Chapter Eleven
Valor
WATCHING MY LOVE lose her shit after killing her mother is not something I ever want to experience again. Savannah usually does her best to stay strong and not sink deep into herself no matter what’s going on in her life. She wants to be strong and stable for her sisters and there’s no way this isn’t going to affect her more than she’ll ever realize. We all react differently to our first kill and my girl is no different. Savannah didn’t mean for this to happen which makes it even worse. Honestly, I don’t believe that Savannah pushed her mother hard enough to kill her. We’ll have to figure things out before we get rid of the body because I don’t want my girl to have this on her conscience the rest of her life if this wasn’t her fault. Anyway, she’s currently sleeping, but it's filled with nightmares and she’s not actually getting any rest. This shit is gonna be so hard and there’s only so much I can do to help her through it.
Taking my cut and tee-shirt off, I climbed in bed with her so I would be somewhat comfortable. Savannah curled up against me the second I was in bed with her and I’m not gonna move away from her. My girl needs to rest and I’m gonna make sure she does the best she can after what just took place. I know once the girls find out what happened today, Savannah will be with them and if it means staying up all night long to take care of her sister, that’s what she’ll do. I’ve been there and watched her stay up all night long for one of the girls and she didn’t hesitate to do so. She will lose sleep every day of the week if it means her sisters can rest while she watches over them. And I’m gonna do the same for her.
Pulling out my phone, I send a message to Vault letting him know we need to look into the security footage and find out what really happened to make Savannah’s mother die. If it was from hitting her head on the column outside the gate, then it was nothing more than an accident. With Savannah telling us that Conrad knows where my girls are, I’m not sure something more didn’t take place and Savannah didn’t see or hear anything. Martin didn’t see or hear anything based on what he told us in the office. That doesn’t mean it’s not true. A sniper could’ve taken a shot at the woman and hit her at the same time she fell against the column making everyone assume that’s what killed her. It would be hard to time everything perfectly, but not impossible.
Me: I want footage gone through and someone to look at the body before anything happens. I don’t think Savannah is the one who killed her mother. Can someone take care of that for me while I stay with her?
I’m not sure what my brother’s doing right now, so I put my phone on my chest after making sure it’s on vibrate and won’t wake Savannah up. No, she’s not really sleeping with the nightmares, but I’d rather keep her out of things for as long as possible so she’s not getting lost in her head with all the thoughts filling her. I’m sure she’s still gonna try to run and that’s not something I’ll allow to happen. Savannah is gonna be in fight or flight mode and her first instinct is gonna be to run so no one takes the girls from her. As I’m thinking about the best way to help Savannah through this, my phone vibrates with a notification.
Vault: Already got the guys on it. Kingston is going through the footage now. Fox and Buzz are trying to find a connection between Conrad and the mother. Court is down with the body now looking everything over. We got this. You worry about Savannah and be there for her and the girls.
Me: She’s sleeping now. Not leaving her side for any reason. Might need someone to go get the girls from school. Savannah is gonna want them here when she wakes up.
Vault: Gonna have Slim and Shy go get them now. I called the school since Savannah put you and me down as emergency contacts. We’ll keep the girls down here until Savannah wakes up. Ol’ ladies are already cooking up a feast for everyone here. No one’s leaving and they’ll stay here for a while until we know what’s going on. Savannah is family and they’re here for her. She has an army at her back and she deserves nothing less.
Me: Thank you, Vault. I’ll make sure Savannah knows everyone is here for her. Right now, I just want her to rest and get a break from the thoughts running through her mind. Just gonna hold her for now until she tells me what she needs.
Vault: You worry about your girls and we’ll worry about everything else. We got your back, brother.
Setting my phone down on the nightstand at my side, I put all of my focus back on Savannah as she sleeps. She’s got a leg thrown over mine with her hand resting on my stomach. Her face is buried in my chest causing goosebumps to break out across my body as her hot breath fans across my skin. Savannah’s hair is spread out around the back of her head, getting a little longer than she typically keeps it. Running my fingers through the strands, I relax the best I can and just wait for my girl to wake up. If we’re in this bed the rest of the day, I really don’t give a fuck. Vault will make sure I’m updated as soon as he knows something and no one will disturb Savannah as she starts to twist and turn with another nightmare.
“No!” she screams, digging her nails into my stomach as her entire body tightens from the hold her nightmare has on her.
“Love, I’ve got you,” I tell her gently, not wanting to scare her awake as I tighten my arms around her in comfort. “It’s just a nightmare, Savannah. You’re okay. I’m not lettin’ you go.”
“Zach,” she cries in her sleep as the first tear hits my chest and shatters my heart. “Don’t leave me, Zach.”
I know she’s dreaming and doesn’t even realize I’m holding her right now. To think that she’s dreaming of me leaving her breaks something deep in my soul. I have left her and made her feel as if she was my second choice. I’m not ever gonna leave my girl again. I don’t care what happens moving forward, I’m going to be at her side and make sure Savannah knows I’ll always be there for her and the girls. I run my fingers up and down Savannah’s arm as she finally starts to settle down again and calm down. I don’t know what I can do to take these nightmares from her, but I’ll do whatever I can. Even if it means I go without sleep or relaxing to be there for her so she can sleep peacefully.
