Page 98 of Fallen Legacy

Archer and Georgie both look at each other. “Thanks,” Archer says, clearing his throat. “The police are here. They’re taking her away now.”

“Good,” Georgie says, straightening her shoulders back and putting on a brave face. “That way, she can’t hurt anyone else. Now they just have to find Phil.”

Archer and I share a brief look. Everyone thinks Phil is on the run, but we know exactly where he is. Archer has him tied to a chair in a warehouse, bloodied and broken.

“Georgie!” Callum barges through the door, pushing Archer out of the way. His eyes are frantic with fear until he sees his daughter is safe.

“Daddy!” she sobs, stumbling to her feet and falling into his open arms.

“I’ve got you, darling. Daddy’s here.”

I don’t miss the smirk on Archer‘s face on hearing him referred to as daddy, and I give him a pointed glare. Leave them alone. He shrugs his shoulders and holds his hand out to me.

“Come here. I need to hold you.”

I don’t hesitate. In his arms is the one place I know I’m safe. We have had our difficulties, but somewhere amongst all the lies, hidden agendas and attempts to end my life, we became each other’s everything. I can’t imagine my life without him in it now. Just the very fleeting thought of it causes my heart to squeeze in my chest. There’s no doubt about it. I’m in love with Archer Savage. That is something I never thought I’d hear myself admit.

“I love you,” I whisper softly into his neck, and he stills, pulling back so he can look into my eyes.

“Say it again,” he demands, his dark eyes burning into mine with so much emotion.

“I said, I love you Archer Savage,” I repeat, with a big stupid smile on my face. He cups my jaw and leans down to press his lips against mine.

“Took you long enough, Scar,” he chuckles, that signature smirk of his melting my heart and my knickers all in one go.

“I had to make you work for it. It’s nothing more than you deserved.”

He rolls his eyes but smiles at the same time. “I was a bastard, I admit it. And I’ll probably always be a bastard, but I’ll beyourbastard, Scar. I’ll turn the fucking world upside down to see that smile on your face.”

I’m so lost in our little bubble that I don’t notice Boyd lurking in the doorway.

“Miss Alderman, we’ll need your statement.” He clears his throat and gives me an apologetic look.

“She’ll do it later,” Archer growls, his eyes narrowing at Boyd. “She’s just had a mad woman hold a knife to her god-damn throat.” Georgie catches his eye. “Sorry.”

She shrugs in reply. “It’s fine. She is mad. I’ve never seen her like that before. Her eyes were glazed over like she was in some kind of trance.”

“I’ll come down to the station shortly, but I need to talk to Archer first.” I hold my hand out to him. “Let’s go for a drive.”

Archer looks perplexed at my suggestion coming at a time like this, but without asking, he slips his hand into mine. We exit the small office and Vee is waiting outside for us with Damon. She’s chewing on her nails and gripping the handles on Damon’s wheelchair tightly. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees me.

“Girl, are you okay?” she asks me, throwing her arms around me and hugging me to death. “I’m growing tired of people trying to hurt my bestie.”

“I’m good, Vee. I’m hard to kill,” I joke, attempting to bring humour into this messed up situation.

“This big brute wouldn’t let me in the room with him.” She punches Archer in the arm, and he mock yelps and rubs his arm.

“Listen, we’ll catch up later, okay? Archer and I have something we need to do,” I tell her and Damon. Whatever she sees in my expression, she reads it right. She nods her head, pulls me in for a final squeeze and says she and Damon will head back out to support the boys. Luckily, somehow the tournament has carried on, ignorant to what has just gone down within the clubhouse. Although I’m sure there was some commotion when the police arrived with their sirens on. Archer and I slip out of the back exit just as Felicity is being placed inside the back of a police car. She doesn’t look our way, she looks miles away, lost in her own crazy world. I’m hoping she’ll get the help she needs, and that Georgie can get some semblance of her old mum back.

ELIZA

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” he asks me as he throws me the keys to his car. I am carless at present. Archer offered to replace my beautiful car, but I said I was happy just to drive his when we’re together. After the crash, I was determined to get back behind the wheel. I didn’t want to let two car accidents leave me with a crippling fear of driving. I will not lie. That first time I sat behind the wheel of Archer’s golf, I had to get a grip on the anxiety threatening to climb its way to the surface, but I pushed through and dealt with it.

I’m taking us somewhere secluded to tell him the terrible news about his mum's death. Knowing my dark boy as I do, we need to be somewhere he can’t go into a rage and do something he can’t take back. My heart hurts at the thought of what I have to tell him. How do you tell the person you love that their own father killed their mother? How do you even start that conversation?

I take us up to the cliff point, where on my first night in the bay, dearest Georgie pushed me off the top and I plummeted down into the cold, dark ocean below. He’d saved me that night and today I will save him. I’ll hold him and love him and help him get through this. We’ve dealt with a lot of shit these last nine months, the both of us, but together we can make it through.

We park up and take the ten-minute walk up to the cliff top. He doesn’t ask me what we’re doing here until we reach the top and the breath-taking views of the sea are before us. Archer comes up behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist, hugging my back to his chest. He rests his chin on the top of my head and for a few minutes, we just enjoy the silence and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below us.

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