“Summer,” I shouted, pounding on her door. She hadn’t answered her phone in hours and when I’d checked the restaurant she was gone, but I’d spotted Philip’s car just down the road from her house. If that fucker had done anything to her, I was going to kill him. “Summer!” I was about to kick her door down when it opened. “Thank fucking God,” I growled, stepping closer.
But it wasn’t Summer standing on the other side. It was Philip, with an evil leer. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Townsend.”
Anger boiled in my veins and I pushed past him. “Fuck that. Where’s Summer? If you’ve touched her in any way, I’m going to rip off your goddamned head.”
“Even if that means losing your football career?” he taunted.
“I’d risk anything for her.”
He stepped closer, his nostrils flaring. “So would I.”
He was blocking the way to the stairs, but if I couldn’t get Summer to answer me, I was going to plow right through him to find her. “Summer!” I shouted.
Philip sighed and rolled his eyes. “She’s not going to hear you; I drugged her. It’s all part of the plan. However, I have to say I’m disappointed. You showed up before I could have some fun.”
“You son of a bitch.” Fists clenched, I growled and stepped forward. “What did you do to her? Were you planning on killing her like you did Emery?” His eyes grew wide. “Yeah, I know all about that. I also know about the money you bribed Levi with to attack me on the field. And worst of all, getting Peter Trazinsky to run me off the road. I hope you enjoy being ass-raped, because that’s what you’re going to get when you go to jail.”
His nostrils flared again. “It’s a good thing I don’t plan on sticking around.”
I stalked closer, ready to fight. “You’re not going anywhere. Even if I have to kill you myself.”
“Not if I kill you first.”
“Stop!” For a split second, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Summer was okay. With a murderous glare in her eyes, she held a gun in her hands, pointing it straight at Philip’s head.
Chapter 34
Summer
“If you so much as move, I’ll put a bullet in your head,” I snarled, glaring at Philip.
He lifted his hands in the air. I could see a syringe still clutched in his hands. Evan wanted to come to me, but Philip blocked his way. The tension was thick, and I knew he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
“How?” Philip asked.
I scoffed. “You must really think I’m stupid. It wasn’t hard to figure out when I saw you put something in my tea. You’re a murderer, a liar. I hope you burn in hell.”
“Did he touch you?” Evan growled.
My jaw tensed and Philip bellowed, “I did more than touch her. She sure does taste sweet, doesn’t she?”
The energy in the air crackled like fire and there was nothing I could do to tame it. Evan lunged for Philip’s legs and they went down to the floor, breaking everything in their path. “Dammit,” I growled, rushing down the stairs. “Look out, Evan! There’s something in his hand.”
Evan fumbled back and Philip elbowed him in the nose, gaining the seconds he needed to get off the floor. He charged after me. Before I could rush up the steps, he grabbed my ankle. I screamed as he pulled me down. The breath whooshed out of my lungs and my vision blurred when my head smacked against the hardwood floor.
With a viselike grip, I held the gun and refused to let go. After that, everything happened so fast. Evan grabbed Philip around the neck, but Philip was still able to slam my wrist against the floor, bones cracking with the impact. I cried out in pain and lost hold of the gun. Philip grabbed it, but it slid across the floor when Evan punched him in the ribs. Sounds of fists hitting flesh and growls of anger were all I could hear. The pain in my wrist radiated up my arm, making my eyes tear, but I wiped them away and got to my feet. The guys grappled on the floor, and I couldn’t tell who had the advantage since both of them had a hand on the gun. But that wasn’t my concern. On the floor, beside my broken coffee table, lay Philip’s syringe. As fast as I could, I lunged for it, carefully picking it up off the floor. Unfortunately, events had come to a standstill.
Wiping the blood from his nose with one hand, Philip held the gun in the other, pointing it straight at Evan. “This is where it ends, Townsend. You see, I always get what I want in the end.”
“Philip, don’t,” I begged, stumbling forward.
Evan tried to reach for me, but Philip grabbed me first and jerked me into his arms. “Sorry, my love, but as long as he’s alive you won’t have a place for me.”
“Let her go,” Evan demanded. “She’s not going to love you if you kill me.” He had a gun pointed at his head but his focus was on me. There were so many things I wanted to tell him, and I hoped to hell I’d have a chance to say them.