Lasting Summer - [Loving Summer 05] (10 page)

Drew
followed him with the trash bag full of soiled rags. I fixed the chair Nat was
handcuffed to and everything that seemed out of place. Nat joined me as I made
my way through the theater’s main room, lobby, and out. Lamar had packed a
non-descript black van with the standees, Sloane’s body, and the trash bag. He
closed the van, and went to Nat, Drew, and I.

“This
is where I say ‘good-bye’ until next time,” he said. “You are all not to return
to the Academy for a while. Nor Summer’s house.”

“What
about the students and classes here?” I asked.

“The
theater is closed for renovation. An email will be sent out tonight. They will
come back when it’s done.”

“So
where do I go if I can’t go back to my place?” I asked.

“The
Fortress,” Lamar said. “The safest place in the U.S…Drew’s place. Built like
Fort Knox.”

“Really?”

Drew
looked embarrassed. “It’s our data warehouse. That’s why you don’t see anyone
there. And that’s why I’m at the top floor.”

“And
Nat?” I asked. “Where is he going?”

“With
you,” Lamar said. “He’ll keep you safe until you get to Drew’s. And besides,
he’s Cooper, your new best friend.”

I
turned to Nat and smiled, relieved he wasn’t going to be whisked away from me
again.

“Come
on,” Drew said. “We better get going. Donovan Dynamics is coming now. I don’t
want them seeing Nat, um, Cooper here.”

Drew
got in his car and drove off, while I got into my SUV, where Nat loaded my
computer into, and Nat hopped in.

We
drove off, close behind Drew and away from Aunt Sookie’s Academy and away from
the Pad, heading to the Fortress.

“Summer,”
Nat said, “Sorry to drag you into this…”

“Don’t
say that, Nat,” I said. “I want to be a part of your life no matter what. I’m
just so grateful to have you back…you don’t know how much I cried for you and
grieved for you when I thought you’d died.”

“Summer,”
Nat said. “I’m so sorry you went through all that. I didn’t know how much it
would affect you.”

“You
don’t?” I asked. “You are my life, Nat.”

“I
thought you wanted Drew, Summer,” Nat said.

“I
was confused. I wanted both of you, love both of you, but even when I had Drew,
I kept wanting you. Even when Drew changed to be with me, I realized he had
changed to be more like you for me. It’s you who I want, Nat. Always and
forever.”

Nat
leaned over and kissed me on the cheeks. His cheeks were wet from tears. “This
makes everything so much harder, Summer,” he said. “I’ve put away so much of
how I feel for you so I could be away from you. I don’t know what the future
will hold, but I know that you being with me will be dangerous. My life’s in
danger, Summer, and I don’t want you to be put into danger.”

“I
can change and hide my identity, too,” I said.

“No!”
Nat said. “No, please,” he said more gently. “I don’t want you to change at
all. What’s the point when we have to hide who we are to be with each other?
It’s bad enough that I have to change, but I never ever want you to change who
you are, Summer. Keep on being Summer for me, Summer. It’s the memories of
Summer that keeps me going.”

Ch.
16

Summer

W
e made it to
Drew’s place without a problem. As soon as we entered the lobby and went up the
elevator to Drew’s suite, we were able to finally relax.

“That was intense,” Drew said, grabbing
bottles of water and handing it to Nat and me, before gulping one down. He was
trying to stay calm, I could tell, especially at his own place, especially in
front of Nat. But his hands were shaking, and I could see how his jaws were
tensed. Poor Drew. I didn’t know how I could possibly take back what happened
tonight. Everything happened so quickly. We both had planned on checking the
Academy out, just a routine check, just two college students, just worried
about classes, relationship issues, family obligations, and our sports or
extracurricular activities.

Now things would never be the same
again. Drew would never be the same again.

Although it was in self-defense, where
it was either kill or be killed by the rapist/stalker, Drew had killed a person
– a criminal, and he was shaken up about it.

“Nat,” he said, “You can take my spare
bedroom, and use my clothes. Last time I checked, we were the same size, but
from the looks of it, you’ve been working out like your life depended on it.”

“Well, bro,” Nat said. “It kinda did. I
was in training with the Elite group to be able to handle the physical part of
the mission alone,” Nat said. “I thought I was in good shape because of
football and sports at home, but out there, you really have to be able to take
it all – the elements, starvation, carrying heavy equipment all day, and being
shot at.”

“Man, I didn’t know it was that brutal
out there,” Drew said, his eyes going wide and face in concern. “I bet you saw
some real tough shit.”

Nat nodded. “I did. Didn’t think I’d
make it out alive even, but I did, thank God!”

“I’m sorry,” Drew said to Nat. “Man, I
didn’t realize how much you went through, and here I was enjoying life back home
while you were being a man, a real man for Dad, Donovan Dynamics, the FBI, and
Summer.”

Nat got up and went over to Drew. “Don’t
be hard on yourself, Drew. Don’t feel guilty. I chose to go. For me, it was the
thing to do.”

