Catching Summer (12 page)

Time dragged on and still no word from Evan. It was two in the morning, and he wasn’t answering his phone or text messages. He was with Derek and Brianna, so I knew I shouldn’t be worried about him. I trusted him. However, Evan wasn’t the type to say he was going to do something and then not do it. If he was going to be two hours late, he would’ve called me. I didn’t want to check up on him, but there was no way in hell I’d be able to sleep if I didn’t.

Picking up my phone, I called Lara. She was the only one I knew who had Luke’s number. When she answered, her voice was groggy with sleep. “Sis, you okay?”

“I don’t know. I can’t get in touch with Evan. Do you mind giving me Luke’s number? I know Evan was supposed to be with him tonight.”

She groaned. “Well, there’s your problem. He’s with Luke. Evan probably won’t stumble through the door until the sun comes up.”

“Please, Lara. Let me have Luke’s number. I have to know Evan’s okay. Something just doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay, let me find it in my phone.” She yawned and fumbled around on her phone for a few seconds and then recited it to me.

“Thank you, and I’m sorry to have called you so late.”

She yawned again. “You’re welcome. Call me back if something’s wrong. You kind of have me worried now.”

“I will. Hopefully, he’s just with Luke catching up.” We hung up the phone and I immediately dialed Luke’s number. He, too, sounded like he’d been asleep when he answered.

“Yeah?”

“Luke, it’s Summer. I’m looking for Evan. Do you know where he’s at?”

“Evan? He should’ve been home a couple of hours ago. He left with Derek and Brianna.”

My gut clenched. “He’s not here. I’ve been texting him and he’s not answering. That’s not like him.”

“No, it’s not.”

Just then a call beeped through on my phone. “Hey, I have a call coming in.” When I looked at it, it wasn’t Evan, but Kate. “It’s Kate,” I mumbled, my heart dropping. “Why the hell would she be calling?”

“Answer it and then call me back.” Luke hung up so I clicked over to Kate, swallowing hard.

“Hello,” I answered.

I could tell she was in her car by the background noise. “Summer, I want you to listen to me and stay calm. Can you do that?”

“That depends. What the hell’s going on?”

“I’m not exactly sure. I got a call from the police department. Evan’s been in an accident. From what they said, he’s stable, but I don’t think the same can be said for Derek and Brianna. I’m on my way to the hospital. Meet me there?”

I ran to the kitchen and grabbed my purse and keys. “I’m on my way.” My stomach clenched and I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I had known there was something wrong before she called; I could feel it. Thankfully, there wasn’t much traffic in the middle of the night, so I was able to fly as fast as I could down the road. However, I came upon a sight that would forever haunt my memories. A crumpled car that looked like Brianna’s was being pulled out of a ditch, completely mangled and torn apart.

Gasping, I swerved and slammed on the brakes. In the rearview mirror, I watched as the tow truck driver secured the car onto the back of his truck. There was blood on the broken windshield. “Oh my God,” I cried, closing my eyes. That
was
Brianna’s car. Pulling back out onto the road, I sobbed the entire way to the hospital. My whole body shook, but I had to get there. Over and over in my mind, I repeated the words Kate had said. Evan was stable
.
I wouldn’t be able to survive another loss, especially his.

Once I arrived, I parked in the first space I could find and rushed inside to the lady at the desk. “Evan Townsend’s room, please,” I said quickly. She looked it up and as soon as she told me his room number, I dashed to the elevators. Pacing the elevator, I felt like it took an eternity to get to his floor.
“Come on!”

The doors opened and I rushed out, only to run right into another person. His arms grasped me tight, steadying me. “Summer, calm down.”

I looked up and it was Cooper, his weary gaze making my stomach drop. “Where’s Kate?”

“She’s in Evan’s room. He got transferred up from the emergency room a few minutes ago. Kate just got done talking to the doctor. I was going to step out and call everyone for her.”

“Will you call Luke and Lara for me, please?”

Nodding, he squeezed my arm reassuringly. “I will. Now go in there. He’s not awake, but I’m sure he’ll want to see you when he is.”

