He had to be.
Heidi, dressed in dark casual clothes, walked past Sebastian, not saying more than a few words to him and went straight to Summer. He stood there in shock, not sure what made Summer more important than him at that moment.
“How are you doing?” she asked, taking a seat on the chair closest to the Princess. She was a sight to behold, even with dried tear tracks on her cheeks.
“As well as I can be,” Summer answered, not sure how to answer otherwise.
“Here, I brought you this,” she said, giving Summer an email she printed off a few days before. “I haven’t read it, but it’s from Ryder.”
Summer took it with shaking hands, not sure if she really wanted to read the words that were printed on the paper.
“Thank you,” Summer said, lifting her tired eyes to the older woman.
“Of course,” Heidi said, sitting back in the chair.
“Where is my dear old brother, anyways?” Sebastian asked, his voice cold.
“Somewhere,” Heidi answered. “I have no idea. He only told me to leave, giving me that piece of paper and a bag of clothes. He said he’d get here when he could.”
“He tells you everything!” Sebastian seethed, causing Summer to jump in fright. He had not once raised his voice before.
“No, he doesn’t,” Heidi said, her voice still calm. “And don’t raise your voice at me.”
“Sorry,” Sebastian said, the fight leaving him for now. His brother would get the brunt of the anger if he ever showed his face.
“Now, who is this little thing?” Heidi asked, turning her attention to the puppy.
“Sophie,” Summer said, a smile in her voice as she patted the dog’s white and brown head.
“She’s cute,” the older woman said with a soft smile, shooting a questioning look to Sebastian.
“Yes, I told her,” Sebastian grumped, not happy with the woman. He was a strong man and was not often taken with any female. Heidi and Summer were his only undoing. And Emma, or least she once was.
“Told me what?” Summer asked, confused. She wasn’t quite up to speed on trying to send mental thoughts to others, and she wasn’t sure she would be anytime soon.
“The test results,” Sebastian answered, his voice calm, looking at Summer with unsure eyes.
“Oh,” Summer said, understanding. “Yeah. I’m pregnant.” She shrugged, not yet entirely sure if it was a good thing or not yet.
Yes, she was happy to be carrying a part of Chase, but also frightened of the unknown. She wasn’t sure how she could do this alone as she may well be. What if something went wrong? What if John did find her and forced her to lose the baby?
“Is that a good thing?” Heidi asked, her face opened to hear what she had to say.
“Of course,” Summer said with a smile. “I have a part of Chase with me forever now.”
“Good,” Heidi smiled. “We will keep you safe, and the baby too, of course. I will be there every step of the way if you want.”
“Before you read that paper, I would like to go over with you on what will be happening the next few weeks,” Sebastian said seeing that Summer was getting ready to no doubt read it in private.
He took a seat on the end of the couch before jumping in on what he needed to say.
“With Chase ‘missing’ John will be coming out of hiding, and he will be looking for you. He will not stop until he finds you, which means he will go to every town he can think of.
“I’m not running, and I hope you don’t want to do that,” he stated.
At her shake of the head, he went on.
“Now, since there is a little one we have to be mindful of, our sessions won’t be much different than they have been. I will push you harder. I have to know you can take a man down twice my size if need be within seconds. I’ll push you farther than you think you can handle.
“Heidi will help you with aiming a gun, using an airsoft gun that most police forces use with training new officers. It won’t be nearly as loud as a regular gun, but will feel just like one.
“I want you to eat, and let me know if you need a break. I don’t want to push you too far with you being pregnant, but far enough to know your own limits. You are strong, and I know once you get the hang of it down, you can take anyone down with a simple move.”
“Can I still hang out with Fayth?” Summer asked. She wanted a friend, and the girl seemed like she’d be a great one to have.
“Of course,” Sebastian said, not wanting to deny her anything. “But you won’t be left alone at all while in town.”
“Okay,” she replied, not bothered by that fact.
“No one will recognize you easily, not with your hair now,” Heidi piped up. “But I am more than capable of tagging along when you want to go into town.”
“Thanks,” Summer said. “Was that all?”
“Yes,” Sebastian laughed. “I’ll let you know when lunch is ready.”
“Something light, please,” Summer asked, standing up, Sophie as her feet.
“Sure,” Heidi spoke up, already thinking about what to make.
With a nod, Summer made her way to the bedroom, Sophie following closely behind. As the puppy went to play with a stuffed animal that was near the bed, Summer took a seat on the edge, opening the paper.
Summer,
Please know how sorry I am for not seeing to your safety myself. But I know you are in good hands. Gabriel knows a lot of good people, and whoever you are with will do everything to keep you safe. I have my ideas on who it is that you are staying with, but I will not say.
