by Liza Street
Who could be doing this to her? It made no sense.
She called Becca.
“It’s late,” Becca said, yawning.
Summer gave a little laugh. “Maybe it is, but I can hear the opening credits to Castle in the background.”
“You detective, you,” Becca said.
“Speaking of…there’s something weird going on.”
“What is it?” Becca asked, all traces of sleepiness gone from her voice.
“There were some weird sounds outside my house, and then I went out with Jackson. When I came back, a copy of that Rodin sculpture—you know, with the two people kissing—was on my porch, drenched in cologne. And, uh, the couple’s eyes were crossed out.”
“I’m coming over,” Becca said.
Summer could hear rustling and movement on Becca’s end of the line. “No,” she said. “I’m fine, really. I’ve already called the police, and I don’t feel threatened. Maybe lonely. I shouldn’t have sent Jackson off.”
Becca gave a low wolf whistle. “So, what happened there?”
“Nothing.” Summer felt her cheeks get hot. “Okay, something. Something amazing. But it’s too soon to tell. He could pack up and leave any minute, you know?”
“He seems super interested in you,” Becca said.
“Yeah. He got really defensive and protective when we saw that sculpture on my porch. I don’t know, it just…it made me feel like if he stuck around, I’d become weak with love and never do another thing for myself. It was frustrating and endearing.”
“Ha. Well, that’s guys for you.”
“I guess so. Anyway, I should get some sleep, and you should, too. Stop drooling over Nathan Fillion.”
“I’ll never stop,” Becca said, cackling. “The man only gets hotter with age.” In a more serious voice, she added, “Do you have any idea who left the little…present?”
“No,” Summer said. “I honestly can’t figure it out. Nobody at work has been giving me trouble. There was a guy who asked me out a few days ago, but it wasn’t weird or anything. No creeper vibes have come from anyone in town. It makes no sense.”
“No, it doesn’t. All right, get some rest. If you need anything, call the police first, and then call me, okay? Are you sure you don’t want me to come over now? I could stay with you tonight.”
“It’s okay. If anything else happens, yeah, I might be coming to stay with you,” Summer said.
“You’re welcome anytime, sweets.”
They hung up, and Summer looked around her little cottage. She wanted to get in bed, forget about whoever might have left that statue, and dream about Jackson.
Chapter Fifteen
Jackson folded himself into his rental car and drove away from Summer’s house.
When he made it partway down her street, he pulled over to the side and parked, then turned off the engine and climbed out. He wanted to honor Summer’s wish to be alone, but he couldn’t handle the thought of leaving her entirely. What if something happened? What if she needed him?
To some extent, he trusted her to take care of herself. But he also didn’t know how bad the threat was. Something terrifying could happen, and she might not be able to reach him. That sculpture thing was a threat, clearly. He was glad she took it seriously enough to call the police, but should she be alone right now?
He didn’t think so.
He walked down toward Summer’s house, careful to keep to the shadows. If she saw him and mistook him for the other guy, he’d have some explaining to do.
He skirted the edge of her yard and made his way to the back. He removed his clothes in the shadows and shifted into his mountain lion. Then he climbed a large maple tree and settled onto one of the branches. From here, he could watch her house and listen for any trouble.
It would be a long night, but nothing was more important than her safety.
*
Hours passed. Jackson let his eyes close halfway, but he was alert. Night sounds filled his ears—in the distance, a pack of coyotes howled, and closer up, he could hear the sounds of a mouse or another small rodent in the dried leaves beneath the maple tree. A house far down the street had music playing, even this late. It had to be two a.m.
There was another sound, a rustling in the brush behind him. He slowly swiveled his head to the side, using his peripheral vision to look. There was nothing but wilderness back there, as Summer’s street bordered a woodsy area. But some large animal was moving, its footfalls soft.
The animal was downwind. Jackson sniffed. He smelled bear, but also—very faint scents of cologne.
Shifter.
A shifter had been here earlier, growling outside Summer’s windows. And that shifter had doused himself in cologne to leave the statue on Summer’s porch.
The only reason for the cologne would be to disguise his scent. And the only reason to disguise his scent would be to keep another shifter, that was, Jackson, from recognizing it.
He sniffed again. It was definitely a bear, not a mountain lion. But the Clausens were mountain lions, so this shifter wasn’t one of them. Had someone else taken over the Dark Pines territory once Jackson’s pride was ousted? That seemed odd. The Clausens had been powerful. Then again, they hadn’t been friendly unless it suited their aims. If they’d pissed off a clan of bears, maybe they’d been driven away.
It would’ve served them right, and been better than they deserved at the same time.
The shifter in the woods came into view. Jackson tensed, getting ready to spring down.
The bear stopped suddenly, nose in the air. He’d gotten close enough to smell Jackson. Without warning, he turned around and raced away.
Shit. Jackson had been hoping for a fight. Prove his dominance, get the other guy to shift to human and explain what the hell was going on. He’d find out who ruled this territory, if anyone, and he’d find out why they had it in for Summer.
