“Only you would say that, Savvy.” Her voice softened. “But you’re really okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a couple of bruises, nothing more.” She took a breath and asked, “So, what do you think about me going down there?”
“Well, it’s way past time for us to do something.”
The hesitancy in her sister’s voice wasn’t lost on her. “I hear a ‘but’ in there.”
“Are you really ready to see him again?”
Savannah didn’t have to question who the “him” was. There were no secrets between the sisters. They had been by her side at every devastating moment.
“I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. I just know this needs to be done and I can’t be a coward forever.”
“Savannah Rose Wilde, you stop right there. There’s not a cowardly bone in your body.”
She disagreed but knew there was no point in arguing. Her sisters had always been her staunchest allies and defenders. They saw her as the innocent party but she knew the truth. There had been only one innocent in the entire ordeal.
“I just wish I could break away and be with you. You shouldn’t have to do this alone.”
“I’ll be fine. Two months is more than enough time to get everything done. And seeing Zach won’t be that bad. I mean … it’s not like I still love him or anything.”
Sammie’s soft snort of doubt was something Savannah chose to ignore. She didn’t still love Zach—she was sure of it. Well, almost sure of it.
“He probably barely remembers me.”
“You know better than that.”
Did she? She had loved Zach with a youthful, starry-eyed passion. And for months, without the slightest encouragement from him, she had held on to a useless, pathetic hope. Sure that he would come back; sure that there was a reasonable explanation for his desertion. When acceptance finally settled in, that hope had shattered into a million tiny pieces, along with her heart. And for a while, her life.
“Maybe I can sneak into town, do what I need to do and not see him.”
“Ten minutes after you hit town, the gossips will have spread the news of your homecoming to every corner of Midnight.”
Yes, she did know that, but a girl could dream.
“By the bye,” Sammie said, “how on earth did you manage two whole months of vacation?”
“It’s not exactly vacation. I was just going to take a couple of weeks and putter around the apartment. But then a creep I prosecuted and put away issued a couple of threats. Reid thought it’d be a good idea for me to get out of town until after his sentencing.”
“I knew there was more to this story. Dammit, what did he say?”
“Nothing that hasn’t been said before. It was an empty threat. He’s got no clout left with his gang members, but Reid decided to be on the safe side. So since I had to take time off, I figured I might as well go back and deal with this.”
“Yeah, as opposed to taking a trip to the Bahamas or a long cruise.”
“It needs to be done.”
Sammie sighed. “I know, I know. I just wish …”
“Hey, I’ll be fine. Okay?”
“You know you only have to call me and I’ll come.”
“I know that and I love you for it. Maybe you and Bri can come down for our monthly meet.”
“Good idea. I’ll give her a call and see what she says. Have you talked to her?”
“Not yet. Had to leave her a voice-mail message, too.”
“Check your email when you can. She sent both of us a note this morning. She’s on a new project. Hush-hush. Said we probably won’t hear from her for a few days.”
The worry in Sammie’s voice mirrored Savannah’s thoughts. Even though the sisters were triplets, with only a few minutes between their ages, both she and Sammie had always looked at Bri as the one who needed to be shielded the most. To outsiders, that might seem odd, since Bri was a self-defense expert who could kick the ass of someone twice her size without breaking a sweat. But her family knew her inside and out. Beneath the tough façade she showed the
“I’m fine. Just a couple of bruises, nothing more.” She took a breath and asked, “So, what do you think about me going down there?”
“Well, it’s way past time for us to do something.”
The hesitancy in her sister’s voice wasn’t lost on her. “I hear a ‘but’ in there.”
“Are you really ready to see him again?”
Savannah didn’t have to question who the “him” was. There were no secrets between the sisters. They had been by her side at every devastating moment.
“I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. I just know this needs to be done and I can’t be a coward forever.”
“Savannah Rose Wilde, you stop right there. There’s not a cowardly bone in your body.”
She disagreed but knew there was no point in arguing. Her sisters had always been her staunchest allies and defenders. They saw her as the innocent party but she knew the truth. There had been only one innocent in the entire ordeal.
“I just wish I could break away and be with you. You shouldn’t have to do this alone.”
“I’ll be fine. Two months is more than enough time to get everything done. And seeing Zach won’t be that bad. I mean … it’s not like I still love him or anything.”
Sammie’s soft snort of doubt was something Savannah chose to ignore. She didn’t still love Zach—she was sure of it. Well, almost sure of it.
“He probably barely remembers me.”
“You know better than that.”
Did she? She had loved Zach with a youthful, starry-eyed passion. And for months, without the slightest encouragement from him, she had held on to a useless, pathetic hope. Sure that he would come back; sure that there was a reasonable explanation for his desertion. When acceptance finally settled in, that hope had shattered into a million tiny pieces, along with her heart. And for a while, her life.
“Maybe I can sneak into town, do what I need to do and not see him.”
“Ten minutes after you hit town, the gossips will have spread the news of your homecoming to every corner of Midnight.”
Yes, she did know that, but a girl could dream.
“By the bye,” Sammie said, “how on earth did you manage two whole months of vacation?”
“It’s not exactly vacation. I was just going to take a couple of weeks and putter around the apartment. But then a creep I prosecuted and put away issued a couple of threats. Reid thought it’d be a good idea for me to get out of town until after his sentencing.”
“I knew there was more to this story. Dammit, what did he say?”
“Nothing that hasn’t been said before. It was an empty threat. He’s got no clout left with his gang members, but Reid decided to be on the safe side. So since I had to take time off, I figured I might as well go back and deal with this.”
“Yeah, as opposed to taking a trip to the Bahamas or a long cruise.”
“It needs to be done.”
Sammie sighed. “I know, I know. I just wish …”
“Hey, I’ll be fine. Okay?”
“You know you only have to call me and I’ll come.”
“I know that and I love you for it. Maybe you and Bri can come down for our monthly meet.”
“Good idea. I’ll give her a call and see what she says. Have you talked to her?”
“Not yet. Had to leave her a voice-mail message, too.”
“Check your email when you can. She sent both of us a note this morning. She’s on a new project. Hush-hush. Said we probably won’t hear from her for a few days.”
The worry in Sammie’s voice mirrored Savannah’s thoughts. Even though the sisters were triplets, with only a few minutes between their ages, both she and Sammie had always looked at Bri as the one who needed to be shielded the most. To outsiders, that might seem odd, since Bri was a self-defense expert who could kick the ass of someone twice her size without breaking a sweat. But her family knew her inside and out. Beneath the tough façade she showed the
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