by Avery Gale
Savannah appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood, but the emotional edge she was riding was too sharp to risk lessening the tight grip she had on her restraint. When the floodgate finally opened, she was going to cry until she collapsed…and she didn’t want anyone to witness her breakdown.
Her brother met them at the small airfield when they’d landed to avoid the press. Brit thanked her for bringing his daughter home and then lifted her sleeping form from Carter and walked away. He’d gotten in his car and driven away without so much as asking how she was or how she would get home. Typical.
Sage McCall looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. “Damn, sugar. You brother is a real dick.” His blunt words and spot-on assessment of her brother were the straws that snapped her restraint, but it was hysterical laughter that bubbled up, not tears.
She heard Carter asking her if she was okay, but she couldn’t answer. Sage shook his head at the other man. “I’ve seen this with Jen. Get her home ASAP. She’s going to crash, and she needs to be in her own space when that happens.”
The ride home was short, and before she realized it, she was standing alone in her living room. Leaning with her back against the door, she slid to the floor and let the flood of emotions overtake her. Sobbing into her hands, all she could think about was how hard it had been to leave the man she loved. Loved? Oh hell. I’ve fallen in love with Landon Nixon. How had she let herself do something so foolish?
Running her fingers over the diamond choker she still wore, she remembered his promise to find her…his reminder that he’d always come for her. That small comfort was all she’d needed to let go. Curling into a tight ball, fatigue battering her from all sides, she let his words play through her mind until the darkness of sleep pushed everything from her mind.
Don’t ever doubt I’m coming for you
Epilogue
Six weeks later
Wiping the sweat from her eyes, Savannah executed another round house kick before dropping to the mat. She’d been taking her frustration out on the bag hanging in the corner of her gym for the past two hours, and she still hadn’t found the relief she was looking for. “Fuck a waddler. It’s supposed to numb my brain. What the hell is wrong with me today?” She’d been working out every day since Carter left her on the doorstep of her living quarters and walked away without a word. He hadn’t even told her whether or not Landon had made it safely to San Francisco. Nope. Nada. Not a damned word, and she’d been going insane ever since.
She’d been called in to the Agency’s DC headquarters, questioned for hours, and then summarily fired. Outrage had filled her, and without even asking, she knew her brother had been to blame. It had taken her almost an hour of browbeating her boss, but he’d finally admitted her brother’s influence was behind her release.
Jumping to her feet, Savannah kicked the bag with enough force to send it swinging into the wall. Just thinking about what Brit had done made her madder than hell. And, of course, her cowardly brother had been too busy to meet with her for the past five frick-fracking weeks. But his time was running out. She planned to attend his annual charity gala in a few days. If he wouldn’t talk to her in private, he could face her in front of his stick-up-the-ass friends. “You can’t hide forever, big brother. I will hunt you down like the dog you are…even if you seem more like a shivering Chihuahua than an overly protective German Shepherd.”
“Princess, I’m not sure what you’ve got planned, but I’m certain he has it coming.” Landon’s voice sounded from behind her, and she spun so quickly she stumbled into his arms. He didn’t seem put off by the fact she was soaked in sweat…his arms wrapped around her, and for a few sweet seconds, Savannah forgot she was pissed at him, too. He must have felt the shift in her emotions, because he set her back and smiled. “Let’s have it, pet. All of it. Right here. Right now. We need to get this over with so we can move on to something more pleasant.”
When she didn’t answer, he ran his fingers along the collar he’d given her…the one she hadn’t been able to bring herself to remove. The reminder was clear; she belonged to him as long as she wore the beautiful gift he’d given her. It didn’t matter it was supposed to be for show, and they both knew it.
His eyes flickered to her upper arms, and he frowned. Wrapping his large hand around her bicep, he looked at her with his brow raised in question. “They won’t stay on when I’m working out.” She silently cursed herself for answering…after all, she was still madder than a hornet about being whisked off to the east coast while he’d gone the opposite direction. No need to point out how much weight she’d lost. He wouldn’t have missed the way her workout clothing bagged around her.
“They’ll be fine soon enough. Now, spit it out. All of it.” The command clear…he knew she was angry, and he wanted it all out in the open.
