Summer's Night

by Cheyenne Meadows

  "We have authorization on this?" Dillon asked, shifting his wide shoulders uncomfortably in the limited space afforded him between two other equally large men.

  Night's jaw ticked. "I called. My contact isn't happy that we didn't call in the local authorities and the feds, but he won't stand in the way."

  "He knows better, huh?" Loco grinned at him.

  "We're the best chance she has." His soft tone dared anyone to disagree with the absolute surety in his words. He understood the fact to be true, just as the other men would. Too many times federal government officials and local police sat on a kidnapping case, hoping to talk the criminal out, exchanging promises for the release of victims, only for one or more of the innocents to end up injured or dead.

  His team, the Wind Warriors, specialized in many areas from their years of high-level military careers. He personally went through several months of intense training in not only reconnaissance, but also the tactics of rescue. The others all had similar instruction and real life exercises, making them well versed in not only what they were truly dealing with, but more than capable of stealthily moving in, separating the victim from the target, and ending the standoff quickly and successfully. If only other groups could plow through proper protocol and justice concerns like they did. A luxury, one that benefited them greatly in this situation.

  "How is your mother taking it?" Spoon asked before directing Loco to take the next turn.

  Night shrugged. "As well as she can, I think. She called a friend to come sit with her so she wouldn't be alone. I jacked up security, just in case. Not even a mouse should be able to get into that house without everyone, including the Marines, getting a red alarm."

  "Your mother scares me." Cale commented, his gaze constantly watching the road and other cars around them.

  Dillon, his brother, cocked an eyebrow at him. "Huh?"

  Cale grinned. "You haven't met her. That is one warrior woman if I ever met one. Give her a bow and arrow, put her on a galloping horse, stick a few feathers in her hair, and I guarantee she'll do more than count coup."

  Night snorted, his tension lessening for the moment with the byplay. "Wrong tribe, Cale. You're thinking Plains Indians. She's Navajo. Not so much nomadic buffalo hunters as much as stay at home farmers."

  "Maybe she was born to the wrong tribe, then. She has more balls than most men." Cale shrugged.

  "What would you expect from the daughter of a Navajo Code Talker?" Spoon tossed out.

  The brothers blinked, while Night grumbled. "I swear. None of you can keep a secret."

  "Not one as good as that."

  "Well that explains everything." Loco agreed.

  "It does?"

  "Yep. With that genetic makeup, Night had no choice but to inherit stalking skills, a straight aim, and a temper to rival an Irish man."

  "What about his love of frog legs?" Spoon asked.

  "There's no accounting for taste." Loco answered.

  "He's stopped." Spoon announced, his eyes fixated on the computer screen.

  "Destination?"

  With great speed and precision, Spoon pounded on the keys, bringing up the information in quick fashion. "Motel. Just on this side of Clairmont."

  "ETA?" Night spit out the words, the bantering forgotten.

  "Twenty-five minutes."

  "Shit." He ran his fingers through his unbound hair. As long as the perpetrator drove, Night felt he couldn't do much harm to Summer. Once he found a place to hole up and dragged her inside, all bets were off.

  "Is Summer the kind of woman to run any chance she gets? Fight? Or simply follow orders?" Loco asked.

  "She took my mother's place, snapped back at the man, and talked him into changing his plans. I think she will have the brains and courage to flee at the first opportunity or fight to defend herself." From everything he'd seen and heard about Summer, the analysis rang true. "Smart, too. Made sure she kept her phone on her and wrote down her phone number to make it easier for us to track."

  "It's broad daylight. Set up surveillance, move in at dark?" Spoon looked up from his computer.

  "No. We're moving in immediately. I'm not giving that bastard a chance to rape Summer, or worse, while we're biding our time." The very thought of that scenario sent cold chills surging down his spine. "One of us can flash a government ID at the desk clerk, find out which room he's in. We'll scope it out, fine tune the plan, then let the gates of Hell admit another soul."

