Chapter Twelve

“What are you going to do?” Summer asked softly, instinctively backing up into the corner, her eyes locked on her captor. She had a good idea but needed to hear the words for some morbid reason.

The tiny room consisted of a double bed with a thin, worn out, green bedspread. A small bedside table sat between the bed and the wall, holding a faux brass lamp, scuffed and scratched. The television sat high on a black metal wall mount, secured well enough to make stealing it a fairly difficult task. She could only presume a small bathroom existed on the other side of the wall. She didn’t dare explore it, fearing being completely trapped by the violent criminal with rape on his agenda, judging by the lewd and scary expressions he sent her direction the moment he pulled into the small hotel’s parking lot. At least she still carried her cell phone. Not that it would do much good in this impending doom. The small palm-sized device would make a poor weapon choice and the man more than likely wouldn’t let her use it to call authorities.

He double-checked the locks on the door before turning to stare at her. “Now, that depends.” A wicked smirk crossed his face, while his beady eyes flashed with cruelty. Slowly, he placed his gun on the beat up, wobbly dresser just under the suspended television, well out of her reach.

She began to pant as her heart raced. His gaze found her cleavage and held for a time before it dipped lower and finally returned to her face. The corner of his mouth slowly crept up, revealing discolored and broken teeth as his eyes sparked with sexual longing. Terror coursed through her caused by the expression of evil lust on his face. Only too well could she envision his plans for her, locked in a lowly motel room and alone for several hours. Shudders wracked her tense body.

He strode forward, stalking her like a tiger stalking a small deer.

Prey.

The word flashed through her mind, reminding her of every vulnerability, the slim chance of escape, while he held the power, the control. Frantically, she searched for ways out of the situation. The only possible weapon would be the lamp, but she doubted it would hold up against a man’s head. Still, if she hit him hard enough and just right…

She’d planned on escaping as soon as he left the vehicle in order to check into the motel—she would have, if he hadn’t taken the gun with him, threatening beforehand to kill the desk clerk if she let on about her dilemma. To spare the young man’s life, she’d remained mute. Again, she’d sought freedom when he’d slipped the key into the lock of the door. He must have considered the potential escape opportunity because he’d shoved her against the hardwood, holding her with his larger body while unlocking the door. Once open, he’d flung her inside, slammed the door shut, and thrown the dead bolt. The clang sounded like the snapping together of steel doors on a jail cell—one where horrendous nightmares became reality, and escape wasn’t an option. Fear and dread settled into the pit of her stomach at the ominous sound she’d heard on television many times before.

He moved closer and reached for her. “You do know that I won’t let you go.”

Summer nodded. Why would he release the person who could finger him in a lineup, not just for breaking and entering, but for the more serious offenses of kidnapping and other crimes yet to be committed?

“I can make your death slow and painful or quick and easy. Your choice. I suggest you cooperate.”

Her belly rolled with a sudden wave of nausea, stomach contents refluxing into her throat. Absolute panic set in. She swallowed hard then panted again. A cold sweat broke out plastering her hair to her neck, while her heartbeat once again doubled in tempo. Pulling at her last shred of sanity, she scurried for ideas, anything that could get her out of this mess or at least postpone the inevitable. Tentatively, she scooted toward the bedside table, reaching for the lamp slowly enough not to give herself away. She hated being in the corner, but decided the opportunity to grab the one makeshift weapon in the room outweighed the need to be in a more open area, allowing a better avenue to flee.

He stalked her as if she was a tethered goat, advancing toward her, licking his lips, pausing only to wipe his hand over his mouth.

She bumped into the small table signaling the end of her retreat. When she reached back, she latched onto the smaller curved area of the lamp, lifting slightly to quickly judge its weight.

“I think this worked out just fine. I get the jewels and a pretty young woman to spend the night with. Much better than that old nag. You were right in volunteering. Much more fun than dealing with a crippled old bitch that would only slow me down. Although, she probably would have saved me the inconvenience of killing her.” He paced a couple of strides closer, crowding Summer into her tiny space. “You, on the other hand, will provide some entertainment before I have to get rid of you.”

Summer swallowed and tried valiantly to stall by blurting out the apparent facts. “You know the cleaning lady will find my body in the morning. They will have you on surveillance cameras and know you are the murderer.”

He paused for a second before shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter if they do. I’ll be long gone. Besides, I might get a notion to stuff you in the trunk then dump you in the nearest river. Easier and cleaner. Probably take a week or so for your body to wash ashore. By then I’ll have my wealth and skip the country.”

