The Dark Prince (The Dark Prince Trilogy #1) (34 page)

“I don’t know,” Chase sighed, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. “But I will find out.” Then turning to Peter, “Did you see John?”

“No, and my sweep I ran on him, his bank accounts are cleared out. So I’m guessing he’s in hiding,” Peter said, not concerned. “He’ll pop out soon enough. I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

It was true. Peter had contacts that Chase knew about, and John would be found. Most likely dead, but found non-the-less. Chase desperately wanted to know what John’s plans were, but everything didn’t always get answered in their line of work.

Jack then made his goodbyes, knowing he wasn’t needed, and Peter was quick to follow, making the excuse that they had shared a car to Chase’s house. Chase knew what they were going to go home, possibly even to bed, together. He didn’t care, although most mafia bosses would have greatly frowned upon that idea. That would have been a death sentence right then and there just because of their sexual stances.

Clare texted Asher a picture of the little girl’s face, that was clean from dirt and grime, and he made quick work of getting the computer program set up to do a face recognition run. He took note that he didn’t see any marks on her face, at least.

Chase led Summer to the living room, where it was more comfortable, waiting for the two other men in the house to get things set up and finished. She sat next to Chase as he talked to Carter about upcoming plans as her thoughts spun about where that child had come from.

Summer didn’t know why someone would let a child out of their sight, nor let them go anywhere alone at such a young age. Bitter times popped up in her memory of how she was taken away from her own mother countless time before, screaming and crying to stay with her.

“Can I see Emma?” Summer whispered out to Chase, her voice quiet as she feared rejection.

“Of course. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to see you,” he answered tenderly, playing with the ends of her hair. “I’ll talk to Kayla and we’ll figure out a time for you to have some alone time with your mother.”

He hadn't been sure Summer had recognized her mother after the dinner at his parents’ house, even though he had told her who she was, but was glad to see she did, or at the very least wanted to spend time with her. Emma had always been like a second mother to him when he was growing up, and he knew how torn up she had been when Summer was snatched away from her.

“Thank you,” she said through a yawn.

“Any time, honey,” Chase responded gently, tightening his arms around her. He’d let her do just about anything if she asked. His goal was to make her happy to give her the love she never had. He had found her, and he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight. Knowing she’d had the best ability to be happy here helped his goal to be in place.

Chapter 32

It was about half an hour later when Clare came back downstairs, asking for Summer’s help to find something for the child to wear. Summer didn’t want to leave Chase’s warmth as she was content where she was at, almost asleep against his side. But she got up to help anyway after shooting Chase a shy smile. Her smiles seemed to make him happy.

Before she left his side, Summer pressed a light kiss to his cheek, feeling the prickles of his hair against her lips. Of course she blushed beet red before rushing upstairs. Chase beamed at the action and let her go as her cheeks reddened in surprise at her own actions. She hurried upstairs, finding Trent waiting with a towel wrapped child in his arms, and Clare digging through her clothes, frantically.

“I don’t know what a child would wear,” Clare huffed out, briefly glancing at her sister. Her voice was higher than normal, and Summer briefly wondered why. Her sister never seemed affected by anything as far as the older girl knew of.

“This will work,” Summer said, picking up a light colored long sleeved shirt that Clare had tossed to the floor. “It’ll be big, but we can tie the sleeves up and it will do until we figure out what will happen to her. Asher is already working on that picture.”

“He’s great, isn’t he,” Clare mused with a dreamy sigh as she thought about the boy she had fallen in love with.

“How can you know you love him so soon?” Summer asked, hoping that Clare could enlighten her somewhat on her own feelings. Summer loved Chase so much and she wasn’t sure that the Prince knew how deep her feelings for him were. She still wasn’t even sure when she had fallen in love with him. But she had.

“I just do,” Clare said with a shrug, turning to her sister with a knowing look. “I always have. I grew up in his home before his parents passed away and I was homeless. I don’t know when it happened, but it did. I love him, and always will. Finding him again is the best thing, other than Chase and you. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Chase.”

“I wish it was that easy for me,” Summer said sadly, refusing to meet her sister’s eyes as she looked at the floor, still holding the shirt. “I don’t think he knows, even though I’ve told him.” She had told him, right? She couldn’t help but second guess herself.

