Lost Summer: A Gripping Romantic Suspense

by M T Stone

  “She’s going to be just fine.” Olivia rolled her eyes at Dylan. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

  Summer giggled beneath her mask and reached up to pull it from her face. “Can I take this off?” she asked, her voice still muted.

  “Just wait, sweetie,” Olivia added. “I’ll go get a nurse.”

  Dylan was immediately relieved by the expression on Summer’s face. The look in her eyes let him know that not only was she going to be okay, but she was obviously glad to see him. “My God, I’m so glad to see you awake,” he told her, stroking the side of her cheek. “You had me really worried last night.”

  “I dreamed that you saved me,” she murmured softly.

  “That wasn’t a dream,” he replied. “I gave you mouth to mouth along the side of the highway last night.” He smiled down at her, pushing a locket of hair away from her forehead and revealing another red welt.

  “Hmm,” she replied, drawing a deep breath from the mask before closing her eyes.

  “I’m never going to let anything happen to you again,” he told her, continuing to run his fingers through her hair. “No one will ever get another chance to hurt you.”

  Summer’s eyes fluttered. “My hero.”

  By the time Olivia returned with a nurse, Summer had drifted off again. “The first instinct patients have is to remove the ventilator mask,” the nurse informed them. “Her blood oxygen levels are just beginning to stabilize, so we’ll have to keep it on her for at least a few more hours.”

  “I was just shocked to hear her talk,” Olivia replied with excitement just short of a squeal. “She still has her sense of humor, so I’m pretty sure she’s going to be okay.” She beamed at her daughter with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

  “I’ve seen it happen before,” the nurse told them. “There have been cases where kids were starved of oxygen for several minutes and went on to make a complete recovery. The human body is a miraculous thing.”

  Olivia already knew that more than one miracle had occurred in the past twelve hours. She squeezed Summer’s hand, still chuckling about the fact that Summer had pretended not to recognize her. It was also amazing how quickly tears of anguish could be replaced by tears of joy. She reached over for another Kleenex to wipe away the tears that continued to roll down her cheeks.

  Seeing how emotional she was, Dylan turned and took a step away from the bed. “I’ll let you be alone with her. I have to go meet with Sergeant Reed anyway. He mentioned something about eight o’clock, so I think I’ll go grab some breakfast.”

  “Ryan sent me a text that he’s meeting with Chuck right now, so you might want to take your time.” She clicked around on her phone looking for the text message. “He stopped there about twenty minutes ago.”

  “Is he still going after me?” Dylan shoved his fingers through his hair, feeling continued frustration with the way he was acting.

  “I’ll have a talk with him,” she replied. “The way Summer lit up when she heard your voice . . . there’s no doubt about how she feels about you.”

  “I feel the same way, and I’d never do anything to hurt her.” Dylan moved his hand slowly up and down Summer’s arm.

  “I know. Ryan was just out of his mind . . . we both have been.”

  “You don’t have to explain,” Dylan replied, shaking his head. “My gut has been churning all weekend, so I can’t even imagine how you guys have felt.” Dylan walked around the corner of the bed and gave Olivia a hug. “I told Summer that I’ll always protect her and I mean it. I’ll make sure nothing like this ever happens to her again.”

  “We all want to make sure that nothing ever happens again, but I’m not sure how much control any of us will have over her. She’s a strong-willed girl and has always accused me of being a helicopter mom, even before this.” Olivia smiled, turning back toward her daughter and looking at her with adoration.

  “I know, but I’m going to do everything I can to protect her,” Dylan reiterated before heading toward the door. “I’ll check back later to see how she’s doing.”

  Dylan felt a huge wave of relief wash through his body as he left the room. Not only was Summer going to be okay, but Olivia was definitely still on his side. Since Ryan was at the police station, he decided to stop at a sit-down restaurant for a real breakfast. He was confident that Olivia would be able to smooth things over, so he decided to give Ryan some space until they had spoken. There was no reason to go looking for a confrontation. Besides, a ham and cheese omelet, hash browns, and a good cup of coffee would really hit the spot.

