Page 11 of Freeing Savannah

“She’s good at pretending,” came a voice to his right.

He turned to find Olivia, Savannah’s mother, emerging from the edge of the crowd like a ghost stepping out of fog. She wore the sleek blue suit and dark lipstick like armor. Her smile was fixed, but her eyes told the truth. And they were locked on her daughter like she expected her to vanish at any moment.

“I can see that,” Voodoo replied, voice low.

“You’ve always watched her like that,” she said softly, eyes flicking toward the chaos. “I need a moment of your time.”

Voodoo nodded. “Figured as much.”

They stood in silence for a second, the hum of jet engines and distant voices barely muffled by the walls of the hangar. While his eyes scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of danger, he kept Savannah in his peripheral vision, always aware of her presence. Just as it had been when they were children.

Olivia exhaled and stepped closer, her voice lower now, strained at the edges. “I’m glad you’re going with her,” she said. “I couldn’t rest if it were anyone else.”

Olivia’s hands twisted a delicate ring on her finger. Voodoo crossed his arms and waited, studying her closely. Olivia wasn’t the type to show nerves. She’d raised Savannah alone for yearsbefore marrying into Washington’s elite circles. From the brief news clips of her that he’d seen, she consistently demonstrated exceptional composure and a cool head, even when faced with intense pressure. But tonight, her hands fidgeted with her ring, her expression unguarded in a way that made Voodoo’s instincts bristle.

“You’re not just glad I’m going,” he said slowly. “You’re relieved.”

She didn’t deny it.

“She’s always been strong, but . . .” Olivia trailed off, then gave a shaky breath. “She hides everything. From the press, from me. You . . . she never could hide from you.”

“So, she hasn’t changed that much,” he murmured. “Still ducks the truth with that quiet charm of hers.”

Olivia’s eyes met his, softening with a memory. “You used to sit under that oak tree in our backyard and tell her you’d beat up any shadow that came near her.”

Voodoo gave a small smile. “Still would.”

“She was never the same after we left. It was like a vital piece of her was missing. I knew what . . . I just didn’t know how to help her. Harlan was . . .”

“Difficult,” he supplied. “Controlling.”

Olivia hung her head low, as if completely overwhelmed by the crushing weight of guilt stemming from the harsh realities of her marriage and the devastating consequences it had inflicted upon her daughter. “She’s missed you. All these years . . . she’s never been able to let you go, although she’ll never admit it.”

“I’ve missed her too.” It didn’t hurt to admit the truth. He had missed her. There wasn’t a day that had gone by in the last twenty years when he hadn’t thought about her.

“She’ll put on a good act of indifference. Don’t let her. You are the only one she will trust,” she said, looking up at him.“Always did. She needs you, Sawyer. Not just some bodyguard.You.”

“I’m not the same boy who used to chase her barefoot through the creek,” he said. “And she’s not the girl who used to draw birds on my arms with Sharpie.”

“Your history together . . . that’s exactly why she’ll trust you.” Olivia’s voice broke slightly. “And whyItrust you.” She rested her hand on his arm, and he looked down to see the worry etched into the depths of her concerned eyes. “And Sawyer, she needs someone she can trust.

Her eyes darted toward the Senator and the cameras. Savannah was laughing again, too wide, too perfect.

Voodoo took a half step closer. “You’re worried. Why?”

“I’m a mother. It’s my job to worry.” Her throat worked with something unsaid.

“And it’s my job to know when something isn’t right.” He paused, voice dropping. “Is she in danger?”

A shimmer, not quite tears, filled her eyes. “I don’t know.”

That answer unsettled him more than anything else she could’ve said.

“This tour . . .” she hesitated. “There’s a lot at stake.”

“There always is,” he said evenly. “Money. Politics. Image.”

“No,” she snapped, then caught herself, smoothing a hand over her hair even though nothing was out of place. “Not that. I meanher. There’s a lot at stake forher.”

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