Perfect Summer (15 page)

            I
got back in time to see Drew had been beaten, a trickle of blood ran from his
mouth. He was being pushed down on his knees by Sloane, and Sloane had taken
his pocket knife out and was about to stab Drew in the guts with it. I ran so
fast with the extinguisher, pulling out the hose, and sprayed Sloane’s face
with it until he fell back, dropping the knife.

            “Quick,
move out of the way,” Drew said, taking the extinguisher from me. He brought
the extinguisher down hard on Sloane’s head once, and then a couple of times
more until Sloane’s face was a bloody pulp.

            I
had to stop Drew, pull him back before he killed Sloane.

            When
the firemen and the police arrived, Drew was still looking shocked and stunned
so I told them what happened, and how Drew arrived just in time to defend me
against Sloane who had a knife.

            They
took Sloane away then, and left Drew and I alone to go home. I was going to
take Drew to the hospital to get him checked out, but he shook his head “no”.

            I
decided to go back to the Pad with him then. Maybe he just needed a moment to
get his adrenaline down and calm down. It was a traumatic experience for all of
us. My hands were still shaking as I drove back.

            Drew
was still in a state of shock when we reached the Pad where I sat him down on
the sofa. Somehow, this had really shaken him up, and I sensed something else
was going on.

            “Drew?”
I asked. “What’s going on?  Are you okay?  Everything’s taken cared of now, Sloane
is with the police. I’m fine. You’re fine. You can relax now.”

            I
stroke his back and hugged him tightly, while I murmured how we’re both safe
and everything will be fine.

            When
Drew barely responded after ten more minutes, I called Nat to fly out on emergency.
Something was seriously wrong.

Drew
was not at all normal.

Chapter
14

Nat

I
flew out to Malibu in record time. This was
one of the highest emergencies classified to use the corporate jet. I didn’t
have to explain to the crew about the last minute flight at midnight. They all
knew, working in a security company, how to act in times of emergencies.
Nothing had to be explained.

Normally
at this level of an emergency where there has been an attack on one of our own
or on a client where attempted murder was involved; I would have to run
everything by the head of Donovan Dynamics…my father.

But
since he left for a top secret project he was working with the government on a
few days ago, he wasn’t here to approve it. Instead, it was up to me, when the
emergency involved any of the Donovans and/or Summer.

Dad’s
deal was something I couldn’t talk about. In fact, it was so top secret, only a
handful of people knew about it – Tom, Peter, Roger, and me. Even mom, Drew,
and Rachel didn’t know about it. That was intentional. Since it could be very
dangerous, the less people knew about it, the less likely this project wouldn’t
go awry, and people wouldn’t get hurt.

It
was so dangerous, that even Dad had some doubts whether or not he would be
returning back to us alive.

Now
I understood the sense of urgency Dad had in trying to get me up to par with
the company, having me work there part-time all these years, and now nearly
full-time there as one of the executives. Yes, he made me an executive of
Donovan Dynamics just last week, the morning of the day I flew out to spend
that glorious weekend with Summer. Dad made me acting President of Donovan
Dynamics that day, and I knew something serious was up.

Donovan
Dynamics was more than a security company. It was an intelligence company that
operated on the highest level of intelligence and operations with the expertise
to help countries run their own security and intelligence strategies. Knowing
some of the high-level information that Donovan Dynamics was privy too, made Donovan
Dynamics powerful and valuable to many organizations and many individuals who
could use that knowledge to overrun governments and countries.

With
this level of risk involved on a trip like the one my father took, it shouldn’t
surprise me when I received notice a few hours before I heard from Summer, that
my father’s party did not make it to their designated place of meeting. Of
course the local authorities stated they had tried to find them the best they
can, but there was no trace of the party even making it out to their location.

After
several calls with the local authorities and government, I felt as though I was
being given the run around, not being told the truth, and that there was
something they were hiding. Because only a handful of us knew about the secret
mission, we decided to use a private mercenary team to track down and bring
back my father instead of involving the U.S. government and military.

Because
Dad had been missing for a day, and time was of essence, I went ahead and
ordered Tom to find some of the top ex-military specialists who were familiar
with the country, its culture, and politics, to help us in this mission. I had
just finished meeting with them and was told there may be a possibility that I
have to go on this mission as well. I had valuable information that my father
had entrusted me with that no one else would know, except my father and me. If
my father was gone, then I would have to continue with the mission. I had to
find out how critical the information I had was to the mission. If I had to go,
I’d go. This wasn’t a time to be selfish. My father needed me, the company
needed me, and apparently our country needed me.

I
haven’t thought about how I was going to tell Mom and the twins about this. I
haven’t figured out how I was going to tell Summer about this…just right when
everything I’ve ever wanted with Summer was happening.

But
I couldn’t even think about our relationship at the moment. The nightmare I
always had, about my little brother’s condition, may be coming true. I just
hope I could be here to help him as much as I could.

****

I
got to the Pad as quickly as I could. When I stepped through the door, I was
greeted by Summer with an enormous hug and a kiss. God, even now, just the
sight of her and the feel of her in my arms could give me an instant hard-on.
If I wasn’t so worried about Drew as I was now, I would be tearing off Summer’s
little tank top, unbuttoning her shorts, and comforting her in the best way
possible.

But
I was here to see if Drew and Summer was alright. And I was here to be with
Summer. What she must’ve experienced with that asshole Sloane, made me want to
seek him out and make sure he never see the light of day again.

“Summer,”
I pulled her into my arms and held her so tight, I could hear her gasp. I loosen
my grip, but buried my face into her chest.”I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to keep
you safe.” The reality of what could’ve happened if Drew wasn’t there to save
her from Sloane again, hit me. “I could’ve lost you, Summer,” I whispered
hoarsely into her chest and hair. Oh God, this time could’ve ended in tragedy.

