Page 21 of But I'm Still Standing

We got the girls to talk after I put a moth in Jills ear. I didn’t make her suffer more than an hour before she begged to tell us everything. Sylvia started talking the second my dad hooked up her nipples to a car battery. He still shocked her to prove a point. She hasn’t been the same since. Jill told us everything she knew, which wasn’t much. All she was good for was giving them information on me. She was also supposed to seduce me to where I didn’t care about Savvy anymore. Like that would happen. Sylvia on the other hand, along with the twoguys I had tied up spilled every secret hiding place they had and where to find everyone at the stockyards. I already have the address ready to go on my GPS.

Sylvia and Jill remain in the caves. We built some makeshift cells down there when we started bringing in more than a few assholes at a time. We are keeping them comfortable, letting them know that we will let them live until Savvy is back to decide their fate. They don’t realize that their time is coming very soon.

Jasper took his oath as well. He was allowed to choose Abby because he had already married her and that is enough considering he is only now learning about his birthright. He got his tattoo the same time I did. You can’t have the crest until you are married, so Joe will have a choice to make soon. Jill will not be his covenant, but they are encouraging him to meet some of the women his father has chosen for him, and they will see what happens. He doesn’t have to choose right away, but they want you to be married and produce heirs so I’m sure they will try to rush him.

“Ready to go fuck some shit up? Sin, did you eat man?” Jasper comes in as pumped as I am to get going.

“I ate two cheeseburgers, a large fry and a chocolate milk shake, I should be good! I’m just ready to have Savvy back in my arms.” I smile, knowing I will have her back by the end of the day.

“So, this Max guy, did MJ say much about him?” Joe asks, trying to be nonchalant.

“No, just that he is the only father figure she had besides Mark.” I cringe at the thought of douchey Boudreaux touching my niece. Possibly Savvy.” I think of all the ways I am going to mutilate him.

“Jill said that Max approached her back at the lake way before we were all there. She isn’t even the daughter of a Saint; he fooled her into believing that she would be his pet, and if she did her job, he would make her his covenant and she would be treated like a queen. I can’t believe she chose that life to the one I was willing to give her. I wanted to love her forever. I guess it’s a good thing that she never married me. I would be stuck with her. I realize that she never lovedme and only stayed here because she was a spy plain and simple. Savvy can choose her fate. I never want to see her again.” Joe says, obviously still hurt, but handling it better than I would have imagined.

My phone buzzes and I see it’s a message from Alec.

“Let’s go boys, time to get my girl back and fuck some shit up.”

We make it out of the gates and get in a blacked-out SUV that takes off as soon as the door closes. Alec sits next to me in the captains’ chairs while Joe and Jasper sit in the back.

“Nice to meet you Sin.” Alec holds his hand out to shake mine. I oblige with a huff. I still don’t like the fact that he is going to be taking MJ. That was the only deal he would agree to. It took me some time on the phone with him to come to agreeable terms, but I believe he loves MJ, and he will protect her. He has waited a long time for her to grow up and be his, watching her since he was thirteen. His parents agreed that she would be his best match and he followed suit after meeting her. He never wanted anything to be changed about her. She was never supposed to be a pet. Covenants can get training with their upbringing if their fathers agree to it. It is no longer a requirement like it used to be according to Alec. In the last ten years he explained that women are getting more of a choice, except here in Louisianna, they keep to the old ways. He wants to help change that. He explained that women here have to get permission from their Saint to even go to school. I guess it’s just luck of the draw if you get to have a normal life or not.

Alec’s orders for MJ to remain a virgin were for her benefit as much as his. He didn’t think about the fact that women have three holes to choose from and only one matters when it comes to virginity. He had no idea how MJ was actually raised and was appalled at the fact that she had had to live a life like this. He thought she was just a pretty little princess waiting for him in a castle taking etiquette classes, not being trained to be a fucking sex doll. The classes they take are for etiquette but also sex ed 101 times 10.

Saints had to be aware of what Fiona, or her real name, Vivian,was up to. We still don’t know everything, but we know she is alive and runs one of the biggest sex trafficking rings in the United States. She has houses all over the country with kidnapped women being trained how to be the perfect pet. Sylvia said it’s easy to get the girls hooked until it’s too late and they are stuck once they get them to the houses. Some even come on their own free will being made promises of money and housing. I get that there are some women out there who choose to live their lives that way, but the ones who are innocent and don’t want that type of life, they are the ones we will continue to save.

