by Wendi Wilson
Prevail
Blood Persuasion Book 3
Wendi L Wilson
Copyright © 2018 by Wendi L Wilson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover by Molly Phipps at We Got You Covered Book Design.
Created with Vellum
For my husband, who never stopped encouraging me and has been my biggest cheerleader through it all.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Untitled
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter One
It was strange. In the five months I’d known the Patton brothers, I had seen them in many different situations, different moods. I’d seen them have different reactions to different stimuli. But what I had witnessed over the past few days was… different.
We’d been staying with their friends, the Madsens, in Greenwich for nearly a week and I still caught myself watching them, almost in awe. Jett was relaxed and in good humor. Wyatt was more exuberant than ever. And Beckett, well, he had come out of his reserved shell, joking and rough-housing with the rest of them.
It amazed me the difference it could make, being surrounded by a loving family instead of living with a man that barely tolerated you. I was happy for them, but it made me miss my parents more than ever. I didn’t regret leaving them. It was for their own protection, but I felt guilty for manipulating them with my persuasion.
Slade and Silas Madsen were adorable. With floppy blonde hair and dimples a mile deep, they looked like they belonged on a beach in California, not in Connecticut. Both boys were friendly and outgoing, so similar in personality and looks, I never would have been able to tell them apart if Slade didn’t have that small scar over his left eyebrow. They treated my boys like brothers and immediately accepted me as the sister they never had.
Mr. and Mrs. Madsen were equally accommodating, welcoming us into their home with hugs and assurances we could stay as long as we liked. I feared their reaction when they found out we were all together-together, but they barely blinked an eye. A split second of shock followed quickly by smiles and acceptance. They were nearly too good to be true, which made me nervous.
“That’s just their way,” Beckett said when I mentioned their ready approval.
I took his word for it, but kept my eyes wide open, anyway. Too many people in my life had turned out to be on the wrong side of the battle we were immersed in.
Of course, that battle seemed to be at a standstill, for the moment. We hadn’t heard anything from Dr. Patton since we left him in that truck stop parking lot, getting the beat-down of his life. No strange cars following us to the grocery store. No hang up calls. Nothing.
I was sure it was the calm before the storm.
“Savanna, are you hungry? Do you want some lunch?”
Mrs. Madsen’s words pulled me from my deep thoughts, and I shook my head to clear it. I looked up at her from my seat on the couch and smiled.
“You don’t have to make me anything,” I offered, standing. “I can get it.”
“Nonsense,” she called over her shoulder as she walked away. “I can make you a salad, or there’s leftover enchiladas from dinner last night.”
“Enchiladas sound great,” I replied, following her into the kitchen.
She smiled at me. “You got it,” she said, digging the casserole dish out of the fridge. “I’m so glad you’re not one of those girls who eats rabbit food at every meal.”
I laughed. “You should see me demolish a cheeseburger.”
Her peal of laughter joined mine as she slid a plate of cheesy goodness into the microwave. I liked the sound of it. The house had been too quiet all morning. With her boys at school and mine out shopping, the ruckus I’d gotten used to had been noticeably absent.
I fiddled with the leather band snapped around my wrist, tracing my finger over the letters burned into its surface. My first initial along with each of the boys’ separated by plus signs and punctuated with a heart. My birthday gift to them was to have four identical bands made. One for each of us.
My own birthday was less than a week away and, while the boys said they were going out to buy some essentials, I had a feeling they were shopping for me. I tried to hint that I didn’t need anything, didn’t want anything. I only needed them. They just nodded as if they understood and agreed and changed the subject each time I mentioned it.
We didn’t have an endless supply of money and we couldn’t mooch off the Madsens forever. We needed to save our pennies and dimes.
“Okay, here you go,” Mrs. Madsen said, pulling me from my thoughts once more as she set a steaming plate in front of me.
“Thank you so much,” I replied.
“It really is my pleasure,” she said. “It’s nice to have another woman in the house with all this testosterone.”
She winked and turned to heat up her own plate. I took a bite, nearly moaning. It tasted just as good as it had the night before.
“You’re such a good cook,” I moaned after swallowing. “This is delicious.” I’d already gushed over it at dinner but felt the need to reiterate.
“Well, thank you,” she answered. “That’s actually Beckett’s recipe.”
I nodded as I shoveled another bite into my mouth. I could believe it. Beckett had enormous talent in the kitchen. He’d proven that more than once.
Mrs. Madsen pulled her plate from the microwave and sat down across the table from me. She stared at me for a moment, not moving to eat her lunch, and I set my fork down while meeting her eyes.
“Those boys really love you, you know.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“I’m so glad they found you,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “When we lost them to their uncle, it devastated all of us. We assumed he’d be similar to their father because they were twins, but as it turns out, he was even worse.”
