Chase stood away back from the door, knowing it would open soon enough from whoever stood on the other side in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.
Ivan took his time, downing another swig of his drink before standing and pulling out his own gun before the door burst opened, banging against the wall beside it, leaving a dent where the doorknob sank into the drywall.
Chase shot two shots from his Glock, hitting the targets dead on, while Ivan did the same to the two behind the first.
“Told you so,” Ivan stated, walking closer to the doorway. He didn’t care about being quiet or sneaky, checking the doorway and finding two more men, who fell to the same fate as the others. “Now will you fucking listen?” He turned to his son, seeing a look of fury and surprise on his face.
“No,” Chase said, seeing if he recognized any of these men. He had never seen these men before he decided, as he kicked one over with the toe of his shoe. “If you’d tell me . . .” He trailed off.
“Be polite, and I may,” Ivan goaded. “Now, we set this place as if we were never here.”
“Fire?” Chase questioned. After all, it was always his first choice to clean a place.
Ivan’s eyes lit up as he nodded his consent to the plan. He was thrilled that maybe, just maybe, his son was finding out the hard way. To be the ruler, and to demand respect, he needed to know how to not only ask the right questions, but also show respect to those that were higher up, or in the same predicament as himself.
Always a hard lesson for anyone, rich or poor.
Although, the Don was happy that Chase was willing to do whatever it took to get the family safe once and for all.
Together, the two men were quick, bringing all six dead bodies into the room. Then opening the gas range oven door, turning on all the burners, and lighting a match on a pile of towels that were soaked in the leftover whiskey that had yet to drink.
Closing the door, Chase and Ivan walked calmly out of the building, finding no one else in it at all. No wonder they had been found so easily. They hadn’t blended in one bit, and now John would know without a doubt that they were both alive and well.
Let the war begin, Chase thought. He was ready to finish this once and for all. And to get his life back on track.
Chapter 18
With a deep breath, Summer opened the front door to the house. She had already taken note that there were no other cars in the driveway, but that could mean anything. Sebastian normally parked in the garage anyways, and Gabriel’s truck, as he had ditched his stolen car days ago, normally parked around back, hidden from the front of the house. He was one of the best at living off the grid.
Fayth was right behind Summer, clutching her hand before they both walked into the door. She would be there for whatever support she could give. Summer felt better knowing that her past hadn’t scared the girl off.
“Oh thank God,” Heidi exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Summer right as they walked into the house. Her hug was almost too tight but welcoming.
Summer gave her a one arm hug back awkwardly. She was confused, and it showed on her face.
“You’re okay,” Heidi said, pulling back. Then she looked Summer up and down, making sure she was in fact, okay. There was no bruises or cuts on her skin that was showing, and Heidi let her shoulders relax slightly.
“Of course I am,” Summer said as the older woman’s eyes landed on Fayth.
“And you are?” She barked, her stance instantly hardening.
“Leave the girl alone,” Gabriel said, although it seemed like he was stressed. It was only two hours since Summer had seen him, but he looked like he had walked through the valley of death.
Summer gave Heidi a small smile, leading Fayth into the kitchen where Gabriel had disappeared to. She wanted to know if Sebastian was okay. Then she’d demand to know what was going on, and what would happen next.
In the kitchen, Summer found herself freezing, taking in the scene. Sebastian sat at the counter, the same place that she had eaten a number of times. He had his shirt off, a white bandage secured to his arm, almost up to his shoulder.
On the counter sat a number of medical supplies. Bandages, needles, pills, antibacterial creams, and other things. There was also a bowl full of water with a wet rag laying over the edge.
“Sebastian,” Summer whispered, catching the man’s attention. Her heart was in her throat, her voice completely gone. Tears fell from her eyes, not sure if she was scared or relieved of the sight before her.
“Grace,” he said, his voice calm. His eyes, on the other hand, showed his relief and discomfort. He had worried for the girl the entire time she was out of his sight, but it was better than having her with him. If the bullet wound in his upper arm had anything to say, Summer was safer with Fayth than she would have been with him.
“What happened?” Summer asked, almost demanded, as she came out of her frozen daze. She walked up next to him, dragging Fayth along as she refused to let go of her hand. It was the only thing keeping her grounded at the moment, and stopping her from wrapping her arms around the man she was growing closer to.
She was so happy to see him, although he was hurt. Her heart was still in her stomach, waiting for Sebastian to explain how he got hurt.
Sebastian thought, not sure how much he was willing to tell Summer. He didn’t want to frighten her more than she already was.
“He got shot,” Gabriel deadpanned, cleaning up the counter without raising his eyes. “What the fuck does it look like?”
“Gabriel,” Sebastian snapped at his brother, giving him a look that said to cool the attitude. “If she hadn’t sent you, I wouldn’t be here yet, or patched up. Now cool it.”