“I could’ve gone in your place if I had
the training, and they got me up to speed. Then you could’ve stay back home
with Mom, Rachel, and Summer,” Drew said.

“If it was that easy,” Nat said. “I had
to go because I had the ability to break into their system and hack through
their barriers to retrieve important well-guarded information. The Special
Forces were there to help get me in and out as best as they could without
getting me killed.”

“So the FBI was involved?” Drew asked.

“Not until the end. That’s where Sloane
was involved, too. I got the FBI involved to put Sloane and others like him
away. He wasn’t just an ordinary perv, stalker. He was a hacker who was part of
a crime ring overseas so I needed the FBI to help, plus I helped them get the
names and identities of the cybercriminals.”

“That’s why this ring leader’s after
you?” I asked.

“That, and that I destroyed one of his
branches, and took valuable intel from his system that sent him and his men to
prison.”

“What’s his name?” I asked. “What does
he look like?”

“Xavier,” Nat said, “Here’s a photo Lamar
sent me of him.” He showed me a photo of a handsome man in his thirties with
dark hair and dark eyes. He was good-looking, but he looked dangerous and
devoid of any kindness.

Drew came over to look at the photo.

“Wished they included height,” he said.
“You can change everything else about him through surgery, make-up, contacts,
whatever, but you can’t change height. I’m sure this guy has multiple disguises
so he wouldn’t look like that for long.”

“Right,” Nat said. “You can bet on it.”

“So, in other words, we can’t tell who
to trust,” Drew said.

“He
can be someone from class, someone visiting the Academy, a mailman, pizza
delivery guy…” I said.

“I
was suspicious of Cooper at first,” Drew said, looking at Nat. “The way you got
close to Summer so quickly…”

Nat
grinned. “Must be my charm, but it was because I already know Summer so well, I
understood what she was going through and responded to it. Something, you still
have to learn about our Summer, little Bro,” Nat said.

Drew
blushed, looking down.

I
also looked down. As much as Drew had sexual experience with women, he didn’t
get them as Nat did. All it took was for him to pay attention to me, know what
was bothering me, and sit back to hear, really hear what I was saying. But he
was ruled by lust, as I was whenever we were together.

I
looked at Drew. His hands were still shaking, and I knew that if he didn’t get
whatever was worrying him off his chest, he would have a hard time ever
confronting it in the future. But he would have to be the one to want to talk.
It was obviously something he had been harboring.

“Nat,”
I said, going to him. “Have you checked out Drew’s security system here? I mean
you’re the mastermind behind Donovan Dynamics. Did you know about this building
and how it was set up? Why is this such a safe place?”

Nat
smiled an almost bashful smile. “It was one of my ideas to Dad. I said we
needed a location away from our headquarters that was hidden and non-descript…a
place just to store all the valuable information we’re in charge of keeping,
and to do it in a way that it would be secure from explosions, fire,
earthquake, and spies. This place…” Nat looked around and stood up to walk to
the glass window to look out onto the sleeping city, “was one of my dream buildings.
We had the penthouse built on top for the family, if we needed it, and a couple
of spare rooms. There is a kitchen commissary large enough to store a year’s
worth of food and cook for a hundred people, there are rooms of data storage
units, guarded by the highest tech security we can dream of…so, to answer your
question, Summer, I did know about this building even before Drew did. But it
was never part of my plans to move here or to even stay here…only for dire
emergencies….which I think this qualifies for.”

“Then
Drew staying here…is it prohibited or…?” I began wondering how Nat felt about
Drew occupying this building, his building that he dreamt of and built.

“I’m
fine with it,” Nat said. “After all, I walked away from being a Donovan,
remember. Someone’s got to step into the shoes of leadership, and frankly…” he
leaned in to whisper to me. “I’m ready to let someone else handle the demands
of running Donovan Dynamics. I’m ready to go out and live my life, not as my
father wanted me to, not because he put me in such circumstances that I had to
be the man my mother relied on, but to really live my life as I’ve always
wanted to…” Nat sighed. “In a way, me becoming Cooper Sorrento is a blessing in
disguise. I’m discovering things I’ve never found time for and having a sense
of purpose elsewhere besides Donovan Dynamics.”

“So
you’re not sad about leaving your old life behind as Nat Donovan?” I asked.

“I
was. I was devastated at first. How could I not be? It was all I’ve known. That
life…was so well-planned for me, it was the easy and unexpected path to take.
But was I happy? Look, Summer, you know me. You know what I went through. I was
tortured, I felt guilty about everything, I felt responsible for everyone. I
didn’t want to live in San Francisco. I wasn’t happy there. I wanted to be at
the place I felt the most happiness, and that was here in Malibu with Aunt
Sookie and you. I want that carefree attitude she instilled in us. She taught
us to live life to the fullest, that although her life was cut short, she was
happy. She lived a full life.”

