The Dark Prince (The Dark Prince Trilogy #1) (26 page)

Clare grabbed the cleaning supplies out of the mud room while Summer went in search for a bucket under the kitchen sink to fill with a few rags, along with some trash bags. Who knows how much trash could be upstairs. By the time the girls were ready, Chase was back, leaving the back door in the kitchen opened that was practically hidden. Summer hadn’t realized that it was there until then.

“I have a few hidden doors around the house so I – we – could get out fast if need be,” Chase explained as he saw her surprised reaction. He made another mental note to show the girls where the secret doors were. He would hate for something to happen and him not be there to show them how to escape.

Clare was the first one out the door and headed to the white wooden stairs that led up to the room above the garage. The door was already opened, and so were the windows, letting in the natural light and fresh air. Summer slowly followed her sister as Chase watched. He still had more things to take care of, but once done, he’d help them if needed. Stepping into the apartment, Summer saw dust particles float around as a breeze blew through. True to his words, the bed and dresser was covered in sheets, along with a coating of dust. The bed had no other bedding on it though, so that would be somewhat easier.

It was like a loft, everything opened from room to room. All but the bathroom that had a door that was slightly open and the walk in closet. The flooring was dark gray carpet, the walls a light cream color, and dark matching furniture.

Clare turned on some music from her phone while Summer began to remove the sheets from the small dining table that was between the kitchen area and the bed. She did it carefully so it didn’t spread the dust all over, folding them into piles to contain as much dust as possible. It wasn’t nearly as bad as she expected, and was relieved. Just because she was bored didn’t mean she wanted to spend the rest of the day cleaning.

With it being the two of them, they got the apartment cleaned, except for the bathroom, before Chase made his way up. They worked as a team, tackling one part of the loft at a time, wiping down and rinsing out the rags over and over again.

“Do you miss sex?” Clare asked out of the blue, keeping her eyes away from her older sister. She was so used to being used, and she wasn’t sure how she should feel.

“No,” Summer answered easily with a shake of her head. “I don’t like sex,” she added on, barely remembering the time with Chase. The one and only time she enjoyed it. After it being so long ago, it was now a bit hazy.

“But I heard you on your wedding night,” Clare said, her light eyes meeting Summer’s for a moment.

“Um,” Summer said, blushing and at a loss for words. “That one time I did, but otherwise. No,” she finally answered.

Clare dropped it, then turned the music up, letting her sister get her thoughts back in order. Clare knew that Summer and Chase had yet to have any sort of sexual relationship since that one night and didn’t want to press the issue. That had been the one and only time Summer had actually had
normal
sex. It had always been something that was forced on her, and never with her consideration in mind.

Clare sang along with a few of the songs while Summer slowly loosened, dancing to the beat of the faster songs.

“Do you believe in a God?” Summer mused quietly as a certain song came on that talked about the goodness of a savior.

“Of course,” Clare said, turning to face Summer. “Why?”

“Just wondering,” Summer said, not wanting to voice her thoughts on that subject.

Chase quietly leaned against the opened door frame, watching the girls. Clare sang quietly to the
upbeat top hit song. Summer swayed her hips to the beat, wiping down the table once more that recollected some dust again. He couldn’t help but smirk at how her body moved, feeling the effect she had on him as he willed his cock to stay down. But as her ass moved to the beat, he couldn’t help it. Seeing her happy and feeling at home made Chase happy.

Downstairs, Chase had made arrangements for someone to pick up Asher from the airport, along with checking that everything was going smooth enough. Most of the shipments had mistakenly disappeared that Jason was waiting on, along with his own stockpiles of both weapons and drugs.

Ryder was on top of all the tips that came in through Chase’s anonymous calls. It was going smoothly, almost too smoothly. Chase knew that something would happen to question what was going on, as the Leader in Command, it would fall on him. He knew how’d he would be handling it, but that didn’t mean he was looking forward to it. Chase had to make sure that his men were all accounted for and that his spies on Jason’s turf were still safe.

Although, his own spy gave him a nice bit of information he was hoping for to help get things over sooner. But, he would be needing to meet up with a few of his guys at a hotel downtown on Monday for lunch.

