Page 47 of Freeing Savannah

The room rocked with several thunderous explosions, as every entrance to the ballroom blew inward in perfect synchrony. Smoke flooded the room and screams broke out.Dark figures in tactical gear poured in from numerous points of entry simultaneously.

“Down! On the ground! Don’t move!” The sharp commands sliced through the room, immediately followed by the rapid barrage of gunfire that echoed around them.

And leading the charge, moving like a storm through smoke and gunfire, was Sawyer.

Still dressed in his white tuxedo shirt and black dress pants but now covered in body armor, his rifle trained with deadly precision, he was a walking contradiction—elegant and lethal. And so heartbreakingly beautiful as he moved with brutal efficiency.

God, he looks hot,Savannah thought, even as chaos unfurled around her. Even as she watched him shoot the terrorists.

She barely had a moment to process the wave of relief crashing over her before Sawyer’s eyes found hers. Just a heartbeat’s glance. But then he was gone, sprinting through the smoke after the lead terrorist who had slipped out the side door.

“No,” she breathed, surging to her feet. “Sawyer?—”

One of the other operatives caught her arm. “Ms. Gaines, you’re safe now. Stay here.”

But she wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were locked on the door Sawyer had disappeared through.

Because she knew him.

And wherever he’d gone . . . he’d gone alone. That terrified her more than any countdown ever could.

As a man crouched down before her, his tactical gear vaguely registered in her mind, a blurry impression amidst the building worry. “Ms. Gaines. My name’s Aleck. I’m part of the SEAL team that was sent in to assist Voodoo. I’d like to check you over. See if you are all right.”

She replied, “I’m fine,” though she was surprised by the breathless and unsteady quality of her own voice. “Gohelp Sawyer.” She grabbed Aleck’s arm. “Please. Help him.” Desperation filled her. These men needed to listen to her. She couldn’t lose Sawyer. She just couldn’t.

“Don’t worry. Two of my guys are on it.”

She didn’t exactly know what “on it” meant, but if it indicated that they went to assist Sawyer, then she could breathe a little easier.

“Now. Can I please check you over while we wait for Voodoo to return?” She nodded, and Aleck got to work pulling equipment out of a bag. Consumed by worry, Savannah’s eyes glazed over, and she was completely oblivious to the man’s actions. Soon enough, she was being led on shaky legs to a nearby room whose opulent furnishings were lost on her. The rich scent of mahogany and polished wood filled her nostrils, but her shaky legs and racing heart overshadowed the luxury around her.

She sat stiffly on the edge of a velvet bench in the Four Seasons’ private lounge, a wool blanket draped around her bare shoulders. She couldn’t stop shaking. And she felt beyond exhausted.

Daphne, Kandy, and Henry had all been taken to medical for evaluation, but Savannah had refused to go. Not until she saw him.

The room felt too quiet, too still. Eerily wrong after the chaos of the past hour. Somewhere, siren’s wailed in the distance, muted by the hotel’s thick walls.

She clenched her hands in her lap. Her once shimmering and elegant gown was torn at the hem and smudged with dirt and blood. Not hers. But it didn’t matter. Her skin still felt dirty.

The door opened, and she jerked her head up, her heart racing in anticipation. Then there he was.

Soaked. Dripping water onto the marble floor. Shirt ripped at the collar, knuckles bruised, breathing hard. But it was him.

Alive.

Their eyes locked.

She was on her feet before she could think. The blanket fell to the floor as her legs moved of their own accord.

He caught her in his arms, lifting her off the ground as if she weighed nothing. She buried her face into his neck, inhaling chlorine and him.

“You’re okay,” he murmured, voice rough. “God, Savi. You’re okay.”

Her hands fisted in the damp fabric of his shirt. “You came for me.”

“Always.”

Her breath hitched. “I thought?—”

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