“We’ll talk when you get here,” Chase said, not sure how to take that either. He wasn’t surprised, but it must have been worse off than he was counting on. Right after he hung up, a couple of pictures came through on his phone. The first picture was of what appeared to be the mother, Abigail. She was similar to the picture that was found on Burner’s Facebook account, but the hard life showed in how she looked. Dark circles around her dark eyes and a hand shaped bruise on her cheek.
The second picture was of the house she lived in, the door opened. From the angle the picture was taken, Chase could see that the shared house was filled with trash and drugged up roommates. The man that Sarah had said to be the tattooed man was standing just outside the house, a look of fury on his face with his arms crossed over his chest.
Trent was right, the girl and child would not be returning back there. Most likely than not, they would be staying with Trent, so Chase didn’t really need to do much more at the time. Instead, he went in search of Ryder so he could tell the media that the mother had been found and to keep all names out.
He peeked over at his wife, finding her legs propped up on the table in front of her, her head leaning back against the couch and fast asleep. Chase gently moved the blanket so she was covered also somewhat, before going to the kitchen.
“Hey,” Ryder said, looking up from his own computer.
“They are on their way back,” Chase said, sitting down. “But keep the names out of the media. Just let them know that the mother was found and everyone is safe. No towns, either.”
“On it,” he said, pushing hair back from his eyes before he sent a number of emails off. “I’ll still need a statement when she gets here. Just for the record, so I can close the case.”
“We all want answers,” Chase said. “You can get what you need.”
“Good,” Ryder said. “Summer looks content playing house.” Ryder changed the subject, wanting to know what Chase thought of that. He chanced a glance at the Prince, gauging his reaction.
“Yeah, she does,” Chase mused. “Maybe in a few years. Right now, we can just babysit Sarah. Plus, mom’s gonna be bugging us about a proper wedding any day now,” he laughed.
“She’s probably already planning it all, so all that will be needed is Summer to find a dress,” Ryder said, just knowing how Kayla worked.
“I’m good with what we did,” Chase said. The only reason he had Summer dress up for what they had done, was because he knew that would likely be the only time he’d get the chance to see her all dolled up. “To make mom happy, we may redo our vows, only on Summer’s terms. If she doesn’t want to do that, we won’t.” He didn’t want to do anything big and was sure his wife agreed. Maybe something in a few months with just family.
“She’s got you wrapped around her finger,” Ryder laughed, loving seeing Chase so happy. And so whipped. He never thought he’d see the day.
“Does not!” Chase said in fake shock, holding a hand over his chest. It was true. Summer did have him whipped, and he wouldn’t change it at all.
“So, have you had sex with her yet?” he asked, causing Chase to shoot a death glare his way. “I take that as a ‘no’,” he mumbled to himself. It was a good thing that Chase didn’t have a mouth full of a drink, or he surely would have choked on it.
“Not any of your business,” Chase said, getting up from the table with a huff. Ryder’s deep laugh followed him as he went to the living room, where he sat in the chair and waited for Summer to wake up.
How much longer could he go on without having Summer in his bed in all ways? It was getting harder and harder to keep his hands off her delectable body. This gave new meaning to the words blue balls, because and he could assure anyone that is definitely what he had going on down below. Geez, he wondered if a man could die from them. No way in hell was he going to talk to his mom or dad about that. He didn't care if his mom was a doctor.
Nope. No siree! He would just suffer in silence.
Chapter 5
Abigail Rihan was a small, skinny woman. Her limp jet black hair reached her bony shoulders. Her heart shaped face was shallow with the lack of food, along with her shorter frame. Her high cheek bones were easily seen through the lack of body fat. Summer could see where she once could have stood out among a crowd of people. Once filled out, her cheeks would be rosy red with life.
Life had been hard to her. It was clear as day that Abigail was not one to take life for granted, but did what she could to survive. It was all she could do as she lived her life from one day to the next.
Everyone sat around the living room, Sarah not letting her mother out of her sight. Asher and Carter stood off near the kitchen so it wasn’t so crowded in the room, not wanting to frighten Abigail. Summer choose to stay quiet, not sure what to even say, to begin with. She sat next to Chase on the couch, leaning into him. She couldn’t help but seek out his warmth, his safety, whenever they were near one another.
Chase and Ryder were waiting for Abigail’s story. Trent, for once, had a hard look of concern on his face, but stood behind the woman, giving her moral support. He knew most of her story already from the car ride back, but Ryder needed a full detailed account, recorded, for the case to be closed and for Social Services to not be involved more than they needed to. The less they were involved, the better.
Ryder hated the idea of even involving social services, but he had no choice in the matter, as it was a common occurrence with any missing child, no matter if it was connected to the mafia family or not.
