Page 16 of Defender (Omega Sector: Under Siege #1)

Ashton heard little Chloe before he saw her. Gibbering away to Joe and Laura as they walked down the hall.

Summer immediately threw off the blanket she’d had wrapped around her the last couple of hours and rushed to her daughter. Ashton heard the toddler’s exuberant “Mama!”

He walked out of the conference room and turned the corner so he could see them. Summer had her arms wrapped around her daughter, her face buried in her neck. Shudders wracked her body.

The look Joe and Laura shot him spoke volumes of concern. But Ashton knew what Summer was feeling—well, not totally, because no one could love a child the way a mother did—but the knowledge that Chloe was safe rocked him, too.

He walked up and put his arms around both of them, almost sick with relief when Summer didn’t pull away.

“Ah-ta!”

Chloe’s bright smile clenched his heart. He smiled back at her as she dove for his arms the way she always did.

“Hey there, sweetheart.”

Chloe immediately started talking her gibberish to him. He nodded as if he understood the important story she obviously told.

Summer used the time to wipe her eyes and pull herself together. She smiled over at Ashton, nodding that she was okay.

Chloe soon wiggled to get down and walk. Ashton let her grab a finger on each hand so he could walk behind her, balancing her, even though he looked a little ridiculous hunched so far over doing so. Everyone else walked with them.

“Are you guys okay?” Joe asked.

“Yes,” Summer said. “Some cuts and Ashton got shot in his arm.”

Ashton shrugged. “A burn more than a shot, thankfully.”

“The damage to the condo was pretty bad, Joe,” Summer said.

He threw an arm across her shoulder. “Don’t you worry about that at all. I’ll see what we have empty and you can move in immediately while the repair work is going on.”

Ashton spun Chloe around so they were headed back toward her mom. “We’re going to put Summer and Chloe into protective custody. We’ve got a good safe house picked out for them.”

Joe nodded. “Okay. But I thought Harper was after you, not Summer.”

“Harper obviously doesn’t care about collateral damage, so we’re just going to make sure Summer is completely out of harm’s way.”

Joe’s wife, Laura, hooked her arm through Summer’s. “You know both you and Chloe are welcome to stay with us. Joe snores, but we can lock him in the attic or something.”

Summer smiled. “No, I don’t want to even potentially bring danger or stress your way.”

Laura turned to her husband and smacked him on the arm. “Damn it, Joseph Gregory Terrance Matarazzo, you told her.”

Joe took a step back. “What? Me? All she said was that she didn’t want to bring any possible danger to our house.”

Laura narrowed her eyes at him. “Summer would’ve at least considered it if she didn’t know about me being pregnant. Now did you tell her or not?”

Joe gave her his most charming smile and sauntered toward his wife, arms held out in mock surrender. “Okay, counselor, busted. You’re super sexy when you get all smarter-than-everyone like that.” He pulled her in for a kiss.

“Get a room,” Ashton and Summer both said at the same time. Ashton winked at her.

“And don’t think you can dazzle me with your flattery, Matarazzo,” Laura said against her husband’s mouth. “You’re still in big trouble.”

“If it helps, he told me to practice acting surprised so I wouldn’t blow it for him,” Summer told her friend.

“Not at all. That’s even worse.” Laura laughed and they began walking again.

Summer wrapped her arm around Laura’s waist. “Congratulations, Mama,” she said softly.

“Thanks.” Laura beamed.

They made it into the conference room where Chloe took turns charming the pants off everyone and running in circles. Ashton helped as much as he was able, knowing Summer was as exhausted as him.

They both looked relieved when Steve announced an hour later that the safe house was ready, reasonably baby-proofed and had a crib set up. It had been used by a young couple in witness protection a few months ago. They’d also had a toddler.

An Omega guard would be posted in the front hallway twenty-four hours a day. Plus no one outside of Omega Sector would know where she was. Especially not Curtis Harper.

A few minutes later, when someone showed up with some of Summer and Chloe’s items from their condo, they were free to leave. Summer said her goodbyes to everyone. Chloe continued her reign of charm by blowing kisses at everyone on her way out.

Roman and Lillian walked down the hall with them. They would be following in their car to help ensure no one was tailing Ashton and Summer to the safe house. Probably an unnecessary precaution, but Ashton wasn’t taking any chances.