Nat touched my face and said, “That’s
what I wish for, for you, Rachel, and Drew. I know you’ve been pressured to
make a decision between Drew and I…that your heart is torn both ways. I want
you to choose me, but at the same time, I know we have time. You have a
generous heart and you can’t help loving us both and even Astor, but I see how
distressed you are about deciding who you want to be with, and that if you
choose one, you will be throwing away and ending a wonderful relationship with
another. It’s the hardest decision for you, Summer, and I think that
eventually, you will come to a very clear decision without doubt. I’m sorry to
put you in this situation. I’m sorry to even tried to decide for you by stepping
away and letting you choose Drew, but the truth is, if you can’t decide right
now, if you are still torn both ways; please don’t make a decision yet until
you are sure. That’s what Aunt Sookie would have wanted for you. That’s what I
want for you.”

I was on the verge of crying. Nat had
hit the nail on the head with how I was feeling. He knew me so well, and always
knew what to say. I loved him so much, but I also knew that he could not go
back to being Nat Donovan again. The innocence that was there for all of us had
sailed. We weren’t the carefree kids we were when Aunt Sookie was alive. That
summer we all got back together at Aunt Sookie’s Pad for the last summer before
her death was the summer that changed everything. Nothing could be the same as
it was before. Except in our memories, memories that we all shared together of
those days playing pirate and princess on the beach, jogging and racing each
other across the sand, and falling in love with every breath.

Nat again knew how I felt. He patted me
on my shoulder, and said, “Summer, you know where I stand. I’ll be fine with
whatever happens. I’ll also be there if you need me. We all will be…Drew,
Rachel, and I. We all love you, no matter what.” With that, he kissed me softly
on my lips, and walked outside of Drew’s penthouse. “I’ll be checking out the
security systems here in case you need me,” he said hastily. I saw his
expression, and it was calm, collected, and resigned, as though he had already
prepared himself for whatever choice I would make considering him or Drew.

It made my heart pound faster as a
million emotions and thoughts went through my head. How could I choose when
I’ve loved both brothers since childhood? How could I choose and break the
heart of the other? I wanted to be there for both of them. I wanted to provide
the love they both craved and wanted from me. Despite what I said to Drew, I
loved him as himself, whether it was the one-night-stand player Drew or the
Drew who is now head of Donovan Dynamics. And Nat…he will always be the chivalrous
knight for me, and for everyone else. He was so noble, he’d set aside his own
happiness to fulfill his duties for others.

Drew had left to go to his room to
change into his jogging shorts and t-shirt, his usual clothes, while I was
talking to Nat. He came out with a bundle of clothes in his hand. “Here,
Summer, since you didn’t get a chance to get your clothes from the Pad earlier,
you can change into my t-shirt and shorts to sleep in tonight. Tomorrow, we can
go shopping or something,” he said.

“Thanks, Drew,” I said smiling. He was
being so sweet, yet I knew something was eating him up inside. He handed me the
clothes, and our fingers brushed, sending bolts of electricity straight through
me.

Drew was equally affected as he let out
a small gulp. “Is there anything else you need?” He looked almost embarrassed
standing there…with a growing erection clear in his shorts.

Drew! Leave it to Drew to get aroused in
the most inappropriate times, but here I was feeling my nipples harden looking
at him. “Ah, where will I be sleeping tonight?” I asked. “I can sleep out here
on the sofa…”

“No, not there, Summer,” Drew said. “You
can sleep in my room. I’d feel better if you do and not out here. What kind of
a guy lets a girl sleep out here when he has a perfectly awesome bed for her to
sleep in?”

I laughed. “Awesome?”

“Uh…yes, awesome, Summer,” he said.
“It’s high-tech with rollers, massagers, warmers, and even music and sound.”

“This I’ve got to see!”

“Oh, okay,” Drew said, taking my hand
and leading me to his bedroom.

I didn’t see his bedroom last time I was
here, instead getting hot and heavy with Drew out in the living room and by the
front door. It was a good thing because it would have made me run.

“Drew!” I said looking around me. The
room was covered in luxurious cream satin with chocolate-colored wood paneling
on the wall. Expensive art adorned the walls, and a large blacken oak antique wardrobe
stood in the corner. In the center of the room was a bed built on a circular
platform covered with furs, satin sheets, and chocolate velvet pillows.

It was extremely sexy, luxurious,
masculine, yet also feminine. I was impressed. But…the stripper pole in the
corner as well as the black leather bench meant only for sexual positions and
for fucking…was another thing.

“The other night you said I’m the only
girl you’ve brought here?” I asked.

“You’re the only one I cared to bring
here, Summer,” Drew said.

He took my hand and brought me to the
bed to sit me down, and he kneeled down in front of me. “You’re the only girl
for me, Summer. All this is for you. All this is what I want to do to you. It’s
not even about sex, though, Summer,” he said. “I would do anything for you. I
would always be there for you.”