Fayth did as the man she’d known for years asked her to do. She brought Summer to the animal shelter, sitting her in the chair behind the counter, and out of the view of the main doorway as much as possible.
“Drink,” Fayth demanded. She had enough practice on panic attacks, knowing that there wasn’t much you could do.
Summer took a sip of the icy water, feeling it sooth her throat. Taking a few more sips, she felt her body slowly loosen up, her heart rate dropping, shoulders relaxing instead of being hunched inward. Still not back to her normal rate, but better. Somewhat.
“You okay?” Fayth questioned, still concerned. She leaned against the counter, keeping her eyes on Summer, watching as she gained back color.
“No,” Summer said with a sad laugh and a shake of her head. “But I will be.”
“I’ll give you a few minutes before I bombard you with questions,” Fayth said, turning her attention to the PC monitor. Clicking on a few things, she locked the front the door and made sure that each door and the windows were shut and locked.
No one was in the parking lot, but she wasn’t going to risk it. Not with the way Bash had demanded Fayth’s help. She’d do what needed to be done to make sure Grace was safe. After making sure everything was secure, Fayth logged into her Facebook account, mostly to give Summer a chance to get her thoughts in order.
Summer knew that the redhead would have questions upon questions. She’d answer as much as she could, but was glad to have the few minutes to get her thoughts in order beforehand. It wasn’t exactly something she had told anyone, mostly because everyone she talked to already knew of her past, and who she was now.
She glanced at what Fayth was doing, her eyes widened, not expecting what was on the screen. Fayth had clicked on a news article, Chase’s face posted at the top. His wild dark hair was just as crazy as Summer remembered.
Summer’s heart ached with each beat, traveling through her entire body. She knew she missed him, but God did she miss him even more at the moment. She missed the feel of his arms around her from behind. She missed his sweet words and touches.
She missed all of him, the good and the bad. She let a small sigh pass her lips. The time when she’d be able to see him again couldn’t get here fast enough.
Reading the top headline from where she sat, Summer just barely contained her gasp of surprise.
Marcel is Alive, former mafia Prince’s wife Summer Marcel still missing.
As Fayth scrolled down, mostly skimming the article, Summer tried to not think of what the article said. It was easier to not think of the possibilities or the hope it could possibly bring. Although, she did have questions just from the title.
She thought that her husband was in hiding, so did he come out? Did someone find him? Was there more of a threat than she, or even Sebastian, anticipated? Was this only a ruse?
Keeping her eyes on the screen and taking deep breaths, Summer watched as Fayth scrolled down, stopping at another picture. This picture was of Summer. She didn’t remember when it was taken, but it had to be around the time of the reception that Kayla had thrown for the newly married couple.
There was a light to her blue eyes, her hair in soft waves, a small shy smile on her face. Summer looked happy. She wished she could go back to that time. She was happy, and things didn’t seem so . . . . How could she say . . . . . So dark.
Now, there didn’t seem to be an end to all this pain. There was no light in sight, nor at the end of the tunnel, if there ever was one.
Fayth slowly turned around in her seat, a knowing, but questioning, look on her face. She glanced from Summer, who sat in the chair frozen, back to the picture of the same, but yet different girl, a few times. It didn’t take long to put the pieces together.
With knowing Grace like Fayth did, it wasn’t that hard. Same blue eyes. A stranger wouldn’t take a second look, but Fayth was no stranger.
“Well, fuck me,” Fayth muttered, her eyes growing larger. “No fucking way. I’ll kill him,” she then seethed, fire burning in her eyes.
Summer’s eyes widened, not sure who Fayth could be talking about. And truthfully, she wasn’t really sure she wanted to know. There were a number of people who did deserve to be killed, and Summer was past caring, mostly, on who was killed. With everything going on, she’d be happy to help.
Two months. She hid for two crappy months. She was tired of hiding. Tired of being a pawn in a game she was born into. Summer wanted to live, and fucking hell, she would!
“No wonder he is so dang protective over you,” she went on, turning back to the article to finish skimming it. Fayth muttered a few more things, but Summer didn’t catch what she said. It was probably better that way anyhow.
Summer took a few more sips of the water. Waiting with bated breath.
Was it that noticeable? Would Sebastian and Gabriel demand that they leave this town and go somewhere else? Somewhere with even fewer people? Would she put up a fight to stay? Should she?
“Shit!” Fayth said, quickly closing the tabs down and turning around to face Summer with a panicked expression. “We have a visitor, so please just play along.” Her green eyes were pleading with Summer.
Summer nodded, not able to say anything before Fayth turned back around, unlocking the front door. She was still out of sight from the doorway, but from Fayth's expression, the guest was not someone she was wanting to keep locked out, but still not happy about letting in.