My eyes dropped to the table. “It’s my fault.”
“What do you mean?”
I met her eyes again as I spoke. “Dr. Patton needs me for… whatever he has planned. He only took custody of Jett, Wyatt, and Beckett because he needed me to come into contact with Alts. There were none living in my area, so he brought them in.”
“That doesn’t make it your fault, Savanna,” she said.
“Doesn’t it?” I asked. “If it weren’t for me, they’d have been here with you all along, living a happy, normal, safe life with a real family. As much as I love them, sometimes I think they’d be better off without me.”
“No.”
My head whipped toward the sound of Jett’s voice. He was standing in the doorway, plastic shopping bags in each hand and a frown on his face. Wyatt and Beckett stood behind him sporting identical expressions of concern. I had been so wrapped up in my guilt, I hadn’t even heard them enter the house.
Without saying another word, Jett set his packages on the kitchen counter and walked over to me. Gra
bbing my hand, he pulled me from my seat and practically dragged me from the room. Normally, I’d get angry and jerk away from such manhandling, but I saw the look in his eyes. Part anger, part fear, part disappointment. I’d put that there.
He pulled me up the stairs and into the bedroom he shared with his brothers. It was cramped, with three twin beds, but the boys didn’t mind. I’d been sleeping on the couch downstairs. They’d tried to give me the room, but I’d refused. All three of them couldn’t fit on that couch.
Wyatt and Beckett followed us into the room. Beckett closed the door, the latch clicking softly. I pulled my hand out of Jett’s grip and he crossed his arms over his chest. When he didn’t say anything, Wyatt spoke up.
“Why would you say that, Savanna?” His voice was soft, gentle, and brought my hackles down a bit.
“It’s true, isn’t it?” I asked. “If not for me, your uncle never would have taken you from here. I can see how happy you are here, with them.”
“We’re happy because you’re here with us,” Beckett said.
“I see how much you love them. How much they love you. Like a real family,” I uttered.
“Can you see how much we love you?” Jett stated, finally speaking.
“Yes,” I admitted. “Of course, I know you love me. But that doesn’t mean…”
When I didn’t continue, Beckett touched my arm. “Doesn’t mean what?”
“It doesn’t mean I’m worth it. You deserve all this,” I said, waving my arm to encompass the room. “You don’t deserve to be on the run with me, constantly looking over your shoulder.”
“We would give up everything for you, Savanna,” Wyatt replied. “You are worth it. You’re everything to us. Tell me you know that.”
He hugged me, not letting go until I nodded. My tears started flowing as he released me and Beckett took his place in my arms.
“We love you, Savanna. We’ll always be there for you, no matter what,” he whispered before kissing me on the forehead and stepping aside.
Jett stood his ground, his frown still firmly in place. I didn’t move, either, just stared at him through my tears. Several long moments passed before he uncrossed his arms, spreading them wide. I stepped forward and he pulled me into his chest.
“Don’t ever talk like that again. Please. If you leave us, it will break us.”
I nodded against his chest. I wouldn’t say anything else about how I was the root of all their problems. How they’d be better off if they never met me.
But that didn’t mean it wasn’t the truth.
Chapter Two
“We should get out of here. Go do something fun.”
It was Saturday, and the six of us teenagers had been hanging out on the back porch, enjoying the warmer weather. It was way colder than I was used to when we first arrived at the Madsen house, but with spring coming out in full force, the temperature that day was nearing seventy.
“Yeah,” Silas said, agreeing with his brother. “What do you guys think?”
Wyatt, Beckett, Jett and I looked at each other, nodding. Getting out and having some fun sounded like a great idea.
“Excellent,” Slade declared. “I know it’s kind of lame, but if we take Mom’s minivan, we can all fit.”
“I have no problem cruising around in the mom-mobile,” I said, laughing.
Slade lifted his palm toward me and I slapped it with mine. “A girl after my own heart,” he said. “Gorgeous, funny, and not embarrassed by anything.”
“Oh, she gets embarrassed,” Jett revealed.
“Yeah, she does,” Wyatt added, waggling his eyebrows, making Beckett chuckle.
“Shut up,” I said, smacking Wyatt playfully on the shoulder.
We stood and followed the Madsen brothers into the house. Slade went to find his mom to ask for her car keys while the rest of us waited in the living room.
“Anything in particular you want to do, Savanna?” Silas asked me.
I shrugged. “You guys decide. I have no idea what there is to do for fun around here.”
“I have an awesome idea,” Slade said, walking back into the room, jiggling the keys in the air. “One of those escape room places just opened up on the other side of town.”
