6. Summer
Summer
My ex straddled a motorcycle parked in an empty lot across the street.
I hadn’t seen him in years, but there was no mistaking him.
He had the same shaggy dark hair and he’d grown out a patchy beard.
It didn’t suit him. Mismatched tattoos snaked around both arms. One of the black rectangles covered my name.
He’d tattooed Summer on his forearm after our first date.
At the time, I’d been too young and stupid to see that for the red flag it was.
Axel swung his leg off the bike, straightened his vest, and started walking across the street.
I tossed my keys onto the driver’s seat. “Do you know how to turn on the car?”
“Yeah,” Nate said. “Why?”
“Shut the door, turn on the AC so you don’t die of heatstroke, and lock the doors.”
“What’s wrong?” Nate asked.
“Just do it. And don’t get out. No matter what.”
“Mom, you’re freaking me out.”
“I know. It’ll be fine. Just stay inside.” My eyes locked on Axel as he strode toward me, and I shut the driver’s-side door. “Lock it.”
I heard the door locks engage and walked forward to keep Axel as far away from my son as possible.
“What are you doing here?” I called out.
His grin was more of a leer, and he kept coming. “Look at you. Hot as ever.”
I crossed my arms. “Don’t come any closer.”
He stopped and licked his lips. “Come on, Sum Sum. Is that any way to treat your baby daddy?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be locked up?”
“I’m out. Did my time.” He spread his arms. “Did you miss me?”
I didn’t answer.
“Look, Sum Sum—”
“Don’t call me that.”
“I just want to see my kid.”
“No.”
“Come on, the past is in the past. Let me take him to get a burger or something.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“I have a right to see my son.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I know I’ve made mistakes. Are you going to make me pay for them forever?”
“I’m going to keep my son safe.”
A minivan pulled up and parked a few spaces away. Axel’s eyes flicked to the couple as they got out. I glanced at them, noticing the man hesitating, his gaze moving between me and Axel.
“We’ll talk more later,” Axel said.
Backing up toward my car, I watched Axel cross the street and return to his bike, starting the engine with a roar. A second later, he drove away, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
Seeming satisfied that nothing was going on, the couple from the minivan headed for the school. I let out a relieved breath and knocked on the driver’s-side window so Nate would unlock the doors. I got in and quickly locked them again.
“Who was that?” Nate asked.
I didn’t want to lie to him, but I didn’t want to tell him, either. Not right then, at least. Maybe a half-truth until I had time to think things through. “He’s someone I used to know.”
“Why did you make me lock the doors?”
“He’s a bad person.”
Trying to keep my hands from shaking, I fastened my seat belt and pulled out of the parking lot onto the street.
Axel. I’d been afraid he’d show up one day. The fact that he’d been outside Nate’s school was so not okay. How had he known? Had he followed me?
“Is he why you always tell me not to talk to guys who ride motorcycles?”
“He’s one of the reasons.”
Although I’d watched him drive away, I checked my rearview repeatedly as I drove, half-expecting Axel to appear behind me.
“Is he in a gang?” Nate asked.
I glanced at him. “How do you know about gangs?”
He shrugged. “I saw it in a movie.”
I’d not only kept him away from Axel—not difficult, given his criminal history—I’d kept him away from my mom and her boyfriend. She’d seen Nate over the years, but only on my terms—no matter how hard she tried to guilt-trip me over it. And she tried very hard.
But he was my son, and I was keeping him away from that world. No matter what it cost me.
“Yes, he’s in a gang.” Might as well tell him that much. “But they call it a motorcycle club.”
“Is it a criminal gang? I mean, club?”
“Yes.”
“Some kids in my class started a club. Not a criminal one, though.”
“What kind of club?”
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me.”
“Well, that’s stupid.”
He chuckled a little. “It is stupid.”
Narrowing my eyes as I approached our apartment complex, I scanned the parking lot. For a second, I thought it was clear—no bikes. I slowed, but right as I was about to turn, I saw one of them. Either Buzz or Hammer—I couldn’t quite tell—was partially hidden in the shadow between two buildings.
I straightened the wheel and hit the gas, zooming by.
“Why didn’t you turn?” Nate asked. “Aren’t we going home?”
“One of the other reasons I always tell you not to talk to guys on motorcycles is there.”
He twisted around to look. “A gang member?”
“Club member, yes.”
“Is he looking for you?”
“Probably. And I don’t want to talk to him.”
“So where are we going to go?”
“I don’t know.”
Thankfully, he stopped asking questions. It was hard to think. Where could I go? If one of them was waiting for us at home, where were the others? I couldn’t go to the diner. They knew where I worked. One of them could be waiting there.
Without a destination in mind, I drove into town. My heart raced and a sense of panic threatened to push the air from my lungs. The taco truck caught my eye, and for some reason, I turned in to the strip mall parking lot.
What was I doing? I had too many things swirling through my mind. Nate’s fight at school. Axel’s appearance. One of the Mayhem guys parked at my apartment.
And Reese Haven. He said to call him. Should I?
“What are we doing here?” Nate asked.
I looked at the businesses from left to right. One storefront was empty with a big For Lease sign in the window. The next was a nail salon, followed by a florist. On the far end was an ice cream shop.
Apparently we were getting ice cream. Not that I could afford it, but I had bigger problems than my bank account. And I needed time to think.
“Ice cream.”
“You’re getting me ice cream?” His tone was suspicious.
“Yeah. Why? Don’t you want ice cream?”
“But I just got suspended.”