  Chapter 13

  "What are you going to do?" Summer asked softly, instinctively backing up into the corner wall, her gaze locked on her captor.

  The tiny room consisted of a double bed with a thin, worn out, green bedspread. A small bedside table sat between the bed and the wall, holding a faux brass lamp, scuffed and scratched. The television sat high on a black metal wall mount, secured well enough to make stealing it a fairly difficult task. She could only presume a tiny bathroom existed on the other side of the thin wall. She didn't dare explore it, fearing being cornered by the violent criminal with rape on his agenda. At least she still carried her cell phone. Not that it would do much good in this impending doom. The small palm-sized device would make a poor weapon choice and the man more than likely wouldn't let her use it to call authorities.

  He double-checked the locks on the door before turning to look at her. "Now, that depends." A wicked smirk crossed his face, while those beady eyes flashed with cruelty. Slowly, he placed his gun on the beat up, wobbly dresser just under the suspended television, well out of her reach.

  Her heart raced as she began to pant. His gaze locked on her cleavage and dipped lower, before returning to her face. The corner of his mouth slowly crept up, revealing discolored and broken teeth as his eyes sparked with sexual longing. Terror coursed through her from the expression of evil lust on his face. Only too well could she envision his plans for her, locked in a lowly motel room alone for several hours. Shudders wracked her tense body.

  He strode forward, stalking her like a tiger stalking a small deer.

  Prey.

  The word flashed through her mind, reminding her of every vulnerability, the slim chance of escape, while he held the power, the control. Frantically, she searched for ways out of the impending situation. The only possible weapon would be the lamp, but she doubted it would hold up against a man's head. Still, if she hit him hard enough and just right…

  She'd planned on escaping as soon as he left the vehicle in order to check into the motel, would have, if he hadn't taken the gun with him, threatening beforehand to kill the desk clerk if she even let on about her dilemma. To spare the young man's life, she remained mute. Again, she sought freedom when he pried the key into the lock of the door. He must have considered the potential escape opportunity because he shoved her against the hardwood, holding her with his larger body while unlocking the door. Once open, he flung her inside, slammed the door shut, and threw the dead bolt. The clang sounded like the snapping together of steel doors on a jail cell, one where horrendous nightmares became reality, and escape wasn't an option. Fear and dread settled into the pit of her stomach at the ominous sound she'd heard on television many times before.

  He moved closer, hands reaching out. "You do know that I won't let you go."

  Summer nodded. Why would he release the person who could finger him in a lineup, not just for breaking and entering, but for the more serious offenses of kidnapping and other crimes yet to be committed?

  "I can make your death slow and painful or quick and easy. Your choice. I suggest you cooperate."

  Her belly rolled with a sudden wave of nausea, stomach contents refluxing into her throat. Absolute panic set in. She panted again, a cold sweat broke out plastering her hair to her neck, while her heart doubled in tempo. Pulling at her last shred of sanity, she scurried for ideas, anything that could get her out of this mess, or at least postpone the inevitable. Tentatively, she scooted toward the bedside table, reaching for the lamp slowly enough not to give herself away. She hated being
in the corner, but decided the opportunity to grab the one makeshift weapon in the room outweighed the need to be in a more open area, allowing a better avenue to flee.

  A loud knock banged on the door. "Excuse me. Mr Smith?"

  He growled, turning to glare at the door as if the wooden structure were a mortal enemy.

  "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but we must change rooms. I forgot. This one needs to be cleaned before we can rent it to customers." The sincere voice of the young desk clerk sounded muffled through the door.

  Agitated, her captor strode across the room, stopping just short of the entrance, making no move to open the door. "It looks clean enough to me. Go away."

  The voice became a bit more urgent, almost pleading. "No, sir. You don't understand. The last tenant had bedbugs and lice. We weren't supposed to rent this room until the bug man comes to spray it." A moment passed before he continued. "I have another room for you. I've got the key. If you will just take it, we'll have you moved in no time."

