Lost Summer: A Gripping Romantic Suspense

by M T Stone

  “Sure.” She clicked the button to save it. “Where do you want me to send it?”

  “Owen.Curtis@sealteams.org,” he told her. “I’ll make sure it gets directly to Judge Monahan. She’s the one making the decision on when and where to move him. I’ve been pushing for Supermax in Colorado.” He glanced over at his partner.

  “So you guys are Navy Seals?” she asked, having never actually met one.

  “Retired, Ma’am.” He reached out for the handles of wheelchair, pushing her off the mark and back down the corridor toward the exit. “We have a rather large team in place outside the hospital too, just in case anyone got the idea to come for him. We’re well aware of who he’s been cutting deals with.”

  “So he’s not really a step ahead of everyone?” she asked nervously.

  “Only in his mind.” Owen chuckled, pulling open the door to the waiting room for her. “You and your family can rest easy, Ma’am. We’ve got everything under control.”

  “Thank you.” She had the urge to reach out and give him a hug, but since she was seated, it seemed a bit awkward. “I really think he would kill my . . . dad . . . if he got the chance.” She fumbled over the words, still struggling with the fact that Ryan wasn’t her biological father.

  “You tell your REAL father that he has nothing to worry about,” he reassured her. “I wouldn’t have told you to rest easy if I had a shred of doubt.”

  “Thank you, Owen,” she replied again, reaching out with both hands this time. “I’m sorry, but I have to give you a hug. I hope the judge does send him to the toughest prison in the world.” She looked up at him for additional reassurance.

  “Yeah, no one gets out of Supermax. No one.” Owen patted her on the shoulder and motioned for her to exit the corridor. She turned to see that Dylan was waiting for her on the other side of the doorway.

  “He shot me in the chest earlier this week,” Dylan told Owen, pulling up his shirt to show him his wound. “Luckily, I had a vest on,” he added.

  Owen nodded. “That hurts like a son of a bitch, doesn’t it?”

  “No shit. It knocked me on my ass,” he added, seeming glad to talk to someone who understood just how painful it was.

  “Be glad of the fact that you’re still here. That was a kill shot,” Owen replied with a stern look, telling him what he already knew. That is why he swore he would never talk to the man again. The door swung closed with a harsh click, once again securing the hallway.

  “You aren’t going to believe the conversation we had,” Summer gushed, tipping her phone toward him to show the voice recorder. “I think I held my own in there.”

  “Oh, I knew you would.” Dylan smiled as he stepped behind the wheelchair to push her into the waiting room. “You can play it for me on the way home. I think it’s my turn to drive anyway.”

  “Sure.” Summer rose from the chair and positioned her crutches for the walk to the car. “You’ve done so much for me. I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  As they exited the hospital and made their way to the car, a strange sensation came over her. She had expected to feel hurt, torn or betrayed after talking to Carson, but instead, she felt nothing but a renewed appreciation for her real dad. No one could replace the man who had been there through the ups and downs of growing up. He was the one who taught her how to ride a mini-bike out at Grandpa and Grandma’s farm, how to water ski when she was fourteen, and how to drive a car that same summer. As she got into the car, her thoughts turned to both of her parents, and her silent wish was that their relationship would grow stronger so they could enjoy the next thirty or forty years together.

  “What are you thinking about?” Dylan asked after several moments of silence.

  “I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have a special guy like you in my life,” she fibbed. “You’re the first guy to take a bullet for me.” She smiled, leaning over the console to give him a kiss.

  “Well, I have to admit I hope it’s the last one,” he replied after a lingering kiss. “It hurts every time I move.”

  “It didn’t seem to be bothering you yesterday afternoon.” Summer cleared her throat and gave him her best sultry smile.

  “I was pretty distracted,” he replied with a chuckle. “Let’s get out of here. I think we’ve both had enough of hospitals this week.”

  After Dylan adjusted the driver’s seat and mirrors, he looked over at her and smiled. He couldn’t have been more proud of how she had handled an undoubtedly tense conversation with Carson. For the most part, she seemed to be completely unfazed. “I don’t know how you’re handling all of this stuff.”

  “For the most part, I’m completely numb right now, but I also made myself a promise the other day before jumping into the lake,” she replied with a serious look. “I promised that if I made it to the other side, I would do everything possible to make a difference in this world. It was an absolute miracle that I made it out of there. You have no idea.”

  “Actually, I do. You aren’t exactly a big girl, and I saw how built he was,” Dylan replied with a solemn look. “But I also know that you’re much stronger than you look.” As he sat there looking at her, he felt more in love with her than ever, and now it seemed as if they would finally have a chance at a normal relationship. He couldn’t help thinking about how lucky he was to be getting a second chance. “I want to go to college with you this fall,” he whispered, leaning over to give her another kiss.

  “That sounds good, but I want you to do it for the right reasons,” she replied, pulling back and looking him in the eyes. “I don’t want you doing it just to protect me.”

  “I know. I’m doing it for me,” he replied, putting the car in gear and pulling out of the parking lot. “I don’t want to be stuck in menial jobs all my life.” He still needed to figure out exactly what he wanted to do with his life, but going back to school seemed like the right first step. Besides, after seeing what Carson had gone through, he knew that going with Summer to college in the fall was definitely the right move. Beyond that, he would have to wait and see what the future held for them. “I’m just really proud of you,” Dylan reaffirmed as they took off down the highway headed back toward Westbury. “I want to make you proud of me one day too.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m totally proud of you.” She reached over and took his hand. “You’re going to be just fine. You just needed to work through a few things.”

  “You know what’s really funny?” A big smirk crossed Dylan’s face. “I was feeling bad that my uncle did this to you, and here he turns out to be your father! That still blows my mind!”

  “It’s not funny! I was sick all night thinking about that, not to mention you being my first cousin,” she replied with a shudder.

  “Yeah, I’m glad you came over and picked me up so we could get that straightened out,” Dylan replied with a laugh. “Carson never wanted anyone to talk about the fact that he was adopted, but even though we didn’t, he always had a huge chip on his shoulder. I don’t think my grandparents treated him any differently from my dad, but who knows?”

  “Well, regardless of how hard it was for him, there is no excuse for what he’s become,” Summer countered with a dark look in her eyes. “In fact, I don’t ever want to hear his name again. I’m going to tell Mom and Dad the same thing. He’s dead to me.”

  “I have no problem with that,” Dylan readily agreed. “He’s never been part of my life anyway, so it’s not like I’ll miss him.”

  Driving in silence, they both wanted to believe their words. It would be great if they could simply erase Carson from their lives, but deep down, they both had their doubts. Carson didn’t seem like a man who would be easy to suppress. Even if they did manage to lock him up in Supermax, there would always be a bit of angst rolling around in the back of their minds, a deep-seated fear that one day, he would show up on their doorstep and there would be hell to pay. Until that day, however, they both needed to move forward and do their best to get back to living.