Savannah is finally starting to wake up. Her entire body is strung tight as she blinks her eyes open and looks up at me. My girl’s skin is more pale than normal and her mouth is set in a grim line. The sparkle in her eyes has almost vanished completely and it’s going to take a while before it comes back. I promise myself that one way or another I’ll get it to come back because I’m not going to allow her to lose herself to this accident.
“Love, how are you doin’?” I ask her, knowing it’s a stupid fucking question, but needing to know where her head is.
“I don’t know, Zach. Is she really dead? Did I kill my mother?” she questions me, tears filling her eyes as she brings her entire body closer to mine and I wrap my arms around her.
“I don’t know, Love. Court and the other guys are lookin’ into shit right now. I haven’t heard anythin’ back yet. I’ve been in here with you so you weren’t alone. Slim and Shy got the girls from school. They don’t know what happened, just that you wanted them home. If you don’t want to tell them, you don’t have to. I think we should wait until the guys find out what happened outside before you talk to them though,” I tell her honestly as she moves her body until she can look up at me as I talk to her.
“They have to know what happened one way or another, Zach. I can’t keep this from them. We’ve all been haunted by what she did to us for years and part of me feels as if it’s finally over with. I know that’s how the girls will feel about everything. But, I can’t help the part of me that feels horrible for killing her. And that this is just getting started. She knows Conrad somehow and said he knows where I am. I think I already told you that, but I can’t remember. Everything is a blur from the second I realized my mother was at the gate until right now,” she says, her voice wavering with emotion as it fills her once again and I want to take everything away from her so she’s happy and living her best life.
“I know, Love. I don’t believe this is over with either. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you and the girls are safe. Conrad will never get close to you if I can help it,” I promise her, moving one of my hands so I can run my fingers through her hair again.
“I know. I’d like to go see if the guys found anything and talk to the girls,” Savannah says, sitting up in bed and turning to look at me.
“Let’s go. I’m not lettin’ you do this shit alone, Love. I’ll be there every step of the way,” I state as we both get out of bed.
Savannah puts her shoes on while I put on my shirt and cut before sliding my feet in my boots. Grabbing Savannah’s hand, I lace our fingers together and we leave our room. I stop long enough to lock the door before we make our way to the common room. Most everyone is sitting around the tables eating while I look around for Court, Vault, and a few others. When I don’t see them with everyone else, I guide Savannah down the hallway toward my brother’s office. Knocking on the door once, I open it to find Vault, Court, Buzz, Fox, Kingston, Slim, Killer, Playboy, Chrome, and Red in the small room. They stop talking when we walk in and Killer quickly jumps out of his seat and offers it to Savannah. Always taking care of my girl because she's important to these men who have watched her grow into the strong woman she is today.
“I’m glad you’re both here. We were just goin’ over what everyone found,” Vault says, sitting back in his seat and looking at Savannah and no one else. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m as good as I can be right now,” she answers, trying to keep her voice strong as she looks at each man here. “I’m sorry this is falling on your shoulders and you’ve been dealing with a mess I created.”
“Savannah, I don’t wanna hear that shit from your mouth again. Darlin’, you’re the victim in this situation and have been for a number of years. From what we’ve discovered, you’re a target and there’s a reason Conrad was so adamant you go out with him,” Slim says, bending down so he’s face-to-face with Savannah. “You got away and Conrad’s father can’t have that happen. He forced Conrad to come for you by any means necessary. This is still from that shit when we found you years ago. Nothin’ is gettin’ close to you, Darlin’.”
Savannah drops her head and her shoulders start to shake as she cries. I want the attention off of my girl because she doesn’t need witnesses to her breakdown. She feels horrible enough. None of the men in this room will say a word about her losing her shit, but she’s going to feel bad about them seeing her so broken and vulnerable. Savannah’s at her lowest point and I will make sure she doesn’t get stuck here.
“Why don’t you tell us what you’ve found out so far,” I say, watching as the men take their attention from Savannah and look at me.
“I went down and personally went over every inch of the bitch’s body. Savannah, you didn’t kill her. When I was goin’ over her body, there’s a bullet hole in her head. The shooter timed it fuckin’ perfectly. When you pushed her, they took the shot causin’ her to slam into the concrete pillar before hittin’ the ground,” Court, my best friend, informs us as Savannah’s head snaps up and looks at him with shock filling her face.
“Are you sure?” she questions him, looking around the room and squeezing my hand tight after lacing our fingers together again.
“I’m positive. I told the guys about findin’ the bullet hole in her head and Kingston was able to slow the footage down enough to see everythin’. You’re not gonna see that shit, but Valor can watch so you can hear from him exactly what happened. The way you shoved her away from you would’ve put her on her ass at most. This is not on you, Savannah. I promise you that you’re not a killer and this wasn’t your fault. It was a combination of things includin’ the drugs in her system. Not only did Doc run a test that came back positive, but she had more on her body,” Court says, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it as Savannah takes in every word he’s saying to her and tries to process the information.
