Page 73 of Freeing Savannah

She wasn’t alone anymore.

Thanks to the earpiece, every word, every threat, had been recorded. By morning, the world would know the true Senator Harlan McNabney. He’d lost the last of his power.

CHAPTER 31

Voodoo stoodby the floor-to-ceiling window of their suite at the Rosewood, the shimmering skyline of Beijing stretching endlessly before him. The silence behind him was deceptively calm. Savannah sat curled on the couch with a blanket around her shoulders. She’d been so tired after yesterday’s events that she’d slept most of the day away . . . and he’d let her.

Hoot sat on a divan sipping espresso like it was whiskey, and Eggs was sprawled in an armchair, flipping a knife between his fingers.

Haley’s voice crackled through the cell phone he’d put on speaker so everyone could hear. “Video footage confirms everything. Security cams caught the Senator dragging Savannah off the ballroom floor. We’ve already handed everything over to the State Department.”

Flint chimed in, his tone dry and edged. “It’s enough to start a formal inquiry. And with the evidence Simpson attempted to plant? He’s cooked. Politically, if not legally yet.”

Voodoo nodded, though they couldn’t see it. “Still no sign of him?”

“Disappeared,” Haley replied. “His jet left Beijing last night. No flight plan. Nothing since. He’s off-grid.”

With a low growl from his seated position, Eggs muttered the statement “Cowards always run,” letting the words hang in the air as a judgment on the situation.

Voodoo murmured, his voice low. “Shouldn’t have happened.”

“I’d sure like to know how he escaped custody,” Eggs complained.

Hoot returned, “That kind of guy doesn’t vanish without help. He’s got assets hidden. Safehouses. Someone’s willing to protect him.”

Voodoo turned, arms crossed, his gaze shifting briefly to Savannah. She was listening, quiet and pale, but not broken. Not anymore. She hadn’t said much since last night, but she’d held herself together. For now.

Haley sighed. “SYBIL’s hard at work, digging through encrypted banking and shell corps now. Compiling the evidence. But this web goes deeper than we thought. And Simpson wasn’t just a one-off. He was part of a larger contingency. A safety net in case everything failed.”

Voodoo frowned. “How many more?”

“No idea,” Flint answered. “His attempt to take Savannah down with him means he’s desperate. And desperate men make mistakes.”

“He already did,” Voodoo said, gaze steady on Savannah. “He underestimated her.”

Savannah looked up at him then, like she’d felt his gaze. “And you,” she declared. Something private passed between them, and Voodoo gave her the barest nod.

Back in his ear, Haley was laughing. “Damn straight!”

“Okay, everyone,” Flint interrupted. “Get some rest. You still have the rest of the tour to complete. Voodoo, Hoot and Eggs will stay with you.”

“Copy that,” all three men said at the same time.

After goodbyes, Hoot and Eggs left to grab a bite to eat, leaving Voodoo alone with Savannah. He sat beside her and drew her into his side with an arm around her shoulders.

“And how’s my Savi Moon?” he asked, eliciting a smile from her that lit him up from the inside out.

“Surprisingly, I’m good.”

“Yeah, you are,” he teased, his voice laced with playful innuendo as he waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, shut up,” she said with a playful push.

“I’m proud of you,” he professed, his tone turning serious. “Not just because of all you’ve accomplished over the course of this tour. But also because you were pretty badass last night.”

“No, I wasn’t. I was scared to death.”

“You went head-to-head with the man who’d verbally abused you for twenty years. And you came out on top. You took back control.”

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