I created a new email address for just this letter. I thought you would like to know, as Chase has told me countless times how you like to be updated on our ‘family.’
By now, I am sure you have heard that the Prince is missing, or even dead. It had to be done. We have to get John out of his hole he is hiding in so we can take him down once and for all.
Listen to your gut. Only you will be able, to tell the truth of how your husband is. He is Chase Marcel, trained killer, and businessman. Would someone really be able to take him down so easily? Think about it, and you, Summer, know the answer to that.
For purposes that this email gets in the wrong hands, I am unable to say exactly what his life is right now, but you are a smart girl, or he wouldn’t have picked you to marry.
Take care of yourself, as danger will always be around the corner. Gabriel will join you soon enough, and you will be kept safe. It won’t hurt to learn a few moves to kick someone’s ass. I can guarantee that there will be someone looking for you, and your picture will be posted as a ‘missing’ person.
But you aren’t missing. You are alive, well, and well looked after.
I will see you again, soon. Just know that we have more men on our side, and we will win.
~ Ryder
Chapter 10
Sebastian was true to his word by pushing Summer’s limits, testing her mental and physical strength. He pushed until she almost said she needed a break, knowing before she did herself. She was extremely easy to read, which was a blessing and curse.
To read her so easily would give anyone an easy way to get to her, but with time and practice, she’d be able to surprise them by knowing how to take someone down within seconds. Sebastian would train Summer to take anyone down, almost as fast as he himself could.
Summer’s muscles hurt, but it was a much better alternative than not knowing how to defend herself. She knew that if she could do this if she forced herself to go past her comfort zone, it would be better in the long run.
During the breaks, Summer made sure to drink water and eat a small snack most of the time to help keep her energy up. With each session, she grew more confident, often surprising herself.
Sebastian had her start boxing, practicing on the black punching bag that was hung in the back corner of the loft in the garage. Heidi was helpful to get Summer’s hips in place.
“The amount of force you use comes from here,
” she patted both sides, not at all concerned about how Summer froze for a moment. “And your thighs.” Heidi repositioned the blue eyed woman into the right position that would easily help her. “It doesn’t matter what size you are for the force to work, but if you have the correct stance – like this – you can knock your opponent down easier. Now try.”
Summer, with Sebastian standing behind the punching bag, holding it in place so it didn’t swing so much, swung out, hitting it right on target.
“Perfect,” Sebastian said with a smile. “Again.”
While taking a break, Summer sipped a bottle of water, watching Sebastian beat the punching bag. She did feel better after getting some pent up anger out of her system. Although, she was tired and ready for a nap.
“How are you doing?” Heidi asked, sitting with her legs crossed on the floor.
“Okay,” Summer answered. It had been only three days and nothing new had been broadcasted. She had demanded that she’d be kept up to date, and after a pout and a few tears – blamed on her pregnancy – Sebastian caved.
“I miss Chase and Clare, but know they are both safe,” she tacked on, looking at Heidi. “Staying busy helps.”
“I take it no morning sickness?” she prompted.
“None,” Summer said, happy about that fact. “Just tired, but I can deal with it.”
“Good,” Heidi replied, feeling protective of the girl. “Gabriel should be here by nightfall tomorrow.”
“He better be,” Sebastian panted out. “Ignoring my phone calls.” He muttered the last part, punching the bag as hard as he could with each word.
“I’m sure he’ll update you once he gets here, Bash,” Heidi said, her voice patient.
Sebastian only shot a look her way, still pounding away at the bag.
“I think we are done here today,” she said. “You still want to meet up with your friend?” she then asked, standing up and waiting for Summer’s reply.
“Yeah,” Summer answered, following and standing up, then snapping her fingers for Sophie to follow.
“Alright,” Heidi replied. “Go get cleaned up; I’ll meet you in the kitchen when you’re ready.”
After taking a quick shower, Summer dressed in faded blue jeans and a pink sweater that had silver hearts on the front. She then put her hair up in a heart clip, letting the few stray pieces fall naturally around her heart shaped face. It was still strange to see her reflection. She was used to seeing long hair, but the blond hair made her blue eyes pop out more than before. She was even considering cutting it shorter, just to see what it would look like. It was already amazing how much easier it was to take care of with just five inches off.
She couldn’t help but run her hands over her still flat stomach. Summer wasn’t sure what to expect and hadn’t gotten the nerve to ask so she would know. She was torn on a lot of things still but knew that keeping as healthy as possible so the baby she carried would be healthy was the most important thing.
Summer had only taken one day to rest and let her emotions make the better of her. She still worried about her husband but tried to not dwell on it too much, knowing it was out of her hands. Chase would find his way back to her. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
But given how they both always found each other again, as history repeated itself, Summer knew they’d find one another soon.
