The Dark Prince (The Dark Prince Trilogy #1) (23 page)

Summer instantly froze, her body going stiff. Her breaths were still even, though her body began to shake. Why did it seem like every time she got used to something, someone or some other thing had to jump out at her? Why? She felt like falling to her knees, crying, at the unfairness of it all.

“I won’t let him near you, honey,” Chase said. “But he’s watching. I’m pretty sure how he knows we are here.”

“Troy was taken out last night,” Asher spoke up with a laugh, trying to make it look like the new comer wasn’t seen, nor him effecting their outing. To the two men, the watchful eyes weren’t affecting their outing. This was a calm occurrence for once.

“That is probably why he is here. I’m guessing White let it slip before our meeting yesterday,” Chase sighed.

“What’s the plan, boss man?” Asher asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Nothing right now,” Chase said, shooting Asher a look. The young boy liked to take men down just as much as Chase did when the time called for it. But here in a roomful of people wasn’t the place. “Too many people. But Summer, I want you to pretend to be happy; smile. I want him to think he’s following the wrong people. He will know how you have behaved before. When we leave here, we will go to a different hotel. I always make a second reservation for cases like this.”

“Then what?” Summer asked, trying to tamper down her fear. Her eyes looked up at him wide as he flung his arm around the top of her shoulders and pulling her to him. She felt some of the stress leave her body from just his touch.

“Then I make a few calls and we leave as soon as it’s safe,” Chase answered. He sounded like this was no big deal. And to him, it wasn’t. Nothing he wasn’t able to handle.

“That easy?” Summer asked, not understanding why it would be so easy. Nothing was ever that easy. She glanced up at him, worry covering her face.

“Yep,” Asher said. “I play my part, you play yours.” He shrugged. Easy as pie. Summer simply didn’t understand how it could be so easy.

“We will go cash our tickets in,” Chase said, taking the ones that came out of the machine. “Asher can keep the coins to use for another time.”

Chase pulled Summer to his side more so she was flush against him, as Asher laughed, knowing that the man was watching their every move, every expression. Chase whispered to Summer to smile and act happy that she could get some stupid surprise. She forced a smile as they went up to the ticket counter. Chase handed over the tickets, and after they were all counted, he urged his wife to pick out some prizes. There were only a few tickets for the half an hour they were there.

She randomly picked out a few things, such as play necklaces, sunglasses, and some sort of ugly stuffed animal. The ticket counter person bagged the items, and wished them a good day. She kept her fake smile on her face as the left through the door, passing the man as he watched them. Chase laughed, punching Asher lightly on the shoulder.

Chase knew that it wouldn’t take long for the man to realize that he did, in fact, have the right people, but he hoped to buy some time. He nodded his head in greeting at the man, thanking himself for wearing a hat. He watched as the man’s eyes clouded in confusion.

The man had dark watchful brown eyes. His body was well endured from many years of working out. His tanned skin glistened from the sunshine as he stood half in and half out of the sunshine. Once outside, Asher acted like he had a phone call, hanging back from the two as they made their way to the second hotel.

Summer couldn’t help but glance at the tanned man, doing a double take. She knew him, but yet she was unable to place where she knew him from.

“Asher will catch up after scaring Jackson Hawk off,” Chase said. “We will walk with Mr. Hawk following us a little bit more closely as we get to the hotel. Asher already gave me the card and room number, so it won’t be an issue with getting into the room.”

“You thought of everything, didn’t you?” Summer asked, glancing up at him, surprise lacing her voice. But also, her voice was filled with awe. He really did go out of his way to keep her safe.

“Always,” he said, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. She couldn’t help but melt into him as they walked down the sidewalk. Asher had slipped the card into his pocket the day before without anyone knowing, or seeing. Being a pocket picker had its uses.

It wasn’t long before they entered the hotel part of MGM Grand, since the arcade was connected closely. Chase and Summer bypassed the casino and stores, going straight towards the elevator. She happened to look behind her, spotting Jackson not far behind, but looking down at his phone, his expression mixed with fury and stress.

“When we get into the elevator, I’m going to pull you into a hug. I’d kiss you, but I don’t think you’d like that too much,” Chase said, keeping his voice low as he pressed the up bottom for the elevator.

Summer took a deep breath as the elevator came, the silver doors opening. Chase stepped in, his front facing the opened lobby space, and saw the man do another double take as he glanced up from his phone. She followed her husband in and went willingly into his arms, knowing they would take her fear completely away. She melted into him, and on impulse without thinking, stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his.

