by Wade Faubert
“That’s some nice shooting you did there.”
“Not really. I never should’ve shot to kill. I should’ve aimed for the arms and legs.”
“You know that’s not procedure. He was armed.” Nate glanced at the hole in the wall behind Summer. “And your life was in danger. You did the right thing. Eliminate the threat and protect yourself. That’s the first rule of survival. I would’ve hated to come here and find you lying in a pool of blood all because you wanted to try to rehabilitate him. Gavin’s already had eight years in prison, plenty of time to rehabilitate himself. If after eight years he hasn’t changed his direction in life then no amount of time would do it.”
Nate grabbed Summer’s hand, pulling her away from the stretcher and out into the bright sunlight of the back yard. “You might not like what I’m about to tell you and you might want to shoot me in the balls, but I don’t care what your reaction is. I think you deserve to know the truth.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Summer pulled free of his grip and stood staring him directly in the eye. “You know something that I don’t?”
“No.” Nate held out his hands. “Nothing like that.”
“Then what? What could you possibly know that’s so important you had to pull me away from my daughter?”
“Remember Detective Grimshaw said he’d run John Scott’s DNA earlier?”
Summer nodded.
“Well, I took a peek at that report and couldn’t help but wonder if he was the father of your child, so I searched your medical reports and had the lab—”
“You bastard! You had no right to! You—”
“He’s not a match. There’s no way he could be the father. Even without running a full DNA match, we know he isn’t the father.”
“And Dean?”
“I’d say it’s a good chance.”
Summer balled up her fist then raised it, looking at Nate’s bandaged shoulder. “If you weren’t already hurt, then I’d hurt you myself.”
“That’s some gratitude. Besides, I still have a good arm.”
Summer raised an eyebrow and slugged him in his good arm as hard as she could, barely moving the big lug. “Thank you, Nate. But if I ever catch you digging into my personal business again, I’ll kick you straight in the balls.”
Nate smirked and nodded. “Understood.” He placed his arm around her shoulder and led Summer inside the house to where the paramedics stood, sneaking glances at them.
Dean pulled his shaky hand from Sabrina and set it down on Summer’s hand. “You… did it. You got Sabrina back. That’s all that matters.”
Summer blinked away a tear at the pained look on Dean’s face. “No, that’s not all that matters. Keeping you alive long enough to see our daughter grow up is what matters.”
Dean’s hand slid from Summer’s, landing against the slight bulge under her shirt. “B—oth our children.”
She couldn’t tell if the tears in his eyes were tears of happiness or sadness, but either way he was willing to accept this child inside her as his own, no matter if it was his or not. “You really think it’s ours?”
Dean nodded as the paramedics pulled his hand from her stomach and strapped his arms down. “Time to roll,” the paramedic said, kicking off the brake and wheeling the stretcher out the patio doors.
Nate snatched Sabrina from Summer’s arms as they passed and carried her to the back of the ambulance. A minute later the stretcher was loaded inside and Summer took Sabrina back, then waited to climb inside.
“You coming?” Summer asked, seeing Nate take a step back from the ambulance.
“No. You go on ahead. I’ll wait and catch a ride back with Jones.” Nate glanced at his watch. “He should be here soon. But, then again, he might have gotten lost like usual.”
“Come on, Nate,” Summer begged. “There’s plenty of room.”
“No, I’m fine. The bleeding’s stopped and besides, you need some family time. I think it’ll do you a world of good right about now.” Nate waited until they were inside, then slammed the door closed. “Don’t worry,” he yelled. “I’ll stop at the hospital for my tetanus shot when we get back!”
Chapter 25
With the bright sunlight streaming through the tinted windows, bringing a warmth to Summer’s chilled body, she watched outside as a police cruiser soared past, racing to the scene of the shooting. She couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve driven Gavin to orchestrate such a destructive plan just to get revenge. It wasn’t like he’d sold his soul to the devil for eternal life. He’d risked his brother’s life and his own niece’s safety in the process, with little risk involved for him.
Summer closed her eyes and saw all the pieces falling into place. It all seemed so easy to read now that it was over. Gavin’s dying words—those last muttered syllables he’d croaked out before dying—those words she would’ve missed if she hadn’t gone to his side. It’d been him that night. John Scott had only been a means of distracting her from her real attacker who’d sat beside her husband in that office as if he was a concerned sibling.
Summer fought to control a shiver that snaked through her body. Nate had been right all along about Gavin. Maybe she was too naive? Maybe that was one of her faults, looking for the good in people instead of damning them to Hell, like old Nate. She opened her eyes and saw the smiles on Dean and Sabrina’s faces and knew she had nothing to regret about her way of thinking. She’d hate to go through life always suspicious and always looking for the bad side of everyone.
Summer caught Dean’s wink and realized that even though his eyes were so similar to Gavin’s, there was nothing but good inside those chocolate eyes. She knew Dean would never be capable of anything bad in his entire life because even when she’d lost confidence in him, he continued to give until she came back around.