Clare had made more coffee and tea for everyone. She even brought Sarah an apple juice box to tide her over as she snuggled into her mother. Sarah still held onto the stuffed white lion Kayla had given her the day before. Summer was wide awake from her nap. A nap that she hadn’t planned on taking but she had been so comfortable and didn’t want to move Sarah as she slept.
Ryder already had his recorder out, just waiting for Abigail to get her words sorted out to tell everyone. He made sure that he was the only one that was allowed to ask questions, because if anyone else spoke, then more information would be needed to close the case for all involved parties. He was already pushing it with letting so many people listen in.
“So, how old is Sarah?” he asked first, already knowing full names and addresses. He kept his voice smooth, not wanting to frighten her. Although, Abigail seemed to be a naturally strong woman.
“She will be four in a few weeks,” Abigail spoke, her voice quiet. Her voice lower than either Summer’s or Clare’s, but held an appeal to her tone.
“Where were you when Sarah Elizabeth Rihan disappeared?” Ryder asked next. He had a number of questions written down, but not in any particular order.
“I was working,” she answered, her own voice quiet. “She was to stay with another gal at the complex where we live, but she tends to go with her boyfriend to do drugs more often than she stays home. So a few of the other men that live there watched her while I worked.” She was just twenty years old, hardly an adult herself. It was a terrible shame that she was forced to live where she had been.
“Did you know the men well?” Ryder asked, but already knew the answer after looking into each one of those men, who were already had been taken into custody for their drug abuse, along with other misdemeanors. Most of them were ex-cons, not to mention a couple of the men had warrants out for their arrest as it was. It was surprising that none of them had laid a hand on the mother and daughter at all.
“Not well,” she answered quietly with a shake of her head. “I tried to not know them because of how they lived. I only lived there because I knew I wouldn’t be found by David. I didn’t blend in very well, but he wouldn’t dare look in the druggy filled side of town. I took low paying jobs at times just to keep food on the table for my daughter, and some money to save to get out of the country. I was paid under the table at most places since I told them a little bit about why I was there.”
“Who is David Burner to you?” Ryder shot off next
.
“He was my boyfriend, but when I found out who he truly is, how evil, I left. I found out shortly after that I was pregnant. I had been dating him for about a year before I could escape.”
“How did he behave?” Ryder questioned.
“He was sweet at first, and I fell for his charms,” she began, looking down at her child. “But then, he began to get abusive. It wasn’t all at once, but little things here and there. I didn’t mind the role playing, or the bedroom activities at first, but when he got rough and left marks, I knew he wasn’t who he was pretending to be. He started to slowly try to control when I was allowed to be out of the house, too. It got to the point of almost being possessed to control me.
“One day, I found his phone laying out on the table, and I couldn’t help but look at it. I found text messages that detailed how he had fun using me. He bragged to a number of people about how he took women, trained them, and then sold them for profit. Sex slaves. He even had detailed accounts to how he went about selling his “items”.
“He treated me like a pet, not a person he claimed to love. It was about that time that he started bringing other people, women and men home, and he wanted a show from us. He was sick and twisted,” she shook her head, disgust in her voice.
“I knew I couldn’t stay there with him, fearing what he would do next. I left the moment I could. He was at work, and not tracking my moves on that particular day by luck alone. I left my own phone behind and used spare cash to take a taxi, then a bus, as far as I could. I left my old life behind me, never looking back.
“I have no idea if he looked for me or not; I didn’t want to take that chance. I moved from place to place and took small jobs to make ends meet.
“Then I came back this direction, and I have been at the motel apartment like a place for about a six months now, working two jobs,” she ended with a shrug, surprisingly not as upset as she thought she would be. “I couldn’t keep moving so much with a child that would be starting school soon. It wasn’t fair to her. I also can’t get her into a school without having a safe, permanent place to live, either.”
Trent squeezed her shoulder in silent support. She needed it, knowing he was her angel in disguise.
“What about your parents?” Ryder asked.
“They kicked me out right after high school when I didn’t want to go to college,” she answered. “We never did get along.” She couldn’t help but snort. Her parents wanted her to do things, things that she never felt drawn to do.
“What are your plans now?” he prompted.
“Trent has offered me a room in his house, along with Sarah, until I have enough money to find a spot to rent,” Abigail answered with a smile, looking up to meet Trent’s eyes. “He seems like a nice man, and Sarah already loves him.”
“He is,” Ryder agreed with a smile, knowing that the two would work out great. “Thank you for answering all my questions.” He then leaned forward, shutting off the recorder off that laid on the coffee table.
“We’re staying with Tenny?” Sarah asked, instantly alert, her green eyes bright. Sometimes, she had trouble pronouncing the ‘r’ in Trent’s name, hence the nickname.
“Yes, you are,” Trent answered with a wink. “Then mommy can see all the toys I got you.”
“You didn’t need to,” Abigail spoke up but was thankful nonetheless. She never was able to get her daughter more than what she needed. Even that was a struggle most of the time.