Summer gave him credit for not acting surprised as his lips molded to hers, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her into him tightly. Her lips were soft, gently asking for entrance as they kissed his, not going too far. Once the doors had shut and the elevator began to move, Summer pulled back, embarrassed for acting like she did. Chase smiled at her sweetly, cupping her face in his hands.

“You can do that any time,” he smiled, pleased that she didn’t let Jackson ruin her time here. He could see the fear in her eyes, but also the thrill of doing something without being pressured.

“Now what?” she asked once they rose to the floor number thirteen. Her lips tingled from the kiss, and she barely resisted pressing her lips to his once more. He was addicting.

“Find our room,” Chase whispered.

They found the room number easily on the sixth floor, and Chase held the door opened for her. The room was much less fancy than the other hotel, but served its purpose. There was just a king sized bed, a couch against the window, and a large mounted TV. There was, of course a bathroom that had a nice, but regular shower and bathtub.

“I know, not much,” Chase shrugged. “But works for now. We shouldn’t be here for more than a couple of hours at most.”

As Summer crawled up on the bed, hugging a pillow to her body, her eyes watching her husband as he pulled out his phone. She could feel the panic, the fear, but it wasn’t all consuming. It was manageable and taking deep breaths, knowing that Chase was keeping her safe, and wouldn’t dare let anything happen to her calmed her more than anything else would ever be able to. Well, maybe his strong arms around her would help too.

He was not pleased with being followed, and by one of Jason’s men either. He wasn’t sure how Meads figured it out, but had a good idea on how.

“I need a Jet out by the end of the day,” Chase barked out into the phone. Money always talked, and no one would dare tell him no. Not now.

Quickly, a jet home was booked and would be ready in just under three hours. It was much earlier that he had wanted, but it had to be done. Next, he sent a text to Asher, asking for the luggage to be delivered to them, but kept the words to a minimum, just in case. A fast reply that would be from only the Asher he knew came in just a fast.

Next, Chase called Trent, who answered on the second ring.

“Yep,” was his one-word answer.

“Meads knows. Valerie was being paid by him in a roundabout way. Rat taken care of. We will be home by nightfall,” Chase said, keeping to the point.

“Alright. I’ll be there to pick you up,” Trent answered before hanging up.

That was the nice thing about having such great family members, no matter if they were blood related or not. They always dropped everything, no questions asked, when Chase requested. He didn’t request things often, either. Once business was taken care of once more, Chase made his way to his wife. He sat on the bed, bringing her to him as he wrapped his arms around her like she craved.

He let her lean against his body, his legs laid out in front of him. He briefly felt old as his knees popped, but ignored it as Summer finally let her tears go. She was afraid, and not just for herself. She feared for her husband, who only wanted a nice time away from issues for just a few hours. And now that her father knew where she was, it was only a matter of time before he’d come knocking at Chase's door.

She wasn’t scared of Jackson Hawk, per say. Sure, he wanted to marry her years ago, but Jason flat out said ‘no’. The younger boy, now man, was always nice to her, and treated her with respect. But he did seem a little different when compared to his brother, Alex Meads. Alex had chosen to take on Jason’s last name, while Jackson refused to change his.

What Summer feared the most was that Chase would be taken away from her, and she was growing attached to the man. He had shown her more kindness than she ever knew before. She didn’t know what the feeling was called that she felt towards him, but it was there, and as he held her tightly, her tears soaking his shirt, she didn’t care. All she cared about was that Chase wouldn’t ever let her go. No matter what.

Chapter 22

Summer dozed with her head resting against Chase’s chest. He held her tightly to him, knowing it calmed her. It calmed him too, as he kept his arm wrapped around her waist for the past two hours. He wasn’t able to sleep, as he was on high alert. He knew that Asher was more than capable of taking care of Jackson, but what if there was more than just person? What if Asher was outnumbered by some chance?

Chase had been forced to hide out in a different, cheaper hotel that was not up to his standards under a different name once before. Chase wasn’t worried about his own life as much as he was Summer’s.

Sure, he had cared deeply for his parents and close cousins, but with Summer it was different. His feelings were different. He had never been so protective over someone like he was with his wife. He knew he loved her, hell, his entire family did. But it was more than a familiar love, and that frightened him deep down.

He fell more in love with her each day, each hour that he was with her. She didn’t care about his money or his titles. Summer only tried to get to know him as who he was as a person. But she also didn’t try to be someone she wasn’t. She was simple, shy and quiet. She was like a breath of fresh air with her reactions and thoughts. Although, he had to draw her thoughts out word for word, but she was smart. And Chase couldn’t wait until he got to know her more.

