Page 23 of But I'm Still Standing

“How are you so calm and happy when we just had to basically run for our lives.” I ask breathlessly, stopping to catch my breath for a second.

“Because Alec is coming to get us! I think I may actually love him.” She sounds almost giddy.

“Who should we be afraid of MJ? Alec asked about me. Why? Does he know who I am?” I ask hoping that he will return me to Christian and not be taking me to some asshole willing to pay for a pregnant woman...

“If my plan worked, he knows exactly who you are and who you should be with. I’m thinking that he is coming to rescue us both. My own knight in shining armor! Can you imagine? Come on let’s get inside the barn, just don’t turn any lights on!” She rushes us into the barn and upstairs to the loft where she pulls me behind hay bales to sit where we can still see if anyone comes in. Once we get situated where I can prop the gun up to be able to shoot from a sitting position, I look it over figuring out where the safety is and what I need to do to actually shoot it. It’s not much different than the guns I used to shoot milk jugs and pop bottles in the pasture with my brother and his friends.

We sit there waiting for something to happen, but nothing does. My hands are shaking as I think of the possibilities of how this night could turn out.

“Will Alec take me back to Sin?” I finally asked her.

“Savvy….” Her voice is cut off by the barn door being opened abruptly into the tin wall making a horrific loud bang. I aim for the guys chest, but my finger slips on the trigger when I lose my balance, and the gun starts shooting, I knock it over, startled that that’s all it took.

“Savvy, please tell me you just shot me!” I hear Sins voice and tears begin to fall. I get to my feet and down the stairs to him as fast as I can with MJ’s help. He is lying on the ground laughing, holding his shoulder when I finally get to him.

“Oh my God, Sin. I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I didn’t know it was you!” I fall to my knees as he sits up and I can’t believe it’s really him. He opens his arms, wincing as I throw myself into them and let the tears fall. He grunts on impact but holds me tight.

“Fuck,” a tall, blonde, buff guy dressed in all black comes in and MJ runs to him, jumping in his arms. He looks her over making sure she is okay before turning to us.

“You okay Sin?” he asks, still laughing at the fact that one of us shot him.

“Just a flesh wound, I’ll live.” He grumbles, still not letting me go. He holds me there and I let it sink in that he really is here. I take in a deep breath, letting the smell of my Sin wash over me.

“Come on, we need to get out of here and get you to our doctor to get checked out, both of you.” Alec says, as he and MJ help us up. We head back to the house, and I can’t help but feel like I’m in a dream I will be waking up from any second.

We get to an SUV towards the back of a line of vans. I stop Sin and turn back towards the house. “There is something that I need to go back in for.” I turn back towards the house, but Sin has an iron grip on me not letting me go. I wince at the pain just his touch against my bruised skin causes but try not to show it.

“You are not going back in there.” Sin holds onto me like I’m going to disappear, and if I’m being honest, I’m thankful because I’m waiting for him to disappear like he always does just before I wake up.

“Come with me, please, I can’t leave it here!” I practically beg. Sin gives in, looking at me like I’m nuts, shaking his head, but we move towards the house as another guy in all black comes out with Scarlett, acting as if she is a victim. I guess she is, but now she is my victim.

“That one doesn’t get special treatment, she is not of saint blood, and needs to be sent home or put to death, your choice, but she is poisonous.” I tell the guy I assume is a Saint. I see the surprise in his eyes, at my harshness.

“She isn’t a good person, do whatever you want with her.” Sin backs me up.

I get to the stairs and hesitate, remembering the day I woke up here and fought, just to lose so much. I can’t look Sin in the eye. He knows. I know he knows because of the way he has been looking at me since he found me in the barn. Like I’m broken. He has never looked at me that way before.

“I just want to get my journal.” I tell him, so he will stop looking at me like I’m about to break.

“You kept a journal?” He asks as we get to my room. I open the dark green door and hesitate, my legs not allowing me to go in. I can’t make myself move. I’m just stuck in place.

“Where is it?” He asks, as dozens of men move past us to search the next room.

“Under my pillow.”

Sin runs into the room and comes back out with a note. He hands it to me as he shakes his head letting out a breath.

Don’t worry Savannah, I have your journal, I will make sure you and baby Kohl are with me by the time you give birth. Keep him safe sweetheart.

Love, Max

I wad the piece of paper up, throwing it down as a tear slips out. “Did you get him?” I ask, hoping with everything in me that this is really over.

“No. He and Fiona fled their stockyards and Fiona made it here, but Max is nowhere to be found. My guess, he is running. Don’t worry angel, he won’t get far. We did get Mark and Fiona. I will keepthem for you until you are ready. We will get him though.” Sin pulls me close to him and for the first time in a long time, even with the pain, I feel safe.

SIN

“Wake up angel, we’re home. The girls are dying to see you, but it’s late. If you want to take tonight, everyone will understand.”

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