Summer had not known Dumas was sitting in the back of the auditorium until she saw him leave. It was then that she decided if the mountain did not come to her, then she would have to go to the mountain.
It was late, after five, but she knew Dumas was still at the school because his car was in its assigned parking space. She went through the outer office where his secretary usually sat and stared at the door bearing his nameplate. The light was on.
Peering into the office, she saw him sitting at his desk, his back to the door. “Dumas.” He swiveled at the sound of her voice. To say he was surprised to see her was putting it mildly. He popped up like a jack-in-the box.
“Summer, please come in.”
She moved slowly, feigning reticence. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Of course not.” He rounded his desk, pulling out a chair for her at the round table. “Please sit down.”
She sat, forcing a smile she did not feel. She wanted this over so she could get on with her life. She wanted to take Dumas down, because it meant saving other young lives. And she intended to do it by seducing the assistant principal.
Lowering her head, she stared at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Sighing heavily, she glanced up, her eyes filled with tears. Hard pressed not to laugh, Summer continued in the role which she had chosen to play—a spurned lover.
Dumas saw the tears shimmering in her dark eyes, and he half-rose from his chair before he could restrain himself. “What’s the matter?”
Covering her mouth with her hand, Summer let the tears flow. “I … I came to you, because I needed someone to talk to.” Her hands were trembling.
Dumas got up and pulled tissues from a box on his desk, handing several to her and resisting the urge to pull her into his arms. “It’s okay, Summer.”
She made a big show of blotting her eyes and blowing her nose. Blinking back more tears, she covered her face with her hands. That’s when he finalized registered what she had wanted him to see: her bare left hand.
Pulling his lower lip between his teeth, Dumas bit down hard enough to draw blood. The brilliant glitter of diamonds that always reminded him that Summer Montgomery was promised to another man was missing. Could he hope that she had broken her engagement?
He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Perhaps we can go somewhere and talk.”
Summer sniffled again, shaking her head. “It’s all right, Dumas. I’m sorry I bothered you.”
“Nonsense. You’d never be a bother. Now, you know I’ve always made myself available for my teachers.”
Bracing her hands on the arms of the chair, she rose to her feet. “I’ve changed my mind. I… I…can’t talk about it now.”
“It’s your boyfriend, isn’t it?”
Her eyes widened as she gave him a genuine look of surprise. “How did you know?”
He smiled. “That headlight you usually wear on your left hand is missing.”
Spreading her fingers, she stared at her hand as if it didn’t belong to the rest of her body. “I gave it back.”
“What!” The word exploded from Dumas.
She stood up straighter. “I gave it back to him. We were supposed to go down to St. Thomas next week for February recess, and out of the blue he told me he couldn’t get off from his job. We argued, because he’d put in for vacation time and was approved months ago. But when I pressured him, he finally told me that he wanted to take another woman with him.
“That dirty, low-down, stinking bastard told me he wanted to take her so that he could have one last fling before we tie the knot.” Bitterness had spilled over into her voice. “Never had I wanted to murder anyone as I did at that moment. Imagine him telling me that crap on Valentine’s Day.”
Dumas couldn’t believe his luck. Was it a coincidence that he had lost his wife on the same day that Summer had lost her boyfriend? He did not have time to analyze the events in his life when he curved an arm around her waist.
“Look, why don’t we go somewhere and have something to eat? I’m sure you’re going to feel better even if you have a cup of coffee?”
Summer smiled up at him through spiked lashes. “Maybe you’re right, Dumas.”
“I know I’m right. Let me get my coat and I’ll be with you directly.”
She waited for him to get the trench coat from the hook on the back of the door, then walked out of the school with him to the parking lot.
He stood next to her car. “Where do you want to go?”
“I know a diner where the food is quite good.” She gave him the name of the diner where she occasionally met Lucas.
“Okay. You pull out first, and I’ll follow you.”
Dumas waited until she had gotten into her car, and started it up before he returned to his at the far end of the parking lot. He followed her as she drove slowly through the side streets.
He had to admire Summer, because she was a strong woman and most of all a professional. When he had observed her with her students in the auditorium there was nothing in her voice or body language that communicated the emotion she had exhibited in his office. They would make a wonderful couple.
She was waiting for him when he maneuvered into the diner’s parking lot. He held her hand as he escorted her into the restaurant. He continued to hold her hand until they were shown to their booths.
Summer removed her coat, noting the direction of Dumas’s gaze as it settled on the middle of her chest. It was the tightest sweater in her entire wardrobe. The jacket she had worn over it was still hanging on the coat tree in her office.
She stared directly at him. “I think I need more than a cup of coffee right about now.”
Dumas reached over and covered one of her hands with his. “Why don’t you order a cocktail?”
She shook her head, and her ponytail fell over her right shoulder. “I can’t.”
“If you’re afraid of being carded, I’ll buy it for you.”
Summer leaned back against her seat and smiled. “Thank you for the compliment, but I don’t look that young.”
He tightened his hold on her fingers. “Yes, you do. In fact, you look as young as some of our students.”