As the song changed, Chase made his presence known. He cleared his throat, seeing Clare turn around with a smile on her face, happy to see him. Summer slowly turned with a slightly warm glow about her, but wondered how long he’d been there.

“You two have done well,” he said, taking a quick look around the area. They had practically got the entire place cleaned in a matter of hours. He hadn’t expected them to get so much done, but they were a great team.

“All but the bathroom,” Clare said happily, bouncing on her tip toes. A habit picked up from Zinna from her time staying with her.

“I’ll let you two go while I tackle that,” Chase stated. He felt bad that it took him so long to finish his phone calls, leaving the girls to do almost all the work.

“Okay!” Clare said, happily grabbing one of the trash bags filled with trash and taking out outside to be disposed of.

Summer took her time as Chase went to clean the bathroom, not entirely wanting to leave the same area that he was in. It had been a long week for her without his presence in a room with her most of the time; she had grown used to it and even craved it. By the time Summer had finished packing up the few cleaning supplies that were not being used, Chase was finished with the bathroom, surprised to see his wife still in the apartment. He froze for a moment, before breaking out in a lazy grin, watching as she blushed once again.

He enjoyed seeing her come out of her shell, finding who she was and what she was capable of.

“I didn’t expect you to still be here,” he stated, dropping his cleaning supplies into her current pile in the bucket.

Summer shrugged, not entirely sure why she was still here, and didn’t want to voice her thoughts. Instead, she picked up the supplies and made her way down, Chase following her with a knowing smile on his face after closing and locking the loft apartment. Her feelings were starting to show, and Chase couldn’t wait for Summer to understand what her body already knew.

Chapter 25

Thursday came with dark storm clouds threatening the first snow storm of the season. Apparently, it was a late snow season. Summer hated to think what was normal for this area. She had been inside nearly all the time, and hardly ever allowed to look, let alone, enjoy the outdoors while in places she considered hell. But just the cold that often seeped into the rooms she was allowed to sleep in was bad enough.

If she was lucky enough, she was given a small worn out blanket to use to keep warm through the frigid nights that the wind howled through the leaky windows. Most of the windows were cracked, sometimes even completely broken. But now, here at the Marcel house, she was able to dress as warm as she wanted and sit by the gas fireplace that was in the living room. Summer was warm for once.

Right after breakfast, Chase had told the girls that Zinna and Ryder were coming over for a while. Ryder and Chase had business to talk about, and a few things to plant among the people that were working under the watchful eye of Chase’s crew. They needed to get things rolling on some shipments and take downs.

Today, he was taking down the drug ring once and for all, the supplier included. It would be quick and over before anyone knew what hit them. Of course, neither of the two men would be there, but some of Chase’s men would be, making sure things went the way the Prince wanted.

Chase thought that it would be a great time to let the girls have some time together. They each needed to have a confidante to talk to. He knew he wouldn’t always be able to say the right thing to make everything seem perfect, and in the right path for Summer to not worry and panic over every day choices.

Sure, she was doing better each and every day, but Chase knew without a doubt that Summer would need someone, a friend, to help her more than he could. He saw first-hand how tough it was for Zinna at times, even with her bubbly personality. But she had Ryder to talk to, as he knew how to understand people’s thoughts and feelings a lot easier than Chase ever did. It was just who the other man was.

Clare was more than happy that Zinna was coming here to visit for a change while Summer was not sure what to feel. She didn’t want to get close to another person, knowing her father would kill everyone close to her once Jason found her. It was all just a matter of time. But Summer was trying to make her last days, however many she had, worth it. It was all she could do.

By the time that Summer had finished her shower, dressed in dark tie-dyed blue jeans, and one of Chase’s oversized sweatshirts over a gray tank top, Zinna and Ryder had arrived. She left her hair down to dry, loving the free feeling of it against her arms. Summer had always been required to have it up, mostly so it wasn’t in the way and wild with stray fly-a-ways so much. Noticing the length of her brown hair was almost to her waist, Summer still refused to cut it, but otherwise didn’t know what to do with it half the time. It had gotten so thick, and most of the simple easy hairstyles she knew of didn’t ever work out.