My father hasn’t forgotten that the Saints protected his supposed to be dead wife. Since she was carrying a child, they decided she could live in secret, if she did their dirty work training their pets, she could live and raise her bastard son as a Saint, since his father isn’t mine, no matter how many times she says he is.

Dad explained that Sylvia ratted out Vivian about the fact that she had been fucking her husband. Dad decided that if he wanted to be able to keep Sylvia, he had to have Vivian killed for her transgressions that turned out to be many more than just Sylvia’s husband. Apparently, my mother was quite the whore. He saved his own skin, and ego, by ordering her death. He had Mark make it look like a drug deal gone bad with her caught in the middle.

If Sylvias husband wanted to punish them, he would have had full right had he known the truth. My dad not having permission to fuck Sylvia from her Saint. Luckily, he is dead and can’t defend himself in this shit show, so good ole dad is off the hook.

In a way I’m glad that the only memories I have of her are watching Shrek with Bash and the way she would swing us around while dancing in the living room to the music. I get the whole Saints can do what they want thing, but the only woman I will ever need is carrying my child. I can’t imagine being with anyone else. Savvy would cut my balls off if I even thought about it.

“My father is meeting us there. He assured me that Fiona’s punishment would be severe, and Max would be stripped of his titlefor helping her. You will actually get to decide his fate if he touched your covenant.” Alec fills the silence that has consumed the ride for the last hour. Max was under the illusion that if Savvy picked him, he could have her. More lies Fiona told to get what she wanted. Sylvia told all of their secrets, hers and Fionas. It saved her before, so she figured why not try this time to give everyone up to save her own ass. Fiona planned on fleeing the country with my wife and child, leaving Max to take the fall.

“We are about twenty minutes out.” The driver says over his shoulder.

“I can’t believe she was this close, yet this far away the whole time. I would have never thought to look in Baton Rouge.” I grumble, feeling stupid for thinking she was still in New Orleans somehow.

“Don’t beat yourself up, she could have been anywhere, but where we are heading is not where I thought she would be if it makes you feel better.” Alec shrugs his shoulders as he looks back at his phone and continues typing.

I nod and let out a breath, relieved that we are getting closer. I try to imagine what Savvy will look like and what this house she has been kept in is going to look like. I am trying to set myself up for the worst so that maybe the reality of what I’m about to see and do won’t be so bad.

We pull down a gravel driveway leading to a white dilapidated farmhouse that looks like it should be torn down. Blacked out SUV’s line the drive with the doors opened, as men dressed all in black with military weapons load girl after girl into them. When we come to a stop, I rush out of the car, yelling for Savvy. I see two huge men dragging Mark to one of the SUV’s and run towards them. I catch the Saints by surprise but when they realize I’m with them, they let me beat his ass. He refuses to say anything, but luckily, one of the Saints drug out a bitch by her hair screaming that she had plenty to tell us. She even gave us directions to where Savvy is being held. Apparently, she was the doctor looking after these girls and looked after Savvy for a while until they turned on her and made her a pet.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, she isn’t here. I know where Fionas is, lock that bitch in the temple until it’s time for her hearing.” Alec yells as we make it back to our SUV and take off again.

Alec makes a phone call, “Go to Fionas,” he tells the driver as he holds the phone up to his ear. “They have Mark, but Savvy and MJ aren’t there. Max and Fiona took off before they could detain them. If they make it there before we do, Savvy doesn’t have a chance.” He hangs up the phone and turns to me, “He knows you took your oath. I’m calling MJ, I’m not supposed to communicate with her outside of our allotted time together until she is of age, but fuck it, I’m taking her home tonight anyway!” He dials a number and puts it on the speaker. MJ answers with a soft, “Hello.” You can tell she is confused.

“MJ, is Savvy with you?” Alec asks.

“Yeah, we are getting popcorn ready for a movie. Alec, we aren’t supposed to be talking like this.” She giggles.

“Lovely, I need you to do something for me. Can you just this once take an order from your Saint?” he asks, scrunching up his face at the words he has to use.

“Of course! It’s my duty as your covenant.” She almost sounds irritated that he felt the need to ask.

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