by Wendi Wilson
A young woman standing behind the security guard steps forward, her hand going to her pocket and pulling out a small radio device. Beckett catches her eye and orders her to stop, but the walkie talkie continues its path to her mouth and she inhales, preparing to ruin all our plans.
My blood pressure spikes, my mind going to the worst case scenario. We’re busted, we get kicked out, or even arrested, and Brother Earl hurts Grace.
“Stop,” Savanna yells, shocking me out of my downward spiral.
The woman, obviously an Alt employed by the president, freezes in place, her eyes darting about wildly. Unfortunately, the security guard and the other five Alts in our group are also persuaded.
“Oops. Sorry,” Savanna says, and a second later, the Pattons and the Madsens relax with a sigh.
Savanna must have broken the persuasion mentally. She then mumbles something to the guard, and he picks up his clipboard and continues working like nothing ever happened.
I bounce from foot to foot, the only one not affected by her commands. Slade calls me forward, and I give the guard my information. I only give him half my attention as I listen to Savanna question the girl.
“Tell me the truth,” she says. “How old are you?”
“Nineteen,” the girl replies, frowning at her inability to resist answering.
“Why do you work for the president?” Savanna asks.
“My parents lost their jobs. They were on the verge of losing everything when President Worth saved us by offering me a position here with great pay and benefits.”
Savanna persuades her to forget their conversation and our presence on the property. She returns to her previous position without further question or protest. As I wait for the others to get their VIP passes, I think about the girl and her story. It seems unlikely that President Worth would just swoop in to save the day as soon as her family lost everything. How did he even know they existed, much less that they needed financial help? He wouldn’t. He’s the freaking president for God’s sake.
Unless he had a hand in making sure they lost everything.
I watch as Savanna says goodbye to her boys. They have their V.I.P. passes and it’s time to split up. I can see the worry etched on their faces, and emotion pings in my chest.
“Please be careful,” Savanna says to Beckett, circling her arms around his neck before kissing him.
“I will,” he vows, kissing her again.
She gives the same affection to Wyatt, who grins and makes a joke. Her goodbye with Jett is much more passionate. He kisses her like he’ll never kiss her again and I feel my face grow hot. There’s so much love, so much passion between the four of them.
My eyes dart to Silas and Slade. I find two sets of silver eyes trained on me. Concern mars their faces, and I shake my head, letting them know I’m okay. I’m ready to do this. Nothing is going to stop me from saving my little sister.
“Wait,” Savanna says, and my eyes flit back to her. “What if you run into an Alt that realizes you’re an Alt?”
“Alts can tour the White House, Savanna. We’ll be okay,” Jett promises.
“Maybe you should bite me, you know? Drink some of my blood, just in case. Then you’ll be able to persuade them if it happens.”
I suck in a breath at the thought of him biting her out here in the open. It’s too risky. Someone will see and we’ll lose our anonymity. Jett objects before I can.
“I’m not going to bite you, especially out here in the open in front of this crowd. Besides, we plan to split up. Me having the power is not going to help us all… unless you want to let us all, including Silas and Slade, take turns drinking your blood?”
My blood runs cold as my eyes dart to the Madsen twins to gauge their reaction. Would they really bite her? Dread runs through me until I see their faces filled with humor. I look back at Jett and realize he wasn’t being serious.
He is giving Savanna one of his sardonic smiles, like he’s daring her to take the bait. I relax a little when she kisses him and all talk of anybody biting anybody is put to a stop.
“We’ll be careful. I promise,” he says as he pulls away.
He backs out of her grasp and motions to his brothers. Then they’re gone, disappearing into the crowd inside the fence. Savanna hugs me and the Madsens, admonishing us to be careful. She takes my hand in hers, squeezing it with reassurance.
“We’re gonna win,” she says, her voice firm.
“We’re gonna win,” I repeat, the words resonating inside me.
With that, I release her and follow Slade and Silas inside. We’re swallowed up by the crowd, but not before I see Savanna head in the opposite direction around the block. She’s on her way to meet Brother Earl at the press entrance.
It’s go time.
Or maybe not.
Instead of being set free to explore, or even herded into a group with a tour guide, we’re immediately shuffled into a line where we wait to pass through a metal detector. Jett pulls his metal flask from his pocket and I experience a moment of alarm as he places it into a plastic basket for the guards to inspect.
What if they detain us because the boys are Alts? This was not part of the plan and we don’t have time to spare. Before my anxiety turns into a full-blown panic attack, the guard hands the flask back to Jett on the other side of the metal detector and waves Beckett through. No questions asked.
Once we all make it through, we are then directed to walk in front of several large fans. My confusion must show on my face because, once we’re through, Silas leans down and whispers in my ear.
“Dogs,” he says, pointing to the large screen we passed. “They were probably checking our scent for drugs.”
After that, we’re set free to wander the White House on our own. We are allowed to take a self-guided tour. It’s perfect. We don’t have to give anyone the slip. We just have to avoid the guards stationed around the lawn.
Checking the time on my phone, I motion for the boys to move. “We gotta go,” I say.
