Protecting Summer (13 page)

Summer groaned when the phone rang the next morning. She rolled over and saw it was only six thirty. She didn’t even think about ignoring it though, because the only people that would be calling her were Mozart or his, and now her, friends.

“Hello?” Summer tried to sound more awake than she was. She had no idea why people did that, pretended to be awake when they weren’t, but it seemed the polite thing to do.

“Sorry I woke you up, Summer. How are you?”

“Uh…who is this?” Summer knew it wasn’t Mozart, she’d recognize his voice in an instant. She’d never heard this person before.

Chuckling, the person on the other end of the line said, “Sorry. I’m Tex. I think Mozart told you about me?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong? Is Mozart okay?”

“Shit. Yeah. He’s fine. Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to call and introduce myself. I know he told you to call me if you needed anything, but if you’re anything like most women I know, you won’t do it because you don’t know me. So I’m calling so you can
get
to know me and you’ll call if you need to.”

Not knowing exactly why he was calling and not being all the way awake yet, Summer said, “Okay.”

Tex chuckled on the other end of the phone. “First, you have to know what it is I do. If it has to do with something electronic, I can get information out of it. Phones, cameras, computers, credit card machines…anything.”

“Are you a hacker?”

“Yes.”

Whispering now, Summer said, “Is that legal?”

“I don’t go around hacking into the FBI database for fun, Summer, if that’s what you’re asking. But if I need to find someone, or if one of my teams needs something, they’ll find they have it.”

“I don’t understand how that’s not illegal.” Summer sat up in the bed, a little more awake now, and leaned against the headboard. She really wanted to understand this man. She heard the respect in Mozart’s voice when he told her about Tex. She knew Mozart was an honest-to-God-hero, and he wouldn’t champion someone who wasn’t on the up-and-up.

“Let me give you an example. I hope you don’t mind, but Mozart told me a bit about your situation. If you called me, as you’re supposed to, if you run out of money for food and are hungry, all it takes is a few clicks and I can have the local grocery store deliver a week’s worth of whatever it is that you want to eat, in about five minutes.”

“But, that’s stealing!” Summer, honestly shocked, informed him unnecessarily.

“I didn’t say it wouldn’t be paid for,” Tex scolded.

Blushing, Summer muttered, “Oh.”

“Yeah, Oh. I can arrange for food to be delivered to you remotely. I’d charge it to my credit card, or Mozart’s, but it would be paid for. The point I’m trying to make here, sweetheart, is that you aren’t alone out there. I can get whatever you need to do you remotely. I don’t have to cheat or break the law in order to do it.”

Summer let out a relieved breath.

Tex heard it and continued, “But, that isn’t to say that I
wouldn’t
do something illegal to help you if I needed to.”

“You don’t even know me though,” Summer argued.

“I don’t have to. You belong to Mozart. That’s good enough for me.”

Summer didn’t have anything to say about that. On one hand she was appalled that Tex had actually said it out loud. It sounded so barbaric. But the other part of her, the part that had really listened to what Caroline, Alabama, and Fiona had told her about the men, rejoiced in being a part of their close-knit family. The thought of “belonging” to Mozart also made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. It was official, she was insane.

“Well, I’m good. I don’t need anything, legal or illegal.”

“You’ll call me if you do?” When she didn’t say anything, Tex warned, “Summer?”

“Oh all right. Jeez. You’re just like Mozart.”

“Thank you.”

“It wasn’t a compliment,” Summer said petulantly, even though she was smiling.

“I know. And Summer, the next time you go out drinking with the ladies, try the Madori Sours, they’re just as good as the Amaretto Sours.”

“Wha-, how do you know what I was drinking?”

“There are security cameras everywhere, Summer.”

Summer was just cluing into how serious Tex was about what he did. “Okay. I’ll try them then. Next time.” She could hear Tex laughing at her.

“Good. Now go back to sleep. You have another couple of hours before you need to be up and cleaning.
Call me,
Summer. For anything you need. I’m here when Mozart can’t be.”

“Okay, Tex. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good day.”

“You too. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Hanging up the phone, Summer could only shake her head. Mozart’s world was one she never expected to find herself in, but she couldn’t deny that she liked it. She liked how protective he and his friends were. They were bossy and liked ordering people around, but she could tell that deep down they were very caring men. And she figured women like Caroline, Alabama, and Fiona wouldn’t be with them, if they were assholes. That had to mean something.