Her smile faded. “Please let go of my hand, Dumas.” The moment the command had left her lips she remembered another time when she’d told him the same thing. “Right now I can’t stand for any man to touch me,” she apologized softly. “I feel so used, so deceived.”
He withdrew his hand, nodding. “I understand.”
The waitress came and placed menus on the table. As she turned to walk away, Summer saw Lucas Shelby coming toward her. He didn’t notice her until he was several feet away. Then, he walked past as if she did not exist, and sat down at a booth behind her. She saw the flicker of recognition in his gaze, but she also saw something she had never seen before: fear.
A sixth sense told her that he knew the man with whom she was sharing a booth. She lowered her head, then stared up at Dumas through her lashes.
“Look, Dumas, I’m sorry I’m being flaky tonight, but I really don’t have much of an appetite.” Reaching for her coat, she slipped her arms into the sleeves. “I’m going home.”
She slid out of the booth, and Dumas was right behind her. She quickened her pace and he caught up with her in the parking lot. His hand stopped her when she pressed the remote device to her car.
“Let me follow you home. I want to make certain you get there safe. Right now you’re an emotional mess, Summer.”
She nodded, biting down on her lower lip. “Okay.”
Dumas followed her as she drove, this time even slower than before. Searching in her handbag, she pulled out her cell phone. It took some skill, but she steered with one hand while she scrolled through the directory and punched in Lucas’s number.
“Yes?”
“Renegade.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“So you do know him?”
“Of course I know him. He’s our dealer.”
<
br /> “How long have you known!” she screamed.
“We found out after the Knight kid was murdered.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“We wanted to wait, Renegade. He’s only one …”
“One, Lucas?” she interrupted. “You’re willing to sacrifice more kids because you want to reel in bigger fish. Forget it!”
“I’m warning you to let him go.”
“It’s too late for you and your warnings. I will not be responsible for another death. Not another kid will die under my watch!”
“Renegade …” His line went dead when Summer disconnected the call.
Summer tossed the cell phone onto the passenger side seat. Lucas knew. He had set her up. He knew all along who was dealing at Weir. Well, it was going to end tonight. She would take down Dumas Gellis or die in the attempt.
She pulled into the parking lot at the housing complex where she had resided since last August. There was no way she could call it home, because she now thought of the house in Cotuit as home.
The headlights from Dumas’s car temporarily blinded her as he maneuvered into the parking area. He’d rolled down his window. “Visitor parking is against the fence.” Nodding, he drove over to where a sign identified the space for VISITOR PARKING. Summer was waiting for Dumas when he alighted. “I can at least offer you a cup of coffee for what I’ve put you through tonight. Would you like to come up?”
He stared at her for a full thirty seconds, contemplating her offer. “Yes, I would.”
“Follow me.”
Twenty-five
Summer felt his presence before she glanced up. Standing at the top of staircase outside her apartment was Gabriel Cole. His expression was one of shock and cold fury.
“What are you doing here?” Her hushed voice quivered.
“I was waiting for you.”
She tried to capture his gaze, but he was glaring over her shoulder at Dumas. “I’m sorry, Gabriel, but this is not a good time for us to get together.”
He frowned at her. “I can see that.”
“Can we meet tomorrow?”
Gabriel looked at Summer as if she had taken leave of her senses. He couldn’t believe she had invited another man to her home—a man she knew was interested in her. His gaze lingered on her left hand. The ring was missing. What the hell kind of game was she playing?
He recalled the times when she said she couldn’t see him—had she been seeing Dumas, too? Was that why she had been so reluctant to marry, because she couldn’t make up her mind as to which man she wanted?
“I’ll let you know tomorrow. Have fun,” he added as he headed down the staircase.
Summer felt a momentary wave of panic as she watched the man she loved descend the staircase. Panic rioted through her but within seconds she brought her fragile emotions under control. She had a job to do. Gabriel Cole would come later.
“Please come in, Dumas.”
He followed Summer into her apartment, a triumphant grin on his face as she turned and closed the door.
Dumas moved into a small, but neatly furnished living/dining area. He was disappointed, thinking, she deserves better than this. Removing his coat, he placed it on one of two facing love seats.
Summer saw Dumas cataloguing her apartment. “It’s not much, but it’s ideal for crashing.”
“You deserve better.” He’d spoken his thoughts aloud.
Taking off her coat, she folded it over her arm. “I thought I was going to get better. The guy I’d planned to marry is loaded.”
“Is that why you agreed to marry him? Because he’s loaded?”
The corners of her mouth turned down in a frown. “Of course not. I love him.”
“You love, Summer? After what he’s done to you?”
“It’s not that easy to fall out of love when it took me a long time to fall in love.”
“Do you think you’ll ever go back to him?”
There was a moment of silence before she said, “No, Dumas. I don’t deal with emotional pain very well.” Her expression brightened suddenly. “Let me change into something a little more comfortable.”
Turning on her heel, she retreated to her bedroom, cursing Gabriel. Damn him for showing up at her apartment unannounced. He had never done that before. He’d never come before calling her first, and she wondered what could’ve been so important that he had to wait for her to come home.
