Page 24

Relief hit Summer hard as Lex jogged toward her, handing the Pomeranian over. “Oh, thank God!” She clutched her close, looking up at Lex. He appeared fine, unhurt, and another wave of relief washed over her. “What happened?”

He grabbed her arm, pulling her with him. “We need to go. I knocked one of them out and took his gun, but the other guy is still in there. I didn’t want to confront him during the extraction. I had to keep the little one safe.”

He saved my baby. He’d gone back in and risked his life for the most important thing in hers. Once they were safe, she was going to give him a very big reward. One that involved her mouth on his cock and the blowjob of a lifetime.

“Thank you,” she whispered as they sprinted to his SUV and jumped inside.

“Can’t say I’ve ever extracted a Pomeranian before.” He gave her a lopsided grin and started the car. “She was a little fussy at first, but once I found her treats, it was smooth flying.”

“That sounds about right. She’s very treat-motivated. Aren’t you, little one?” Summer kissed the dog’s fluffy head.

“Shit,” Lex hissed, looking in the rearview mirror. “They’re following us. Buckle up, sweetheart.”

His foot hit the accelerator, and Summer gasped as her back hit the seat. Turning, she looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, a dark sedan was on their tail. Fumbling for the seat belt, she clicked it shut. “I don’t understand why they came back so fast. They’d barely left.”

“Summer, what did the men from earlier look like?”

Racking her brain, she told Lex what she could remember. “They had tattoos. Rough-looking. Worn jeans and T-shirts. The shorter guy had a scorpion on the back of his hand, and the taller one had an ace of spades high on his cheek near his left eye.”

“Neither of these two had any visible ink,” Lex stated grimly. “They were clean-cut and wore suits.”

Her jaw dropped. That meant… Different men? Dear God, how many people were after Scott? And now after her?

“I can’t believe this!” Her attention shifted to the side mirror. The sedan was getting closer, and if what Lex said was true—and she had no reason to believe it wasn’t—that meant Scott had dragged her into some deep shit. Fucking asshole.

If one of the thugs after them didn’t murder Scott first, she would gladly do it. Involving her in his crap yet again, leaving her with another mess he’d created, pissed her off to no end. She wanted to throttle him with her bare hands.

Scowling, the fury building inside of her unleashed. “Fucking dick. Not even divorcing the jerk can free me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, don’t you worry about it.” He laid a reassuring hand on her arm. “You’re under my protection now, and that useless ex of yours is never getting close to you again.”

Suddenly, several pops filled the air. Before Summer could blink, Lex’s firm hand tugged her down.

“Are they shooting at us?” she squealed, bent over and holding Flossie tight.

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” He picked up the gun on his lap. “Hold the wheel.”

He was already lowering the window as she stretched out an arm, grabbing the wheel to keep it steady. “Ohmygod! Lex, be careful!” Setting Flossie in the footwell, she reached out with her other hand and peeked over the dashboard.

Lex shoved half his big body out the window and began firing. She gripped the wheel hard, doing her best to focus on the road. But with his firm, denim-clad ass flexing in her face, it wasn’t easy.

Now is not the time, Summer. What is wrong with you?

Lex aimed at the windshield and peppered it with bullets. The car chasing them swerved, then the driver lost control. He watched the sedan barrel off the country road and hurtle into a ditch. As much as he wanted to turn back around and confront them, he refused to put Summer in any further danger. He’d hunt them down later.

Satisfied the men wouldn’t be following them any further, Lex slid back inside and took the wheel from Summer. “Thanks for keeping us straight.”

She moved over to her side. “No, uh, problem.”

Lex watched as she scooped the dog up. The way she held onto the fluffball so tightly told him she meant more than the world to Summer. It was almost as if the dog acted as some sort of anchor for her. Like an emotional support animal. He had friends who’d dealt with severe PTSD and now had support dogs. Good men like Corey. Although in Cor’s case, he had an emotional support wolf named Storm.

“That was my first official car chase,” she admitted, still a little breathless.

“You did amazing, sweetheart.” She preened a little from his praise, and he made a mental note to use the endearment more often.

As much as he hated the words about to leave his mouth, they had to be said. “We need to talk to your ex. If he’s still alive.”

“I tried at least half a dozen times. He isn’t picking up.” She looked over, brow furrowed. “As much as he frustrates the hell out of me and despite wanting to kill him myself, Scott isn’t a bad man. Not like the men who came to my house. He’s just…”