“Nat,”
Summer said lightly. “I’m okay. I’m fine.” She lifted my face to look at me
before placing her soft lips on mine. As if we were on fire, we kissed with a
passion that contained all the fears, hurt, and love we felt in the last few
hours. We broke apart when we heard a clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen.

Summer
looked more surprised than I did. “That’s Drew!” She took my hand and pulled me
into the living room into the kitchen.

“Drew!”
she cried out, rushing over to him and wrapping her arms around him tightly.
“Oh God, Drew, I was so scared with the way you were acting.” She kissed him on
the lips and brushed his hair back from his face with both of her hands.

For
a moment, I was struck with jealousy when I saw the look of love cross her face
as she gazed tenderly at Drew.

“How
are you feeling, Drew?” she asked him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Drew
was looking down at her, his arms wrapped around her, one hand caressing her
face with one thumb rubbing her cheek. “I…I wanted to kill him,” he said. “I
would have if you didn’t stop me.” He bent down to kiss Summer briefly, and
hugged her tight. “I couldn’t stop myself, but he was going to kill you, and I
wanted to stop him for once and forever.”

I
went up to Drew and Summer, and hugged both of them. Drew looked startled to
see me, and stiffen, dropping his arms from Summer’s waist.

“Nat!”
he said. “I didn’t know you’re here.”

“Yeah,
uh, It’s good to see you’re alright, Bro,” I said giving him a pat on his arm.
“I tried to get here as soon as I could, but had a meeting I couldn’t miss.”

Summer
came over to me and rubbed my arm, “But you’re here now,” she said. “That’s
what’s important, and Drew’s fine now.”

I
looked over at Drew and Summer. “If I wasn’t mistaken, it seems as though
Drew’s fine here.” I looked at Summer, “Why did you think something was
seriously wrong with him…besides being a smartass bastard,” I joked.

Summer
blushed. “I didn’t think anything was wrong at first, Nat, but honestly Drew,
you had me worried. You seemed completely out of it, in shocked, for a good
hour or so.”

Drew
shook his head. “I just kinda zoned out, that’s all. Never felt like it before,
but I guessed all those intense emotions and my adrenaline going like that, was
too much for a while, and I shut down.” He grabbed Summer and enfolded her in
his arms. “I’m sorry I scared you, Sum.” He tweaked her nose, “I promise to try
not to veg out on you again.”

Summer
smiled the smile that could melt any guy’s heart. “That’s okay, Drew. You saved
my life today, I think I can forgive you for that.”

Drew
smiled back at her. As jealous as I was watching the love flowing between them,
I couldn’t help thinking how happy Drew looked just now, just holding Summer.

Dammit,
part of me thought they looked so sweet together, yet another part of me wanted
to rip Summer out of his arms and claim her as mine. If the guy Summer was
looking at with that adoring look she also gave me, wasn’t my little brother, I
think I would’ve lost it.

But
I wasn’t the one who saved Summer from Sloane the first time he attacked her at
the Academy. Drew did. And I wasn’t the one who saved her again just now. Drew
did.

My
brother was a true hero, and any girl who he saved from a maniac like Sloane
would be completely in love with Drew now.

And
Drew…my poor brother, must’ve been really affected by this experience with
Sloane to have zoned out. He looked fine just now talking to Summer and me, but
I knew why he zoned out…I had Mom’s doctor’s report with me along with some
pills. I was afraid I would have to give them to Drew to get him out of the
state he was in. Thank goodness he came out of it without having to use the
pills, but I brought it just in case.

I
have to let Drew know. It was his life, and I can’t protect him with this
knowledge any longer. He had to protect himself and arm himself with as much
knowledge as he could in order to fight it and lead a normal life as best as he
could.

I
had to tell Drew, he could be bi-polar like Mom.

I’ll
have to let Summer know the possibility that all of us Donovan kids may have
some form of mental illness.

I
didn’t have time to worry about protecting anyone from this anymore. I have to
find my father and do whatever it takes to get him back and to save the
company.

I
checked my voicemail for the message I’ve been dreading hearing all night long.

About
the whereabouts of my father.

It
was there…one single message that would change everything.

Voicemail: 
Nat, your father is alive. We’re sending the mercenary team we hired to find
him and bring him back alive at any cost. We tried to think of a way you would
not have to physically go to the area of the situation, but we need leverage to
get your father out alive. We depart for Afghanistan tomorrow night. Be at the
hangar then.

Chapter
15

Summer

N
at and Drew spent a lot of time talking and
hanging with each other that night at the Pad. It was like old times…like good
times especially the time the Donovans were here with me the last summer Aunt
Sookie was alive.

We
all played video games like Pac Man and Asteroids…games that we played as
children, which were from Aunt Sookie’s own private collection. Nat and Drew
even worked together in the kitchen, whipping up a delicious meal for dinner.

Towards
the end of the night, we decided to go for a midnight jog and swim.

All
three of us got dressed in jogging outfits and ran as a group along the beach,
passing by our favorite childhood haunts along the way and laughing about how
we thought the caves we’ve seen were really Count Dracula’s lair or Batman’s
cave. As we jogged, we retold stories Aunt Sookie told us about castles and
knights, dragons, and ogres…about fantastic fantasies with epic proportions,
about the fey folk who lived in Feyland with the magic to cure all sickness.

We
ran for a while and decided to head back for a quick dip in the pool.

Of
course, the two men I was undeniably and unbelievably hot for were already
there in their boxer shorts, swimming, dipping each other into the water, and
rough-housing it like when they were thirteen when I returned from changing
into a bikini. It was a daring but cute number, a pale pink string bikini with
a cute ruffled bottom. Daring because the top barely covered my breasts.