  "Shit." Reaching for his gun, he shoved it in the back of his waistband before opening the locks and stepping outside.

  Summer leapt toward the door, slamming it hard, slapping the lock shut. She sagged against the door, relief and fear raging through her. For the first time in hours, she felt a semblance of safety but feared for the worker, now alone with an armed criminal.

  Grunts, loud swearing, and the basic sounds of a struggle right outside the door caught her attention. Standing on tiptoe, she peered out the tiny hole in the door. Her abductor lay face down on the cement, his hands tied behind his back with a white plastic cord. Five men, all dressed in black, swarmed around him.

  Settling back down flat footed, Summer processed the scene, her bewildered mind slow after the tumultuous rollercoaster ride of the day.

  A light rap on the door broke through her thoughts. "Summer? Are you okay?"

  Her breath caught at the familiar voice. Pushing back on tiptoe, she peered out the hole once more, finding Night's strong features on the other side. With an excited gasp, she yanked at the locks, literally throwing the door open in her haste to get to the man. Rushing into his arms, she held him tight, hardly able to believe that he stood there holding her just as tightly, having followed and captured the guy that meant to hold her for ransom. A scene from a fairy tale if she ever heard one. My hero.

  * * * *

  Night clamped Summer to his body, thankful she appeared unhurt. Never had he been so terrified of what he might find, afraid he would arrive too late to spare her the stark violence of an evil man intent upon savage brutality.

  "My hero."

  Summer's whispered words brought sunlight back into his life, as if he'd emerged from a deep cave after a month, seeing the bright light of day once more. He couldn't hold back the chuckle, happiness overcoming his previous rage.

  Glancing over Summer's shoulder, he found his team gawking at them with big goofy smiles on their faces. Too overjoyed to take offense, he gave a slight shrug, only then realizing his expression matched theirs.

  Pulling back, he looked down at her face, not surprised to see the twinkle of tears in her eyes. He leaned in, kissing her nose and chin, before centering on her lips, rejoicing when she met his passion with her own, not just accepting his kiss, but openly seeking a deeper show of affection, her tongue flicking across his as her arms wound around his neck.

  Muffled curses interrupted them. With a final chaste kiss to her soft lips, he cupped her cheek. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes. Thanks to you."

  "He didn't…?"

  She shook her head. "You arrived in the nick of time. I had the lamp almost in hand prepared to fight for my virtue when you showed up."

  He smiled at her attempt to lighten the situation. "I'm glad. I was afraid…"

  "Me, too. But, now that you're here, I know everything will be okay."

  Tugging her closer, he pressed another kiss to her crown, hugging her once more. Her words wiggled their way to his heart, making him feel like a knight of old, winning the battle for the favor of a beautiful lady.

  He sidestepped, nudging Summer until she turned to face the cavalry. "Summer, this is my team. Cale, Dillon, Loco, and Spoon." He pointed to each in turn.

  She smiled at them. "Nice to meet all of you. Thank you. So much."

  "No problem, ma'am. The boss here told us his ladylove had been swiped. We jumped in the car to the rescue. Since he's so smitten, we figured he needed someone to watch his back in case he stumbled over his own feet or something." The man identified as Loco explained.

  The guys snickered while Night rolled his eyes, his lips twitching in amusement. Leave it to them to take an inkling of affection and blow it into a full-blown romantic love for the ages.

  "Ladylove, huh?" she asked, leaning into his side.

  He grinned. "Something like that."

  "Untie these fucking things." The man on the ground rolled and cursed, face red from struggling.

  "Tsk. Tsk. Such language. In front of a lady, no less." Spoon walked over, jabbing the man in the side with the toe of his leather boot.

  Night's mood sobered, glaring at the lowlife that dared take Summer, threaten his mother, and shake both their worlds up with horror and violence. Neither deserved a bit of it, nor the stress, fear, and nightmares sure to follow. One promise he could make, he would make this canary sing then guarantee he would never hurt another person for the rest of his life.