As it was, he was left with no answers. He wasn’t willing to chase the guy, because it would take him too far from Summer, and what if this was a trap? The Clausens, especially, had been good at traps.
Chapter Sixteen
Summer propped her chin on her hand and tried to pay attention to the pastor. She’d chugged a giant mug of coffee before leaving her house this morning, but she only felt physically hyper. Emotionally, mentally, she was exhausted.
The pastor was talking about generosity and acceptance. In the chair next to her, Summer’s friend, Luke, was nodding along and scribbling notes on his church program.
Last night Summer had only been able to fall asleep close to dawn. She squeezed her hand in a fist, then released it. She pinched her arm. Coming to church was maybe a mistake, given how tired she was, but this was her place of grounding and renewal. Staying home would have only left her feeling more uncentered and unsure of what to do about the strange sculpture on her porch.
She let her gaze wander to the banners on the walls—depictions of the cross, the dove representing the Holy Spirit. This week, all the banners were in blue, and the effect was calming. A little too calming, and she had to fight to keep her eyes open. She silently looked for a breath mint in her purse, hoping that sucking on a strong flavor would help wake her up.
Eventually, the tithe tray was passed, everyone was encouraged to stand up and sing the doxology, and the pastor gave them a final blessing.
The service was over. Luke stood and gave a slight stretch, bending his back. Summer nudged him. “I missed you last week.”
He smiled. “I had a date.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Mrs. Kunig’s grandson, Derrick.”
“Really? Oh, I bet she’s thrilled.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “She’s a busybody. She gave me his number and practically strong-armed me into calling him right there.”
“She just wants him to be happy.”
“I guess so. And I’m glad I went. He’s really nice.”
They walked out into the narthex, shook the pastor’s hand, and
then made their way outside.
“Speaking of being happy,” Luke said, “I saw you the other night and you looked very happy.”
“What?” Summer immediately thought back to last night, her whole body at Jackson’s mercy as his fingers had brought her to a mind-blowing climax.
“You were kissing some hottie in front of The A-Hole. Completely oblivious to the fact I was waving at you from across the street.”
“You were? Sorry I missed you.”
“Well, if you’re seeing that guy again, I expect introductions.” Luke made a hmph sound.
“I promise to introduce you two. If he sticks around long enough.”
They made their way to the little parking lot next to the church, which was bordered by a sidewalk and a low wall. Summer stopped cold when she saw her car. The side of it had been keyed—four long, parallel scratches traversed the driver’s door. And the tires were flat.
“What the fuck?” Luke said.
“I don’t…I don’t know.” Summer couldn’t force herself to walk closer to the car, but even a few feet away from it, she could smell that same cologne. “Something weird happened last night, a sculpture left on my porch. But I don’t know why someone would harass me.”
“Call the police,” Luke said.
“I will. I’m supposed to make a report about the other thing.”
Luke looked at the bike rack and pointed. “I’d give you a ride, but…my bike’s a one-seater.”
“It’s fine. I’ll…I can call someone.”
“The hottie from the bar,” Luke said, wiggling his eyebrows.
If she hadn’t been so pissed off about her car, which would cost money to fix, she would have smiled. “Yeah, I’ll call him.” She could’ve called Becca, but her first thought had been Jackson.
She dialed, and he picked up on the first ring.
“You okay?” he asked, sounding tired, but alert.
“I’m fine. My car’s tires are toast, though.”
“What happened?”
She explained that she’d come out of church and found her tires slashed.
“I’ll be right there,” he said. “Can someone wait with you? I really don’t think you should be alone right now.”
“My friend Luke is here.”
“If he can stay with you, that’d be great,” Jackson said.
Luke was already settling against the low wall next to the sidewalk. Summer said, “Yeah, I think he’s waiting with me.”
Luke looked up and nodded at her. “Not budging,” he said.
Jackson ended the call, and Summer went to sit next to Luke. “You sure you don’t have something better to do?” she asked.
“Nah. It’s Sunday. Church, then lazing around. I have some games at home that I want to play, but there’s no rush. The day is young.”
“Thanks.” She called for a tow truck, then sat with her back against the wall next to Luke and stared out at the parking lot. Her car’s mutilated tires troubled her.
“I’ve only got one enemy that I can think of,” she said.
“Who’s that?” Luke asked.
“Cory, my ex. But he got what he wanted. He freeloaded off of me for years before finally skipping town with my identity and all my savings. So I don’t see why he would do this.”
“Me, neither,” Luke said. “Seems like he’s moved on.”
Luke didn’t say anything more, but Summer could hear what he wasn’t saying.
“You think I haven’t moved on?” she asked.
“I think…well, it doesn’t matter what I think,” Luke said.
“Yes, it does. I could use some advice.”
“I think you’re stuck. I don’t think you’re still in love with Cory, but there’s more you could do for yourself to get over the hurt he caused you.”