“What’s an escape room?” I asked, frowning as the heat of a blush spread across my face.
Wyatt burst into laughter. “It’s nothing dirty, Savanna.” He knew exactly what I was thinking and I blushed. “See?” he exclaimed. “She does get embarrassed.”
Beckett threw an arm over my shoulder and said, “Lay off, Wyatt.”
Wyatt winked at me and I couldn’t help but smile. I had totally thought of bondage when Slade said “escape room.” I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain.
“An escape room is a group game. You’re locked in a themed room and you have to work together to find clues. The clues lead to a way out. There’s a timer running, and if you escape within an hour, you win,” Slade said.
“Sounds like fun,” I said. “How much does it cost to play?”
“No need to worry about that,” Silas answered, heading for the front door. “It’s our treat.”
“Oh, we couldn’t possibly—” I started, but Slade cut me off.
“No argument,” he said. “It’s your birthday in a few days and Mom insisted. She already gave me the money.”
“Okay,” I acquiesced. “But next time, we pay.”
“Deal,” the two brothers agreed in unison.
The building that housed the escape room company was a nondescript, red brick structure with a small sign that read, “The Asylum.”
“You said the room has a theme, right?” I asked as we piled out of the minivan.
“Yeah, but The Asylum’s rooms change every month and no one knows what theme they’ll get until they’re already locked in,” Slade answered.
“Are they scary?”
He smirked at me. “You don’t strike me as the kind of girl who gets spooked easy.”
“She’s not,” Wyatt said, pulling me into his side. “And stop flirting with her, Slade.”
I lightly elbowed Wyatt in his side, telling him without words to knock it off. We’d finally gotten past his jealousy of his brothers and didn’t need him to start being jealous of his best friends, too. He grinned at me right before he leaned over, kissing me on the mouth.
A fluttering erupted in my belly at the taste of him. It had been two weeks since I’d been really alone with any of them. Sure, I’d had stolen moments with each of them, kisses here and there when no one was looking, but no real quality time. I didn’t begrudge them wanting to spend time with their best friends, but I missed our one-on-one time. I decided right then that I’d talk to them about resuming our dates, as soon as possible.
We entered the building and a woman sitting behind a long counter glanced up at us. She looked to be in her early twenties with wide, friendly eyes and a welcoming smile.
“Hello, there. How may I help you?” she asked as we approached her workstation.
“Hi,” Silas said, propping an elbow on the counter while leaning against it. “We’d like to play a game, the six of us.”
“Okay, give me just a moment,” she replied, tapping away at the screen of her tablet.
“Sure thing,” Silas purred.
My eyes widened at his blatant flirtation with the older woman. Silas saw my expression and shot me a wink before turning his attention back to her. I shook my head, smiling through my disbelief. Those Madsen boys were a handful and a half. That was for sure.
“Okay,” the escape room employee said, looking up from her tablet, “That’ll be twenty-five dollars per person. I have one room available now and another one in ten minutes.”
Silas counted out the cash into her hand as he stated, “We’ll take the one that’s ready now.”
I watched as he paid, feeling uncomfortable with the amount. One hundred and fifty dollars seemed like a lot of money for an hour’s entertainment. I opened my mouth to
protest, but snapped it closed again when Jett took my hand. I met his eyes and he shook his head slightly.
He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, “Let it be. Arguing with them only makes them dig their heels in more.”
“You’re one to talk,” Slade said, obviously hearing Jett’s words. “I don’t think there’s a person on this Earth more stubborn than Jett Patton.”
“Oh, I can think of one,” Jett said, his eyes focused on me.
“Hey, what are you trying to say?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest playfully.
Everyone laughed. It felt so good, having a little fun and forgetting all the drama in my life for just a little while. I decided to do just that, and not feel guilty about it.
“Okay, group,” the woman said, “if you could just follow me.” She led us down a long hallway, speaking to us over her shoulder. “My name is Julie, and I am your handler. Once you are locked in the room, do not move until the buzzer sounds. Once you hear it, your timer will start and you will have one hour to escape. You must work together to solve puzzles and find the clues that will lead you to freedom.”
She stopped in front of a large, gray door and turned to face us. “You will be allotted three hints. When you enter the room, you will see a camera next to the illuminated timer. Should you decided to use a hint, you must look into the camera and say, ‘Julie, we need a hint.’ That way, I won’t get confused if you’re just discussing it and accidentally give you one before you’re ready. Any questions?”
“Is this room scary?” Beckett asked, his hand rubbing up and down my back.
“All of our rooms have a certain creep factor,” she said, her eyes trailing across all of our faces. “But it’s nothing six Alts like you can’t handle.” With that, she opened the door and stepped back, waving for us to enter.