  Chapter 18

  There are few things more intimidating than going back to the police station where you were interrogated a few days earlier, but Dylan took it in stride. After spending the weekend with his uncle, he knew they were just small town cops who had overreacted to the extreme circumstances. “Good morning, Dylan,” Sergeant Reed greeted him as he entered the cool brick and concrete building that was equally as bleak as the hospital. “We’ll be meeting in Chuck’s office,” he added, pointing to a door that was slightly ajar.

  Dylan nodded casually and headed back to his office. “Morning, Chief. How’s it going today?” he asked, trying to gauge his mood.

  “Well, things are definitely looking better than yesterday.” Chuck rose from his desk, walked over, and pushed the door closed behind Dylan. “Go ahead and take a seat. Reed will join us shortly.”

  “Did you hear that Summer’s doing better?” Dylan asked, settling into a chair that was much more comfortable than the last one he had spent time in.

  “Yeah. Olivia called Ryan while we were talking. That’s why he cut things short and headed back to the hospital.” Chief Sanders sat back in his chair and stared at Dylan for a couple of seconds before saying anything more. Dylan could tell by the look in his eyes that he was contemplating how to begin the conversation. “Ryan brought up some interesting points in our conversation this morning,” he finally said, rubbing his chin. It was obvious that the chief hadn’t been given time to think things through.

  “Lay it on me,” Dylan replied with a sigh. “Is he still blaming me? Because I went over and apologized to Olivia this morning, and she told me not to blame myself.”

  “Ryan just found it odd that you were the last one to see Summer, and then you and your uncle were the ones to find her . . . making a million dollars in the process,” he said, laying the cards out on the table.

  “Okay,” Dylan replied, completely caught off-guard by the idea that he actually had something to do with it. “First, I told Carson that he can have the reward money,” Dylan replied emphatically. “The only thing I was ever interested in was finding her. Carson said he would cut me in, but I couldn’t care less about it.”

  “You have no job, no college education, and most likely no money, but you don’t care about a million-dollar reward?” The chief leaned forward, resting his chin against his fist and giving him a puzzled look. “Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”

  “It’s true, and besides, I had no idea there was going to be a big reward like that,” Dylan replied, not quite understanding what the chief was implying. “It’s not like she was being held for ransom or anything.”

  “Well, everyone knows that Ryan always tries to solve his problems by throwing money at them.” The chief relaxed his stance a bit and settled back into his chair. “Hell, I predicted it the moment I heard she went missing. I just wish I would’ve known where she was.” He chuckled.

  “Well, I had no idea where she was, if that’s what you are trying to imply,” Dylan huffed, straightening up in the chair. “Carson literally tracked her down by using the cameras and talking to everyone we could find between here and there. It was amazing, like watching a bloodhound.”

  “Yeah, he’s a very talented man,” the chief agreed. “It’s just that he was grilling Sergeant Reed on the way into town last night as to whether Ryan had the money to pay the reward,” the chief added with a look of disdain. “He wa
s acting a little insensitive about the whole thing, so I guess that got me thinking. Then there’s the fact that you’re his nephew and you got her drunk that night.”

  “Before he showed up Saturday morning, the last time I had talked to Carson was a year and a half ago at Christmas,” Dylan countered. “Go ahead and check my phone records or whatever you need to do. Carson could’ve been dead, for all I knew.”

  “He’s been working this area since February, but you haven’t seen or heard from him until now?” the chief asked in disbelief.

  “I swear, I haven’t,” Dylan reiterated. “In fact, I was shocked as hell to see him walk through the door the other day. He was the last person I ever thought would show up to bail me out.”