Before Summer could move to see who had shown up, Fayth took total control of the situation, her eyes begging to just go along with whatever she was doing and going to do. Right as the door opened, bringing in a gust of cold air, Fayth was already turned around and pressed her lips against Summer’s, who froze. She hadn’t expected that.
“Please, Grace,” Fayth said, her lips brushing the frozen girl’s.
With a deep breath in, Summer let her eyes close as Fayth pressed forward, molding her lips to the brown haired girl's. Fayth’s hands supported her weight on the back of the chair as she leaned forward. Summer’s hands slowly went to Fayth’s waist, lightly, almost afraid to touch her.
Fayth didn’t deepen the kiss, just enough to get her point across as her soft lips molded to Summer’s, throwing in a moan for good measure as heavy footsteps walked to the counter.
Fayth couldn’t help but show off a little at how well she could kiss. It was, after all, one of her many talents. She was positive she wouldn’t get a second chance to do this again. After a few heartbeats, Summer returned the kiss, mixed on how to feel. It didn’t give her the butterflies that Chase’s kisses always did, but it was, dare she even think it, enjoyable.
A man coughed, gaining their attention, from the other side of the counter.
Fayth pulled back with a pleased smile, seeing Summer’s cheeks tinted in red. Since she was already testing boundaries she knew better than to cross, Fayth ran her fingertips over Summer’s left cheek, drawing out more red to her cheeks. She smiled, pleased, before turning around to greet the guest.
“Hello!” Fayth said cheerfully. “How may I help you today?”
“I’m here to get her,” spoke the man with a nod of his head, causing Summer’s eyes to quickly dart up at the voice.
There, standing on the other side of the counter with a mixed look on his face, was Gabriel. He was torn on how to deal with what he walked in on. Happiness for the Princess, that she was trying to blend in, or fearful of what the Prince would think, let alone Sebastian. Also, he feared for everyone’s life as it was. His included.
“She ain't going nowhere,” Fayth said, hand on her hips, a hard glare replacing her soft, happy look she had seconds ago.
“She lives with me,” Gabriel said grouchily, returning the look tenfold.
“Hi, Gabriel,” Summer said, her voice quiet and sheepish as being caught kissing someone else. She looked up at him through her eyelashes.
Fayth’s hard look didn't drop, even as she turned around sending a glare at Summer. She mout
hed ‘sorry,’ watching Fayth’s shoulders relax.
“She ain't going nowhere,” Fayth repeated firmly.
“And may I ask why?” Gabriel asked, keeping his face blank of the surprise he felt. He was happy there were protective people here for the Princess.
"I need to answer a few things,” Summer spoke up, determination coloring her voice. “Plus, Bash needs you, I’m sure.”
“He said to get you home,” Gabriel said. “He can handle himself.”
“So can I,” Summer said, standing up. “I’m safe here, if not more so than at home. I have no idea what Sebastian is dealing with, but he needs you more than I do right now. I just know it.”
Gabriel couldn’t believe he was considering listening to this. He never ever took orders from a woman, let alone a Princess in training.
“How are you so sure about that?” Gabriel questioned, squinting his eyes.
“You’ve seen what I can do,” Summer said, giving him a pleading look. She was sure that Gabriel would be more help to Sebastian than he was to her. She did know how to protect herself, and Fayth did also if the gun she had hidden under the counter, and the one of her hip, had anything to say about it.
“You could use more work, child,” Gabriel said carefully, leaning his forearms on the counter. “And with precious cargo, I’d rather not risk it.” He made the point of looking at her stomach in the process.
“I am more than capable of keeping her safe, sir,” Fayth butted in, not deterred by the burning look of the man as he shifted his eyes to her. “Bash trusted me to keep her safe, which I can do without question.”
“Please, Gabriel,” Summer said, giving him a puppy dog look. “Fayth can keep me safe while you at least check on Sebastian. Please.”
“Fine,” he huffed. “But we are gonna talk about what I saw when I walked in here.” He wasn't sure what he would say about it, but it was something that needed to be talked about, among a few other things.
“Thank you,” Summer said, relieved.
“No harm is to come to her,” he stated, looking at Fayth dead in the eye.
“Of course not,” Fayth said, before muttering, “Your brother is just as much of a pain in the ass as you.”
“I heard that,” Gabriel said, fighting a smile. “I’ll have Bash call you if he can, depending on what’s going on.”
“Do you know what is happening?” Summer asked out before Gabriel could turn around.
“Not exactly, no,” he answered. “He called saying he needed me to get you, and then he may need backup.”
“Someone was asking around again. About three or four men were at the dinner when we went out to eat. Sebastian had us go out the back, and then he called Fayth to come pick me up and bring me here,” Summer summarized.
“Okay,” Gabriel said in thought. “Shouldn’t be anything we can’t handle then.”
