Protecting Summer (16 page)

Mozart stood up while saying, “Okay, Sunshine, you’re doing great. I’m going to get these cuffs off then we’re out of here.”

“Don’t touch me.”

Mozart took a step back as if Summer had physically hit him. He’d wanted to hear her speak to him, to reassure him that she was okay, but hadn’t expected her first words to be for him to get away from her. “What?” The word came out before Mozart could pull it back.

“Don’t touch me,” Summer repeated.

Ignoring what was happening behind him, Mozart couldn’t give a shit about Hurst at the moment. His focus was centered on Summer, and only Summer. Who the hell knew what Hurst had done to her while they were trying to find her. He’d only gotten a glimpse of the young woman who’d been strapped to the floor, but if Summer had been through anything like what it looked like the young woman had been though, it was no wonder she didn’t want to be touched.

“Sunshine, I have to touch you to get the cuffs off.”

Mozart watched as her eyes opened to slits. Her words tore through him.

“I’m not clean. He jacked off on me. He wiped her blood on me. He spit on me. He smeared his fucking cum on my face and hair. I don’t want him anywhere on you.”

Mozart’s stomach turned. Fuck. He brought his hand to her face and put it over her eyes lightly. “Sunshine, keep your eyes closed, I know they hurt. I don’t give a fuck what he did to you. I’m here now, I’ll take care of you.
Let
me take care of you.”

“I…Okay.” Summer’s voice was so soft, Mozart could barely hear it, but he
had
heard it. He brushed the knuckles of one hand down her cheek briefly before standing up again. He pulled a set of handcuff keys out of his pocket. Handcuffs keys were generally pretty standard and they were a part of the team’s general supplies they carried with them at all times. They’d come in very handy in the past when they’d gotten into some sticky situations as well as when they’d gone in for a hostage rescue.

Mozart made quick work of unlocking the cuffs and winced at the condition of Summer’s wrists. They were covered in blood and he could see deep gouges in her wrists from fighting against the cuffs’ hold. Mozart dropped the metal handcuffs on the ground and took hold of Summer’s hands with his. He walked around her careful not to jar her and kneeled in front of her again.

“I’m going to pick you up, Sunshine, and take you outside and away from here. I want you to hold on to me, don’t let go, and keep your eyes closed. It’s bright outside and I know the light will hurt your eyes.”

He watched as Summer nodded, then she squeezed his hands.

“Is Elizabeth going to be all right?”

Mozart thought about lying to her, but decided she needed to hear the truth. “I don’t know. I’ve only been concerned about you.”

He leaned over and picked Summer up and settled her into his arms. She immediately rested her head on his shoulder and wound her arms around his neck.

“His name isn’t Joseph.”

“I know.”

“It’s Ben Hurst. He said he’s been torturing and killing women and kids for years.”

“Shhhh, I know, Summer.”

“He said…”

“Sunshine,” Mozart said a bit more forcefully as he maneuvered them to the door of the small cabin. “I
know
.”

Mozart looked back into the room for the first time. Cookie had cut Elizabeth free and was trying to tend to her injuries. Benny and Dude were holding a subdued Hurst. His pants were around his ankles and his face was bloody. Wolf was standing over Hurst holding his pistol in his hand. Wolf met Mozart’s eyes as he stopped at the door.

Mozart knew what Wolf wanted to know, but he didn’t feel capable of making the decision. Once upon a time, he knew he would’ve wanted to be the one standing over Hurst, making him beg for his life, but he just didn’t care anymore.

Even with holding an injured and traumatized Summer in his arms, he felt lighter. He felt as if he’d finally let go of all the angst and bitterness he’d held since he was fifteen over what Hurst had taken from him. In a weird way, Hurst had brought him and Summer together. If it hadn’t been for Hurst hiding out in Big Bear, he never would’ve met Summer.

Mozart just wanted to get Summer out of the cabin and into some fresh air. He needed to get her to a hospital and he needed to make sure she was all right. Nothing else mattered. Not even Hurst.

Mozart turned away from Wolf and left the cabin. He heard Hurst yelling at him as he left the cabin, but Mozart didn’t care. Whatever the man had to say, it didn’t matter anymore.

Mozart saw that Abe was standing outside. He met his eyes and walked toward him.