“Summer,” Trent said, not able to help but overhear. Summer looked up at the large man, her eyes slightly wider. Yes, she got along with him well enough in the few instances they had been in the same room, but now there was no other male in the room that she felt she could trust. “He loves you with every breath he takes. Chase wouldn’t take such good care of you otherwise; you are truly his Princess. He dropped everything to take care of your needs the past few days.”

Trent did have a point, but that didn’t mean that she wanted to accept it. It just couldn’t be that easy for her; nothing ever was. Chase had been by her side constantly, only because she needed someone to lean on. But was it worth it? Was it worth it to him showing how much he did care for her?

“He really does love you, Summer. We all do. You are family and nothing will change that,” Trent said, sitting down on the bed so he was eye level with the girl he viewed as a sister. She was tiny compared to his frame. “I know your life hasn’t been the best, and I wish Ivan could have gotten you out, but he did everything he could.

“Ivan did try, at least as much as he could without risking the life of his son and wife at the time. But things are different now. You have to see that. You are treated fairly here, like family. And that won’t ever change,” he finished, his voice strong.

Trent wanted to reach out and cover her hands with his own, but hesitated. He was the type of man that liked to help others when they were down. Let it be a hug, or just making someone laugh. Not being able to do that for Summer was hard, but he refrained himself. She simply nodded, letting his words soak in. She knew she was treated better here than anywhere else. She
was
part of the family; had been since she stepped foot into this house. Before she even knew she would be able to stay here and call this place home.

She knew she shouldn’t question it all, but in the short time that she had been here, her emotions had been all over the place. Today, it seemed, was the first time her emotions and thoughts were clear and drug free. Summer could see that everyone liked her. No one abused her in any way, and they went out of their way to talk to her.

She was treated like a Princess, and Chase did love her as much as she loved him. If not more so. He showed her by his actions, and respecting her personal space. She had never been shown such respect, let alone love, before.

It was just hard to wrap her mind around the love she felt for him in such a short time. But he was Chase. She knew that there must have been some sort of connection to that man as she grew up. It was the only explanation she could come up with at the moment. Clare was able to accept this type of life so easily without question, so why couldn’t Summer?

Did it have something to do with how Summer was raised, as if she never should have been born? Was it because of who she was raised by part of her life, or because she wasn't showed the love she should have been after being taken from her mother? Clare had never known their father, but she had been raised for the most part by a loving family, even if they weren't her blood family.

Deciding it wasn’t worth the time to dwell on the repeating questions in her mind, Summer took a deep breath, and then held the shirt out to Trent to dress the little girl. Her black hair was clean and brushed out, and her face looked a lot better.

“Here,” Trent said, handing the girl off to Summer. “I gotta take a piss.” Then he was gone, leaving Summer wide eyed, lightly holding onto the girl as Clare laughed at the expression on her sister’s face. Summer had wide panicked eyes. She had never been this close to a child this young, let alone held one. What was she supposed to do here?

The child simply leaned into Summer, seeking her warmth. The Princess wasn’t sure what to do at first, but slowly, she took the towel off the child’s body, finding no marks on her perfect skin. She was underweight, but at least she wasn’t harmed. That gave her more relief than she’d ever admit.

She slid the shirt down over her head, and the child helped to put her arms in the correct holes before leaning her head back against Summer’s chest.

“She still hasn’t said anything,” Clare said. “But man does she look so much like Zinna.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Summer replied, her voice quiet. “But I don’t know much about Zinna, or the life she had before Chase came across her.”

“I know some,” Clare spoke. “But not much. She was in a compound like what we were in, and Chase found her. He took her in, willing to give her a better life. Before she knew it, she met Ryder and they fell in love after a short time. She doesn’t talk much of the time before that.”

“Understandable,” Summer said quietly. She didn’t like talking about her past either.

“Chase found her about five or six years ago or so,” Clare went on. “She was in worse shape than you were, and you were bad.” she gave her sister a sad look, remembering all too well how two months ago, Summer wouldn’t talk, and hardly ate at all. She was depressed, but Summer was one hundred times better now. “Although Zinna did have more fight left in her than you did, and was more than happy to go with Chase; she could sense he was a good man.