Summer looked at him skeptically. She’d taken legal action to clear the debt Cory had accrued, and she’d done everything she could to keep him from taking any more. Not only that, but she’d started taking self-defense classes and spending more time with her friends.
Luke took her hand in his. “If you were to forgive him, truly forgive him, you would be set free.”
Summer laughed. “This sounds so…so like church. He’s fine—he doesn’t care if I forgive him. He’s off living an easy life on my twenty thousand dollars. Plus a bunch more I didn’t even have.”
“Well, it’s something to think about,” Luke said. “Forgiveness can be more than something you do for someone else. It can be something you do for you.”
She considered him. Luke was a latecomer to religion or spirituality of any kind. As a gay man, he’d been ostracized from the church from a young age. It had taken him a long time to find a progressive church that welcomed everyone and didn’t make them feel like sinners just because of who they loved. But now, he was telling her something that she should have already known, as someone who’d been brought up learning about God.
“I think,” she said slowly, “I think you might have a point. And one I’ll need to think about for a while.”
“Good,” he said. “Looks like your ride’s here. Want to introduce me?”
She gave him a half hug. “Of course.”
Chapter Seventeen
Jackson took one look at Summer’s slashed tires and growled. He wanted to hit something, but couldn’t damage his rental. Besides, Summer was already walking over, arms linked with a blond man who was nearly as tall as Jackson.
“This is Luke Roberts,” she said. “Luke, this is Jackson Jaynes.”
Jackson shook Luke’s hand. “I’m glad you were here for her.”
“Anytime,” Luke said. “It’s nice to meet you, but I should get going. Summer, good luck with everything.”
“Thanks,” she said, giving Luke a hug.
Jackson heard Luke whisper in Summer’s ear, “He seems nice,” before Luke walked over to a bike on the bike rack at the edge of the parking lot.
“I want to take a look at your car, if that’s okay,” Jackson said.
“I don’t see what good it would do,” Summer said, wrinkling her nose. “The tires are well and truly slashed. That vehicle isn’t going anywhere.”
“Just the same,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t ask too many questions.
She trailed behind him as he stalked over to the car. There was that cologne scent in the air, and it infuriated Jackson even more, now that he knew why the perpetrator had worn it. Trying to put Jackson off his scent. Fucker.
A few minutes later, a tow truck pulled up. Jackson watched as the driver hooked up Summer’s car. Summer’s eyes were wide as she watched her car hoisted onto the platform of the truck.
She looked lonely and frightened and it just killed Jackson that this was happening to her.
“Can I take you out to lunch?” he asked.
Summer blinked, as if coming out of a daze, and turned to face him. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
“There used to be this old fifties style diner off of Main Street. Is that still around?”
Summer grinned. “Yes.”
“Is it still full of greasy food that is also strangely comforting?”
“Yes.”
“Can we go there, please?”
Summer laughed. “Yes, I’d love that.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
He held her hand as they walked back to his little car. When he climbed in, Summer was already in her seat, and she looked over at him and laughed. “You barely fit in this thing. Why on earth are you driving it?”
“It was the only one the rental place would give me.”
She laughed again. “Bummer. I want to take a photo of you and title it Tall Man, Tiny Car.”
“You can take a photo of me anytime you want,” he said. Maybe it didn’t sound like a promise, but he meant it like one.
He drove them toward the center of town, and they saw Summer’s car, on the tow truck, being taken to the tire place. Jackson shook his head. Some stupid-ass shifter had it
out for Summer…or for Jackson. Was she being targeted because of him? It was the only thing he could think of, although he didn’t know her that well. Maybe she had some kind of past with a local shifter. But whoever the guy was, he shouldn’t be frightening her or damaging her property.
This wasn’t going to end well for that motherfucker, once Jackson got his hands on him.
“Um, are you okay?” Summer asked, reaching out to touch Jackson’s arm.
He pulled up to a red stoplight and turned to look at her. Her dark brown eyes were worried, her forehead wrinkled as she stared into his face.
“Yeah, fine. Why?”
“You just…you look really, really mad.”
“Sorry.” He looked down at his hands, which were squeezing the steering wheel too hard. “I was thinking about who would hate you so much that they’d slash your tires and scratch up your car. It pisses me off, and I want to stop them.”
“You look like you want to murder them.” She gave a little laugh.
“Nah,” he said. “A good roughing-up will do.”
The light turned green and he drove the rest of the way to the diner. The place looked different from how Jackson remembered it. The kitschy decor was still in place, the white paneled front, the red, blue, and green trim in long lines across the false front. Stella’s Diner. The difference was that now, it seemed smaller. Silly idea, given that he couldn’t have grown more than a couple extra inches since leaving Huntwood. But it was an idea just the same. He’d changed, and now his view of the diner had changed, too.
Summer got out of the car, and he followed suit, rushing to her side so he could open the door for her.
“Chivalry isn’t dead,” she said, sounding amused.
“I know you can open the door just fine on your own,” he said. “I just like to do things for you.”
“As long as you let me open the occasional door for you, I don’t mind.” She grinned and winked.