“I hope your kid runs for president one day, Summer. I’d vote for her.” Roman chuckled as Chloe began running down the hallway on wobbly legs.

“She’s quite a character,” Summer agreed.

Roman nudged Lillian with his arm. “Lil, do you think any kid you popped out would know how to reload a Glock from birth?”

The smaller woman smirked. “I don’t plan to find out. I’m not parenting material, if you know what I mean.”

“You and me both, sister.” Roman held out his fist and Lillian tapped it.

“But that one is pretty cute,” Lillian said, pointing at Chloe.

“Yeah, she’s a riot unless she needs a nap or has a dirty diaper,” Summer muttered.

Ashton laughed at the horrified looks that crossed his fellow SWAT members’ faces. He’d been witness to said dirty diapers and knew they were definitely something to fear.

The car ride to the safe house proved uneventful. The trip took them an hour, although it could’ve been made in twenty minutes. Ashton wanted to make sure nobody could possibly be following them. He knew Roman and Lillian did the same.

When he received a text from them that they hadn’t spotted anyone either, Ashton finally took Summer and Chloe to the house. Chloe had long since passed out in her car seat.

Summer gently removed the baby from the restraints and walked inside with Ashton leading the way. He showed her the room with the crib and Summer laid her daughter down. They brought in the rest of the stuff from the car.

Ashton gave her the tour of the small house, glad he was familiar enough with it to do so.

It really only consisted of two bedrooms up a small flight of stairs, a kitchen with an eat-in section and a small living room on the bottom floor.

Its only unique features were the number of exits: the front door, a back door and both bedrooms which led out to a small balcony that also had a staircase leading outside to a wooded area.

He showed her the safety features of the doors. Except for the front, all of them could only be opened from the inside.

“Don’t walk out on the balcony and let the door close behind you because you’ll be locked out.”

She shook her head. “I hope I’m not going to be here long enough to want to do any sunbathing.”

God, Ashton hoped so, as well.

He showed her where the guard would be posted in the outer hallway and introduced her to Patrick, the one who would be on duty for the next twelve hours.

“I’ll text you with the identity of the new guard. They change every twelve hours, so hopefully we’ll have Curtis Harper after only a couple of shift changes.”

Summer paced a little in the living room. “Okay, good. I wish...” She faded off, staring down at her feet.

Ashton grabbed her hand, pulled her a little closer. “What? Tell me.”

“I wish you could stay with me.”

He pulled her all the way into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I want to. Believe me. If I didn’t think I would be one of the most useful tools in catching Curtis Harper, I would stay.”

A plan was already formulating in his mind about a trap, using himself as bait. If Harper wanted him so badly, Ashton would be glad to set that up for him.

With the help of his SWAT buddies, of course.

But to do that, he had to know Summer was safe. She would be, here.

“I know,” she whispered. “I’m being selfish.”

He wrapped his hands around both her cheeks, threading his fingers into her beautiful auburn hair and tilting her head back. “You’re not selfish. Or if you are, I am, too. Because I’d much rather be here with you and Chloe.” He kissed her. Gently. Briefly. He wanted more, but this wasn’t the time.

“But your team needs you.”

He shrugged. “I’m sure they’d do okay without me, but yes, we’re most effective as a team.”

“I know you have to go, and this probably isn’t the best time, but can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“It’s about something Lillian mentioned when we were talking at Omega headquarters.”

“Okay.” He smiled. “Unless it involved something I’ve done at any of the multiple bachelor parties that have been held for Omega agents in the last year. Then I have no recollection of any of those events.”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Actually, Summer had been pretty quiet most of the day. He’d chalked it up to exhaustion and stress—both definitely plausible—but maybe something more was bothering her.

“Summer, what? Just ask me okay?”

“She mentioned that you sometimes overthink things.”

“Sometimes, sure. I think maybe all law enforcement officers do.”

“Like things in the past. Situations that had gone wrong. Playing them over and over in your head.”

Ashton could feel dread pooling in his stomach.

“Yes.” He nodded slowly. “When things go wrong. You want to figure out what you could’ve done differently. What could’ve resulted in a better outcome.”

“She mentioned that you tended to overthink the situation that had to do with me. About how that could’ve gone better. She said you did that even though you’d been completely cleared.”