The smile faded from Dean’s face. “Gavin’s dead?”
Summer nodded and felt the tears fighting to get free. They weren’t tears for Gavin, but for Dean’s loss of his only sibling. “He was behind the whole thing. Your attack. The kidnapping. John Scott’s murder.”
“But why?” Dean tried to shrug his shoulders but stopped immediately, winching in pain. “Why would he do it? It makes absolutely no sense.”
Summer knew if she said Gavin had done everything as revenge for putting him behind bars then Dean wouldn’t ask another question, but she didn’t think she could say those words—that Gavin was the person who’d abused her that night. That knowledge would surely eat away at Dean for the rest of his life knowing that he trusted Gavin and that trust was broken.
“Gavin said he did it for money. There was a contract on John Scott’s head and he took the job for the money.”
“But who would put a contract out on John Scott?”
Summer shrugged her shoulders and pulled Sabrina close. “There are some questions that may never be answered.”
She wondered what would’ve happened if John Scott had never been picked up last night. Would things have continued on like clockwork, like it had for the last five months with Gavin hiding the truth while she died a little more each day? Or would he have eventually let the secret slip out one day? Summer knew there wasn’t much chance of that. She knew Gavin planned to take the secret to his grave seeing how he wanted John Scott silenced, eliminating any chance of the truth coming out.
There was no way John Scott would take the fall for kidnapping, rape and assault of a police officer. He would’ve spilled the beans when the prosecution started counting out the years he’d be looking at for the crimes, and he would’ve quickly spill everything he knew.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Demure,” the paramedic said, breaking the tension in the ambulance. “Your husband will be fine. And if he stays in the hospital for a few days, without sneaking out, I’m sure he’ll be home in no time.”
Dean shook his head. “No we don’t—”
“Honey, if he says you’ll be fine, then let it go.” Summer bent forward and placed a finger on
Dean’s lips. “He always likes to argue. Can never accept that everything will be back to normal in no time.”
“You mean.” Dean struggled to swallow. “We can go back to how it used to be?”
Summer nodded and felt a warmth spreading in her chest, knowing that he still loved her no matter what she’d put him through these past months. “Like they say, what’s past is past. I don’t want to even think about what happened. All that’s important is that we enjoy the rest of our lives together.”
Sabrina slid off the seat and locked her arms around Dean’s head, smothering his entire face. “Can Daddy come home and live with us, like a family?”
Summer nodded and loosened Sabrina’s death grip on his face. “Yes, baby. Just like before.”
“And can we go to the zoo tomorrow like Daddy promised?”
Summer pulled Sabrina into her arms and squeezed her tight again. She never thought holding her daughter would bring such pleasure as it did right now. “Not tomorrow. Daddy’s going to need to rest for a few days, but yes, we can go sometime soon.”
Dean smirked. “I thought you said the animals would all be hibernating?”
“Don’t even start with me, Dean Demure. You’re the one who put that notion in her mind. Just watch your mouth or I’ll make you take her to the zoo tomorrow like she wants.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I walked around all day feeling like a zombie?”
“No, I don’t suppose it would be.” Summer slid forward in the seat and narrowed her eyes on Dean’s smiling face. “You realize how close you came to crushing me when you crashed through the side of that house? You could’ve killed me, not to mention Sabrina.”
Reaching out a trembling hand, Dean gripped Summer’s shirt and pulled her down until their lips touched. “Just shut up and kiss me.”
Summer relaxed as her swollen lips met Dean’s and she swore she felt a little charge surge through her body at his touch. It wasn’t anything like that awful feeling she had been getting for the last while, but more like the spark of energy that lovers shared. Dean’s touch brought a calm to her racing mind and heat to her entire body. She opened her eyes and saw his chocolate eyes gazing up at her and knew at that moment everything was going to be fine. She could tell from that one kiss that Dean was her knight in shining armour who’d come to her rescue.
“You know,” Summer said, feeling the hot tears filling her eyes, “I never doubted you. I knew you’d come for me.”
“I never gave up before and I never would as long as I have a shred of life left in this body.”
Summer smiled, gazing into his beautiful eyes. “You came close to using it all up, but I’m glad you never gave up. I’m glad you came for me.”
“I wasn’t a lot of help.”
“But you were there at the right moment and that’s what counts.”
Summer slid back on the bench and stared out the window as the hills gave way to the flat farmlands of the countryside. The strenuous day had taken more from her body than she’d thought as every muscle tingled with exhaustion. She wished they were at home so they could all curl up on the bed and fall asleep knowing that they were safe once again, but that wish would have to wait—at least for a few more days until Dean recovered from his injuries.
“Oh,” Summer gasped, grasping her stomach.
Dean turned quickly, his eyes full of concern. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, it’s nothing.” Summer forced a smile. “It’s just the baby kicking.”
“It’s kicking already. Isn’t it a little early for that?”