“Summer!” Zinna said cheerfully as she spotted the girl coming down the stairs.

Summer gave a small smile to the strange girl, finding her hair dyed bright pink at the tips and styled in a ponytail. She wore a long shirt that was tight fitting with a pair of black leggings and flat shoes. She was cute, but still so different from what Summer was used to. Once Summer was at the bottom of the stairs, she was brought into a tight hug as Zinna tried to stop from bouncing in place. Clare laughed, used to the small girl acting so antsy. Being denied touch, nice loving touch, for years would make someone like Zinna who always had a bubbly personality the way she was.

Summer was sure she’d never get used to touch. More so if it was someone other than Chase and Clare.

“We are going to have fun today!” Zinna said, pulling back with a wide smile, before turning and giving Clare a huge hug also.

Summer stayed quiet, not sure what she would call fun. Just because Summer was trying to make each day count towards something didn’t mean she had much fun. She’d rather just sit with Chase and spend time getting to know him rather than with this strange girl.

Before Summer knew it, Zinna had taken a hold of both girls’ hands and led them to the living room and demanded they sit. She then unpacked a number of things, setting them on the coffee table. There was finger nail polish, hair stuff, makeup and a few other things Summer had no idea what to call them. Her eyes were wide as she took it all in. Surely this wasn’t what Zinna called fun, was it? It looked more like a death trap.

“I would much prefer to go to an actual salon, but this will do for now,” Zinna said as she sat her bright flower colored bag down on the floor. “Chase wouldn’t let me take you both out until things calm down, so I brought makeover stuff here instead.” Not that Summer would even be comfortable in going anywhere, and Zinna knew that It was the most difficult thing to overcome for the such bright girl.

“Uh, Zinna, I’m not good at that stuff,” Clare stated, her eyes taking everything in.

“Figured so,” Zinna replied, not concerned. “That’s why I’ll be doing the makeover for both of you. You both could use a boost in feeling more human and better about yourself.”

“We
are
human,” Clare stated, acting appalled that she would be called otherwise. She squinted at the girl, not sure where she was going with this.

“I know that,” Zinna said with a roll of her light eyes. “But you are so used to doing everything for everyone else. It’s time to do something for you.”

“We do school?” Clare answered in a question, confusion lacing her voice.

“More than that. It’s important to figure out what you want to do, who you want to be, and what better place to start than here?” Zinna spoke up, her voice light. “Who’s first?”

“Me, I guess,” Clare answered after a moment, knowing her sister wouldn’t offer as her hands were tucked in between her legs, hiding the shaking. She didn’t blame Summer one bit.

Summer wasn’t sure why she was nervous. She had never had her fingernails taken care of, and never saw the point either. She wasn’t the type to worry about such things. Heck, Summer had never worn make-up before the small crappy wedding. Zinna took one of Clare’s hands and tsked, as she began to give her a manicure.

“The first thing I did was a whole makeover once I knew I was free from that life,” Zinna began as she worked on Clare’s hands, filing and cutting before painting them a bright color. “I hated my life that I had before Chase found me. I cut and dyed my hair, and still do often. But what brought me to life was Ryder. He gave me the options to things I could only dream about before I was freed. He gave me a reason to try to live.

“I didn’t know who I wanted to be, but I do now. Getting that makeover, and just doing things for myself and not worrying about other people, was what helped the most. I didn’t have to please anyone,” she went on, switching hands with Clare so both set of nails would be the same.

“I love being pampered now. But it was scary the first time. I had no idea what to expect. I had a hard time understanding that not everyone is out to hurt me. Now I do. Knowing that I won’t be able to let anyone down, because I don’t want to do any certain thing is nice,
freeing
. Once you realize you also have options and nothing is expected of you but your happiness you will understand better.

“I don’t like talking about my past, which I’m sure neither one of you like to either. It was a dark time, and I was depressed. When Chase found me, saving me, I was ready to kill myself. And I would have if it wasn’t for him.”