Gabriel huffed, but wisely didn’t reply, clapping his mouth closed.
“Thank you, by the way, Grace,” Sebastian said, thankful for her sending his brother to help him. “I would have made it back, but ditching the car was trickier than I had anticipated.”
“Of course,” Summer muttered, feeling all eyes on her all of a sudden. She halfway wanted to run and hide, but the other part of her wanted to stand strong, knowing she had done the right thing.
“But to answer your question,” Sebastian said finally deciding to just tell her the truth. He had promised to never withhold information from her, and he wasn’t about to dare break that trust for her. “After you left, I went back into the Deli, and walked right out the front.”
Sebastian had walked straight to his car, not giving a second glance as the men, nor the cars that had caged him in. Once he was in his car, he started it. It didn’t take long for one man to come out, glaring daggers at Sebastian.
He simply stared back with an expected look. He wasn’t intimidated the least bit by this filthy man that stood at the Deli’s entrance.
Seeing that the man wasn’t yet moving to do anything about any of the cars that trapped him in, Sebastian picked up his phone, texted his brother to check on Summer. He knew she was more than safe, but it made the man across the way fidget in his pants. They had no idea who he could possibly be bringing in.
It didn’t take long for the man to get the hint, walking to move one of the cars. Sebastian even graced the man with a one finger salute.
Sebastian then spun his tires out, leaving the parking lot as quick as he could. He wasn’t going to risk the rest of the men following him if he could help it.
He made sure to drive around a little bit, even stopping at a few other places around town to throw the men off his tracks as much as possible. They didn’t seem the brightest bunch, but John really wasn’t trying as hard as he could either.
He knew his brother. John had just about as many resources as the Marcel family, but he wasn’t able to clean up his tracks as well, mostly because his men were not the best at what they needed to do.
Once he got to the storage facility just outside of the town, he quickly parked the car off to the side, and far away enough that nothing else would be caught by the burning flames he’d be sure
to set before leaving.
He grabbed what he needed from the back seat, leaving the doors opened. He even left the key in the ignition, not caring if someone took it right there from him. In the long run, that would be a better choice.
With a shrug as his mental thoughts, Sebastian unlocked one of the many storage rooms, finding his well-used black truck, knowing it would do the job just fine that needed to be done. It was one of the first things he had bought brand-new years ago. He had hoped to give it to his daughter one day, but he wasn’t so sure anymore.
He barely just got his purchases loaded into the front seat with a round of gunfire was shot off. One stray bullet hit him in his arm, causing a fiery sting to shoot down his arm to his fingertips.
“Mother fucker!” he shouted, ducking down, drawing his gun.
He shot a few off, knowing his targets were hit. He always shot to kill, never leaving a survivor if he didn’t need to.
He heard another car on the gravel, and he groaned, not really wanting to deal with more men who thought they knew what they were doing. Plus, he could feel the blood dripping down his arm, creating a puddle where he knelt.
He explained it all to her leaving nothing out. "We moved all the bodies into my old car and set it on fire. Gabriel bandaged me up enough to get me into his car, then we came here,” he concluded with a shrug. “It would have taken me longer to clean up the scene if he hadn’t shown up.” He could have easily, but it would have taken more time to do so. It wouldn’t have been the first time, nor would it be the last.
“But you got shot,” Summer said in tears, her chin quivering. It didn’t matter that he had glossed over it. She had taken a seat on the other stool, feeling the need to be closer to him. Sophie was at her feet, looking up at her with a sad look, seeing her master upset.
“Nothing new, figila,” Sebastian said, laying his good hand over one of Summer’s that rested in her lap, although she fiddled with the material of her pants she wore. “It’s not the first time, nor will it be the last. Hurts like a bitch, but I’ll live.”
“Thanks to me,” Gabriel butted in, setting two water bottles on the counter. “You’re both pale. Drink.”
“I would have been fine either way,” Sebastian seethed at his brother, more nerved by his bossy tone than anything else.
“Drink, Sebastian,” Gabriel demanded, pointing to the water. “And you, what the hell was you thinking!?!” he turned his light amber eyes to Summer.
With widened eyes, she froze mid drink. What did she do?
“Kissing that . . . that . . .” Gabriel said, not able to say his words like he had hoped. It kinda just shot out of his mouth before his brain could stop it.
“Hey!” Fayth piped up, not wanting to be talked about in such a way. Plus, from the blush on Summer’s face was any indication, the Princess had no idea how to answer or reply to the statement. “I was making her blend in. Don’t you dare think otherwise.”
“What did you do, Fayth?” Sebastian asked, almost afraid to know.
“I walked in on them kissing!” Gabriel seethed, shooting a glare at his wife who had burst out laughing.