She snuggled back down into the covers and closed her eyes. She’d do what Tex ordered just because
she
wanted to, not because he told her to.

* * *

“Hey, Summer, can you come here for a second?”

Summer turned and saw Henry standing at the door to the office gesturing for her to come over to him. She wiped her hands on the towel she’d been holding and draped it over the cart. She moved the cart as much to the side as she could, out of the way of any guests that might walk by, and set the brake on it. The last thing she wanted was it rolling away and dumping all the stuff on the ground. Summer hurried across the parking lot to the office.

She entered to see Joseph leaning against the front desk with Henry standing behind it. Summer immediately tensed. Ever since the weird encounter she had with Joseph a few days ago, she’d been edgy and nervous around him. They hadn’t spoken since then, but she’d caught him looking at her a few times.

“What’s up, Henry?” Summer said as normally as she could.

“I’ve been talking with Joseph and he’s got an idea and we could use your help.”

“Okay, I’ll do what I can.”

Joseph took over the conversation. “I told Henry we could probably get more women to stay here if we spruced up the rooms a bit more. Women, after all, are the ones who most often make room reservations for family vacations. I think if we changed out the paintings on the walls and upgraded the bedding, it would go a long way toward helping raise business.”

Summer looked at Joseph closely. The words coming out of his mouth seemed so incongruent to his looks. He was probably around sixty-five years old and had long, stringy, gray hair. He wasn’t skinny and he wasn’t fat. He was actually in pretty good shape for an older guy. But there was something about him, now that Summer was paying attention, that just wasn’t right. Joseph talking about bedding and pictures just didn’t go with what she thought a handy man would even care about.

She cautiously answered. “Okay, yeah, that sounds good. Was that what you wanted? For my approval and opinion?”

“Actually we need you for more,” Henry told her. “I need for you to go with Joseph to town and pick out some things. We have no idea what women like, since you’re female, you do. You guys can go this afternoon and get some stuff for a few of the rooms and we’ll set them up and take pictures for the website tomorrow.”

Summer stood stock still. Henry had never asked her to do anything like this before. She had no idea why he was suddenly interested in her opinion as a woman. Trying to get out of it she said, “Uh, I haven’t finished cleaning the rooms yet.”

“No problem. We don’t have anyone renting them tonight, so they’ll keep until tomorrow.”

Shit. There went that excuse. Joseph hadn’t said anything further, he was just standing next to the counter with his legs crossed at the ankle and smiling at her. Actually it looked more like a smirk. Summer had no idea what to say to get out of this, she’d never been any good at thinking on her feet. She usually came up with a good comeback about two days after the fact.

“Uh, okay.”

“Great, here are the keys to my car. Joseph, go pull it around. Summer, meet Joseph out front.”

“I have to make a phone call first,” Summer blurted out. She couldn’t get Tex’s words out of her head. He’d keep an eye on her. If he could see what she’d been drinking when she’d been out with the other SEAL’s women, maybe he could keep his eye on her while she was shopping with Joseph. Summer had no idea if that was even possible or not, but Tex
had
ordered her to call him if she needed anything.

“Okay, but make it quick. Time’s a wastin’.” Henry was feeling good about his decision to redecorate, and obviously wanted it done right away.

Summer pushed open the office door and made a beeline for her room. She pulled the keycard out of her back pocket and after entering, locked the door behind her. She went right to the phone and pulled the piece of paper with the phone numbers Mozart had left for her to the end of the table so she could read it. She’d kept it under the phone for easy reference.

She dialed Tex’s phone number and listened to it ring. When it went to voicemail, Summer swore under her breath. Shit. He had to be there. She hung up and dialed the number again. When it again went to voice mail again, Summer sighed. She didn’t have a choice but to leave a message.

Hey, Tex, it’s Summer. I don’t really know why I’m calling, except I needed some advice…or something. I’ve been asked to go into town with the guy Henry hired as a handy man for the motel. His name is Joseph. Normally I wouldn’t think twice about it, but he’s been…weird lately. Nothing bad, and I’m sure it’s nothing, but since I don’t have a car or anything I have to go with him. I thought that you could, maybe…shit. I don’t know. Watch? You said there were cameras and you knew what I was drinking that one night….oh Jesus. I sound crazy. Anyway, okay, well, I have to go, he’s waiting for me. I’ll call you when I get back later and you can laugh at how paranoid I am. Bye.

