Chapter 71
SEVENTY-ONE
SAVANNAH
I settle against Harley as the realization I’m actually free begins to settle in.
My throat hurts, and bruises are already beginning to form, but honestly, it could have been a lot worse.
After I’d cried everything out, Harley stood and carried me down to the car while Logan made me take some painkillers and drink some water. I’m now sitting on Harley’s lap with Logan beside us and two men in the front seats who are talking quietly to each other.
I did tell Harley I could sit in my own seat, but he refused to let me go, and honestly, I’m not mad about it. I want to be held by him as much as he wants to hold me.
His arms are like a steel band around me, and I don’t ever want him to let me go.
I really thought I’d never see him again, and while I knew he would do everything he could to try and find me, I didn’t think it was possible.
I certainly didn’t think he’d get close to me so soon either, which begs the question…
How the hell did they find me?
I voice exactly that, and Harley’s body shakes with silent laughter while Logan looks anywhere but me.
Huh, so he’s the one who found me, and he doesn’t want me to know how.
“Logan…” I warn, and he winces.
Actually winces.
What the fuck is going on?
“Well, you see…” He trails off and looks at Harley for help, but the man beneath me is too busy laughing at his friend to be of any use.
“Spit it out, Logan,” one of the men from the front calls out, and I tilt my head. Not many people would dare speak to Logan like that, not unless they’re close with him.
“Fuck, fine. After the last… incident, I was patching you up, and I put a tracker in you in case something like this happened.”
He put a….
I glare at my friend, both resentful and grateful at the same time. I’m pissed he violated me like that, but also thankful they were able to find me.
I take a deep breath, deciding to deal with this shit later and mutter, “Okay.”
“Okay?” Harley asks, no doubt expecting me to be furious.
“Okay,” I say simply and nod at Logan, who returns the gesture, probably thinking all is forgiven. “Okay. I’m not letting him get away with putting a goddamn tracker under my skin, but right now I’m too tired of fighting, so I’ll lose my shit on him later.”
Harley relaxes under me, while Logan’s jaw ticks, not saying a word.
The two in the front keep talking in hushed voices, and I whisper to Harley, “Who are they?”
I can’t have whispered quietly enough because the one in the driver’s seat meets my gaze, and grins. “Hey there, Savannah. We’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Cal, and this grumpy fucker next to me is Damon.”
They’ve heard a lot about me…?
Why would they—then it clicks, and I sit forward. “Are you two of Logan’s brothers?”
“That we are, little one. That we are.”
Harley tenses beneath me again, and I turn to frown at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Seriously?” he asks, exasperated. “You knew about these brothers of Logan’s, and I didn’t? And what do you mean by two of? Just how many are there?”
The one driving—Cal—cackles. “There are five of us, including Logan. But don’t worry, peaches, we won’t be stealing your bestie away from you. We’ve shared him with you the entire time you’ve known him, nothing has to change.”
I don’t need to look at Harley to know he’s glaring at Logan, but I side-eye the latter to see him looking at Harley with a blank expression on his face.
Today has probably opened up a whole lot of secrets he’s been keeping from the people closest to him, and I’m sure he knows they’re all going to have questions.
But the fact he opened a part of himself he was always planning on hiding from them, for me, speaks volumes, so I decide to help him out a little.
“Thank you for coming for me,” I whisper to Harley, and his body relaxes against mine before he pulls me tighter against him.
“Always, Sav. I’ll always come for you.”
The rest of the drive is made in silence as we head to the airport, but it’s not awkward. No, it feels comfortable and soothing. It feels safe.
And I haven’t felt safe—truly safe—in a very long time.
The car pulls to a stop, and I look out of the window, my brows furrowing when I see a private jet waiting for us, but before I can ask the question, Harley murmurs, “I’ll explain later.”
Just as we’re about to get out of the car, Logan’s phone rings, and we sit in silence as he talks to someone before he hands the phone to me.
I frown, but then I see the caller ID and a smile pulls at my lips.
“Hel—”
“You’re in so much fucking trouble. You know that, right?
From now on, you tell me everything. Every.
Single. Thing. I don’t care if it seems inconsequential, I will not have you being put in danger again.
I’ve never had a girlfriend before, so you’re not allowed to fucking die before I’ve figured out what it actually means to be someone’s friend, you hear me?
“Now, are you okay? Do you need a doctor? Or do you need, like, a shrink or something? Because I’m sure we could find you one, and while I may not be very good at the feelings thing, I’ll listen if you need to talk. Or maybe we could just punch stuff. Punching stuff always works for me.”
I can’t help the raspy laugh that escapes me. “I’m fine, Lana.”
I hear her let out a slow breath. “Are you sure? Like really sure?”
I look behind me to find Harley staring down at me, and I swallow thickly. “I’m sure.” Because right now, I have everything I need.
“Okay. Okay, well in that case…” She trails off, and I roll my eyes.
“What is it?”
“Cole and I are staying in the city for a few days to catch up with his family. They’ve said you can use the jet to get back to campus, so as long as you’re sure you’ll be okay, I’ll see you in a few days, m’kay?”
I guess that answers the question of the jet.
I stifle a laugh at the thought of Lana meeting any more of Cole’s family. She’s already told me about when she met his parents for the first time and ended up reaming out his dad at the dinner table, so I dread to think how these next few days are going to go for her.
“I’ll be fine, I promise. Have fun with Cole’s family.”
She huffs. “Yeah, I’m sure I’ll have the time of my goddamn life. Call me if you need anything, or if Harley pisses you off and you need me to come stab him.”
I don’t bother to hold back my laugh this time, but quickly sober. “Thank you, Lana. For everything,” I say, because I know she would have done whatever she needed to get me back, just like the people in the car with me.
Four years ago, I had no real friendships and not a single person who truly cared about me, but now? Now, I have people who truly care and who I love right back.
I might not have survived today if not for them, and I’ll never take them for granted.
They might all be a little crazy, but so am I, and I guess that means I fit right in.