“We need to get her to a hospital.”

“I’ve got the four wheeler ready. It looks like its got lots of gas in it. You can’t drive and hold Summer at the same time and three people won’t fit on it. We also need to get help for Elizabeth. I’ll head down to the car and get a hold of Tex. He’ll get a chopper up here.”

Mozart wasn’t letting go of Summer. Not until he had to. “I’m not leaving her.”

“Of course you aren’t. Don’t worry, Mozart. She’s made it this far, she’ll be fine. I’ll make sure Tex knows there’ll be three people the chopper’s picking up.”

“Appreciate it.” He turned to walk further away from the cabin and to get into the shade of some trees.

Abe turned to leave just as a single shot rang out from the cabin behind them. Abe stopped and turned around and looked at Mozart. Mozart hadn’t veered from his path to the shade and in fact hadn’t even turned around. Abe shook his head grimly, knowing what the shot meant. Hurst wouldn’t be hurting anyone else ever again.

Finally, he shrugged, he had to get back to the cars and get a hold of Tex. Both women needed to get to a hospital immediately. They’d deal with Hurst and the aftermath of what had gone down later.

Mozart sat next to Summer’s hospital bed with his feet propped up on the end of the mattress and watched her breathe. He watched as Summer’s chest slowly moved up and down and he counted her breaths. She was breathing about sixteen times a minute, which was still in the normal range, but was toward the top of it.

She’d scared him to death, and Mozart wasn’t afraid to admit it. Tex had worked fast and they’d been taken to the Community Hospital of San Bernardino, the closest trauma center to Big Bear. Within a couple of hours, Ice, Alabama, and Fiona had arrived, along with the rest of the team.

Mozart had stayed by Summer’s side and had refused to leave. He’d told the doctor that Summer was his fiancée, and every member of his team had backed him up. Summer hadn’t even contradicted him. He’d been allowed to stay while they’d examined her physically. Her clothes had been put into paper bags for the police as evidence, and a crime scene investigator had arrived to document her injuries with photographs.

Mozart stayed in the room, even when the nurses had tried to chase him out before they gave her a sponge bath to clean her up. He turned his back, so as not to embarrass Summer, but he wouldn’t leave.

Summer hadn’t said much during the exams, but Mozart noticed that she constantly checked to see where he was. Hardly a minute went by where she wasn’t searching for him. Mozart made sure to stay within her eyesight. If the doctor moved so he blocked Summer’s view of him, Mozart would step to the side, so she could still see him. Someone else might not have even noticed she was doing it, but he’d noticed and made sure she felt as comfortable as possible during the uncomfortable exam.

While the doctors checked her eyes, Mozart had held Summer’s hand and didn’t complain a bit when her fingernails dug into his skin. It wasn’t until he saw the damage that had been done to her wrists that he’d broken down. Mozart hadn’t been able to stop the tears that fell silently from his eyes. He’d seen worse injuries in his lifetime, but it was what the deep gouges meant, that made him lose it.

He knew Summer had fought. She’d fought against what Hurst had done to Elizabeth. She’d tried to escape. Mozart knew she’d continued to try to escape her bindings, even when it was obvious she couldn’t. Even as the blood coursed down her hands and dripped on the floor below, she continued to fight.

Summer had seen his tears and leaned into him. She couldn’t touch him since the nurses were cleaning and stitching her wrists, but she still found a way to comfort him. She turned her head and nuzzled into his neck as he cried. She sighed as Mozart’s arms went around her tightly. Summer had simply whispered, “I’m okay, Mozart,” and continued to let him take her weight until the nurses were done. They’d given her a shot for pain and the last thing she’d said to him was, “please don’t leave.”

So here he sat. She’d asked him not to leave and nothing was going to tear him away from her side. Not his commander, not the United States Navy, not the damn President of the United States. Mozart would sit there until hell froze over if he had to.

Each one of the girls had tiptoed into the room to see how Summer was doing. They hadn’t known her very long, but she’d obviously made an impression on them. Summer had slept through all of their visits. The girls had promised to come back the next day when hopefully Summer would be awake.