The whole security process took longer than we anticipated and we need to get to that press conference before it’s over and we lose Savanna. She can’t go into her meeting with the president without us, and if we don’t hook up before she’s escorted wherever they end up meeting, we’ll never find her. This place is massive.
“This area is off limits. Turn around and follow the path back.”
The security guard startles me and I freeze, but the boys are on him before he can speak another word or call for back up. He’s not an Alt, thank God. Jett persuades him to forget us and we continue on, only slowing when we round a corner and see a large group of reporters crowded around a small stage with a podium planted in the middle.
“As I’m sure you’ll agree, this is the best course of action for our great country.”
We made it. As President Worth says those words, the crowd nods in unison. They clap. They cheer. It’s like some spell has been cast over them. Or every one of them has been persuaded to be one hundred percent supportive.
Disgust fills me. Savanna was right. The president is using his Alts to make everyone compliant. It starts with those present at this press conference, but where does it end? Will he persuade the whole city? The whole country? The world?
Savanna’s voice ringing above the crowd grabs my attention. “Why does everyone agree with everything you say?” she asks, making me smile.
“I assure you that is not the case,” he responds. “Just ask my wife.”
The joke earns him a chorus of chuckles from the crowd of reporters. They are eating this shit up. So much for freedom of the press. I’m suddenly afraid. Not of the man, himself, but of what he can accomplish.
“Why are these teenagers going around telling everyone to enjoy ourselves and accept whatever you say without complaint?”
Oh, damn. That got his attention, I’m sure. If that doesn’t get Savanna a private meeting, I don’t know what will. Sure enough, as the crowd protests her claim and denies anyone
said anything of the sort to them, guards move in and lead Savanna and Brother Earl away.
As I watch, I see her notice Jett and Slade, giving them a nod so slight, no one would notice unless they were watching for it. Then she stops, and one of the guards pulls Brother Earl away by the elbow. Everything is going as planned.
“What is the meaning of this? Savanna, stop him!” Brother Earl shouts as the unrelenting guard pulls him away from her.
She smiles and waggles her fingers at him. He should be headed right where he wants to go, into a meeting with President Worth. A meeting that will not go as he expects.
We head toward her and the other guard, who’s standing beside her passively with a dazed look on his face. As we circle around, she looks at me.
“Okay, the other guard is taking Dr. Patton straight to the president and I told him to take his cell phone. He won’t have a chance to send any orders regarding Grace.”
I nod, kind of surprised at her foresight. Not only did she persuade the guard to take Brother Earl into custody, she took away his only means to retaliate. My sister is safe.
“Quick thinking. Thanks,” I say.
She turns to the guard, and asks, “Did you forget your contact lenses? You can speak now. Tell me the truth.”
His head jerks back. “No. Security detail doesn’t need them. Only the public relations positions use contacts.”
His eyes narrow as he looks into Savanna’s. She hadn’t worn contacts, so the silver outline of her blue irises is visible.
“You’re an Alt? How did you get past the checkpoint?” he asks.
“What a genius,” Jett deadpans.
As far as he knows, Alts can’t be persuaded. It’s impossible. So it doesn’t even occur to him that it’s happening to him right now. What an idiot.
His words give me vindication, though. The boys acted like we were being silly, worried about them going through security.
Alts can tour the White House, Savanna.
That’s what Jett said to her when she voiced her fears. I’d bet my ass she’s going to rub that in his face later. Alts may be able to take a tour, but not without every member of the president’s personal guard knowing about it and keeping an eye on them.
“Take us to the president,” Savanna says, pulling me from my thoughts.
As he leads the way, and we follow, Beckett interlaces his fingers with hers. Jett steps up to her other side, taking her free hand and Wyatt walks closely beside him. They’re a unit. A team. They have each other’s backs, one hundred percent and love each other equally.
I could have that. Silas and Slade flank me on either side. They aren’t holding my hands, but their shoulders brush against mine every few steps. Their proximity is both comforting and electrifying, each brush of a shoulder or arm sending sparks shooting through me.
Focus, Lizzie. I’ll deal with my feelings later. Right now, we need to save Grace and end Brother Earl’s vendetta against Alts.
Savanna and Jett are hissing at each other in whispered tones, but I can’t make out what they’re arguing about. My failed attempt at eavesdropping must be apparent, because Silas leans down and whispers in my ear.
“She wants to go in alone. She’s asked for three minutes before we all bust in, but Jett is against it. Of course.”
I smirk at his last words. Of course, Jett is against it. That boy has a need to always be in charge. To always be right. Savanna can handle him, though.
The guard leads us inside the White House and I look around in awe. Everything is so bright and shiny, so beautiful, like a museum or a model home. I shake off my stupor. I need to stay focused. We stop outside a closed door.
“Three minutes,” Jett warns as he and Beckett release their grip on Savanna.
In the silence that follows, we can hear Brother Earl sputtering inside the office. Savanna nods to the guard and, as the rest of us hide on either side of the door, he swings the panel open and ushers her inside.
“Do not move, or speak,” she says as the door swings closed behind her.
I move forward and press my ear to the wood, knowing the rest of them can hear what’s going on inside without making the move. The words are muffled, but I hear the president’s voice demand to know what’s happening.