Summer hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and walked to the door. She closed it carefully behind her, making sure it latched shut and saw Joseph waiting for her in Henry’s old car. She smiled at Joseph nervously as she opened the door and closed it behind her. She looked behind her as they pulled out of the parking lot.
Big Bear Lake Cabins Motel
might be run-down and sad, but it held a special place in her heart because it was where she met Mozart. She’d do what she could to make it a success.

Tex came back into his apartment after taking a short walk. He was so close to finding Ben Hurst he could taste it. He’d just needed a small break before hitting the computer again. He wanted to find the asshole for Mozart, and to get him off the streets. The man was a menace and had been extremely lucky over his lifetime. He’d apparently made a habit out of assaulting women and children. Avery Reed wasn’t his first victim, and certainly wasn’t his last. There was something obviously wrong inside the man’s head. He had no remorse for what he’d done and what he continued to do. Hurst’s short stints in jail had no effect on his behavior.

Tex had traced the man to the Big Bear Lake area a few months ago and that’s why Mozart had ended up there. Tex smiled. He loved being able to have one up on a fellow SEAL. He could now claim for the rest of their lives that he was the one who basically introduced Mozart to Summer.

Tex settled into his chair and wiggled his mouse. His computer screen lit up and he was happy to see his chat box blinking at him. He eagerly clicked on it and saw the note from Mel. Smiling at her comment, he quickly responded. He loved talking to her. She was smart and funny. It was weird because he had no idea what she looked like or even where she was, but she entertained him and gave him a good break from everything else he had going on in his life.

Thirty minutes later, he signed off with Mel reluctantly. He had work to do. He wanted to nail Hurst and needed to find where the bastard was hiding. Tex clicked on the icon to open a new browser and out of the corner of his eye saw the red light blinking on his cell phone. When did he miss a call? He remembered suddenly that he hadn’t taken the phone when he’d left earlier for his walk.

He listened to the message from Summer and heard what she didn’t say. It was obvious she was feeling uneasy about the situation, but she had no idea how to get out of it. If she hadn’t been uneasy, she never would have called him. Shit. If Tex had been able to talk to her, he would’ve told her in no uncertain terms not to get in the car with Joseph. He’d learned to listen to his gut, more times than not, it was right.

Tex looked at the time of the message. It’d been over half an hour since Summer had called him. Fuck. With purpose, Tex turned to his laptop and quickly brought up the security cameras he’d used to track Summer and the other women when they’d gone out. He rewound the footage about twenty-five minutes and combed through them all anxiously. He didn’t see Summer in any of them.

Dammit. He quickly checked the other cameras that he was able to hack into, with no luck. Summer and the mysterious Joseph hadn’t made it into town.

He checked the local law enforcement scanners. There had been no traffic accidents in the last half hour. He had no idea where Summer disappeared to, but he had a feeling the mysterious Joseph would turn out to be the man he’d spent the last few years tracking. Tex didn’t know how he knew it, but with every minute that passed without sight of Summer, he knew he was right. Ben Hurst was at it again, and Tex had no idea how Mozart was going to react to the fact that the man who killed his little sister all those years ago, had now taken his woman.

* * *

Summer blinked slowly. Fuck. She knew immediately she was in deep trouble. Just as they’d pulled around the corner from the motel, Joseph had hit her in the face hard enough to stun her. Her head had bounced off the side window and she saw stars. When Summer could finally think straight again, to try to open the door to get out, Joseph had already immobilized her. He’d pulled over on a side road and put a pair of handcuffs around her wrists behind her back, stuffed a piece of cloth in her mouth, and tied a gag around her head. Summer couldn’t move and she couldn’t talk. When she’d turned sideways and kicked Joseph as hard as she could in his ribs, he’d hit her again, this time hard enough to knock her out.

Now, here she was. Summer had no idea
where
she was, but she knew she wasn’t safe. She choked back a sob. With the gag still in her mouth, she couldn’t cry now. She was having a hard enough time breathing as it was. Why didn’t she follow her instincts? She’d called Tex because she
knew
Joseph wasn’t safe, but she didn’t have the guts to say no. She moaned. Would she ever see Mozart again? Would she ever see
anyone
again?