  “Well, for the record, I don’t suspect that you or Carson had anything to do with her disappearance,” Chuck confessed. “Ryan simply wrote a check that he can’t cash, so now he’s looking for a way to get out of it.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.” Dylan shifted in his chair, feeling more at ease. “Like I told her mom, I would never do anything to hurt either of them. She’s been like a second mother to me.”

  “Ryan told me that Cliff offered to help him out with the reward money,” Chuck added. “But I think his ego is a little too fragile to accept being bailed out by his old man. Everyone in the whole town would know about it within a day.”

  “Yeah, shit travels fast around here.” Dylan laughed. “I just wish I had an old man to fall back on.”

  “Yeah, it’s too bad Carson never stepped up for you guys like he promised,” Chuck said with a hint of remorse. “But, things usually have a way of working out for the best.”

  “I think he might be starting to change,” Dylan confided. “We had a good talk while we were out in the field. He confessed that he had been re-evaluating things after one of his fellow agents was killed.”

  “That’s when he started working up here,” Chuck added. “He said he liked the idea of being closer to family, but if he never even contacted you . . . it was probably just Olivia.” The chief gave a look that indicated a few things were starting to make sense.

  “I honestly think that’s why he’s been acting so weird. She still seems to be keeping him at arm’s length,” Dylan informed him.

  “Well, she might have to make an effort to smooth things over,” Chuck surmised, slapping his hand on the desk and rising from his chair. “After all, he did save her only child from certain death.”

  “Yeah, he was really intent on finding her,” Dylan replied. “I don’t think he even slept Saturday night. When I woke up the next morning, he had a complete game plan all worked out. We talked to everyone we could find that day who lived anywhere near that road. It was just a matter of time before we found someone who recognized that crappy old white van.”

  “Carson has developed some good tracking skills working for the DEA, there’s no doubt about that,” the chief said with admiration. “If he wasn’t so damn abrasive, I would’ve offered him a job long ago. Now with an extra million bucks, he’ll probably just call it quits.”

  “Yeah. He told me that he really wants a desk job or to do something on his own. He’s spent enough time in the field,” Dylan told him, reiterating Carson’s thoughts. “But, like you say, if he gets that money, who knows?”

  After leaving the police station, Dylan kept ruminating about the fact that Carson had been in the area for over four months but hadn’t contacted him. He talked about the importance of family, but he hadn’t reached out to any of them? It wasn’t about family. This was solely about Olivia. He had come back hoping that he would get another chance since Summer was all grown up. That would also explain why Ryan had become increasingly bitter toward him in recent months. He hadn’t been able to figure out what he had done to deserve the way he was being treated. He realized that he didn’t have his shit together, but that’s pretty normal for a nineteen-year-old. For once, things were beginning to make sense. It wasn’t fair to blame him for Carson’s behavior though. It’s not like you get to choose your relatives.

  Summer drifted back into consciousness and this time, both of her parents were there to greet her. She blinked her eyes several times, adjusting to the light as their faces slowly came into view.

  “Hi,” Ryan said eagerly, having missed the opportunity to talk to her earlier. He was thrilled to see for himself that his little girl was coming around. It had been a tough few days, but it was all forgotten the second he saw that twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes.

  “Hi, Daddy,” she replied, still muffled by the respirator mask. “Can I take this off now?”

  “Here, let me help you,” Olivia chimed in, reaching over and lifting it from her face. “They just wanted you to keep it on until you woke up again.” She set the mask off to the side and ran her fingers through Summer’s hair. “It’s really good to see you again, sweetie.”

  “It’s good to see you guys too,” she replied with a slight curl of her lips. “What a crazy nightmare.”

  “A total nightmare,” Ryan agreed, running his hand along the top of her head in a soothing motion. “You’re safe now, so just relax and get well.” The red welts were still prominently displayed on her arms, neck and forehead. They almost looked as if they were infected, but the doctor had assured them that they would disappear within a few days.

