Sebastian then set the gun in his lap, rolled up his window, and shot a smirk at Summer’s wide, surprised look. It was almost as if he thought it was all in a day’s work.
"I'll teach you how to hit your target at every angle," Sebastian promised with a laugh.
Summer leaned back in her seat, praying her breathing would become normal as Sebastian sped past more cars, leaving the city behind. And possibly her beating heart as it had yet to catch up.
Chapter 3
“Welcome home,” Sebastian said, opening the door to the three-bedroom mountain home he had bought years ago. It was perfect, being set back a good way from the road and no one would be able to find it. Plus, the trees hid it well enough to any passerby.
The deed was lost in corporate names so it couldn't be connected to him. Ones he had created just for this reason. He had other places all over the world that he’d take the Princess if this house was found, or if either of them were.
The sun was beginning to rise, causing the trees to cast long shadows, and the log home to stand out with a few lights on the outside. One light on the large wrap around porch, and another on the three car garage that sat on the back part of the house.
Stepping into the house, Summer found herself in awe. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it definitely wasn’t this.
This house, although designed as a log cabin on the outside, was anything but that inside. The small but roomy entryway was lined with stone tile, leading towards the back of the house. Summer instantly loved how opened it felt with the high ceilings and loft area looking down upon the entryway.
The walls were painted a light cream color, and the back of the house seemed to have a wall of windows from floor to ceiling, just calling Summer’s name to take a look and enjoy. Maybe even admire the forest out beyond the house. She could already see herself sitting on the back porch reading books.
“My room,” Sebastian said, pointing to the right. “Yours is the biggest one towards your left. Everything should be ready for you, but feel free to move things around.” Sebastian then shut the door, locking it firmly behind him.
“The kitchen and living room are at the back of the house; my office is up to those stairs, along with another room you can use for whatever you need if you’d like,” he went on, walking further into the house. “No one should be able to find us here, but if they do, I have guns hidden behind most of the paintings on the walls in each room, as well as a panic room through the kitchen pantry.”
“Prepared for anything?” Summer laughed, hiding her nerves. She had yet to figure out what to make of this man. He seemed nice, but there was something demanding about him too. He was a stranger, even with the small part of history they did share.
“As well as I can be,” Sebastian said. “Make yourself at home, Summer. I’ll find us some breakfast. We have a few things we need to talk about.”
Summer simply nodded before making her way to the room he had said was hers.
Once again, she was surprised at how well the room was put together. She was instantly in love with it.
A huge four poster bed with white material and lights sat against the far wall between two privacy covered windows, making it near impossible for anyone to see into the house with lights on. There was the same material of white over dark purple curtains over both windows.
The dark gray carpet was soft, even with Summer’s flip flops on, she could feel her feet sink into the mat. She braved it, kicking the shoes off just to feel the softness against her toes.
It was like how Summer would imagine what the sand on a sandy beach would feel as her feet sunk into the mat that was surely under the fuzzy carpet.
A tall six drawer dresser in cherry oak, matching the bed frame, sat against the left wall, and a huge TV was mounted above it. The other wall had a shorter dresser with a mirror attached. A small bookshelf filled with a few books sat just inside the doorway.
Walking to the closest, Summer found it full of clothes that were in her style, with a number of shoes lined up nicely on the floor.
The clothes were soft to the touch as she ran her fingers over the materials, lost in thought. Of course, Chase gave her everything she ever needed, and some of the things she had ordered herself sat here with tags on them in this closet, almost like Sebastian knew what she liked.
Why? She thought. Why would he go to such lengths?
“It is to your liking?” Sebastian asked, frightening the girl. She quickly spun around, hand on her heart as it raced in her chest. Did he make any sounds at all?
“You didn’t have to do all this,” Summer said after her heart slowed. Her hands were clasped in front of her, head down.
“Summer,” Sebastian sighed, stepping further into the room. She noticed that he had changed his clothes from the jeans he had on earlier to a pair of cotton sleep pants, leaving his black cotton shirt on.
Once he was in front of Summer, he used his index finger, lifting her head until her blue eyes met his soft ones. He could see that she was not yet used to the lengths that anyone would go to to make her happy and content wherever she went.
He was determined to show her just how powerful she was on her own, how enthralling she was to everyone who saw her for who she was.
“You deserve this, and so much more,” he said, his voice soft. “The room was already here, and all these things,” he motioned with his hand around the room. “Are things you will need. Plus, you can’t stay here without these things that I gathered and prepared for you.”
He then dropped his hand from her chin. “Let’s eat.” He turned, casually walking away. He wanted to take her and hug the life out of her since he had worried she wouldn’t make it to this day for years. But he couldn’t show Summer how deeply his emotions ran for her, not without scaring her away for good.