I let out a long breath. Not my finest parenting moment, but in the grand scheme of things, probably not my worst. “We’re getting ice cream in spite of you getting suspended, not because of it. Come on.”
We got out and I scanned the road. I didn’t see Axel or the others.
I did not assume that was a good sign.
Nate pushed the door open, and I followed him in. A young girl behind the counter greeted us, and I smiled in return.
“Go ahead and pick a flavor,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just right outside the door. I need to make a call.”
He nodded. “Can I get two scoops or one?”
“One. Don’t push it, buddy.”
He grinned a little.
I stepped into the heat and got out my phone. He’d said to call him. But should I, really? Why should he care if my ex was in town?
And could I trust him?
But I was basically desperate. I didn’t have anywhere else to turn. So I called.
“Where are you?” he answered.
That was abrupt. “Hi, Reese. It’s Summer.”
“I know. Where are you?”
“I’m at an ice cream shop, right by the taco truck.”
“Are you in danger?” His tone was composed—almost deadpan.
“Not at this moment, but I just ran into my ex. He was outside my son’s school. He’s dangerous, and I can’t let him near Nate.”
“Where’s your son now?”
“He’s here with me.”
“The ex. He’s a member?”
My shoulders slumped. “Yeah, he is. Midnight Mayhem.”
“Was he alone?”
“As far as I could see.”
“Did he follow you?”
“I don’t think so. I haven’t seen him. But he said we’d talk more later. And one of the others was at my apartment complex.”
“Stay where you are.”
“We could meet somewhere if that’s more convenient.”
“Don’t move. I’m already on my way.”
“Oh…okay. I’ll just be inside.”
“Stay indoors, away from the windows. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“I’ll see you then.”
I ended the call and went back inside. The girl behind the counter was handing Nate a scoop of chocolate ice cream in a cup.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked.
“Nothing for me, thanks.”
She rang up the total and I tried not to wince. When had a single scoop of ice cream gotten so expensive? I sighed and pointed to a table at the very back, away from the windows. Nate took a seat with his ice cream, and I sat across from him, where I could see the front of the shop.
He took a few bites and fiddled with a Lego piece. He always seemed to be carrying them around in his pockets.
“All right. Tell me what happened at school.”
His shoulders slumped. “Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
He hesitated, turning the Lego piece over a few times before answering. “I know I shouldn’t have punched Joey.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because he keeps calling me fat ass.”
My back tightened and I clenched my hands into fists. The little brat. Nate should have punched him more than once. Knocked him on his ass and laid into him until—
Opening my fists, I stopped myself from fantasizing about my son beating the shit out of another ten-year-old kid.
“I guess we’ll see if he learned his lesson.”
Nate blinked in surprise.
I let out a breath. “It’s not okay that you hit him. You shouldn’t resort to violence unless it’s self-defense.”
“I know.” His tone was contrite. “I’m sorry.”
Before I could accept his apology, the door opened and a big wall of intimidation walked in, almost blocking out the sun.
Reese Haven.
He whipped off his sunglasses and strode straight to our table. Nate’s mouth dropped and his eyes widened.
“This is my son, Nate,” I said. “Nate, Reese is a friend. He offered to help if we needed it. And, um, we need it.”
Reese held his hand out to Nate. Staring up at him with his mouth still open, Nate took his hand. Reese shook it, then turned back to me. “Can we talk outside?”
Tall windows covered the front of the shop. We’d be able to see inside, and Nate would see us. “Sure. Nate, are you good here for a minute?”
He nodded.
I got up from the booth and squeezed his arm. “Finish up your ice cream. We’ll be right back.”
I followed Reese outside and we stood next to the door.
“Tell me if I have this straight,” he said without preamble. “Your ex and the two jackasses who were in the diner are members of an outlaw club. You’re worried about why they’re in town and what they want with you and your son.”
“Exactly.”
“Does Nate know his dad?”
“No. Axel’s been in prison his whole life.”
“You talked to him? What did he say?”
“He said he wants to see Nate. But I can’t let him. He’s dangerous. Volatile—nice one minute and awful the next. I’ve done everything I can to keep my son away from him and the club. I don’t trust any of them.”
Reese’s jaw hitched. “I wouldn’t, either.”
“I tried to go home, but one of them was at my apartment complex.” I pushed my hair off my sticky forehead. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I drove here and called you.”
“You did the right thing. I told you to call.” He glanced up and down the street, then into the shop at Nate. “We should move—get out of sight. We’ll leave your car here and come back for it later.”
“Where are we going?”
“My place. You’ll be safe there, and we can make a plan.”
“It’s like you’ve done this security thing before,” I said with a slight grin. “But you realize I can’t pay you.”
He glanced aside. “Don’t worry about that.”
“Why? Why would you help me for free?”
Hesitating, he met my eyes. “I guess I just can’t walk away from a woman in trouble.”
I held his gaze for a moment. Was I crazy? Was there a man in this world who wouldn’t screw me over? I glanced through the window at my son. There had to be good men out there. Otherwise, what hope did I have of raising one?
And my heart told me Reese Haven was one of them.
“All right. I’ll trust you. For now.”
“And I’ll help you.” One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “For now.”
He held out his hand and I slipped mine in his. The pressure of his handshake was gentle but strong, his hand pleasantly rough and calloused. I had no idea why Reese Haven had dropped into my life, but his reassuring presence was enough to keep me from spiraling into panic.
And everything in me wanted to trust him, whether or not I understood why.