“There’s still time. You can release me and run.”

He snickered with obvious amusement. “I may be unlucky, but never dumb.” With that, he lunged.

She swung the lamp around and clocked him on the side of the head. Instead of knocking him down like she’d expected, the blow only staggered him for a split second. Leaping, she tried to hurdle the bed, but fell short courtesy of one of his hands grasping onto her ankle and yanking her down.

“Fucking bitch. You’ll pay for that.”

She kicked and cried out, knowing this moment would be her single chance at escape. Once he pressed her smaller body down into the mattress with his superior strength and weight, she would lack further opportunities. Panic driven desperation gave her the power to lash out and gain her freedom. Immediately, she scurried off the bed and dashed for the door.

She found the bolt with trembling hands and managed to throw it before he grabbed her around the waist, half dragged her back to the bed, then threw her down with enough force to rattle her brain. Before she could regain her footing, he landed on top of her, effectively pinning her while stealing her breath. She yelled, praying someone would hear and come to her aid.

He captured her wrists in a tight grip, then began to paw her, tugging at her scrub top, which thankfully refused to rip no matter how vicious his assault.

Another scream tore from her throat—a plea she prayed would be heard but deep down knew would go unheeded. She wiggled and squirmed, trying to aim a knee in the direction of his crotch, but found herself nearly immobile under his lean body.

Someone banged loudly on the door. “Excuse me. Mr Smith?”

Her attacker froze, moving his free hand to cover her mouth. He growled, turning to glare at the door as if the wooden structure were a mortal enemy.

Summer dared not move, clinging to the hope that divine intervention had arrived in the form of a concerned front desk clerk.

“Sir, I’m sorry to bother you, but you must change rooms. I forgot. This one needs to be cleaned before we can rent it to customers.” The sincere voice of the young desk clerk sounded muffled through the door.

Agitated, Summer’s captor sneered down at her. “One peep from you and I’ll blow that kid’s fucking head off.” He stared at her for a long moment then hollered out an answer. “It looks clean enough to me. Go away.”

Her heart stuttered as she struggled to breathe under the pressure of his calloused hand.

The voice became a bit more urgent, almost pleading. “No, sir. You don’t understand. The last tenant had bedbugs and lice. We weren’t supposed to rent this room until the bug man comes to spray it.” A moment passed before he continued. “I have another room for you. I’ve got the key. If you will just take it, we’ll have you moved in no time.”

“Shit.” He slowly removed himself from Summer, walked to the front table, picked up his gun, then shoved it in the back of his waistband. After one more warning glance her way, he opened the locks and cracked the door open. “I told you to get the…”

Summer leaped forward, shoving the man with all her strength. He stumbled forward, allowing her to slam the barrier shut, leaving him outside. A second later she reset the locks and sagged against the wood, relief and fear raging through her. For the first time in hours, she felt a semblance of safety but feared for the worker, now alone with an armed criminal.

Grunts, loud swearing, and the sounds of a struggle right outside the exit caught her attention. Standing on tiptoe, she peered through the peephole. Her abductor lay face down on the cement, his hands tied behind his back with a white plastic cord. Five men, all dressed in black, swarmed around him.

Settling back down flat footed, Summer processed the scene, her bewildered mind slow after the tumultuous rollercoaster ride of the day.

A light rap broke through her thoughts. “Summer? Are you okay?”

Her breath caught at the familiar voice. Pushing back on tiptoe, she peered through the hole once more, finding Night’s strong features on the other side. With an excited gasp, she yanked at the locks, throwing the door open in her haste to get to her man. After rushing into his arms, she latched onto him like a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. She was hardly able to believe he stood there holding her just as tightly, having followed and captured the guy who had intended to hold her for ransom. A scene from a fairy tale if she’d ever heard one. My hero.

Night clamped Summer to his body, thankful she appeared unhurt. Never had he been so terrified of what he might find, afraid he would arrive too late to spare her the stark violence of an evil man intent upon savage brutality. He felt the shiver course through her body and understood Summer would feel the effects of adrenaline for a while to come—expected but undeserved and not particularly pleasant. Rage bubbled to the surface again, aimed at the man who had dared to abduct, frighten, and hurt someone Night considered his.

“My hero.”

Summer’s whispered words brought sunlight back into his life. He couldn’t hold back the grin, happiness overcoming his previous rage.