“Of course I did,” Trent said with a smile, his dimples showing. “She’s a sweet kid, and I hope you both like the house. We’ll get you new things, too.”
Abigail simply nodded, knowing she did need new things if she was going to be staying there, as she left everything but her purse and the clothes on her back behind. There wasn’t really anything to bring with her as it was.
“I’m sorry you had to watch her,” she spoke, ashamed that she wasn’t able to be the best mother she had hoped to be.
Abigail still couldn’t believe that one of her roommates had tried to hide her daughter. She refused to think about what could have happened if Trent hadn’t come across Sarah when he did.
“It was no problem,” Summer answered, surprising the room full of people. Her cheeks flooded in red. “I’ll watch her anytime.”
“I like Auntie Summer! And Clare too! They played with me, mommy!” Sarah exclaimed, almost bouncing in excitement. Her dark eyes were wide in happiness.
“Auntie?” Abigail asked, her tone surprised.
“That’s my fault,” Trent spoke up with a sheepish look. “I told her to call them that. It slipped.”
“It's fine,” Abigail said with a smile up at him. “I have a feeling we will be close by.”
“Damn right you will be,” Trent said before laughing at her surprised face. He was not going to let these two slip through his fingers, that was for sure.
“I’ll going to get this to the office,” Ryder said. “Then I need to get home to my wife. If you have any issues, Ms. Rihan, please don’t hesitate to let any of us know. I’m sure between Chase and Trent, everything will be at your fingertips. They can help you find a job, and I'm pretty sure Clare and Summer would be happy to babysit, free of charge, at any time.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Abigail said, but hope lit her eyes. It was more than she’d ever had before.
“We enjoyed it,” Clare said with a smile. “Plus its good practice for me. I like kids.”
“Thank you; all of you,” Abigail said, feeling overwhelmed by how welcome these strangers made her feel. And in such a short amount of time, too.
Trent must have known, as he said they’d also head out so Abigail could get settled in. They left shortly after Ryder, and then Clare and Asher disappeared upstairs to their apartment area. Carter made an excuse about going to do some check-ins, leaving the house also. That left Chase and Summer alone.
Summer wasn’t sure what to do, now that no one was there but her husband. Chase turned the TV back on and put on one of the music channels. He then stood up, holding his hand out.
“Would you dance with me?” he asked, trying to flirt with Summer. He kept his face open, hoping that would encourage her.
She blushed but smiled, setting her hand in his as she stood, as the words to the song started.
Chase sat Summer’s arms around his neck, then put his hands on her hips and began to sway back and forth. Surprisingly, Summer was able to dance along with him.
Slowly, step by step, they got closer together. Summer’s and Chase’s chests were touching, and she could feel his breath on her hair. She tilted her head up, seeing his lips right there, close enough to reach if she simply stood on her tip toes. Chase leaned down, meeting her lips. She closed her eyes, leaning into him more. It started off gentle and sweet.
Before either one knew it, the kiss grew harder, warmer. Chase pulled Summer closer to him if it was possible, she wrapped her legs around his waist. His cock came to life, begging for attention. Needing to breathe, Chase trailed kisses from her lips down to her neck, sucking on her skin right underneath her jaw, as he braced her against the wall.
Summer moaned, just loud enough for him to hear. She could feel butterflies in her lower stomach, and she couldn’t help but push against him, seeking friction. She knew that he was the only one that could bring her pleasure. He hissed out as she brushed against his hard cock, hitting a nerve just right. He sucked harder on her neck, knowing he’d leave a mark. Summer brushed up against him again, loving the feel of him against her. A feeling only he was able to bring to her body.
His hand slowly roamed upwards, along with her ribs as she rubbed against him. The seam of her jeans hit her clit just right on each pass; her wetness coating her underwear. She knew, logically, that Chase was a man, and it had been three months since either of them had taken care of their needs, so he wouldn’t last long with any type of friction. His body was strong, his cock hard as it demanded attention.
Her pussy demand
ed the same sort of friction as his hands brushed the underside of her breasts, and she gave out a small ‘Oh’ of surprise as the way his hands were gentle, asking and caressing all at once. He was close, his balls tightening as Summer brushed against him. It had been way too long. She was soft and warm.
He crashed his mouth to hers, hoping to stop his own moans and whimpers from getting too loud. As she brushed against his jean clad cock, and she came with a moan. Chase followed, panting.
They rode out their pleasure, regaining back their breaths. After a moment, Chase leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed. He basked in the feel of her; the look of her coming undone.
“I love you, my Princess,” Chase said, pressing his lips once more to hers. He knew it had been a lot of work to get her to this place that she was at today. Her blue eyes were filled with happiness and hope. And he vowed to never break her down, only building her up.
Becoming His Princess (The Dark Prince #2) Page 4