Page 23 of Blue Summer

I turn in time to see Roman step off the last stair. “Yeah, me too.”

“Must be something in the fucking water or something. I’m going to have to quit the fucking team if this is a requirement for staying on.” He's talking about how a lot of men on the team have started getting married and starting families.

“Really, ‘cause it looked like it might be hitting you next, big boy.”

“What?” He automatically gives himself away by looking upward toward the second floor where Summer’s sister happens to be. “No. Really, I…”

He doesn’t get to finish as the door to his apartment is kicked open and a small, pear-shaped man comes limping into the room. It’s not the man I am worried about but the gun he has in his hands. He limps over to us, waving the thing around.

“You over with the other two. Drop the gun, pretty boy. Now!”

He points to Roman who slowly moves towards us as I place my gun on the ground and kick it out of the way so he can’t bend over, grab it, and shoot me with my own fucking gun. I automatically pushed Summer behind me when the door burst in.

“Summer, you cheating bitch. You’re coming with me.”

“I don’t think so… Scott.”

He looks put off for a moment that I know his name.

“That’s right. I know who you are, and I know there is no fucking way I am letting you take my girl anywhere with you.”

He winces and pushes the fist with the gun in it to his head before aiming at us again. “Shut the fuck up! She’s not yours! She’s mine! My girlfriend! My woman!”

“You can’t possibly think I am your girlfriend when I just spoke to you once, Creep… Scott.”

I try to push Summer back behind me and notice Roman is standing close to us helping me hide her.

“Shut up! Shut the fuck up! You don’t understand… I’ll treat you better than this guy ever could, Summer. I hurt myself for you." He hits the leg that seems to be bleeding and I can't help but wonder if Joe is alright, "I’ll make you happy!”

“Roan makes me happy, you psycho headcase!”

“No! No! You…shut up, cheating bitch. I loved you and you… betrayed me.”

“Fuck off!” She tries to edge around me but I keep her behind me and Roman as we slowly back up putting as much space between us as possible.

“That’s okay, Summer. I don’t think you’ll feel the same about him after I’ve killed him!”

“Nooo!” Summer cries out and tries to come around me with such force that I can barely stop her from jumping in front of me.

“Hey, Scott!” He turns just in time to get hit in the back by one of the dining room chairs held by Summer’s sister, who no one realized had crept down the stairs and picked one up. “You creepy bastard!”

It doesn’t take him all the way down, but it does make him stagger off balance enough that I can rush him, hitting him with my shoulder right in the middle and knocking both of us over. The gun he had goes skidding across the floor and out of reach.

I have more muscle than Scott, but he has desperation on his side. He elbows me in the nose and stands back up, shoving Summer’s sister out of the way and going for the gun again. But I also have something worth fighting - and dying - for. And when I reach out and grab his ankle to yank him off his feet again I don’t hesitate to let my fists fly.

No way am I letting this nut anywhere near the woman I love!

Chapter Twenty-One

Summer

My heart is in my throat and my palms are drenched in sweat. When I see the two men on the ground fighting one another, my breath catches in my throat and I have to move, I have to do something to help the man… the man that I love.

I go for the gun but get pulled up short by Roman. “Let me go! Let me help him!”

He pulls me further away from the fighting. “Roan can take this guy. Roan can handle this… but only if you are safe and he doesn’t have to worry about you.”

I come up short knowing he’s right. But it does nothing to make me worry less. It does nothing to make my fear for his safety any better. When I see him gain the upper hand and give Scott a hard punch to the face knocking him out, I finally break and run to him. He is staggering to his feet as I reach him.

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