Page 53 of Defender

He wanted nothing more than to put his arm around her, but he had to keep his gun hand free.He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.They sat in silence for long minutes, both reveling in being alive and unharmed.

Eventually Chloe began to squirm and stretch under the blanket, unused to being held for so long.Summer reached over and pulled the blanket off her daughter’s head.

“Mama.”Chloe’s sweet voice was beautiful to both of them.She turned to Ashton.“Ah-ta.”She smiled at him like there was nothing unusual about them sitting outside in the forest in the middle of the night.Ashton squeezed her nose and she giggled.

She reached out a hand and grabbed a lock of Summer’s hair and began playing with it.

“How far out were you when you took the shot?”Summer asked.

“Too far out to get a kill, evidently.”

“But he’s the only person who could’ve made that distance.Two hundred and sixty yards,” a female voice said, coming in closer to them.Lillian.“I don’t think evenIcould make that with a Glock 23.”

“Is everything clear?”Ashton asked.

She reached down a hand to help Summer stand.“We’re still combing the woods for Harper, but nothing.”

“Any sign of the second man?”

“None.”

“What about Patrick?”Summer asked.“Whoever broke in had to get past him to enter the house.”

Lillian shook her head.“He didn’t make it, you guys.I’m sorry.Harper, or the unknown man must have taken him out.”

Ashton saw Summer wipe tears from her eyes.

“I’m taking Summer back to HQ,” he told Lillian.“She’ll stay there.We’ve obviously got some security problems we need to talk about with Steve.Nobody, especially Harper, should’ve been able to find out where Summer was located.”

Lillian nodded and winked at Chloe in his arms.“Yep, no argument here.I’m going to escort you out.”

Ashton agreed.He wanted Lillian’s eyes with them, looking out for any further trouble.He knew one hundred percent for certain he could trust her.But an Omega guard down and Summer and Chloe almost getting shot meant there was a traitor inside Omega who clearly couldn’t be trusted.

* * *

ASHTONBROUGHTTHEMto some sort of studio apartment inside Omega Sector’s headquarters.It had a bed in one corner and a couch and coffee table in the center.A small kitchenette with an island for dining made up the other section.Obviously the apartment wasn’t meant for long-term living, but it was certainly adequate for a few nights for her and Chloe.

And Ashton would be staying with them.He hadn’t left Summer’s side for even a moment since he’d found them in the forest.He’d sent Lillian into the safe house to get what she and Chloe needed for the next couple of days—including Chloe’s fire truck.

He was currently cutting up a banana for her to eat in the baby seat they’d attached to a chair at the island.Chloe didn’t seem to care that it was three o’clock in the morning.She had her Ah-ta and food.Life was good.

“The more I think about it, the more I feel like we should get you out of here,” Ashton said as he cut.

“Because you think Omega has some sort of mole or something?”

“I don’t know that it’s an actual person.Maybe it’s a computer security problem.Someone hacking in from the outside.Either way, I don’t want you and Chloe’s safety to be compromised again.”

“Is Harper a computer whiz?Is that how he found us?”

Ashton cut another piece of banana.“Curtis Harper isn’t a whiz at anything as far as we know.And moreover, why would he come to the safe house when he knew I wasn’t there?He wants revenge on me.It shouldn’t have anything to do with you.”

“He certainly looked serious when I saw him.Said you guys needed to learn the agony of grief the way he had.He must have really loved his father.”

“Yeah, we got a recording of everything he said while I was tracking your phone.The profilers will analyze the words, see if they can come up with anything.But I have to admit from what I heard, it didn’t sound like something Harper would come up with on his own.”

“Do you have a picture of Harper?I didn’t actually see him when I cracked my lamp over his head a few nights ago.”

He nodded and got out his phone, finding the picture and handing it to her.

---