“I don’t think Sabrina started kicking until she was six or seven months along.” Summer grinned doing the math and realized that maybe this was Dean’s baby after all. Maybe she would be able to look at this child and not think about that night of terror at the hands of Gavin.
“I told you it was mine. You doubted me, but I never lost faith that we’d complete our family.” Dean reached out and took Summer’s hand. “Maybe this time the baby will look more like you.”
“Maybe it might.” Summer grinned lopsidedly. “Maybe it just might.”
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Wampus Springs
Mark of the Wolf
Prologue
— Four Years Earlier —
Lori Foster sat slouched in her chair, mesmerized by the leaves dancing on the playground. At 12 years-old, she wasn’t the only student in Miss Hopkin’s class who found the world outside much more interesting than math lessons. Her eyes darted quickly to the wall clock then back to the leaves, waiting for the wind to whisk them high into a funnel, only to return them to their partners a moment later.
As the sunlight retreated from the angry clouds, an eerie darkness descended upon the schoolyard. It was the darkness of dusk, thick and heavy, covering every crevasse under a blanket of grey. Even though the classroom lights reflected off the dark windows, Lori noticed movement in the distance, near the edge of the woods. She squint her eyes as a fluffy white and brown bunny hopped from the woods and nibbled on a patch of tall grass.
A flash of lightning sliced through the dark sky, forking off into the distance. The overhead lights flickered, sending the classroom into temporary darkness. It was at that moment Lori saw them—two faint red dots staring out from the blackness of the woods. She blinked fast, trying to adjust her eyes, but as the classroom lights came back to full brilliance, the red dots disappeared, leaving Lori to wonder if she’d actually seen them or if it’d only been the lightning playing a trick on her eyes.
“So class, it looks like we’re in for a good storm,” Miss Hopkin said, turning from the chalkboard with a nervous look on her face. “I hope that’s the last of the lightning. I’d hate for everyone to miss their lunch recess.”
Lori glanced from her teacher, back out into the darkness of the playground. She couldn’t spot the bunny anywhere.
“Lori… Lori!” She turned back to face the front of the class. “I know you’d rather be out playing, but please, let’s just finish up.” As if on cue, the lunch bell rang and immediately the students began to fidget.
“All right, fine. Eat your lunches then go outside.” Miss Hopkin plopped into her chair and opened her desk drawer. “But if you get your shoes wet and muddy, don’t even think about wearing them back in my classroom.”
After retrieving her lunch sack and dumping it onto her desk, Lori dangled the plastic bag before Cindy. “Tuna. Wanna trade?”
“Tuna again.” Cindy tossed her peanut butter and jam sandwich onto Lori’s desk then snatched the offering. “How many cans does she have?”
“Too many.” Lori ripped open the bag and took a bite. “Eat fast, cause I saw a cute bunny out by the woods. Maybe if we’re fast, we can catch it. If my mom won’t let me keep it, maybe yours will.”
“My mom won’t even let me have goldfish, let alone a rabbit.” Cindy took a bite of the tuna sandwich then lifted the top piece of bread and gazed inside. “But yeah, we can see if it’s still out there.”
Lori pulled on the gold chain, fishing the half pendant from beneath her shirt. It had been a birthday gift from Cindy and one she absolutely cherished. Lori held her half of the pendant out, dangling it before Cindy, waiting for it to be completed.
Without hesitating, Cindy fished her pendant out and like two superheroes activating their magic power, they whispered the phrase in unison as they connected the two halves. “Best friends forever.�
�
When the second bell rang, Lori and Cindy quickly cleared off their desks, dashed from the classroom, down the hall to the glass door. The door had barely started to close when Max and Randy stepped into their path.
“Hey, where’s the fire?” Max asked, trying hard to even out his lopsided grin. “You two almost knocked us down.”
“Yeah,” Randy made kissing noises and shoved Max into Lori, “like you wouldn’t want your girlfriend to fall on top of you, so you can suck her face off.”
“Shut up!” Max grunted, returning the shove. “She’s not my girlfriend. We’re just friends.”
“Sure, lover boy.” Randy rolled his eyes then smiled at Cindy. “Where you guys going in such a hurry, anyways?”
“To the woods, to look for a bunny,” Cindy said shyly. “Why, do you guys wanna come?”
“Sure, you girls might need our help catching it.”
“But, if we get caught?” Max looked around nervously. “We’ll be in detention all week.”
“Someday, Max, you’ll have to take your mother’s tit out of your mouth and stop being such a baby. I’m going!” Randy started toward the back of the schoolyard. “You coming?”
“Um…” Max waited until they were a few feet away then made up his mind. “Okay, but if anything happens—”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” all three mocked in chorus.
Max shook his head, running to keep up. “You guys are the babies.”
As they reached the tree line, Lori headed straight to the patch of tall grass where she’d last spotted the bunny, but it was nowhere in sight. After stepping around the bushes she spotted faint bunny tracks in the soft earth and followed the trail behind the first row of Maples. Randy and Cindy were right behind, but Max paused, peering nervously around for any sign of Miss Hopkin.