Glancing over Summer’s shoulder, he found his team gawking at them with big goofy smiles on their faces. Too overjoyed to take offense, he gave a slight shrug, only then realizing his expression probably matched theirs. Too relieved to care about more than finding Summer in one piece and relatively unharmed, he’d gladly suffer good natured ribbing comments on the way home.

Pulling back, he looked down at her face, not surprised to see the twinkle of tears in her eyes. He leaned in, kissing her nose and chin, before centering on her lips, rejoicing when she met his passion with her own, not just accepting his kiss, but openly seeking a deeper show of affection, her tongue flicking across his as her arms wound around his neck.

She’d suffered a close call and needed to reaffirm that the ordeal had ended—a natural reaction for her to cling to a loved one or a good friend at a time like this. Night found himself offering up anything and everything she wanted, providing whatever comfort and reassurance possible.

Muffled curses interrupted them. With a final chaste kiss to her soft lips, he cupped her cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

“He didn’t…?”

She shook her head. “You arrived in the nick of time. I smacked him with the lamp, but he didn’t go down. I was busy fighting for my virtue when you showed up.”

He sighed at the small glimpse into her traumatic event and studied her face carefully, searching for signs of injury or a crumbling facade. Finding none, he sucked in air and thanked the powers that be for allowing him to reach her in time. If he hadn’t, he’d have trailed the man responsible to the ends of the earth and made him suffer like no one had ever suffered before. The realization that he’d almost been too late made his gut clench with fury and frustration. Night tempered his thoughts and focused on Summer. “I’m glad. I was afraid…”

“Me, too. But, now that you’re here, I know everything will be okay.”

He tugged her closer and pressed another kiss to her crown, hugging her again. Her words wiggled their way to his heart, making him feel like a knight of old, winning the battle for the favor of a beautiful lady.

He sidestepped, nudging Summer until she turned to face the cavalry. “Summer, this is my team. Cale, Dillon, Loco, and Spoon.” He pointed to each in turn.

She smiled at them. “Nice to meet all of you. Thank you. So much.”

“No problem, ma’am. The boss here told us his ladylove had been swiped. We jumped in the car to the rescue. Since he’s so smitten, we figured he needed someone to watch his back in case he stumbled over his own feet or something.” The man identified as Loco explained.

The guys snickered while Night rolled his eyes, his lips twitching in amusement. Leave it to them to take an inkling of affection and blow it into a full-blown romantic love for the ages.

“Ladylove, huh?” she asked, leaning into his side.

He grinned. “Something like that.”

“Untie these fucking things.” The man on the ground rolled and cursed, face red from struggling.

“Tsk. Tsk. Such language. In front of a lady, no less.” Spoon walked over, jabbing the man in the side with the toe of his leather boot.

Night’s mood sobered, glaring at the lowlife who’d dared to take Summer, threaten his mother, and shake both their worlds up with horror and violence. Neither merited a bit of it, nor the stress, fear, and nightmares sure to follow. One promise he could make—Night would make this canary sing then guarantee the rotten bastard would never hurt another person for the rest of his life.

“Dillon. I’m sure Summer is parched, maybe even hungry. Would you mind taking her to that fast food restaurant just up the road and get her something?” As much as he wanted to fold her into his arms, hold her against his chest the entire trip home to reassure himself she’d come away unscathed, he also knew the business at hand couldn’t wait—not if they were going to eliminate the threat. This guy wasn’t just an ordinary thief and Night didn’t believe in coincidence, which meant somewhere along the line one of their previous missions had come back to haunt them. He’d find out even if he had to pummel the bastard tied up and squirming on the ground at his feet.

“Sure thing. I’ll try not to eat everything before you guys show up.”

Summer glanced up at him, then at Dillon, before returning her gaze to him again. “What am I missing?”

He pulled her into a hard hug, kissing her nose. “Our job. Go on and get some food in you. I’ll see you soon.”

She looked at him skeptically before following Dillon, climbing into the passenger seat.

As soon as they’d left the parking lot, Night released his tightly controlled fury, turning his attention and anger on the man writhing on the ground like the snake he was. After jerking the guy to his feet, he yanked his hair, lifting his head enough to stare into his eyes. “You and I are going to talk.”

“The hell we are!”

Night bared his teeth with grim promise. “Funny you should mention hell because I think you’ll get a taste of damnation and decide to come around.”