Zinna was done with Clare’s hands, which were laying on her knees to dry, painted a bright neon green. Zinna then moved to Summer, gently taking one hand and began to buff the nails lightly, being careful to not put pressure on her. Her touch was like air against Summer’s skin. It was if Zinna understood Summer’s need to not be touched, but also to be touched at the same time.

“Chase just had this vibe about him. A vibe that showed me he was different. With him, I became someone I never thought I could be. I was happy. Having a place to live, food, and clothing was such a wonderful dream. Once I had that dream come true, I couldn’t let it go,” Zinna explained, keeping her eyes on what she was doing. She didn’t want to upset Summer, or make her more uncomfortable. She understood more than anyone else possibly could.

Summer stayed quiet, slowly relaxing as Zinna painted her nails a dark blue color.

“When I met Ryder, I was swept off my feet,” she laughed, glancing up at Summer for a moment. “He was my knight in shining armor. Sure, Chase, the man I viewed as a brother, gave me everything; Ryder was just more. I knew he could help strengthen me, not just my body, but my soul too. Ryder just had this air about him. He could put up with my crazy self as I figured out what I needed out of life. He was my rock when the waves wanted to crash over me. And the waves did crash over my head more times than I ever want to admit.”

“How did you know you loved him?” Summer asked, shocking herself.

“I just did,” Zinna shrugged, glancing up to meet Summer’s wide blue eyes, before looking back down at her work. “It wasn’t like a flash of lighting, bright and consuming at first. It was slow and steady. It actually snuck up on me. My feelings slowly grew more each day i was in his company. I didn’t think I could love with what I went through, let alone someone to love me back. How could I?

“But Ryder was sweet, caring and patient with me. He gave me room to breathe when I needed it, or he held me when I was upset. He took care of my needs when I didn’t even know what I needed,” Zinna said, remembering how she fell in love with her husband. It was a slow burn. But such a sweet, burn it was.

“It was a slow process. It took me some time to know that I trusted him, and in turn we became friends. But then I fell in love as he proved to me that he wouldn’t leave me, wouldn’t hurt me if he could prevent it,” she ended. Zinna was safe, and it was something she never thought she’d ever feel.

Summer let her thoughts wander. She was sure herself that she wasn’t lovable, she was far from it. She was used, dirty inside, and abused from top to bottom. Why would someone even want to give her a chance? She still had scars from her time in other men’s hands.

“Chase is a sweet soul,” Zinna went on with a lopsided smile. “He wouldn’t hurt either of you. I don’t ever recall meeting a sweeter man that bossed people around. Yes, he is the Mafia Prince, but he doesn’t take that label to heart in any way.” By now, Zinna was done with both hands on Clare and Summer, and she examined her work with pride. It took her a while to figure out what she was good at, and once she got past that part, everything seemed to flow together better.

“So, Clare, did you get that art stuff from Kayla?” Zinna asked.

“Yes!” the younger girl was quick to answer. “I’ve started drawing a few things here and there. I’ve always liked to draw.”

“Can I see?” Zinna asked, perking up. “I love art, but can’t draw much other than a few clothing designs.”

“Sure,” Clare said before leaving to go grab her art book she was currently using, although she had at least five filled for the most part. That left Summer alone with the girl.

“I know you don’t trust me, and that’s fine,” Zinna said once Clare was out of earshot. Her greenish-blue eyes were sad for a moment. “I understand better than you could know. But I do hope that you can see what Chase is doing for you is helping. He adores you, and I’m pretty sure he would give you the world if he could.”

Summer shook her head. Chase had no feelings towards her; he couldn’t. She was just . . . . Summer. She was born to a father who hated her and no one would ever want her for more than her body.

“You have changed him, too. I can see the difference in him,” Zinna went on, knowing that Summer was doubting what she was saying, but it wouldn’t do any good to try to tell her otherwise. She doubted herself and that Chase could have feelings for her because of where she came from. Zinna had gone through the same feeling about Ryder. What Summer needed was time to come to terms on it herself. And she would in time.

“He was always the one that kept to himself and would never do business at home. He was hardly at home to begin with. But since you have come here, he hardly wants to leave wherever you are,” she ended with a knowing look as Clare joined them again.