“Ryder didn’t say much either, thinking about it,” Clare went on after a moment. “I’m not willing to ask either of them,” she laughed.

Summer nodded, knowing what she meant. She didn’t want to ask either. But the similarities between this child and Zinna was so strange. But the girl even looked similar to Clare herself. Instead of saying anything else, Summer carried the dozing child downstairs, being careful of each step. Summer couldn’t help but shoot an annoyed glare at Trent. He held his hands up in surrender when she entered the living room with her death look.

A month ago, she wouldn’t have dared look at Trent that way. She surely was getting stronger.

She took her seat next to Chase, careful of not waking the child, although it wasn’t likely. Chase wrapped his arm around his wife, enjoying seeing her holding the child, as it fit her. Maybe, years down the road, they could try for another one. But only when he knew it would be safe and he didn’t have to worry about being killed, or his family getting hurt.

Clare took a seat next to Asher, who was glued to the computer he sat on the coffee table.

“Any luck?” Clare asked.

“No. I can’t find anything. A few things that match, but the age, time, and race don’t add up,” Asher said, frustrated.

“I’ll call Ryder this afternoon,” Chase said through a yawn after looking at his watch. “Someone must be missing her. I sure would be if she was my little girl.”

“Kayla can do a DNA test to match with any records on file with missing children.” Asher said, glancing up at Chase. “That would help, at least narrow down any leads, or results. There are so many missing children all over the world. But she may not be pronounced missing yet, or she may have been abandoned.”

“That’s true, but if that’s the case, her parents won’t be getting her back. She hasn’t hardly had any food for weeks,” Clare said, already trying to protect the child.

“Clare, sweetie,” Asher said, trying to sooth his girlfriend. He laid a calming hand on her arm.

“She’s right,” Summer said, standing up for Clare. “This little one shouldn’t be starving if her parents cared.”

“There can be a number of explanations,” Chase said, soothing things over. “We’ll wait and see what happens after we get DNA test results and Ryder shows up.”

Chase was always the man of reason. He thought out every move, every motive. He was raised that way, so it was normal to think in a rational way. When Chase looked down at his wife by his side, he found her dozing against him, the child fast asleep against her chest as a soft blanket was wrapped around her small frame.

He hoped that her parents were looking for her, as it was a better option than no one wanting the poor child. He had seen children as young as ten being sold to men across the world, just so their parents could have money to buy drugs or pay off a debt. It was never the child’s fault. Never.

Trying to not have to worry about the possibilities, Chase leaned his head back against the couch, letting his eyes close as Asher and Carter talked about what needed to be done to narrow the endless search down. He kept an ear out on their conversation, making sure he didn’t need to step in at any point.

Clare ended up falling asleep next to Asher on the floor, her head in his lap, not bothered at all with sleeping there. She could easily find a spot to crash at any given moment, almost. Trent’s loud snored filled the room soon enough, causing Carter to laugh, amused. That man could sleep like the dead, and with that snore, it would wake the dead, too.

“What do you need to narrow it down?” Carter asked.

“Ethnic background for one,” Asher answered, sitting back from the computer so his hands braced most of his weight, Clare’s head in his lap staying put for the most part. “Knowing that could help me narrow down what country she came from. Also, the DNA, of course. Her parents could be anyone, and no one at the same time. If she’d talk, about anything at all, to get some sort of ground on where to begin with . . . ” he trailed off.

“Once we have covered every basis, Chase will have a plan thought up,” Asher went on, his voice quiet. “But I am hoping that we find her parents, and that they didn’t sell the poor girl to pay for something that they thought was worth more than a child.”

Asher knew how likely that could be the possibility. All too often children, ages from newborn to eighteen and sometimes even older, are sold into sex trafficking by their own flesh and blood.

~oOo~

Chase laid his sleeping wife down, her head resting on the pillow, the child still cradled in her arms. He covered them both with the blue blanket he dug out from the linen closet, hoping they would both sleep some more. He let them sleep on the couch, knowing it would be no use to put them to bed, likely to wake one or the other.