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The moment Dougherty noticed Lex, the man lurched forward and grabbed Summer. Now that he had a clear shot, Lex fired at Ace, taking him out. The bullet slammed into his chest, dropping him.

“Don’t fucking move!” Dougherty yelled, throwing an arm around Summer’s throat and hauling her back against his body, using her as a shield. She fought like a wild cat, swiping madly with the box cutter, and managed to stab the blade into his thigh. Good girl.

With a roar, Dougherty picked her up, swinging her toward the incinerator’s mouth, and Summer screamed.

Lex’s heart froze in his fucking chest.

No, God, no. Not my Summer.

Chapter twenty

Seeing Lex racing to her rescue had fueled Summer to act. She’d hoped stabbing Dougherty in the leg would cause him to release her, but it only seemed to incense him further. Before she could escape, he lifted her off her feet and swung her toward the incinerator’s chute. She twisted and kicked and fought like a fiend, but the intense heat lashed at her, and when she got a glimpse into the churning, burning incinerator depths, she screamed.

She didn’t want to die. Not when she had so much to live for and things she still had to say to Lex. Important words letting him know exactly how she felt. He’d appeared when she’d needed him the most, swaggering across Old Glory, all long and lean, then stopping and looking adorably nervous to approach her. Meeting Lex had been the best night of her life. He’d given her a reason to smile again. A reason to believe she could still find love. And not just any love—the great love of her life. Sure, it may have happened a little later, but it was the greatest gift she could’ve imagined.

And now, somehow, he was there. She had no idea how, but at least she could take comfort in knowing Alexander Battle, the man she’d fallen in love with, would be the last thing she saw before dying.

Tears stung her eyes, heat singed her flesh and her feet lifted off the ground. As Dougherty swung her up, shots fired, and she felt his body jerk and stagger. He immediately released her, and Summer fell, slamming into the rim of the chute. Teetering, on the verge of slipping over the side and into the boiling sand below, she grabbed the hot edge.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back to safety.

Lex.

His scent filled her—a spice and leather explosion—and she held on tightly, never wanting to let him go.

He tucked her against his chest, and she looked over just in time to see Dougherty, arm bleeding courtesy of Lex’s bullet, struggling with Scott, who’d rammed into him. They slammed against the incinerator’s side, wrestling, and Lex kept an arm around her as he aimed his gun, but hesitated. He couldn’t get a clear shot.

Horrified, Summer realized both Scott and Dougherty were on the verge of slipping over the edge. Until Scott grabbed the box cutter sticking out of Dougherty’s thigh, lifted it and stabbed him in the neck. With a pained shout, Dougherty released Scott who threw himself to the side and to safety. As Scott hit the platform, Dougherty yanked the blade out of his neck, raised it above his head, and focused his hate-filled gaze on her. Then he charged with a ghastly shriek.

Before Lex could shoot, a large hook swung into view. The steel hook slammed into Dougherty’s chest, knocking him backward and right over the incinerator’s edge. A loud hiss filled the air as the boiling sands completely vaporized his body.

“Oh, my God,” Summer cried, stunned at how fast everything just happened.

She, Lex and Scott looked down to see who was operating the overhead crane.

Xander Hawke swung out of the cab, sending them a thumbs-up, and Summer slumped in relief. All the bad guys were down and she was in Lex’s arms. A moment later, she heard the pounding of boots as the rest of Lex’s friends appeared.

“Are you okay?” Lex stepped back and searched her for injuries, running his hands all over her.

“Yeah, I think so.” He lifted her hands, flipped them over and frowned. Her palms were red with burns from grabbing the incinerator’s edge, but it could’ve been so much worse.

“We need to wrap your hands,” Lex insisted.

“They’re really not that bad.” Okay, so maybe they looked like shit and that was just the adrenaline talking. Still shaking a little, she looked over at Scott who sat on his ass. He looked a little shell-shocked, which didn’t really surprise her considering he, too, had almost gone over the side and been vaporized. But he’d stepped up and risked his life to help her. Apparently, her ex wasn’t as useless as she’d thought.

“Are you alright?” she asked Scott.

He nodded. “F-fine.”

“Thanks for helping Summer,” Lex said. With one arm still securely around her, Lex reached a hand out and pulled a shaky Scott to his feet.

“No, uh, problem.” Scott swiped a hand through his hair. “Can we get down now?”

“Yes, please,” Summer murmured.

Lex took her hand and guided her down the stairs, Scott trudging behind them, and they walked over to Lex’s team.

“Sorry we’re a little late to the party,” Brand said. “Fucking maze.”