Swallowing hard, I stepped past him and went straight toward Evan’s room. The door was shut, but I opened it quietly and found Kate sitting in the corner, covering her face, her shoulders shaking.

“Kate,” I whispered.

Her head snapped up and she rushed over, folding me in a hug. I could see the edge of Evan’s bed, but I couldn’t see his face. “Summer,” she cried. Letting me go, she pulled me the rest of the way into the room so I could see Evan. I gasped and rushed to his side. The area underneath his eyes was black and blue and his head was bandaged. On his arms there were cuts and bruises, but other than that it didn’t look like he’d suffered anything major.

Taking his hand gently, I kissed it and held it to my cheek. “I’m here, baby.”

Kate came up behind me and put her hand on my shoulder. “He’s going to be fine. He took a nasty hit to the head when he was thrown out of the car, but luckily he has a hard head like the rest of our family. I called my parents, but they’re in Wyoming right now hiking the Grand Tetons. They’re going to get on the first flight they can find.” It wasn’t the way I’d wanted to meet his parents, but at least they were coming.

“What about Derek and Bri? How are they?” I set Evan’s hand down and turned to her.

A sob escaped her lips and she clutched her stomach. Sitting back in the chair, she lowered her head and cried. “Brianna’s dead. From what the doctor said, she died on impact.”

“Oh my God,” I cried, falling to my knees. Tears streamed down my cheeks and my chest tightened. It wasn’t just Brianna’s life that was lost.

“She was pregnant, Summer.”

“I know,” I whispered hoarsely. “She told me.”

“I don’t know what to do. I told the doctor I would tell Derek myself, but the thought of telling him he lost not only Brianna but a baby as well rips my heart to pieces.”

“I’ll tell him,” Evan murmured.

Gasping, I quickly got to my feet. “Evan.” I hovered over him and cried when he lifted his hand to my face. His weary gray eyes stared back at me.

“I’m okay, sunshine.”

“I was so worried about you when you didn’t come home. Thank God you’re okay. The thought of losing you…”

He wiped my tears away and put a finger to my lips. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Kate came around to the other side of his bed. “You saved Derek’s life, Evan. He wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

He scoffed. “He’s probably not going to forgive me for bringing him back once he finds out about Bri.”

“I don’t mind telling him,” Kate murmured. “You don’t have to do it.”

Evan nodded. “Yes, I do. He’s going to be angry, and the last thing we need is for that stress to be on you when you’re nine months pregnant. He’s my friend, sis. I was there through it all.”

“Speaking of which,” I cut in, glancing at them both, “what exactly happened?”

“The police want to know, too,” Kate insisted.

Evan closed his eyes and growled, “Someone ran us off the road.”

“What?” I shrieked. “Like, literally ran you off the road, or by accident?”

“No,” he replied, opening his eyes. “The fucker ran into our car and forced us off the road. If the police look at the car, they’ll see the marks on the left side where they rammed into us. It was a lifted blue truck. That’s all I can remember.”

Kate backed away toward the door. “I’m calling the police.”

“And I’ll call Mason,” I offered. “He always knows what to do.”

Kate nodded and disappeared out the door. So many scenarios had gone through my mind, but I definitely couldn’t have imagined someone running them off the road. Evan grabbed hold of my hand, his voice full of anger. “When I find out who did this, they’re going to wish they were dead.”

“You didn’t see who it was?”

He shook his head. “No. It was dark.”

“Do you know of anyone who would want to see you hurt?” As soon as I said it, Levi Milner came to mind. But surely he wouldn’t have come all the way to North Carolina from Arizona, would he?

“We all have enemies, Summer. I’m sure Lindsey would like to see you fall flat on your face, but she would never do anything to physically hurt you. I can’t think of anyone who would do this.”

“What about Levi? He was adamant about making your life hell.”

“That’s just bullshit talk. We were on their turf. There’s no way he’d come out here and do this.”

“Are you sure?” It didn’t matter what he thought. I was going to have Mason look into it anyway. I’d learned not to trust anyone after what happened to my husband.