  “They postponed her brain scan,” Olivia told him. “Since she’s talking normally and seems to know all of us, they didn’t see a need for one . . . at least for now.”

  “She does seem like herself,” Ryan agreed. “Seeing the condition she was in last night, I was worried that she would never be the same.”

  “My ears are working too,” Summer teased them, struggling to find a more comfortable position.

  “Sorry, hun. It’s so great to see your sense of humor and that sparkle in your eyes,” Ryan replied. “We didn’t mean to talk about you as if you weren’t here.”

  There was an endless number of questions that Ryan wanted to ask her. He wanted to know if she remembered anything about the actual abduction. If she had ever seen the guy before that day. Whether he had abused her. How she had broken her foot, and most of all, how she had nearly drowned. Instead of asking questions, however, he simply continued to stroke the top of her head and revel in the fact that she seemed to be back.

  “Did I hear her talking?” nurse Julie asked, poking her head into the room.

  “You did,” Olivia replied with a smile. “She’s awake, so I let her take the respirator mask off.”

  “Welcome back, little girl,” she greeted her with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

  “My foot is throbbing and my entire body itches,” she replied, squirming beneath the sheets. “I’m completely exhausted and everything hurts. Other than that, I’m fine,” she added with a note of sarcasm.

  “You’ve been through a lot.” The nurse grabbed her chart and walked over to the monitors. “All of your vitals have stabilized, so now we can take care of that foot. It was stabilized in the ER and put in that temporary inflatable cast, but you’ll most likely need surgery. You fractured three of the metatarsals as well as the cuboid.”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” Olivia commented, looking to Julie for more details.

  “Did you use the foot quite a bit after you broke it?” Julie asked, flipping to the back page of the chart.

  “Yeah, I actually ran on it.” Summer winced at the memory.

  “How did you break it?” Julie jotted down a couple of additional items on the chart.

  “It broke when I forced the cuff off my leg,” she informed them. “He had me on a chain that was built right into the concrete floor. His dad used to call it the babysitter,” she added, sounding a bit detached.

  “So he actually held you in shackles?” Ryan gasped.

  “Yeah, I eventually got ahold of some butter and greased up my foot. After that, I pushed as hard as I could to get the thing off,” she explained. “I knew right away I ha
d broken something.”

  Ryan’s stomach churned at the thought of his daughter being held captive in such a crude manner. What kind of an animal would actually shackle a young girl like that? The fact that the guy had been shot dead actually left him a bit unfulfilled. He would’ve liked to have had words with the guy to figure out what the hell had been going through his mind.

  “He wanted me to have his baby,” Summer blurted out as if the thought had suddenly come to her. “His dad did the same thing to some woman, and she died out there when he was only a couple of years old.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a thing. The police did another database search looking for him last night,” Ryan told everyone. “There is literally no record of the kid’s existence. There is no birth record, no social security number or anything else.”

  “His dad was a war hero—in the Marines, I think,” Summer told them as the thought came to her. “He had won three medals, a purple heart and two other ones. He was left behind when the Vietnam war was over.”

  “Well that explains a few things,” Ryan replied. “I’ve watched a few shows about POWs over there. They were treated like animals . . . worse than animals, actually.”

  “Based on how he treated Leo, he must’ve been really messed up. There were still marks on his back from being beaten so hard. They were raised this high.” She held up her hand, displaying a sizeable gap between her finger and thumb.

  “That’s how you create a monster.” Ryan shook his head in disgust, turning away to conceal his growing rage. These were the type of men you see in horror movies or on the most gruesome episodes of Dateline. They show up in the local park, preying on underage girls. Local law enforcement was going to have to wake up and do more to clean up this place in the aftermath of the oil boom.

  Olivia’s phone began to buzz in her purse. “It’s Carson. I’d better pick up this time,” she told the others before quickly stepping out of the room and into the hallway. It was obvious that she wasn’t comfortable talking to him in the presence of her family.