Page 22 of But I'm Still Standing

“You and Savvy head down to the stables, avoid all the guards, and hide in the barn. Tell them Savvy just needs some exercise if you run into anyone. If you can, take a weapon to protect yourselves. Do you understand?” His voice is soft with her as if she is the most precious thing in the world.

“Alec, if Savvy and I need to defend ourselves, can I know from who?” She asks. I hear Savvy in the background asking her why they need to defend themselves. She sounds good. I almost say something, but Alec holds up his hand and shakes his head.

“Lovely, I need you to stay as far away from Max and Fiona as possible. They are going to try to hurt or take you and Savvy, I need you to protect her until I get there.”

“Yes sir. I won’t let anything happen to her. See you soon!” Shechirps into the phone happy as a lark telling Savvy they need to move now, and she can ask questions later before she hangs up the phone.

“Savvy can hold her own. I can almost guarantee she will protect MJ. I know she is pregnant, but my girl is a fucking beast when she needs to be. Trust me.” I see the worry on his face and realize just how much he cares for my niece. She is one of the lucky ones after all.

“Max isn’t the only one there with weapons. Fiona keeps at least eight armed guards at her house around the clock, not to mention she is one of the best shots I’ve ever seen. The girls may have trouble getting out, but MJ grew up in that house, I’m sure she has her ways of sneaking around. I figured them getting that far from the house would help us get there and detain both Fiona and Max before they find the girls. I wish I had made it mandatory for MJ to learn how to defend herself instead of how to set a proper table.” Alec brushes his hand down his face as he grumbles.

“Coulda. Woulda. Shoulda! Do better with her from now on. Also, you didn’t know! Quit beating yourself up.” I throw his words back at him.

“Y’all know we will kill some fuckers when we get there and help right? We got you both!” Joe pipes in from the backseat making us both shake our heads.

“Yeah, now you get to enjoy the kills to ease the pain brother. Have at it, but Max and Fiona stay alive. That’s the deal.” I let him know he can kill whoever he wants besides them. He has as much right to want to kill Max as I do, but if he raped Savvy, she gets to decide. The Saints are allowing us to oversee Max’s punishments as long as they result in death, after they get through their interrogations. I’ll gladly take orders to kill any motherfucker who thinks it’s okay to kidnap and groom young girls and women to be nothing more than a pet to put a leash on and sell off to the highest bidder. Apparently, most of what we are supposed to be trained to do is get information, and when needed, kill people. I’ve been doing it most of my life, so I feel like the guys and I will fit in justfine.

We pull onto a gravel driveway and continue down the curvy road, lined with huge oak trees leading up to a huge three-story colonial style farmhouse. It’s a vast difference from the one we were just at twenty minutes ago.

People are running all over the place loading up white vans that sit idling in front of the house.

We all jump out of the car as a dark-haired woman with flawless makeup, wearing black trousers, a silky hot pink top, and black dress jacket comes barreling out of the house screaming, “The girls aren’t in the theatre room, or either of their rooms. Search the house! I’m not leaving without that fucking bitch carrying my grandson!”

I knew who she was before her eyes met mine as several more blacked out SUV’s pull up behind me, unloading dozens of men with AK47s, wearing all black, breezing past me to get to Fiona and her men. The men working for Fiona look to her, waiting for orders. She puts up a hand to them and nods, raising her hands above her head. She knows it’s over for her.

“Christian, seems your wife has run off, darling.” My mother, Vivian Genevive Deveraux, aka Fiona, gives a sickening smile as one of the Saints zip tie her hands behind her back.

“Don’t you mean my covenant, mother?” I ask as I make my way to the porch. I watch as her eyes go wide, and her smile turns into a wicked snare at the realization that her game is over.

“You won’t hurt a woman, Christian, you don’t have it in you! You’re a fucking pussy just like your father,” she smirks.

Her head snaps to the side as Alec comes onto the porch backhanding her. He grabs a wad of her hair, yanking her head back towards him, “He may not, but you know I will, pet. I know everything. You can think of your little getaway to Sin’s as a vacation before I hand you over to Darius, and your husband of course, if you live that long anyway. I hear your son’s caves are to die for! Now, where is your bastard so we can show him the same courtesy?”

“Probably fucking your wife. That’s been his favorite thing to dosince the whore got here! Apparently, hers too!” She spews nothing but poison.

This time, I back hand her. Alec raises her head as blood drips from her cheek, “You and your bastard son are dead. Get this fucking cunt out of my sight!” I almost growl. Her head slumps down when Alec lets go of her hair. I watch as blood trickles down from her face onto the pristine porch.

“Where the fuck is my wife?!”

Chapter 14

Savvy

28 Weeks

“Who the hell do we need to protect ourselves from, MJ?” I question her as I start grabbing the few knives I can find here in the kitchen. The chef brings her own, and they have removed almost anything that could be used to arm myself with since I got more freedom in the house.

“We need to move now, and you can ask questions later.” She grabs a knife from me and moves to the freezer, opening it and going in. She pops back out within thirty seconds holding a very large gun, handing it to me.

“Knives are my thing, apparently you can shoot according to Sin.” MJ smiles at me as she grabs my arm pulling me out of the kitchen into the mudroom, and out the back door.

“I shoot shot guns and handguns, not military grade weapons!” I hush shout at her as she pulls me into the mudroom, looking out the window only slightly pulling the curtains back.

“If you can shoot one gun you can shoot any! Hell, should make you an even better shot!” She whispers back at me cool as a cucumber, smiling like this is fun. She isn’t even breathing hard. I feel like my heart is about to pop out of my chest when she whispers loudly, “Now!” She grabs my hand, and we rush out the backdoor staying close to the house until we see there are no guards back here.

“Slow down, I can’t move that fast anymore.” I plead once we are out far enough away from the house that darkness covers us completely.

“Sorry! Shit I forgot! We should be good now!” MJ chirps as she lets go of my hand and starts skipping.

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