Summer followed him out of the room, seeing that the three-piece bathroom was just across the hall from the room that would be hers for a few days. A sink, bathtub and shower combo, and a white toilet. She knew that it was a good possibility it would be longer than just a few days, but she hoped it wouldn’t be.
Once in the hallway at the edge of the back of the house, there was a kitchen off to the right, a dining room, and a living room. A huge fireplace sat on the far left of the house, facing the furniture.
In the kitchen sat stainless steel appliances, dark cherry oak cabinets, and white countertops. A door was off to the side, and Summer gathered that was where the pantry was.
Sebastian took one bar stool, leaving the other for Summer, who slowly made her way to sit. Her body was stiff and on alert, the same as it had been since she woke up to seeing the strange, but yet familiar face.
Tentatively, she took a seat on the far edge before picking at her food. Although she was hungry, the food held no appeal to her. She missed Chase more with each passing moment.
Was he okay? Would he try to look for her? Would he move on if he couldn’t find her?
“I won’t bite,” Sebastian said before taking a huge bite of the apple he had cut up on his plate. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would have by now, child.” He could see that Summer had little trust in him, and for good reason. But he would rather die than bring her any harm.
Summer gave him a half smile, taking a small bite of a banana. Her nerves were still shot from the chase just hours before. Her heart beat widely in her chest just thinking about it. But at the same time, it was thrilling. Yet, Summer still had no idea how to take it.
“Eat,” Sebastian commanded softly. “You can’t get back to Chase with no energy.”
With a sigh, Summer ate a few more bites, clearing off about a fourth of the plate. It was enough to make him satisfied. Sebastian would get her back to her normal weight soon enough.
"Here," he said, laying his phone on the counter and pushing it towards Summer. “Text him. Don’t say where we are, though.”
I have no idea where we are, so how would I tell him, she thought to herself as she pick
ed it up, seeing that the phone was an old flip phone, a burner no doubt.
“Just try to keep it light and easy,” he stated, going back to his food, giving her some privacy. He’d easily be able to see what she wrote if he wanted, but Sebastian knew that Summer wouldn’t do anything to risk her safety, or Chase’s.
Miss you. I’m safe. Love you.
~Summer
Summer wanted to add more but wasn’t sure how, or even what. Hopefully, it was enough to keep her husband from tearing the entire world apart looking for her. With a slightly lighter feeling in her heart, Summer sat the phone back on the counter.
“Now, before we rest some,” Sebastian said, turning to face the girl with wide blue eyes. “I do not expect much from you. Be respectful of me and the house and I will treat you the same. And help clean up any messes you make. You don’t need to clean or cook, but you are more than welcome to if you feel like it.
“If you go outside, farther than the porch, please let me know. It’s for your own safety. You never know what, or who, could be out there past the trees. I don’t expect anything here, but I’d rather be safe.”
That made more than enough sense to Summer. All that she could easily do. It was better than being stuck wherever she had been held captive for a week. Anything was better than that.
“I have no idea how long it will take Chase to clean up things on his side,” Sebastian went on after a few minutes of quiet. “I will stay in contact as much as possible. In the meantime, I will teach you how to be able to defend yourself.”
“Why?” Summer asked, turning her eyes to the man. Why would he go to so much trouble for just her? She was no one special.
“You are still a Princess, Summer,” he said carefully to not upset her. His look was filled with a desire to help her. “There will be times where no one will be there to protect you. If you happen to get in a situation like you were a week ago, you will easily be able to get out of it before you are taken against your will.”
The way Sebastian talked, it seemed as though he thought she would be that easy to learn, to teach her. Summer wasn’t so sure. She was never the greatest at learning things to keep herself alive, other than the normal things that consisted of sexual acts.
“We will start off easy,” he went on calmly, knowing she wasn’t too much of a fan of his plan. He watched her out of the corner of his eye for any and all reactions. “Some muscle building, self-protection moves you can grasp, and even some weapon training.”
“Weapon training?” Summer repeated, appalled at such an idea.
“Yes,” Sebastian said, not understanding why she feared that out of everything. “You need to know how to use a gun.” He turned, facing her fully.
“I . . .” Summer was at a loss for words. She hated the idea, loathed it in fact. She never wanted to touch a gun again, remembering how it felt when she pulled the trigger.
“Not right away, but you need to learn. Even the best guards will not always be there to save the day, Princess,” Sebastian said gently. He spoke as if she’d run away if he spoke any differently. “If you want to live out there beyond this house or the closest town, then you have to learn. Guns are not meant to frighten people, and if you know how to handle one, it will make you feel safer in time.