Fine. She’d be happy to accommodate him. “You let Carter drag me away from you. I begged him to let me stay, but he wouldn’t listen.” She stomped her foot in frustration when she felt tears welling in her eyes. Dammit, she’d promised herself she would tell him exactly what she thought of him if she ever saw him again.
“I did. Continue.” To his credit, his expression hadn’t changed…if he’d so much as smiled, she swore she’d shoot him herself.
“You didn’t call me.” And there it was. The very bottom line. “I’ve been so worried. And so very lonely. And you just abandoned me.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she cursed her emotional reaction.
He frowned and nodded once and then pulled her into his arms. “Finish it, Princess. If you’re angry, you must learn to say so. Be honest with me…be honest with yourself.”
“How could you leave me so easily? I thought we had something special. You broke my heart…again.” Her words were muffled by his crisp, white linen shirt, but she was sure he’d be able to hear her. “I felt rejected…tossed aside. You promised you’d come for me”
Firm hands gripped her shoulders and pushed her back so he could look in her eyes. “And I have.” His thumbs brushed the tears aside, and he gave her a sad smile. “I’ve been calling you since the moment I got out of surgery. I knew you’d left your cell phone in Montana, but it wasn’t until yesterday I discovered your family wasn’t relaying my messages.”
“Messages?”
“Oh yes, my sweet girl. Messages, flowers, and an unused plane ticket.” He’d finally gotten Karl to call and find out what the fuck was going on. The household staff had been much more reluctant to lie to a United States Senator. His friend had volunteered to drive out to the Fitzgerald’s and talk to Savannah, but Landon had already sent a message to his pilot. He was in the air in less than two hours.
“I don’t understand. Why? Why didn’t I know?”
“That’s a question only your parents can answer.”
She went from confused to furious between one heartbeat and the next. “I made the mistake of answering the door the morning after I was unceremoniously dumped on my front porch. My mother took one look at me and told me I belonged on the K Street sidewalk.” He didn’t have to ask. He already knew the woman who’d given birth to her had called Savannah a whore, and his blood boiled.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped back and took her hand. “I’ve come to bring you home, Princess. Let’s go.” He started leading her to the door, and she seemed to finally realize what she was wearing and stopped. Shaking his head, he picked her up and continued walking to the door. “You can shower after we take off. And Carter and Ellen have already packed your clothes and personal effects.” When she blinked at him in surprise, he laughed. “We arrived just as you started your work out. Fuck, I didn’t think you were ever going to wear yourself out, Princess.”
When she sagged in his arms, Landon was flooded by relief. For the first time in six weeks, he felt content. The days he’d spent in Rafe’s clinic after the surgery to repair the damage to his face and shoulder were some of the longest of his life. Letting Carter drag her away from him as she cried and begged
to stay was the hardest thing he’d done in his entire life. For the first week, he’d assumed she was simply angry and refusing his calls. Once he learned she didn’t have a phone, he’d begun calling her parents’ home and gotten one excuse after another. When the ticket he sent her went unused, he’d been discouraged and close to giving up.
It had been Nate who’d suggested he ask Karl to call. Ten minutes later, he had his answer and was on his way to Washington. They’d arrived early this morning, and Carter had shaken his head when he discovered she’d left the front door of her small apartment open. Smiling to himself as he climbed into the back of the limo with Savannah cradled in his arms, Landon found himself looking forward to watching her pay for that mistake.
The End
Books by Avery Gale
The ShadowDance Club
Katarina’s Return – Book One
Jenna’s Submission – Book Two
Rissa’s Recovery – Book Three
Trace & Tori – Book Four
Reborn as Bree – Book Five
Red Clouds Dancing – Book Six
Perfect Picture – Book Seven
Club Isola
Capturing Callie – Book One
Healing Holly – Book Two
Claiming Abby – Book Three
Masters of the Prairie Winds Club
Out of the Storm
Saving Grace
Jen’s Journey
Bound Treasure
Punishing for Pleasure
Accidental Trifecta
Missionary Position
The Wolf Pack Series
Mated – Book One
Fated Magic – Book Two
Tempted by Darkness – Book Three
The Knights of the Boardroom
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
The Morgan Brothers of Montana
Coral Hearts – Book One
Dancing with Deception – Book Two
Caged Songbird – Book Three
Game On – Book Four
Well Bred – Book Five
Mountain Mastery
Well Written
Savannah’s Sentinel
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