Caroline had to get back to Riverton, she was in the middle of a huge project at work and really couldn’t spare even one day away, but she’d insisted on coming up to visit anyway. It meant even more to Mozart because he knew first-hand how much Ice hated hospitals. Mozart had pulled her aside and asked for a favor. Of course, Caroline had agreed with no questions asked. Mozart smiled, remembering. Caroline probably would have been pissed if he
hadn’t
asked for her help.

Ice had given him a big hug and told him, “She’ll be okay, Mozart. She’ll want you here. I’ll see you guys back home.”

Mozart thought back to when Ice had been in the hospital. She’d also been kidnapped and tortured. He hoped Summer would be able to get past everything that had been done to her as well as Ice had. He knew Ice still had some nightmares. He and Wolf had even talked about it. But slowly she was getting over them, thank God.

Summer finally stirred. Mozart brought his feet down and stood up. He sat down on the bed next to her hip and leaned over her, being careful not to jostle her. He didn’t want to freak her out, but he wanted to be close enough so she’d know he was there the second she opened her eyes. With his hands on either side of her hips, Mozart surrounded her with his heat and leaned in, watching as Summer struggled to fully awaken.

Summer squirmed on the bed, not wanting to wake up. She knew if she opened her eyes, she’d have to deal with all the crap that had gone down over the last day or so. She remembered almost every second she’d been held in the cabin. As much as she wished she didn’t, Summer knew she’d never forget. Every single part of her body hurt, but she was alive. She tried to keep telling herself that.

Summer opened her eyes to slits trying to keep her panic down. She knew it would be a long time before she’d feel comfortable being by herself again. Summer jolted at seeing a pair of intense dark eyes right above her head. She immediately relaxed. She’d recognize Mozart’s eyes anywhere.

“Hi,” she said quietly, relieved at seeing him there.

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

“You want the truth, or the watered down version?”

“Always the truth, Sunshine. Always.”

“My wrists hurt. My eyes are burning, I feel dirty and I’m worried about Elizabeth. But I’m so relieved you’re here I’m not sure I can put it into words. It makes all the other things fade away.” Summer watched as Mozart’s face at first tensed at her words, but then relaxed.

“There’s no place I’d rather be.”

“I called Tex like you told me to.”

“Are we going to talk about this now? Or do you need time?”

“I’d rather talk about it now. I don’t think I can ignore it for too long. It’ll eat away at me.”

“Do you want me to get a psychiatrist in here for you? I know Ice still talks to one and she’s helped her a lot.”

“No, I just want you.”

“You’ve got me, Sunshine. Scoot over.”

Mozart waited as Summer moved a bit to the right, then he lay down right next to her and gathered her into his arms carefully. He heard her sigh in contentment.

“Is this even legal?”

“Don’t care.”

Summer smiled at Mozart’s words. She knew he really didn’t care about the hospital rules. She sobered. “This is what I thought about when he made me watch. I wasn’t seeing what he was doing or saying, I was remembering how safe I felt when you held me just like this.”

“You did good calling Tex, but dammit, Summer, I have to say it. You shouldn’t have gotten in the damn car with Hurst in the first place.”

“I know.”

Mozart paused. He was all ready to deliver a gentle, but firm reprimand, and Summer took all the wind out of his sails.

She continued, “I had a bad feeling in my gut, which was why I called Tex. I was stupid. I shouldn’t have let Henry goad me into it. I’m just sorry that the other woman got sucked into the situation. And I’m so sorry for you too. If I’d been smarter you wouldn’t have had to go through it and be reminded of your sister.”

Mozart chuckled. “You’re the only person I’ve met who after being kidnapped and tortured, would apologize for it.” Then he sobered. “Sunshine, I don’t give a fuck about Hurst.”

“But…”

“No, let me finish.” When Summer nodded, Mozart pulled her more deeply into his arms and rested his head on top of her head.

“For most of my life I’ve been hunting that man. He’s the reason I joined the SEAL teams. I wanted revenge for Avery. I wanted to kill him more than I wanted to serve my country, more than I really cared about rescuing people, more than anything else. It had consumed my life entirely. The only reason I was in Big Bear in the first place was because Tex told me Hurst had been there. But you know what? When we got to that cabin and revenge was in sight for me, I didn’t give a damn. The
only
thing I cared about was you. I didn’t see Elizabeth. I didn’t see Hurst. I didn’t see my teammates. I only saw
you
. I got to you as soon as I could and realized I couldn’t care less what happened to that fucker. I knew my teammates would make sure he didn’t get away, and that was good enough for me.”