He was prepared for a lot of things, but not this. Chase never once been prepared to fall in love. He married Summer partly to bring her father down, and knew that it would bother Jason Meads more than anything else. Chase also married her to save her from what would surely become of her if he didn’t. It wasn’t a secret that Summer would have been left for dead if it wasn’t for the Prince. But somewhere along the line, he found something he had never sought out.

Love.

He didn’t want to think about it; forced himself not to. But now, as he lay with his dozing wife who had been to hell and back more than once, he couldn’t
not
think about it. His feelings had never been stronger. What he said the other night in a way that he knew for certain that Summer would not be able to understand, he had never said truer words. He would move the world, and would do anything to make her happy.

As long as he was able to see her smiling face, he knew without a doubt he would be the luckiest man alive. He loved her. He wasn’t sure when he truly fell in love with the blushing shy girl, but he loved her. His heart sang for her, beat for only Summer. He was so close to telling her, too. But just barely, he had been able to hold back. He was sure she wasn’t ready to hear such words from him.

Chase didn’t know what to do with such feelings. He didn’t have anyone to really talk to about it either. He could always talk to his mom. But maybe, if Chase had Zinna help him get Summer to a better place, if the Summer was willing. Zinna was in a similar situation once, so she had more than enough experience to help his wife get her thoughts sorted out. And maybe even his own.

He had things in place to get Summer set up for life once she was able to function like a normal adult and had her education. His plan was to let her go, free herself of him. He would make it like she never had been in his life. But now? Now he couldn’t do that; not unless she asked him to. He wouldn’t let her go easily now that his feelings were at the surface. But he would if she asked him too, even if it killed him to let her be free of him and his lifestyle. He’d do just about anything to make sure she was happy, no matter the price.

That is what scared him now. He didn’t want her hurt because of who he was. It wasn’t an option to back out, since Jason most likely knew by now. There was no way out for either of them, unless death took them. It was almost like a Romeo and Juliet story. One family hated the other, but the two pawns in the game were in love with one another and would fight till death to spend the rest of their living days as one.

~o0o~

At the age of fifteen, Chase saw Summer around, but not often. It had been years since he saw the girl. Her mother worked in the house he grew up in. In the few short years, Emma was almost like a second mother.

Emma often talked about her daughter, and how much she missed her. It never escaped Chase’s notice that the young girl was forced to live a certain way that wasn’t right. He knew without a doubt that Summer wasn’t treated as a person. It didn’t take much to figure it out. Even a blind man would have been able to see it.

The girl had been seen by Chase at a clients’ home, and he was shocked at how ill she looked. It was clear that she was not eating healthy or being treated fairly. He wanted to help her, but didn’t know where to start. Chase could see that the life was draining away from her without her even knowing it.

She jumped at every command given to her, and Chase couldn’t do a thing about it. His heart hurt for her, knowing his hands were tied.

“Is there any way out for her? Surely there has to be?” Chase asked as he sat at the island, sipping a soda as Emma made dinner for the family.

“Not really, unless you want Jason at your doorstep. For some reason, he has these ideas in his head, and plans to take over what your family has been working so hard at and taking her would make it happen sooner,” Emma had answered sadly. “Ivan proposed for you to take her hand
in
marriage once she was of age, but Jason flat out denied that request. He wants her step brother to have her and I have no idea why.” Well, she did, but was not willing to say it out loud. It was bad enough she knew.

“There has to be a way to get her out of his clutches though,” Chase mused, running both hands through his hair.

“Only way is death, Chase,” Emma said, meeting the boy’s sad eyes. “Jason only wants arm candy, and he plans to use Summer as just that in time. She’ll be forced to be at his side in submission, at least until he tires of her. I was one of the lucky ones that got away, for the most part. I was stupid as it was choosing him when there were other options to go with.

“You know as well as I, Chase. There is no escape from this life. Either we live the way it is, and how we are all born into it, or we die.”

“What if I did marry her? Not now, obviously, but when I’m of age?” Chase asked as the idea popped into his head. It could fix a lot of issues. But also, it would cause new issues, all of which Chase was determined to take care of. “I can figure out a way to get her out of there, and with me.”

“It would give her more time, sure,” Emma answered carefully, keeping her words quiet so they weren’t overheard. “But that could cause a war. If you marry my daughter, I know she’d be protected, but you’d have to be prepared to kill that man. There is no other way. And you would have to take down anyone that is on his side.”