“Summer.” He stepped back from her slightly. This was not the time or place he wanted to do this, but he wasn’t going to be able to get around it. He damned himself for not telling her before now.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “I thought she meant when I was kidnapped by Bailey Heath a few months ago. But then I realized that situation ended successfully. There would be no reason for you to pore over that mentally. She meant something else. She said something about a shot.”

Ashton tried to prepare himself, but he still flinched at her next question.

“Were you on the scene the day Tyler was killed?”

“Yes.”

She stepped all the way back so they weren’t touching. “So you knew who I was not only before I first thought you were the handyman, but before you carried me out of that burning warehouse seven months ago.”

“Yes. I knew of you, but I didn’t know you personally.”

She nodded slowly as if she were trying to process everything, to make sure she hadn’t missed important details.

“What is it you’re not telling me, Ashton? I thought we had gotten all the secrets out yesterday, but evidently we haven’t.”

There was no avoiding it now. He took a deep breath, then pushed the words out in a rush. “I was the primary sniper on the roof across from your husband’s office that day.”

“Okay.”

“That means I was responsible for eliminating the hostage-taker if necessary. For recognizing if Joe wasn’t going to be able to talk him down and taking the shot if needed.”

Summer wrapped her arms around herself. “Ashton, Joe didn’t mention your name, but he already told me all this when he came to see me right after Tyler was killed.

He told me the sniper had the shot but that he didn’t let you take it because Joe thought he could stop the killer without lethal force. ”

“Yes.” Ashton said. “That’s true. Joe always wants to try to talk the hostage-takers down if he can.”

“And you did what Joe asked. If I don’t blame Joe for what happened, I’m certainly not going to blame you. The man had a hand grenade. Nobody could’ve expected that.”

He couldn’t bear how she stood there, looking at him so expectantly, like this was something about to be cleared up. Put behind them.

He took a slight step closer, then stopped himself. She didn’t understand. “I had a shot, Summer. For just a brief second, after everything escalated, I had a shot. I could’ve saved your husband, but I didn’t.

Summer stood staring at Ashton, like she couldn’t figure out how to process his words.

“I don’t understand.”

He wanted to walk toward her, but he didn’t. “Joe—and Derek, because he’s actually the team leader—originally told us to hold our fire, so we did.”

She nodded.

“But then things escalated pretty quickly. I could see the perp was getting more agitated. Knew in my gut the situation would turn ugly.”

He reached a hand toward her but then withdrew it. She wouldn’t want him to touch her now. Instead he brought his hand up and rubbed it over his gritty eyes.

“I had the shot, Summer. If I had just trusted my instincts, I could’ve taken it right then and Tyler and three other people would still be alive. But I didn’t. And they died.”

She sat down slowly on the couch, just staring at him.

“But they told you not to take the shot,” she said softly. It was like she didn’t want to believe him. But who could blame her for not wanting to think about the fact that the man she’d just spent the night having sex with was responsible for her husband’s death?

It tended to taint things slightly.

“They told me not to shoot when things looked like they could possibly be salvaged. Once they turned ugly—when the perp reached to pull something out of his pocket—I should’ve taken the shot right there.”

“Because of the grenade.”

Ashton nodded, his heart breaking. “Yes. That’s what he had in his pocket. If I had taken the shot, he would’ve never had the chance to pull it out, much less use it to kill himself and four other people.”

She just stared at him like she didn’t even see him.

Ashton didn’t blame her. “But I didn’t follow my instincts, and because of that, your daughter will grow up without ever knowing her father.”

Summer cupped her face in her hands. Ashton had never felt so helpless in his entire life. He crossed to her, he had to. He couldn’t stay away when she was hurting like this.

“Summer. I’m so sorry.” He gently touched her on the shoulder, grimacing when she flinched.

She brought her hands down from her face. She wasn’t crying like he’d been afraid, but he wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.

“I think you should probably just go, Ashton. I just need to be alone right now. Everything... It’s all just too much.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, sure. I understand. I’ll call you later, okay? Make sure you two are alright.”

“Yeah, okay.”

She didn’t get up, didn’t say anything more as he walked away.

There was so much he wanted to say. To do. He’d give anything if he could erase the stunned, devastated look on her face. But he couldn’t. Nothing could change the past.

He opened the door. “I’m so sorry, Summer.”

“I know,” he heard her say softly as he closed the door behind him and walked away.