“We got the direction the shot came from, but there’s no way he’s gonna be stickin’ around to find out what happens next. I’m sure he’s a paid hitman and completed his orders. He saw that you weren’t gonna go with your mother and took her out before she could give up information they didn’t want you knowin’. We’ve seen that shit happen before and I know it doesn’t change the fact that your mother is dead, but I want you to get it out of your fuckin’ mind that you killed her, Savannah. Your mother brought this shit on herself by the assholes she chose to associate with,” Vault says, leaning forward and resting his arms on his desk while keeping his eyes locked on Savannah where she sits in front of him. “The girls are here and want to see you. Why don’t you two go out and eat dinner with them? We’ll take care of all this shit and have church first thing in the mornin’.”
“Okay. I’m gonna go tell them that she showed up here and what happened. Obviously I won’t go into details, but I know this isn’t over. Conrad is here. I don’t know why I feel that way, but I do. She said he knows where I am, and he’s not going to wait very long to get his hands on me,” Savannah says, standing from the chair and not letting go of my hand.
“We’ll keep an eye out for Conrad, Sweetheart. Kingston and Fox are runnin’ a deep check into him. We’ll find him and make sure he doesn’t get his hands on any of you,” Vault promises Savannah as we leave the room and go in search of the girls. I want to see them as bad as Savannah does.
We find the girls in the common room at a table with Annabell, Shy, and Gwen. Annabell looks so uncomfortable with her pregnancy and I want to talk to her, but right now, I need to be there for my girls. Stepping up to the table with Savannah, I wait for Ava to stop talking about the upcoming football game with Annabell. Both of them have cheerleading in common and I’m glad my girl has someone to talk to about it.
“Can I talk to my sisters for a minute?” Savannah finally asks when Ava finishes talking.
“Of course. We’ll get you and Valor plates of food. You both need to eat to keep up your strength,” Shy says, helping Annabell from the chair she’s sitting in and leading them to the kitchen so they can get us some food.
“Girls, are you okay?” Savannah asks her sisters while I pull out a seat for her to take and remain standing behind her with my hands resting on her shoulders.
“We’re okay. A little confused, but okay,” Ava answers as she grabs Miracle’s and Chloe’s hands while keeping her eyes on Savannah and me. “What’s going on?”
“Our mother showed up here today. She was trying to force me to get you three so we could go back with her. I fought her every second and told her she no longer has a claim on the three of you. You’re my girls and I won’t let her get close to you. No one will get close to you if I can help it. Um, we got into an argument and I pushed her away from me when she tried to grab my arm again. At the same time, someone shot her in the head. She’s dead. I’m sorry to have to tell you this news and I don’t know how else to tell you other than what I just said,” Savannah says, her voice sounding robotic as she relays the information to the girls she’s promised to love and protect.
For several minutes, the girls don’t say a word. They look at Savannah and me while processing the bomb that was just dropped on them. Finally, Ava speaks.
“Good. I’m glad she’s dead. That woman was never a mother to us. Savannah, you’ve been the only mom we’ve ever had and I don’t miss that woman at all. She did nothing but try to hurt us and I have no doubt that was her plan by trying to force us to go back with her. Do you know why she wanted us back all of a sudden?” Ava questions Savannah as Miracle and Chloe nod their head in agreement with Ava.
“The money. I’ve never once kept the money a secret from the three of you. We all agreed we wouldn’t touch it if we didn’t have to. You know I’m going to invest a good portion of mine and leave your money alone. I want us all to have a future without constantly worrying about money and how we’ll get through each week. Kingston is going to help me invest some money and we’ll go from there. For now, I just want you to know I’m here for you and the guys are doing everything they can to protect us,” Savannah answers her sister as I squeeze her shoulders gently because her entire body is tight with tension and I know she’ll be feeling the pain later.
“You and Valor are our parents,” Miracle says, smiling at us with nothing but trust filling her bright blue eyes. “No matter what you’re both there for us and all it took was one call to Valor and he showed up like a dad would. We love you two and know you’ll do what it takes to keep us safe.”
“I love you girls and will always protect you. You might hate the way I choose to protect you, but I’ll always do what I feel is best for the four of you,” I tell my girls honestly as I finally take a seat between Chloe and Savannah. “It’s an honor that you consider me your parent and I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”
Savannah, the girls, and I remain at the table while we eat and then have some cake for dessert. Court joins us with his own plate of food and cake and we spend a little while talking and listening about the girl’s day at school. For now, Savannah has let everything go and focusing on her sisters and nothing more. Everything else will always fade into the background when it comes to the girls needing something from us. I’m the same way and will always put them first and never make them feel as if I don’t care about them as I would any child I have. These are my girls and they’ll know that without having any doubts in their mind from this day forward.