Unfortunately, Ashton’s car keys and cell phone both were.
As he and Summer moved past the kitchen, Ashton stopped and spun to look at her, putting his hands on her shoulders.“Where’s your cell phone?”he whispered.
“Upstairs,” she answered just as quietly, bringing her hands up to grasp his wrists.
Ashton knew they were running out of time and options.They couldn’t run far in what little clothes they wore—a Colorado November wouldn’t allow it and opening and rustling through a closet was out of the question.They had no car keys and no way to call for backup—not that backup could get here quickly enough.
The best Ashton could do was get Summer out of the house while he tried to take the man down.Thank God Chloe wasn’t here.
“You have to run, through the garage the way he came in.Go wake up a neighbor.Get them to call the police.”
“Come with me,” she whispered.
He pushed her toward the door.There was no way he was going to let Harper, or whoever it was, get away without at least trying to stop him.
“I’ll be out in just a minute.You go now.”In order for Ashton to be able to fight an armed man and win, his focus couldn’t be split worrying about Summer’s safety.
He felt Summer’s nails sink into his wrists as they both heard three muffled shots come from up in her bedroom.
The unmistakable sound of a handgun with a silencer.
Time had just run out.
“Go, okay?You have to trust me, Summer.”
He saw her nod, then scoot through the garage door that had been left propped open.He hid himself over in the corner near the door that led to the basement.The man would be much more wary now that he hadn’t been able to complete his objective of killing them in their sleep.
Ashton wished he had time to make it into the kitchen to grab a weapon, knife, scissors, hell even a rolling pin, but the bottom-stair creak let him know the man was already back down on the first floor.
He’d only have one chance for a surprise attack.And the man had already proved himself willing to kill.
He waited until the guy was almost directly in front of him, looking toward the garage, then jumped quickly out of the shadows.Ashton piled into the man, knocking him into the living room, but the gun remained in his hand.
In the dark he couldn’t tell if the attacker was Harper or not, so Ashton didn’t waste any time trying to figure out if it was.Whoever it was, they wanted to harm him or Summer or both.
His fist found the man’s face.Ashton took a hard punch to the gut and saw the man’s hand swinging up with the gun.He spun and ducked, a shot from the gun barely missing him, the bullet screaming past his head finding a place in the wall behind him.Even with the silencer on the weapon, the sound echoed through the room.
The man howled as Ashton continued his spin, his elbow smashing into the man’s nose.The guy fell backward and Ashton knew he had him.
But then Summer’s entire living room window shattered and Ashton felt a burn across his upper arm, jerking his body to the side.
Damn it, someone was shooting from outside the house.
And Ashton had sent Summer right out into the line of fire when he’d sent her to get help.
Ashton ignored the pain—he’d been in SWAT long enough to know when a gunshot wound wasn’t serious—but knew he was in trouble.The breaking glass and shot from outside had given the other man the time he needed to recover and bring his gun back around and pointed toward Ashton.
“So long, Fitzgerald.I hope you rot in hell.Tell my father hello.”
So it was Harper.Damn it.
But the shot never came.Instead Harper tumbled over as he was hit across the back and shoulders from behind.
Summer.
She’d just saved Ashton’s life.
Harper dropped his gun but wasn’t unconscious.He rolled over on the ground and reached out and yanked her leg, pulling her to the ground with him, his fist flying toward her face.She raised her arms to cover her head but Ashton still heard her cry of pain as the man’s fist connected.