“Oh,” Summer responded quickly. “Fayth pulled up an article that said that Chase was alive.” She gave him a look, demanding to know what was going on with that.
“Great,” Gabriel huffed out, not pleased about that fact. “I’ll explain once we are all back at the house. I have to make a phone call or two.”
“I can wait till later,” Summer said. “But I want to know; I need to.”
“You will, Grace,” Gabriel said softly. “I promised you I would. I don’t break my promises.”
Summer nodded, taking that promise to heart.
With that, Gabriel left, and Fayth was quick to relock the door.
With a sigh, Fayth turned around, ready to know the entire story of who this person in front of her was, and why she was risking her life to protect her, all because she cared.
“Let’s go to the back to talk. No one will see us that way, and there will be fewer interruptions. I want answers.”
“I’ll give them,” Summer said. “Whatever you want to know. I owe you that much.”
Summer would forever owe Fayth, not just because she was keeping her safe, but because Fayth deserved it.
Chapter 16
“So, let me get this straight,” Fayth said, her eyes filled with fire and determination. There was no hint of pity towards Summer. That was the least of anything she could feel at the moment.
“You are the Princess, married to the man who is not only rumored but is, the Prince of the Marcel family,” she ticked off on her fingers, pacing the back room she had taken them to. “You were a slave, made to be by your own father, no less, who is an extremely sick bastard before Marcel married you! Now you are on the run from someone that wants to kill not only you but him!”
“Sounds about right,” Summer said, letting Fayth summarize the story well enough.
Once Fayth had shown Summer the back room, that was past the dogs and usually a room used for visitation with one of the animals, she had taken a stance leaning against the small metal table under the window, her hands bracing herself from behind. Summer had taken a seat on the edge of the worn leather loveseat before telling her tale, jumping in with both feet.
She told Fayth who she was, and who she was born to. Summer didn’t leave anything out, even when Fayth began to pace the room from one end to the other. Her voice was shaky, but Summer was able to hold in her tears, her fears, and heaviness she felt in her chest as she told her story.
Summer refused to shed tears through any of it. Not when she told Fayth how she made herself loose the first baby. Not when she recounted shooting her own father to make sure that Chase stayed safe and alive.
Her voice grew quieter, more somber, as she went on. She described how she fell in love with Chase day by day, and how she became to be here, now. She wasn’t ashamed of her life, as she had few key choices in it, knowing most of them did more harm than good.
Summer didn’t tell Fayth, as she didn’t feel it was right, about being drugged on her wedding day. She did tell her how Valerie hated her from day one, and for something that she didn’t even really understand.
“I hope that son of a bitch is really dead,” Fayth seethed, flinging her hands up in the air.
“Yes,” Summer said. “I shot him, Chase finished him off.” That was one thing she couldn’t have any type of regrets for. Jason’s death, although less painful than she truly thought he deserved, was one thing she’d never wish to change.
“You shot your father!” Fayth said, stopping in her place, a look of pure shock on her face. The girl never seemed to not surprise her. She was like a breath of fresh air.
“Yeah,” Summer said like it wasn’t that big of a deal. It had been at the time, of course. Now, it really wasn’t in the scheme of things. Summer would do it again in a heartbeat. “He would have killed me if I hadn’t.” And he would have without a second thought.
“Badass Princess!” Fayth said fondly. “So why are you running? I don’t understand that. I mean I do, but . . .” she trailed off.
“Look at me,” Summer said, waving her hands up and down her body, a hint of unease underneath her strong demeanor. “I am stronger than I was when I first came here, Fayth.” Her voice was soft and determined. “Sebastian is teaching me how to protect myself. Hell, I’m so much better than I was six months ago!
“I’m here, because of Valerie’s father, who was working with John, had me kidnapped. I would have been killed, gladly looking death in the eyes if there hadn’t been a way out. John wants me, and I have no way of keeping myself safe without the help of the family I never knew I could have.”
It was strange to be able to call the family she was married into her own. She never once thought that this type of life was possible.
“Who the fuck is John?” Fayth growled out. She’d heard the name throughout the years, but never saw the man in question.
“Sebastian’ older, ugly brother,” Summer replied with a hard look. “He wants me for who knows what. Same reason my father wanted me. I have no idea really.” She ended with a shrug. She really had no idea why she was so . . . . likable to the likes of dirt
y minded men.
“Oh, honey,” Fayth said, putting the pieces together well enough. “You are a light to the darkness, and everyone surely knows how important you are to the Marcel family.” Her green eyes softened in understanding. “You are amazing inside and out, Grace. I am certain that if you were raised in a better situation, you would be more powerful than that husband of yours.”
Summer gave her a small smile, knowing how right she was. She had often laid in bed, thinking and dreaming of the possible outcomes if things had been different. She knew for a fact that she wouldn’t be here hiding, fearing for the lives of those she cared about.
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