“Also, you will need to learn to drive,” he went on. Sebastian knew he had to take things one at a time, and he was sure he had at least three months to make sure she got the basics of training for everything. It would be enough to give her a way out if she ever needed it, but also more than enough room to grow if she found she wanted to keep it up. He hoped she would. It would do Summer a lot of good to keep up with a lot of the things he wanted to teach her.
“I already know how, mostly,” Summer muttered out, but Sebastian was able to catch it.
“Oh,” he said in surprise. He hadn’t expected that, but he knew he should have. “That will make it better than. When did you learn?”
“When I had to drive David around to get his hits, or when he went to sell his drugs,” Summer huffed out, not sure why she felt like it was something she needed to hide.
"Then I’ll teach you how to speed. Maybe you can be as good as I am when it comes to a chase in traffic,” Sebastian laughed, seeing Summer’s surprise written all over her face. She was so easy to read.
Summer wasn’t sure if he was joking or not, and she wasn’t up to finding out, either. She was content to not be in another car chase, weaving in and out of traffic, if she could help it. Although, she was sure there would be another time she would be. If she could be prepared for that at least, it would be helpful.
"Also, the people in Red Feathers Lake know me as Bash,” he went on. “I’m a retired from the Coast Guard. You are my niece, but you need a name to go by here. Something different, as our past stays in the past.”
“Oh, okay,” Summer said, trying to wrap her mind around that.
“I view you as my family. I always have,” he went on. “I hope someday you can view me as more than a stranger that wants to protect you.”
“One day at a time,” Summer mumbled.
“One day at a time, indeed,” Sebastian sighed out. “Think about a name, Princess.”
“Why am I here? In this town staying with you?” Summer asked quickly, seeing that the conversation was getting to a close. “Surely someone will want to know.”
“That is up to you, also, my dear,” Sebastian stated with a pat to her hand as he stood up, taking care of their dishes. “Be it a vacation with me, or needing a break from your boyfriend. Or even a break from life to find yourself. Whatever you want to say. It’s who you want to be. This is a perfect chance to explore who you would like to be with no worries.”
Summer wasn’t sure what to say, once again. She never had the chance to be someone she wasn’t. She began out with being a slave, then a Princess. Now, she can be whatever she wanted for a few weeks.
“A photographer,” Summer said with determination. “I’m visiting you because I needed a different view to take pictures for websites.” She loved to take pictures, and what better way to waste time than doing something she loved. Maybe even start earning her own money in the process.
Sebastian gave her a huge smile, knowing she’d be perfectly fine. She was smart, and in time, stronger than when she had first met Chase. Not just in mind, but body and spirit too.
“We will have to find you a computer, and a camera then, my Princess,” he said happily.
Chapter 4
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Chase glared at everyone. It didn’t matter who it was; they were on the receiving end of his fury. Even the room full of people he had walked into.
He feared he’d never be able to bring John down once and for all, meaning he would never see his wife again. He feared that he had ruined everything.
After all, he had done, John and Jason both had to die in the end, but he never once thought his wife would be stuck in the middle of it, far away. Chase had no idea where she even was, only that she was safe and alive.
Hopefully.
Was she really safe, though? That thought kept repeating itself in his mind constantly.
The text he had gotten from Summer helped. But not enough. Was she forced to send it? Was she willingly reaching out to let him know she was, in fact, okay where she was?
Chase knew he couldn’t know where she was, but would he be able to at least talk to her? Hear Summer’s voice?
Trent had told Chase to go work out, knowing it would help relieve some stress and hopefully get his head back into the game. It did little of either, but it had given Chase something to do other than look over maps and accounts. He had beat the shit out of the punching bag and lifted weights for a few minutes. Mostly, he punched, not once taking a breather.
Chase had not gotten a moment of quiet since Summer had been taken, which was past getting on his nerves. Someone constantly was there checking on him, more so the last few days. Everyone knew in some way that the Pri
ncess was safe and that the holding house was burnt to the ground.
The day before, the FBI had come barging in, a warrant in hand. Chase was still unsure on who had got evidence against him. They made a huge mess of the house, and Chase was ready to shoot any one of them. Just because he was depressed at what was going on didn’t mean he was stupid.
“Marcel,” spat Shapiro as he passed the man walking into the house. Dressed in his police issued black jersey and gray slacks, his darker skin tone stood out against the whiteness of his partners.
Chase knew who he was, and who he worked for. Shapiro was on that list that Peter had, keeping it safe. If it hadn’t been for the hand on his shoulder holding him back, Chase would have punched the man right in the mouth.
Princess of Darkness (The Dark Prince #3) Page 2