“To be honest, I’m not sure about anything anymore. All I can think about right now is the look on Brianna’s face. She was so scared. I don’t know what I would’ve done if it was you in the car and not her. I would’ve wished I was dead rather than wake up and find out I had lost you and our child.”

Lips trembling, I hung my head, the ache in my chest making it hard to breathe. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. Brianna was one of the sweetest girls I know.”

“Same here. Before we left the bar, she sat and talked to Luke for over an hour on how to get your sister back.”

The thought brought a smile to my face. “I can only imagine what she told him.”

About that time, Luke barreled through the door with his T-shirt on backward and his blond hair a mess. “What the hell happened?”

I squeezed Evan’s hand and kissed him gently on the lips. “I’ll be right back. I just need to make some phone calls.”

Leaving them alone, I walked past the waiting room where Kate and Cooper sat with Coach Joel. It was going to be a sad day for the team. At the end of the hall, there was a quiet, vacant corner. Pulling out my phone, I read a text from Lara saying she was on her way and a few older ones from Luke asking if I’d found Evan yet. It was late in California, but I needed Mason’s help; it couldn’t wait. Scrolling through my contacts, I clicked on his name and waited for him to pick up and curse at me for calling so late, but luckily he didn’t.

“Summer?” he answered.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly so I wouldn’t choke. “Yes, it’s me.”

“What’s wrong? You never call this late.”

“Evan was in an accident with one of the other players and his girlfriend.” The tears started flowing. “Brianna didn’t make it and Derek almost died. Someone ran them off the road on their way home, and I know how good you are with solving these kinds of cases.”

Mason sighed. “Holy fucking shit. Have there been any other incidents?”

“Just an altercation out in Arizona after last weekend’s game. I don’t know if you watched it, but—”

“You mean with Levi Milner? Yeah, I saw what he was doing.”

“Then you might want to know that he and Evan had words after the game. Is there any way you can investigate him?”

“Yeah, I’ll look into it. In the meantime, I’m going to have Jason Avery talk to you. He’s an undercover detective out there.”

“I know who he is. He’s good friends with Luke Collins.”

“I’ll have him give you a call in the morning. Tell him everything you know.”

“Will do, Mason, thank you. It feels like I’m right back in Vegas with everything falling apart.”

“No, you’re not. What happened to Austin in Vegas was fucked up. That’s not going to happen again.” Before Mason became an undercover cop, he was a legend in the MMA world, a heavyweight champion. When other fighters started showing up dead, he was called in by the Vegas PD chief of police to go undercover to see if he could find the killers. I never thought Austin would be one of those victims. Now Evan was being targeted…but why?

“I sure hope you’re right.”

“I am. I’m going to help you in every way I know how. Jason’s one of the best and he knows a lot of people. He’ll be your eyes and ears.”

We said our goodbyes, and I slowly walked back to Evan’s room. Luke was leaving as I approached, and I stopped him. “Your friend Jason is going to be put on Evan’s case. I called Mason and he’s going to have him help us. We need to find out who did this.”

He nodded, his jaw tense. “I agree. Evan’s never had anything like this happen before. I don’t know what the fuck’s going on. But whatever it is, Jason will figure it out. I’ll be back up here tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I whispered before he walked off. Evan’s door was cracked, so I tiptoed inside and shut it lightly. He was still awake and smiled sadly when I approached.

“Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? I’ll be fine here.”

“I’m not leaving you, Evan. I’m staying with you.”

I started to sit down, but he shook his head. “Not there, sunshine. Here,” he said, patting the space beside him.

“Evan, no. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“If you don’t get up here, I’m going to drag myself out of this bed and make you. Don’t make me have to do that. I could’ve died tonight and all I want to do is hold you. Please, Summer.”

Gently, I climbed up on the bed and snuggled up to his side. He winced, but instead of letting me back away, he held me tight. “I need this. I have to know you’re not going anywhere.”

“I’m not. I’ll always be by your side.” It wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep, but I lay there too terrified to close my eyes. I could only imagine the horrible things I would see if I did.