Closing the door to her bedroom, she slipped out of her sweater and slacks and into jeans and a sweatshirt. When she opened the closet to get a pair of running shoes, she saw the safe. Kneeling, she turned the knob, feeling the tumblers click with each revolution. She opened it and removed the automatic from its holster. She then picked up her shield, tucking it into her back pocket. The feel of the automatic was cold and heavy in her palm. It was fully loaded with a clip holding sixteen high velocity bullets.
She registered a familiar sound. Within seconds she had released the safety and concealed the gun in her waistband behind her back.
“What are you doing in here?” She stood up, facing Dumas. He had opened the door and come into the bedroom. His suit jacket and tie were missing, and he had unbuttoned his shirt to the waist. He stood in the doorway with a silly grin on his face.
“You know why I’m here, Summer, so don’t look so surprised.”
She pulled her shoulders back. “No, I don’t.”
“You want me.”
His cockiness made her smile. “Yes, I do want you, Dumas. But not for sex.”
His face fell. “What?”
“I want to pay you back for what you did to Omar. You think you’re man because you can intimidate kids. Well, you are not! You are pus, a sick piece of—”
She never finished her statement when Dumas charged at her, head lowered. He came at her like his intent was to sack the Sunday afternoon quarterback. Summer anticipated his move and stepped aside like a matador, reaching for the handgun and bringing the butt down on the back of his neck. He went down, but did not stay down. His hand snaked out around her ankle, pulling her off her feet.
She fell, the gun sliding across the floor. Using her free leg, she kicked him hard against the side of his head. He howled in pain as she scrambled to her feet. Bouncing on her toes, she kicked him again. He went down and came up again. This time she gave him a roundhouse kick, snapping his head back. Blood spurted from his nose and mouth.
Dumas glared up at the woman bouncing on her toes like a boxer. He lowered his head and collapsed facedown to the floor.
Summer watched for movement from Dumas, and finding none, she went to retrieve the gun. She didn’t see him, but she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck seconds before his fingers closed around her throat. The blood roared in her head as she clawed at the fingers cutting off precious oxygen to her brain.
He’s going to strangle me to death like he did Omar Knight!
Objects spun in front of her eyes as she felt herself losing consciousness. She had always thought she going to die from a bullet, not by strangulation.
She felt her lungs exploding from lack of oxygen as her arms hung limply at her side. She couldn’t die—not like this. There were so many things she wanted to do: marry, have babies, and lots of grandbabies. She and Gabriel would start their own traditions, and when she closed her eyes on this world she would sleep in peace knowing she had finally gotten everything she wanted and deserved.
Blackness descended slowly, then miraculously she was freed. The sound of Dumas’s heavy breathing echoed in her ear. “No, Summer. I’m not going to kill you yet. I’m going to take what you’ve been teasing me with ever since you came to my school.”
Closing her eyes, she drew in deep breaths. The roaring in her ears stopped. When she opened her eyes she spied the gun on the floor less than ten feet away. If she could get to it she would do what she’d promised herself she would do if any man attempted to rape her: kill him.
The possibility of reaching the gun was dashed
when Dumas jerked her up by the back of her sweatshirt. Don’t fight him. The three words played in her head as she was hauled and thrown viciously onto the bed.
Summer knew she would only be able to subdue Dumas if she had the advantage of surprise. Not only was he larger, but very strong. She lay on her bed, staring at him as he removed his belt. Blood flowed from his nose and into his mouth.
Holding the belt, Dumas wrapped the buckle around his fist. He raised his arm, but before he could bring it down he doubled over. Summer had kicked him in the groin. He fell to his knees, moaning like a wounded animal. Moving slowly, he reached for her, but she was gone.
He had taken direct hits from men his size and larger on the gridiron, but that pain paled in comparison to the one between his legs. Growling, he launched himself across the bed and looked into the barrel of the powerful handgun pointed directly at him. Summer lay on her back, staring up at him.
“Let’s make this easy, Dumas.” Her voice, though soft, was lethal. “Don’t move,” she warned, “or I’m going to blow your head off.” She saw his gaze shift to something behind her, but she still did not glance away.
“Summer.”
Her eyes widened when she recognized the voice behind her. Gabriel had come back. “Yes, Gabriel.” She would not take her gaze off Dumas.
“What’s going on here?”
She smiled. “Nothing much, that is if Weir’s assistant principal doesn’t get funky where I’d be forced to dispatch him to another time and place. I want you to get the phone and dial nine one-one. Tell the operator that Special Agent Montgomery from the Drug Enforcement Administration needs assistance.”
Gabriel couldn’t believe the drama being played out in front of him. He’d left Summer’s apartment enraged. He had walked several blocks before realizing he had left his car in her Visitor’s lot. It was when he returned that he knew he couldn’t walk away, couldn’t give her up without knowing why.
He had to know why she was so reluctant to marry him.
Why she wanted a long engagement.
Why she wouldn’t move in with him.
Why they had kept their liaison secret from those at Weir.
Didn’t she know he loved her? He wanted the world to know he loved her. He wanted answers to his questions, but he also wasn’t going to hand his woman over to another man without a fight.
Renegade Page 23