“It was a hot kiss,” Fayth said with a sigh, a smirk on her face. Summer blushed even more. “I kissed her because I had no idea who the fuck you were. What was I supposed to do? Grace needs to blend in. Being my girlfriend was a good way to go about it.”
Sebastian couldn’t help but crack a smile, despite the pain he was in. Yeah, Summer was perfectly fine. And really, it was a good move on the girls’ part.
“You can’t let them go along with this!” Gabriel nearly shouted at his brother. “She’s a Princess, married, and . . . just no!”
“Hey,” Summer jumped in. “You have no right to tell me how to live my life.” Her heart thumped in angry bursts, her head throbbing. She had enough of being bossed around. No one would tell her how to live. All eyes were instantly on her. Sebastian and Heidi both had shocked, but pleased looks on their faces. Fayth was nearly bouncing in place as seeing Grace come out of her shell. Gabriel, well, he looked like someone killed his puppy beneath his shocked look.
Gabriel didn’t want to admit how concerned he felt. It was easier to hide behind his fear, turning it into anger. Normally, he was calm and didn’t give a shit about what happened to anyone but himself and his wife. Summer was different. He cared too much for her.
“I came here because Chase and I were both in danger. I’m tired of running, tired of being told what to do and how to do it! I’ll kiss Fayth again if I want to,” Summer said with a look of fury. She was fed up with everything.
“Hey, Princess,” he stated, holding his hands up in surrender. “Don’t get your panties in a twist.”
“Don’t you dare,” Summer said, shooting a death glare his way.
“Hey,” Sebastian finally jumped in, stopping what he was sure to become a shouting match of some kind. He was thrilled that Summer found her backbone. It was beyond time. “Enough. We have more pressing matters than who’s kissing who.”
Summer took a deep breath, calming herself. This wasn’t like her; picking a fight, nor kissing someone. She was married, but really, she hadn’t done the kissing of her own choice. Also, her husband wasn’t here, nor did she go by his last name. So for the world to think she wasn’t who she was, she’d let the issue go.
“What about Chase?” she said after calming down enough, looking at Gabriel for answers.
“Yes, what about him?” Fayth prompted, standing right next to Summer, touching her arm. She was tempted to throw her arm over Summer’s shoulders but was able to stop herself.
“He was found by one of John’s men,” Gabriel said, his voice back to normal. “He’s still safe, and the men who found him probably wish they were dead instead. But he’s alive.”
“He’ll kill John since he has his location,” Sebastian added on as he shifted his body. “Then, I’ll take you home when it’s safe.”
“You ain’t leaving me here,” Fayth said, standing up straight.
“Of course not,” Sebastian said with a nod. “Didn’t expect it to be any other way.”
“How long will it take?” Summer asked.
“I’m not sure,” Gabriel was the one that answered. “John has backup plans, and he’s not afraid to use them. So for now, we will keep doing what we have been. Go day by day, live, and you become the strong woman you were meant to be from the start.”
Summer’s warm smile filled the room, knowing that she was well on the road to doing just that. When she could be in Chase’s arms again, she’d be a different person than she had been when she was forced to leave. She’d be strong enough to stand by his side, helping him change the way the world worked if he’d let her.
Chapter 19
Clare was making herself sick with worry. A little over two, very long months, had passed and she was now six months along to the day. And in preterm labor on top of it.
Her emotions were all over the place. Worry. Fear. Joy. Sadness. Longing. Anger.
She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so much at one time. If she ever had before. Clare wanted her sister. Was she okay? Would she return? Did she even know what the family was going through without her here?
Just where the heck was Chase? And Ivan? Why wasn’t anyone looking harder? What was going on? All she felt like doing was sleeping or crying. Sometimes both at the same time.
No one around her seemed to wear their feelings on their sleeves, like her. Not even Kayla as she went on with life like nothing had happened. Nor Ryder or Zinna as they both went on with their lives like this was a common occurrence.
Maybe to them, it was. But to Clare, it wasn’t. Her sister was missing, possibly dead. A sister she had barely found and had just grown to love, now she was missing.
Tears leaked from her eyes once more as she stared blankly up at the white tiled ceiling, the heart monitor skipping beats as her breaths came in heavy pants once more. She could feel her stomach harden,
but it hardly brought any emotion to her as her thoughts stayed on her sister.
“Clare, please,” Asher begged, holding onto her hand as tightly as he dared. He feared not for Clare’s life, but for the baby that wasn’t strong enough to be born yet. Asher could hear the fetal monitor as the heart rate of the baby sped up.
The poor baby was in as much distress as the mother, and he sat there helpless with tears in his own eyes. He wished he could do something, anything, to comfort her.
With Chase gone, he had no idea what to do. He knew he was alive, but that was as much as he did know. Asher didn’t even know about Summer, or what had happened to her. The news was hardly covering her either. It was not all on Chase and Ivan.
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