  "Dillon. I'm sure Summer is parched, maybe even hungry. Would you mind taking her to that fast food restaurant just up the road and get her something?" As much as he wanted to fold her in his arms, hold her against his chest the entire trip home to reassure himself she came away unscathed, he also knew the business at hand couldn't wait. Not if they were going to eliminate the threat once and for all.

  "Sure thing. I'll try not to eat everything before you guys show up."

  Summer glanced up at him, then at Dillon, before returning her gaze to him again. "What am I missing?"

  He pulled her into a hard hug, kissing her nose. "Our job. Go on and get some food in you. I'll see you soon."

  She looked at him skeptically before following Dillon, climbing into the passenger seat.

  As soon as they left the parking lot, he released his tightly controlled fury, turning cold dark eyes on the man writhing on the ground like the snake he was. Jerking the guy to his feet, he yanked his hair, lifting his head enough to stare into his eyes. "You and I are going to talk."

  "The Hell we are!"

  Night bared his teeth with grim promise. "Oh, I think you'll come around."

  Chapter 14

  "So, you and Night are an item?"

  Summer nearly choked on her soda at the blunt question. Coughing a bit, she managed to squeak out, "Why do you think that?"

  Dillon, true to his word, drove them to a nearby fast food joint, insisting they go inside to eat. She balked for various reasons. The fact she didn't have her purse and thus no money led the list. Also, she yearned to return to Night, melt into his strength, hide her face in his broad chest, and let the world move on without her for a while. Her chaperone waved off her excuses, insisting she order something to eat and drink or he would order for her. She nearly called his bluff, but the stern expression on his face shouted of his stubborn nature and truthfulness.

  "I've never seen the boss hang out with a woman or even really talk about one. When we got the call, all of us were quite surprised." He popped a French fry into his mouth.

  She shrugged. "I'm his mother's physical therapist."

  "And?"

  "And what? He feels responsible since I was taken from his home."

  Dillon shook his head. "Not buying that. I may be dumb, but I'm not blind. He couldn't wait to get his hands on you, pushed the limits to make sure we got to you immediately. We work better in the dark, but he wouldn't hear of it." After a long drink, he continued. "Besides, that reunion said a lot." He grinned slightly.

  She sighed d
ramatically. "Okay. I've been bursting to tell someone, might as well be you. Night and I are madly in love, are planning a shotgun wedding next week, and expecting our first child in seven months."

  His eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. A moment later he shook his head. "Almost had me."

  She smiled, enjoying the more relaxed teasing. Dillon proved easy to talk to, non-threatening, even a good lunch partner. Something she really needed, considering her rough day and Night's absence. "You don't believe me?" She initially didn't believe her queasy stomach would stand for food or her nerves would settle enough to warrant a try, but with Dillon's lighthearted teasing and company, she found her rattled senses stabilizing once more and her belly hankering for a meal.

  He snorted. "You make a decent actress, but I have an advantage. Known the boss for a few years now. That's not his style."

  "Well, darn." Summer bit off a piece of her hamburger.

  "Gonna fess up?" He chewed another fry and swallowed.

  "Honestly, I really don't know. He helped me fix a gate at my house. If that's the basis for a relationship, I might have tried it sooner."

  "Sounds reasonable to me." He shot her a grin. "Singles are matching up while grocery shopping these days, why not working on a busted gate?"

  "Are you always this… cheerful?" She looked up at the dark blond man with deep brown eyes. He could have passed for a college frat boy, but she knew he had to be older and wiser, less binge drinking and more superhero saving the world.

  "My fiancée and I are planning to marry in a couple of months. I can't wait to start a family, especially since I'm more picky on which missions I go on. What can I say? I'm damned happy."

  Summer met his smile. "Congratulations. For what it's worth, I think she made a great catch."

  "So did you."

  Blinking, she took another drink from the plastic cup. "Huh?"

  "Night. He's a good man."