After a few hours of sleep, I slipped out of the hospital bed and grabbed a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. I hate coffee, but I needed the caffeine. Kate and Cooper were sitting at a table, eating breakfast, looking glum. I was thankful Kate had pulled some strings so I could stay the night with Evan. Usually it wasn’t allowed, but Evan had been adamant that I stay.

“Anything new?” I asked, taking a seat.

Kate rubbed her tired eyes. “The police are going to talk to Evan sometime this morning. Other than that, I guess everything’s under investigation.”

“What about arrangements for Brianna’s funeral?”

“Her family’s taking care of that. Joel is meeting with the team today and asking for donations to help out. They’re kind of waiting on Derek to wake up before they set a date.”

A lone tear fell down my cheek. “I see.”

“What about on your end? Did you talk to Mason?”

I took a sip of my coffee and almost gagged. “I did. He’s going to get Luke’s friend Jason to help out. He’s supposed to call me today.”

She sighed. “That’s good. I know Jason very well.”

Picking up my coffee, I stood up and pushed in my chair. “What about the game tonight? Will there still be one?”

Cooper cleared his throat. “Joel said the team’s fired up and ready to go. They want to do it for Derek, Evan, and Brianna.”

“Are you going to play?” I asked him.

He started to say no, but Kate put a hand over his mouth. “Yes, he’s going to. I guess he feels he needs to babysit me.”

Cooper chuckled. “Somebody has to.”

“All right, you two, I’m going to check on Evan and then head to his house to get him some fresh clothes.”

“I can do that if you want. That way you can stay with him,” Kate offered.

“No, it’s okay. I think I need the fresh air. Hospitals bring back way too many memories for me.”

She smiled sadly. “I understand. Cooper and I are going to the stadium to talk to the team, but we’ll be back up here later.”

I nodded. “I’ll see you guys then.”

Before leaving the cafeteria, I guzzled down the rest of my coffee and threw the cup away. I could already feel the effects of the caffeine swirling through my body. I needed that jolt. Once I made it back to Evan’s floor, I walked by the waiting room, only to be tackled by Lara as she threw her arms around me.

“It’s about damn time I get to see you. I was here a while ago, but when I looked in on you and Evan, you were on the bed with him. I didn’t want to bother you.” She let me go and her eyes watered.

“He’s okay, thank God. But I’m assuming you heard about Brianna and Derek?”

“I did. I can’t believe this shit is happening. It’s already all over the news.”

“What are they saying?” I asked, wide-eyed.

“Nothing much just yet—only that it’s under investigation and they’re considering foul play. It’s too soon, I guess.”

“Where’s Grayson? Is he handling the restaurant?”

She nodded. “He said he’ll do whatever it takes. We both know you want to be with Evan.”

Holding on to her arm, I pulled her with me to Evan’s room. “At least until he’s out of here. Do you want to come with me to fetch him some clean clothes?”

“Sure. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Evan was already awake, flipping through TV stations that were all covering the accident. “I wonder how long it’s going to take for the media to come here. We need to make sure Derek doesn’t see this shit before I get a chance to tell him.”

“Last I heard, he hasn’t awoken yet, but we’ll make sure he can’t turn on the TV,” I told him.

He shut the television off and slammed the remote on the table. “I’m ready to get the fuck out of here. Do you know when they’re letting me out?” He tried to run his hands through his hair, but winced when he touched the bandage. I walked over to him and grabbed his hands.

“I don’t know, but it’ll be soon. I’m going to run by the house and pick up some clean clothes for you. Is there anything else you need?”

Sighing, he pulled me closer and kissed me. “Only you. Just hurry back.”

“I won’t be gone long. Besides, I think the police are coming to talk to you. You’ll be busy with that for a while. Then tonight we can watch the game together.”

“The team’s still playing tonight?”

I nodded. “They wanted to do it for you, Derek, and Bri.” I kissed him again. “I’ll be back soon. Try to get some rest so you can go home.”

“I’m trying, sunshine.”