Summer found Heidi in the kitchen and it didn’t take long to make their way into town. They didn’t say much, listening to the radio and the weather forecast about the next snowstorm that would be in the next day.
Heidi pulled up to the coffee shop, Fayth waiting out front with her coat wrapped loosely around her. Summer had left her coat at home, as her sweater was warm enough.
“I’ll be close by, but won’t crowd you,” Heidi said before getting out of the car, Summer following her.
“Grace!” Fayth said, happy to see her friend.
“Hi,” Summer said with a smile, still getting used to the name. Sebastian always called her Grace, but it took a bit to respond most of the time.
Fayth returned the smile a little too eagerly, before opening the coffee shop door, allowing the newcomer to enter first. The scent of coffee was strong at first, but Summer found the smell perfect. She took a moment to drink in the atmosphere, finding the shop not very full, but busy enough to blend in.
Heidi went first, getting her coffee and sitting towards the middle of the room where she could see everyone without any issues and not being noticeable that she was watching every single person.
After ordering their coffee, they both sat down at a table against the wall of windows, watching as people both walked and drove by. Summer wasn’t sure if she’d like the drink, but Fayth promised her that it was good, and not at all like normal coffee with creamer. It was called Sugar Daddy, a drink made to taste like the candy it was named after.
At the small two-person black round table and matching chairs, Summer looked out the window, seeing the clouds starting to come over and hide the warm sun she had missed while she had been held captive.
"Who’s that that drove you?” Fayth asked out as soon as they sat.
“Heidi,” Summer answered, not sure how else to answer. “A friend of Bash”
“You look happy today,” Fayth noted, taking a sip of her drink, and letting the topic drop on who the mother like figure was. Today, her hair was pulled into a side braid, her bright green eyes colored in makeup and shaded in blues. “But something has also had you upset. You need more makeup girl.”
“I am, for the most part,” Summer said. “And I’m not a fan of makeup,” she laughed. “I’ve only worn it a handful of times.”
“No one to impress?” Fayth asked with a wink, making Summer blush.
“He never needed to be impressed,” Summer replied quietly. “And he’s not here. Not sure if he ever will be.”
“I’m here if you want to talk,” Fayth said, lowering her voice and laying a hand on top of the table, wanting to reach over to touch the girl, but was afraid it would scare her off.
“Thanks,” Summer said. “I can’t right now since I’m not even sure what’s going on.”
“Well, I’m here whenever,” Fayth stated before changing topics, withdrawing her hand. “So how’s Sophie?”
“Growing like crazy,” Summer said, instantly letting a smile take over before sipping her hot drink, finding she did like it. Not something she’d drink often, of course.
“I bet so!” Fayth said. “We have a few new dogs in, poor things. They are full grown and were abused, so they’re skittish. I don’t have enough hands to get them tamed fast enough to go to homes.”
“What exactly do you do?” Summer asked, squinting across the table in thought.
“My grandparents and I run the Human Society. Sometimes, we will take a few of the dog’s home with us at night, like the puppies or mama dogs. But for the most part, we try to re-home all the dogs, as we aren’t a kill shelter. Each dog is paired with a person who fits him or her best,” she answered. “And some people will drive all the way here to see them in person or take a few to other pet adoption agencies in other counties.
“Most of the puppies are put into therapy training and are trained for a number of things from normal pet therapy for people in a hospital to people who need someone to help guide them around.
“The older dogs we get in usually get snatched up fast during the holidays, but when breeding farms get turned in for animal abuse, we end up with the dogs. Or people who get evicted from their rentals too.”
“Oh,” Summer said. “Just you and your grandparents? No one else?”
“No,” she snorted. “It’s volunteer work only. There is enough paid work here with tourists most of the time. We sometimes have children come into play with the puppies once a month or so, though. Or school trips too.” She took a sip of her drink. “Most of the time, it’s just me and the dogs for company.”
“I’ll help,” Summer said, sure that Sebastian would let
her. Plus, it would give her time to get to know more people here.
“Really?” Fayth asked, surprised. Her face lit up with hope.
“Sure,” Summer shrugged. “I like dogs, and I can bring Sophie with me, plus keep you company.”
“Sweet!” Fayth said, punching the air. “When do you want to start?”
“Let me talk to Bash and see what works. He’s been helping me learn some self-defense,” Summer said.
“Perfect!” Fayth said, bouncing slightly in her seat. “When do you have to be back?”
“You make it sound like I’m a teenager,” Summer laughed. At Fayth’s shrug, she went on. “Not sure. Heidi drove me, so . . .”
Princess of Darkness (The Dark Prince #3) Page 7
