  Without even thinking that it might not be a good idea to tell a large pissed off stranger where a woman was living, Henry jabbed a thumb toward the building next door. “She stays in the storage building.”

  Mozart took a step back as if the man had hit him. “What? What building?”

  “You know, the little storage building. She gets to stay there as a part of her salary. Free of charge. You know, room and board without the board.”

  “Ar
e you kidding?”

  “Uh…no?”

  Mozart just shook his head and turned on his heel toward the door.

  “Will you need a room tonight?” Henry called out behind Mozart.

  Mozart stopped. He wanted to give this man money like he wanted a hole in the head, but he also wanted to be near Summer. If Summer was staying on the property, he wanted to as well. He spun back to the short man standing behind the counter. “Yeah, one night. If I’m going to stay another, I’ll let you know.”

  Henry turned to the ancient computer and punched a bunch of buttons. “Credit card?”

  Mozart pulled some twenties out of his wallet and threw them down on the counter. “Cash.”

  “Oh, okay. Uh, I’ll put you in number seven, there’s no one on either side of you, so it should be quiet.” When Mozart didn’t say anything Henry looked down and hurriedly swiped the keycard to program it. He held out the paper for Mozart to sign, and sighed in relief as he pocketed the key card and turned to head out of the office. “Breakfast is from seven to nine, winter hours,” Henry called as the door shut behind the large man.

  Mozart clenched his teeth together and looked to his right as he exited the small office. He took a hard look at the small storage building set back from the office a bit. He’d never really looked at it before, because he had no reason to. Why would he? It was a fucking storage building, not a place where anyone should be living. Mozart didn’t like what he saw.

  He took in the ramshackle building at a glance. It was probably about a hundred square feet, at most, and had one door with no windows. There was an old fashioned lock on the door. As he walked up to the building, Mozart couldn’t believe anyone was actually living inside it. The owner had to be wrong.

  There were no electricity lines leading into the roof of the shack, but looking closer, Mozart could see an orange extension cord snaking from the office into a crack in the back of the building.

  Mozart held on to his temper by the skin of his teeth. There was no damn way this was safe, or even legal. He hoped like hell he wasn’t going to find Summer in this hovel, but he was afraid he was going to be disappointed.

  * * *

  Summer shivered inside her sleeping bag. She couldn’t get warm. The wind felt like it was whipping through her little building as if she had the door open. She’d given up on the space heater because it had started making such horrible rattling noises she was afraid if she fell asleep with it on, it would burn down the building she was sleeping in.

  Her head spun. She’d been dizzy for a while, but tonight it seemed worse. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, but there wasn’t any way to find out either. Henry expected the cabins to be cleaned, and it wasn’t as if she could call in sick. She had no money or transportation to get to a doctor anyway.

  Summer nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a brisk knock at the door. No one ever knocked on the door. The guests just assumed it was a simple storage building, and if Henry needed her, he typically just yelled out the back door of the office for her.

  “Who is it?” Summer asked tremulously.

  “Mozart. Open the door, Summer.”

  “Oh. My. God,” Summer whispered. Shit could he really be here? Why was he here? She couldn’t see him now. Raising her voice so he’d hear her she asked, “Why, what are you doing here? Do you need something?”

  “Yes, I need something, Sunshine. Open the fucking door.” Mozart tried not to lose patience with Summer. He could hear the surprise and yes, even a little fear in her voice.

  “I don’t think…”

  “Don’t think. Just open the door.” Pausing a beat, he tried to tone down his impatience and pleaded with her. “Please? I want to talk to you. I need to talk to you.”

  “Can’t it wait until morning?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll be right there, we can talk outside.” Summer sat up on the cot and unzipped the sleeping bag. Shit, it was freezing. There was no way she was letting Mozart in her little space to talk. She’d go and meet him outside and maybe they could go into the office, or into his truck, or somewhere else to talk. She didn’t care where it was, as long as it was warm.

  Summer swung her legs out of the warm haven she’d been cocooned in and leaned over to the flashlight sitting on the corner of the sink. She clicked it on and the beam shone upward, illuminating the small space. Summer stood up and stuffed her feet into her sneakers. She still had her clothes and socks on, so she was as ready for this late night visit as she’d ever be. She shuffled over to the door and fumbled with the latch. Summer opened the door and went to step out, but was pushed back by a large body stepping into her space.

  Mozart knew Summer wouldn’t want him inside. He had no idea how he knew that, but he did. That made him all the more determined to get inside. As soon as the door opened a crack, he was there, pulling the door open gently and stepping into Summer’s space.

