Page 22

No, not happening. She refused to stay there and be a victim.

Her attention moved to the staircase leading up into darkness. She hadn’t even checked upstairs yet, and the idea of going up there made her stomach coil with fear. Maybe she could find a hotel. Chewing on her lower lip, debating over her options, she made a quick decision.

Before she could think too hard about it, she pulled up Lex’s number and hit call. She hated bothering him, but she didn’t have any close friends who lived nearby. Sure, she was friendly with her neighbor, but what would seventy-eight-year-old Millie do against a couple of gangsters? Lex, however, was former military, which meant he probably owned a gun. Maybe she could borrow it. Or better yet, maybe he would just come over and make her feel safe.

“Hey, Summer.” He sounded a little surprised to be hearing from her so soon, and she wondered if he was even home yet.

“I’m sorry for bothering you, Lex, but—” Her voice broke and a sob threatened.

“What’s wrong?” His voice rang with concern.

“Two men broke into my house and I— I didn’t know who else to call.” She hiccupped as the obvious answer came into her head. The police, Summer. You should’ve called the police.

Lex didn’t hesitate. “I’m on my way. Stay on the phone with me, okay?”

Relief hit her. “Okay. I’m so sorry for bothering you,” she said again.

“You’re not bothering me, sweetheart. Now tell me exactly what happened.”

Lex’s Yukon practically flew back to Summer’s house. He’d been five minutes from home when she’d called, on the verge of tears and frightened. He’d completed a U-turn and was on his way to her without a second thought. No fucking way was he leaving her hanging, scared and alone.

She talked him through what had happened, and by the time he’d returned to her place, he was fuming. How dare someone terrify and threaten her. Not on his fucking watch. And the fact this all hinged on her ex-husband? He wanted to hunt the bastard down and kick his ass.

“I’m here,” he announced, squealing to stop in front of her house.

Phone still glued to his ear, he jumped out of the SUV and sprinted up to the front door. It swung open before he could knock, and his chest tightened. Her eyes were red and her mascara smeared, and she was clutching the smallest ball of fluff he’d ever seen in his life.

“Thank you for coming back.” She took a wobbly step forward, visibly trembling, and he pulled her into his arms, careful not to crush the dog as he wrapped her in his protective embrace.

“I’ll always come back for you, sweetheart. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

She sniffled against his shirt, and a shudder racked her body. Once her breathing calmed a little, he stepped back and looked down. “I’m guessing this is Flossie?”

“Yes.” She smiled through her worry. “Flossie, this is Lex. My hero,” she added softly.

No one had ever called him a hero, and it made his chest swell. He took her elbow and turned her around. “Why don’t you sit and I’ll check the house. Make sure everything is okay.”

“Okay.” She lowered down onto the nearest chair while he headed straight for the stairs.

It didn’t take him long to clear the small house, and he returned to find Summer exactly where he’d left her, still clutching Flossie like a lifeline. Poor thing was so shaken up, he’d half expected her to follow him. “Everything is okay,” he reported. “Let’s get you some tea or something to help settle your nerves. I know you must be rattled still.”

Probably an understatement. Walking into your home and seeing a couple of rough-looking intruders hanging out on your couch would be enough to frighten anyone, weapons and threats aside. And it pissed Lex the hell off they’d picked Summer to mess with.

They went into the kitchen, and she sank down at the small table, pointing to the cupboard where she kept the tea, and he got to work.

“I’m going to kill Scott.” The color had returned to her face, and she’d set Flossie down, no longer clinging to the little puff of fur. The dog curled up at her feet, reluctant to move too far away. A little cream shadow who stuck close to her mama. “He always got involved in fast money schemes that were too good to be true.”

“And you always cleaned up his messes.” It wasn’t a question.

She nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Whatever he’s done now seems worse than usual. I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”

The microwave beeped and he pulled the mug out, dropping in a tea bag. For the first time, she focused on what he was doing. After giving it a couple of dips, he set the mug in front of her. Her lips twitched, and she seemed like she was holding back a laugh.

“You’ve never made tea before, have you?” she asked, clearly amused.

Shit, how had he messed up boiling water? “Is it that obvious?” he asked sheepishly.

“You’re freaking adorable.” She nodded toward the stove. “Most people use a kettle.”