“Ohhh, that sounds wonderful.”Trent was on his feet in a second, dragging off his coveralls.
Mayte and Serena weren’t far behind.
“Food sounds good.”Mayte patted her stomach.“But you don’t have to treat us,” she argued, fixing Summer with a steely stare.“We did this to help you, no strings attached.”
“I know you did.But I’m starving, and we deserve a reward after all that hard work.And you need to let me show my gratitude.Please,” she added in a beseeching tone to her voice.
“Okay,” Mayte relented, even though Serena continued to scowl at Summer, but didn’t offer a vocal argument.
“Oh, goodie.”Trent clapped his hands with glee.
Summer herded them out onto the landing, locking the door carefully behind her, with her new keys.She still had no idea how the thief had gotten into the complex, but she decided that upon her return from lunch, she was going to knock on a few doors to see if anyone had seen or heard anything out of the ordinary.Someone had let him in; that much was sure.Because the alternative—that the burglar lived in the building—was too terrifying to contemplate.
* * *
Summer punched in the code to her building’s front door.She’d already bid farewell to her friends on the street, thanking them again for their help.Her stomach was bulging and uncomfortable; they’d eaten way too much food, and the three cocktails Summer had consumed were making her sleepy.They’d spent longer than they intended in the café, and it was now almost dinnertime.But Summer felt far better.The laughter and companionship of eating and drinking with her buddies had lifted most of the terrible weight pressing down on her shoulders.
She climbed the stairs wearily, looking forward to an early night.Hopefully, she could sleep, and thoughts of someone breaking in wouldn’t haunt her.
An incoming text beeped on her cell, and she pulled it out of her pocket to see who it was from.Her heart skipped a beat as she momentarily imagined it might be from Mårten.Maybe he was messaging to check how she was going?But it was from an unknown number, and Summer bent her head over her phone trying to decipher the weird message, taking the stairs up to her landing on autopilot.
It was from Peter Macdonald from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Yellowstone National Park, asking her to call him at her earliest convenience on a matter of urgency.Summer stood in front of her apartment door staring at her phone, wondering if it was some kind of scam.She’d never heard of this guy before.And he—
Something wasn’t right.A prickle of awareness slithered down her spine.This landing was usually well lit, but the section over near the lift was in semi-darkness.Funny, that light had been working when they’d left to go to the cafe earlier, hadn’t it?
There was a flicker of movement in the far corner.As Summer stared intently, a figure morphed out of the gloom.A man wearing a hoodie.A tall man.She glimpsed a large, hooked nose protruding from the shadow of his hood.
Oh, fuck!
It was the same guy from last night.He took two steps toward her, an aura of menace emanating from him.
“Hey, bitch.”He smiled, showing crooked teeth.“Do you remember me?There ain’t no cops around to help you tonight, and you ain’t got no baseball bat either.This time I’m going to get what I came for.”He took three more steps, and Summer turned and ran.She wasn’t stupid enough to want to fight him.This guy was mean and on a mission; to hurt her.
She had a slight head start on him as she sprinted down the stairs, but she could hear him thundering after her.His legs were longer, so he could take the stairs at a faster pace.He was gaining on her.As she rounded the landing on the fourth floor, she thought about calling out for help, knocking on someone’s door, but decided he would catch her if she stopped running for even a second.Her breath burned in her throat, and she nearly dropped her phone as she swung herself around the corner using the railing to keep herself upright.
Halfway down the stairwell to the third floor, she heard a cry and then a thud, followed by a string of loud curses.She kept going, but could no longer hear the pounding feet close behind.He must’ve fallen.She risked a glance upward and saw him struggle to stand on the flight above.He began to hobble down the steps, but he’d hurt himself, because he’d stopped gaining on her.
She had a chance to get away.Her relief was palpable as she dared to take her first full breath since she’d seen him standing there.Not allowing herself to slow down, she continued to bound down the staircase like a rabbit fleeing a fox, until she hit the front door and burst out into the street.
But she didn’t stop there.She turned left and sprinted down the road toward the only place she knew she’d be safe.In her panicked state, her mind was telling her to run, run straight to Jacob and Nikki’s house.Straight to Mårten.It was stupid and pathetic, but the only thing her adrenaline-fueled body understood right now was that he would protect her.Oh, please, God, let him be home.
CHAPTER SIX
“CHEERS.”JACOB LIFTED his glass and saluted Mårten.“It’s been great having you here, bro,” he added.Mårten clinked his wine against Nikki and Jacob’s and took a sip.
“It’s been great to be here,” Mårten replied sincerely.“I’m starting to understand a little of the attraction of his place,” he conceded.America was a country of immense natural beauty, and the people weren’t half as bad as he’d first imagined.He was almost sorry he would go home in a few days.“And you’re right; this fish is amazing.”He set his glass down and lifted his fork, ready to take another bite of the freshly caught lingcod they’d bought at the market this afternoon.A fish native to these northern waters, Nikki had created a crispy skin lingcod dish fried in butter and parsley, and complemented by some boiled baby potatoes and a fresh salad.It was a simple but delicious meal.The flaky flesh had melted in his mouth, and he was eager to taste more.It almost matched the quality of the wild salmon he often snagged in his northern Swedish rivers.
Which reminded him.“Nikki still needs to try our Swedish delicacy, surströmming.”Mårten lifted an eyebrow in her direction.“You have not tasted fish until you have tasted that.It’s delicious, isn’t it, Jacob?”
Both men smirked at each other.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not eating that disgusting fermented stuff, not for anyone.You couldn’t pay me enough,” Nikki declared, wrinkling her pretty nose.“Jacob let me smell it when I was over visiting his family, and it almost made me throw up in my mouth.”Jacob roared with laughter at the look of revulsion on her face.Most Swedish natives learned to love the fish, but it was definitely an acquired taste.
Mårten took a further mouthful and savored the flavor, letting the butter and herb sauce wash over his tongue.He was just lifting another forkful of potatoes to his mouth when a loud knock on the front door startled them all, and three pairs of eyes turned to stare out to the hallway.Who could it be at this time of the evening?He didn’t think they were expecting anyone.
“I’ll go, Mårten offered; he was seated closest to the door.
He gave his fish one rueful glance before he got up from the table, but was almost shocked into speechlessness when he opened the door.“Summer?What’s going on?”She was the last person he expected to see, but he was immediately on edge.Summer was breathing hard, her dark hair fluttering loose around her shoulders.But it was the look of barely controlled fear in her eyes that had him on high alert.He tugged her inside without waiting for an answer, shutting and locking the door behind her.