Savanna says something, then Brother Earl thanks her. She asks, “Are you stupid?” and something else before shouting the word, “Now!”
Someone reaches around me and turns the doorknob, the door flies open and I all but stumble into the room. Thank God, I catch myself before I face plant onto the floor in front of the president of the United States.
My eyes meet Brother Earl’s. His face is etched with disbelief and panic. I smile, a feline expression full of smug pleasure. He’s lost, and now he knows it. Even if he won’t admit it to himself.
“In what world did you think I would actually help you destroy an entire group of people?” Savanna asks.
“Do not forget, I have Grace Williams,” he warns.
“Not for long,” she says, typing furiously on a phone’s screen as she reads aloud. “The plan is complete. Let the girl go. Give her a phone so she can call her sister to come pick her up.” She looks up at Brother Earl, who’s snarling in fury. “You really should add password protection to your phone,” she says, goading him as she shoves the device into her pocket.
Wyatt laughs, causing his uncle to growl. I feel like laughing, too. Savanna did it. She really pulled this off. She got Brother Earl’s phone, sent a message to his lackeys to let Grace go, and has made a hostage of him.
My, how the tables have turned.
“What is going on here?”
The shouted question draws everyone’s attention to the president. He’s sitting behind his desk, unmoving, and I know from our planning session that Savanna has persuaded him to be there in that position. Everything is going exactly to plan.
“Dr. Patton here wants you to use your executive power to rid the world of Alts,” Savanna explains to him.
“I know that,” the president says. “I laughed him out of my office yesterday.” He looks at the doctor. “Why are you back here? And how are you controlling my guards?”
“That’s what he didn’t tell you,” Savanna offers. “I am a product of his research. I can’t be persuaded and I have the ability to persuade everyone… including other Alts.”
I wait for him to show some emotion, whether it be shock or disdain, but the calculated look he gives Savanna makes me shudder. It’s there in his eyes, plain as day. He’s weighing his options, figuring out how to use Savanna for his own personal and professional gain.
What a sleaze.
“Savanna, I demand that you give me my phone and do as I instruct you, right this moment,” Brother Earl shouts.
“Or what?” she asks, her voice angry. “You’ve lost. Accept it.”
“You will not get away with this,” he hisses taking a step toward her. “I’ll never stop. I will do whatever it takes to do the Lord’s work.”
I flinch. The man is certifiable, and I followed him as a loyal servant for so long. I shake off my shame. I’ve changed. I’ve seen the light. I’m not bound by his crazy anymore.
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Savanna warns, and I refocus on the situation at hand. Turning to the president, she says, “Dr. Patton tried to use an Alt to control you, to force you into genocide. He is a threat to your office and to America. You need to make an example out of him. Throw him into prison for the rest of his miserable life with no opportunity for parole.”
Dr. Patton starts to mumble, his words fast and furious, but Jett clips him on the cheek with his fist. As his words cut off abruptly, the president nods to his guards. Savanna must silently release them from her persuasive order to be still, because they each grab an arm of the hysterical doctor and start to drag him from the room.
“Wait,” she orders, and they stop.
“Oh, thank you, Savanna. Thank you,” Brother Earl blubbers.
/> She smiles at him, but there’s no humor or affection in it.
“This is for my parents,” she says and punches him right in the nose.
He yelps, the sound strange coming from a grown man’s lips. It was no light tap, and blood gushes from his nostrils, dribbling over his trembling lips.
“This is for Lizzie and her sister,” she adds, cracking her palm against his cheek.
Once. Twice. Three times. She shakes her hand, flinching. That must have hurt. Warmth fills me that she would avenge me and Grace that way.
“And this,” she growls, widening her stance, “is for threatening my boys and forcing me to leave them.”
She pulls her foot back and kicks it forward, the toe of her boot landing in his crotch. He screams and doubles over, the guards’ grip on his arms the only thing keeping him from crumpling to the floor. She flicks a hand toward them and they back up, dragging the bawling doctor through the door and out of sight.
My phone rings, breaking the silence that has fallen in the office. I don’t recognize the number and my eyes start to burn as I swipe the screen and hold the device to my ear.
“Lizzie? Is that you?” my little sister’s voice calls out.
My tears flow over and pour down my face as relief and gratitude course through me. I confirm it’s me and meet Savanna’s eyes.
“She’s okay,” I mouth.
Savanna leans over and whispers something to Silas and Grace relays her location to me over the phone. She’s not far, in a motel room just a few blocks away from the White House.
“Why don’t we all leave together now?” I hear Silas ask, and I tell Grace to hold on while I cover the phone’s speaker with my hand.
“We have some unfinished business with the president,” Savanna says.
“Okay,” Silas replies, “we’ll go. But if you kill him, he’ll die a martyr and you’ll go down in the history books as a crazy villain.” He raises his voice a few notches, speaking loud enough for the president to hear.
Worth’s eyes go wide as he struggles against the invisible bonds holding him in his chair. Savanna shoots Silas a look and he laughs as she turns back to President Worth.
“Stop moving and relax,” she says, “no one is going to kill you.”