  “Step back, Sunshine. I’m coming in.”

  “Oh, um…” Summer didn’t have a chance to say anything else before Mozart was there, inside the little building, making it seem twice as small as it actually was. She watched as his eyes roamed around, taking everything in at a glance, before settling in on her. She shivered, as much at the look in his eyes as with the cold.

  Seeing Summer shiver shook Mozart out of his stupor. He immediately unbuttoned his jacket and eased it off his body. He took hold of Summer’s shoulders and turned her so her back was to him. “Arm,” he told her gruffly. When she held an arm up, he steered it into one sleeve and did the same to the other as she lifted that one too. He wrapped the coat around her and pulled her back into his arms.

  She felt even skinnier than when he’d held her in his arms a few short months ago. Summer was shivering lightly and Mozart could feel her swaying where she stood. Mozart wrapped his arms around her a bit more tightly, holding her snugly against him, willing his body heat to sink into her skin.

  “I’m sorry, Sunshine.” It wasn’t what he’d planned to say. Mozart had an entire speech planned about how busy he’d been, how many missions he’d been on and how he’d wanted to come back and see her, but couldn’t. But seeing how she was living and the condition she was in, only made him want to kick his own ass. The apology was for so many things, the least of which was for not coming back up the mountain as he’d said he would.

  Summer, being Summer, didn’t ask why, didn’t make him grovel, but simply nodded and said, “Okay.”

  Mozart turned her around to face him and put one hand on her shoulder and tipped her chin up with the other. “I’m really sorry, Sunshine. I said I’d be back and I wasn’t before tonight.”

  Summer merely shrugged, “It’s okay, Mozart. I didn’t think you meant it.”

  Mozart’s hands tightened on her. “What do you mean you didn’t think I meant it? I said it didn’t I?”

  “People say stuff all the time. I’ve found most of the time they don’t follow through.”

  “Well, when I say something I follow through. I should’ve been here before now though. I let you down.”

  “Mozart…”

  Knowing she was going to let him off the hook again, he interrupted her. “No. Tell me you believe me. Tell me you know that when I say something, I do it.”

  At the stubborn look in her eyes, and her lips pressing together Mozart could only laugh. “Okay, that sounded conceited I know, but I hate having you think that nobody does what they say they will.” Mozart wrapped her up in his arms again and picked her up as he sat down gingerly on the rickety cot. He put Summer in his lap and kept his arms locked around her. Without saying anything else he took a second look around the small room.

  The space heater sat forlornly in the corner, silent and turned off. The orange extension cord was plugged into it as it snaked under the edge of the boards that made up the wall. There was a sink, but it was old and cracked. There were shelves lining the back and sidewall over the sink, filled with bottles of cleaning material
s and cloths of some sort. There was a suitcase sitting against the back wall as well. It was closed, but not zipped.

  Mozart closed his eyes and leaned his head against the side of Summer’s. She’d lain her head against his chest and sat on his lap awkwardly with her hands in between them, clutching his jacket around her.

  Standing up suddenly with Summer in his arms, he gripped her tightly as she startled. “Shhh, I’ve got you, Sunshine. Do you need anything for the night?”

  “Uh…no?”

  At her answer, Mozart took a step to the door and leaned over so Summer could reach it. “Open the door for me, please.” Summer did as he asked and Mozart walked out into the cold night with Summer held tight against his chest. He shut the door behind him with a kick of his boot and took long strides toward cabin seven. He dropped Summer’s feet to the ground when he got to the door, but didn’t let go of her waist. Keeping her body close to his, Mozart took the keycard out of his pocket and slid it into the slot on the door. It clicked and Mozart pushed it open.

  Summer didn’t say a word as Mozart carried her across the parking lot and opened one of the cabin doors. He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the room once he’d opened the door. He kept walking until he got to the small bathroom.

  “Take a hot shower, Sunshine. I’ll get you something to wear when you’re done. Get warm. I’ll be back. I’m going to make a short trip into town. Don’t open the door to anyone. I mean it. If your boss knocks, ignore him. Take your time in the shower. Got it?”

  Summer could only nod at Mozart. She was bemused and a bit in shock. She hadn’t expected to see Mozart again, but here he was. She knew he wasn’t really asking her to do anything, he was telling her. At the moment, she had no issues with his demands though. She felt like crap and was cold down to her bones. A hot shower sounded heavenly.

  She watched as Mozart leaned down and brushed his lips over her forehead. “In you go. I’ll be right back with something for you to wear. I’ll put it right outside the door here. Then I’m going into town.”