Lara and I stepped out and started down the hall toward the elevator. “You sure you’re okay?” she asked.

The elevator doors closed and carried us down. I was okay for the moment, but I could feel my resistance wearing thin. “I’m fine,” I lied. “I’m just ready for this all to be over.”

We got to Evan’s house, and I packed an entire bag for him with clothes and toiletries. “I want to stop by the café and get him some apple fritters before we go back,” I called out to Lara.

“I swear, you two are so cute it’s sickening. Why weren’t you like that with Austin?”

Grabbing one of Evan’s shirts, I brought it to my face and breathed in his scent. I loved Austin and always would, but what I had with Evan was different. It was stronger. “I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “My relationship with Evan runs deeper than I’d ever imagined.”

“Do you think maybe it’s because you were meant to be with Evan and not Austin?”

“Could be, but they are complete opposites. My life stopped with Austin and then picked back up with Evan. He healed me.” Lara blew out a heavy sigh and sat down at the kitchen table. She fumbled with her phone and let it drop on the table. “Why are you asking me these questions?” I asked. “Is there something on your mind? Or perhaps
someone
?” Before she could reply, a knock sounded on the door. “I wonder who that could be.”

She followed me to the door. When I opened it, I wasn’t prepared to see Luke there with Jason beside him. His eyes immediately caught Lara’s and he froze.

“Hi,” I greeted them. “I wasn’t expecting you just yet.”

Jason glanced back and forth at us all and stepped forward when he realized Luke was going to stand there in a stupor. “I’m sorry to barge in on you, but we tried to call. We went to the hospital and Kate said you were here.”

Opening the door wider, I waved them in. “No, it’s fine. My phone must be dead. It hasn’t been charged in a while.” Jason stepped forward and so did Luke. Unfortunately, Lara backed away and disappeared down the hallway, slamming the door in her wake. “It’s been an emotional day,” I said, giving her an excuse. Then I turned to Luke. “Just give her some time.”

His jaw clenched. “More time for her to run back to Grayson? Yeah, that’s exactly what I want.”

Jason elbowed him in the side. “We’re not here for your love life, asswipe. We’re here for Townsend.”

Luke huffed and shut the door. “Then let’s get to it.”

We sat down at the kitchen table and Jason pulled out a notebook. I told him everything I knew. I mentioned Levi and what had happened in Arizona along with everything Evan had told me about the accident.

“Personally, I think you should investigate Jax, too,” Luke suggested. “It’s obvious he hates Evan. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had something to do with all of this.”

Jason wrote Jax’s name in his notebook. “Good point. After what you told me he and Lindsey did, it could be possible. I’ll investigate them both.”

“Do you think that’s enough to go on?” I asked him.

He shut his notebook and stood. “Oh, yeah. It might take a few days to get everything I need, but I’ll do it as fast as I can. Tell Evan I’ll be in touch.”

“I will.”

I walked them to the door, but Luke stopped and turned around. “I’m sorry for losing my shit earlier. I didn’t know Lara was going to be here.”

“It’s okay. I think she’s a little confused right now. Love seems to do that to people.”

He snorted. “No shit. I’ll see you back at the hospital tonight.”

“Good, because Evan and I are going to watch the game. The more the merrier.”

“Then I’ll bring the chips and dip. I’m sure Evan’s going to be sick of hospital food by the time everything’s said and done.”

I laughed. “I’m sure he will. See you tonight.”

After I shut the door, Lara came out of hiding. “So you’re hanging out with him now?”

Sighing, I grabbed Evan’s bag and slung it over my shoulder. “He’s Evan’s best friend, Lara. He’s going to be around, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Straightening her shoulders, she marched to the door. “Whatever you do, don’t ask me to hang out with him. I don’t think I can do it.”

“Are you ever going to talk to him?”

With her hand on the knob, she glanced back at me, her gaze sad. “I don’t know. My anger keeps me away, but I can feel my control slipping. I think it’s best I stay away from him.” And with those words, she opened the door and said nothing more about it. I could only hope she was making the right decision.