Chase wanted a war. It was long past due, and rightfully so. Jason Meads had more say over his own head then his own father at times. All because of some stupid argument over land and buildings that had been in the Marcel family for years. The Prince would bring that man down before his time was up. It had to be done. It didn’t matter if Chase did end up with the girl or not.

“I could. I would kill him now,” Chase said, already beginning to plan. “I promised Summer that I could kill that man the first time I saw her. Marrying her would prove that I keep my word.”

“You were a child then. She probably doesn’t even remember,” Emma said, shaking her head. She wondered what had gotten into the boy who was always so strong. Sweet, but strong.

“Age doesn’t matter, Em. I’m the Prince of the Marcel house. I can, and
will
marry Summer Meads. And I will kill that man if it’s the last thing I do to make that girl have a better life.” He held his head high, proving to not only himself, but the woman too, that he was capable of just that.

“She’s not the only one, Chase. There are others in the same, if not worse, place than my daughter,” Emma said, not letting hope get the better of her. “There are so many women and children taken and forced to be slaves against their wills.”

“I will make this world a better place. I promise,” Chase said before dashing off to his favorite thinking spot, knowing he needed to begin to put his plan into motion right then and there to save the girl that he made his first promise to. It didn’t matter if she remembered or not. He did, and that was what mattered to Chase.

~o0o~

Chase’s phone chirped with an incoming text from Asher, saying that their ride was here. With a sigh, he woke his wife up, telling her it was time to go. With a groan, Summer pushed herself up and let Chase help her. She noticed his green eyes were dark, filled with emotions that she didn’t understand. She didn’t dwell on it, too tired and stressed herself to deal with much more.

He held her hand tightly as he led her from the room, leaving the door keycard on the bed. He shut the door behind them before leaving the floor through the elevator. He kept his eyes peeled for any followers and led Summer through a back entrance, leaving no trace left behind. Once in the black SUV, with Asher in the driver’s seat, Summer scooted closer to Chase, leaning her head against his shoulder and letting her eyes drift closed again. She couldn’t stop herself from seeking out his warmth as the kiss flashed through her mind.

“It’s all clear,” Asher said before Chase could ask anything. “He thinks he was following the wrong couple, or at least did. I followed him for an hour before grabbing your things.”

“Did he call anyone?” Chase asked, rubbing Summer’s arm. He knew that she was awake, listening to them talk. Even as she leaned against him, his arm over her lower back to hold her as close as she wanted to be.

“Yep. He called his boss, who then called the number I set up quickly so Jason ended up talking to me thinking it was Troy. He’s not very smart,” Asher laughed.

“He is, though,” Summer said, opening her drowsy blue eyes. “He’s not great with phone calls, but he is smart. And once he finds out what you did, he won’t be happy.”

“That’s what I’m counting on, sug,” Asher laughed, glancing back through the mirror. “But for the record, I did sound like the man that is now lost among the fishes, so to speak.”

“You killed him?” Summer asked, not sure what she expected. Her voice was a mix between awe and shock.

“He had to,” Chase said calmly.

“But, no
I didn’t,
I had someone else do it. I don’t do the killing unless I have to, Princess. I have to keep my good aim secret from a lot of people, though I watched it happen,” Asher explained, giving her a wink through the mirror. But man did he want to. Drugging was his go to choice when taking anyone down, but he knew how to shoot a gun just as well.

“Ok,” Summer said, feeling relieved. He seemed younger and older at the same time and that gave her mixed thoughts. She didn’t like killing, or guns, but knew she had to get used to it sometime, sooner rather than later. She was married to a Mafia Prince, after all. And Chase already hinted that she’d have to learn how to protect herself when she was fully physically healed.

"Don’t worry about what I do, sweet girl,” Asher said. “I can handle it and more. I wouldn’t be here now if I couldn’t.”

For some reason, that did sooth Summer, or maybe it was Chase who pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head. Either way, she let the events of the day, the past week even, pass over her head. There was nothing she could do about it. She knew her father was out there, waiting for the perfect moment to make her life a living hell once more. And of course, it was right when she was starting to enjoy the life that Chase offered her.

Summer still didn’t know why he married her. There had to be better women out there to be his wife. But maybe, just maybe as a small bout of hope bloomed, she was the missing puzzle to him. Could it be possible that Chase needed her just as much as she now needed him?

~o0o~

She was nine years old when she knew things were changing, and not for the better. She was putting the last bit of laundry away as Alex and Jackson, her father’s prized boys, ran up and down the hall. Alex was quieter than the other boy. Jackson was the loud one, but nicer of the two, surprisingly. And he seemed to always have red tinted cheeks whenever he was in her presence.