* * *

Tex frantically hit the keys on his computer. Shit. Shit. Shit. He had to get Mozart and the rest of his team home. Tex shook his head. He spent too much of his damn life trying to get those SEALs back to the States when they were on a mission. It was uncanny how unlucky their women were. But there was no doubt in Tex’s mind now that Hurst was Joseph. He’d called Henry at the motel and asked as many questions as he could about the handyman he’d hired.

Henry didn’t know much about the man. He didn’t know where he lived or even what his last name was. Henry had needed someone to do some grunt work around the motel, and Joseph had been his only applicant. Henry paid him in cash and had been happy with the work he’d been doing.

Tex hung up in disgust. Shit. Now what? He needed boots on the ground. This seemed to be one time when working from Virginia on the computer just wasn’t going to cut it. He had to get Mozart home. Now.

* * *

“I’ve been waiting for you, Summer.”

Summer glared at Joseph from across the room. She was in some sort of cabin, and it could have been anywhere in the mountains around the lake. She tried not to think about it, but instead, turned her mind to trying to figure out how the hell she was going to get out of the situation.

“I don’t even know you, Joseph. Why would you be waiting for me?” Summer tried to keep her voice even, but she could hear the tremble in her voice. Joseph had taken the gag out of her mouth and even fed her a bit of food and given her some water. Summer had been reluctant to eat it at first, but after Joseph had eaten some of it to show it wasn’t drugged, she’d given in. She knew she’d need her strength if she was going to get out of there.

“You have no idea who I am do you?”

“You’re Joseph.”

He laughed evilly. “I see your boyfriend hasn’t really told you anything has he? You haven’t spent time talking, I wonder what you’ve spent your time together doing?” Joseph sneered at Summer.

Summer didn’t say anything, waiting for Joseph to get on with whatever it was he obviously wanted her to know.

“My name is Benjamin Hurst.” When Summer didn’t react in any way, he elaborated. “I kidnapped, raped, and killed Avery Reed years and years ago. In case
that
name doesn’t ring any bells, I’ll clue you in. I’m the man your boyfriend has been hunting since he was a teenager. I find it ironic he came up here to find me, and instead led me straight to your door. If he hadn’t come back, I would’ve earned a bit of money working for Henry and slunk out of town as soon as the snow melted. Instead, I saw him with you. I couldn’t resist.”

“You killed his sister?”

“Oh yeah. But not before I raped and tortured her. There’s nothing like the screams of a child, but alas, there aren’t too many kids up here, so you’ll have to do. And for the record, you
will
scream, Summer. I plan on raping and torturing you too, before I kill you. I’ve come a long way since little Avery. I know just how far to go before pulling back. I wouldn’t want you to die before I’m ready.”

Summer tried really hard to keep a straight face. Jesus. She couldn’t think, she didn’t know what to say. She kept her mouth shut and just watched as Joseph/Ben came toward her with the dreaded gag in his hand. She tried not to flinch, but couldn’t help it. She was scared shitless.

“But first I need to go out. I can’t risk you screaming so loudly that someone hears you, can I? Not that anyone would. We’re so far out in the woods, it’d take a miracle for anyone to find you.”

Before he could put the gag back in place, Summer spit out, “Mozart will find you and kill you. You might torture and end up killing me, but Mozart
will
find you. You’ll wish you were dead when he does. You’ll regret kidnapping me when the last thing you see is Mozart’s face before he kills you.”

Ben grabbed her jaw and squeezed so tightly, Summer couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her lips. Her jaw opened involuntarily and Ben shoved the filthy piece of cloth back in her mouth. He quickly wrapped the piece of sheet around her head to keep the gag in place. When it was secured behind her, he leaned in and whispered, “I can’t wait to see him, to show him what’s left of your battered and beaten body. To watch him break down. I know he’s a killer just like me. I want to see him lose it and kill out of anger. He’s just like me, he just needs to be shown the way. Shown how cathartic it can be to take another’s life.”

Summer shivered. This man was crazy. She dropped her head. There would be no reasoning with him. She was as good as dead.