“What happened to him?”

“He won’t be hurting anyone else ever again.”

“Will you guys get in trouble? I’ll say whatever’s necessary to the police and the Navy so you don’t in trouble.”

Mozart could tell Summer was getting worked up and he tried to reassure her.

“No, we aren’t going to get in trouble, Sunshine. Our CO knew where we were and what we were doing. The police are up at the cabin now taking photos and getting evidence. Tex has sent them everything, at least everything legal, he collected on Hurst over the years. They know he was a psycho. We won’t get in trouble.”

He relaxed a fraction as Summer’s muscles loosened. After a beat she whispered in a voice so low, Mozart almost didn’t hear her, “I was so scared.”

“Aw, Sunshine.”

“I know I called Tex, since you were out of the country on some mission. I tried to stay strong. I told myself that Tex would figure it out and help me, but I didn’t know how.”

“Tell me what you can about what happened. You have to get it out. I’m not a counselor, and that’s probably what you need, but I also want you to talk to me.”

“I’m scared.”

“Of what? Me?”

“No. Well, kinda.”

Mozart’s arms loosened. Shit. She was scared of him? He prepared to get off the bed and give Summer some space.

“No! Please. I didn’t mean it that way.” Summer’s arms tightened around Mozart, preventing him from moving away from her. “I’m not scared of
you
. I’m scared if I tell you what happened, you’ll think differently about me. That you’ll think I’m weak. I don’t think I’m like the other women that your friends are with. Caroline is so put together. It happened to her too, but she’s so strong.”

“Summer, Ice is strong because of Wolf. She was a hot mess right after it happened. Hell, give yourself a break. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours, Sunshine. And you’re right, I’ll probably think differently about you after you tell me.” When Summer jerked in his arms and tried to pull away, Mozart was the one who held on tight and pulled his head back so he could look in her eyes. “I’ll be more proud of you than I am right now. I’ll think you’re so much stronger than I thought you were. I’ll love you even more than I do right now.”

Summer could only stare at Mozart in bewilderment. “Wha…”

“Yes, I love you. I’ve never said that to another woman before in my life. I never believed in insta-love before you. Even I know it’s nuts. Hell, I haven’t even been inside you yet, but I love you. If anything had happened to you, I don’t know what I would’ve done. Now, tell me what happened. Give it to me. Let me help you though it.” He pulled her head back down so it was resting on his chest again. “Close your eyes, I know they’re hurting. Relax, you’re safe in my arms, now tell me.”

“Bossy,” Summer teased, bringing her hand up to his face and cupping it as she lay there. She ran her thumb over his cheek, realizing that he’d been through his own hell enough times that he most likely could help her work through what had happened.

She quietly described in a monotone what had happened up until the point where Hurst had taped her eyes open. Her voice broke. “He wanted me to watch. I just couldn’t anymore. He got pissed and told me he’d make it so I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want to see it. He might have forced my eyes open, but I refused to
see
. I thought about you. Your touch, your words, how it sounded when you called me ‘Sunshine.’ My eyes burned, they were so dry. The tape was pulling on my hair.”

Mozart couldn’t help it. “Shhhhh, Sunshine. I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

“When the bright light went off, I thought I’d been blinded. I was so scared.”

“I’m so sorry…”

“No, you don’t understand. When I was finally able to see again, the first thing I saw was
you
. You were blocking everything else out. I thought I was still dreaming at first. Then you were wanting to touch me, and I didn’t want his filth on you. You’re everything that’s good and clean. I didn’t want that touching you.”

“Sunshine, I love that you feel that about me. But I’m not clean.”

“You
are
. You’ve made me feel things I haven’t felt in all my life. When you’re around, I forget everything else. I called Tex knowing he’d find you. Somehow, no matter how crazy it was, I knew you’d come for me. You said you’d always come for me.”

“Fuck, Sunshine. You’re right. I’ll always come for you. But please, Jesus, please, don’t get in a car with a psychotic serial killer who wants to taunt me with you again.”

Mozart closed his eyes when he heard Summer giggle. How the hell she could laugh after everything she’d been through, was beyond him.