Page 64 of Soaring Free
I try to speak, but as soon as I open my mouth, only a sob escapes. “Savannah? Baby? What’s wrong? Whereare you? I’m coming to you.” I can’t get any words out to even say where I am, let alone explain what happened. I try taking deep breaths as Liam looks over at me. I shake my head and hand him my phone.
“Hey, Theo; it’s Liam. I’m with Savannah right now. We are at the auto shop and you should come if you can. She’s physically okay.” He pauses as Theo says something on the other end. “Yeah, we’ll see you in a minute.” Liam hangs up and hands me back my phone. The courthouse is less than two blocks from here so it feels like it’s less than a minute before I can hear Theo calling out for me from the lobby. I should wait in the office and not make a scene, but I don’t just want him—I need him right now. Before I can think, my feet are running out the office and straight into his open arms.
“Shh … baby, it’s okay. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
He wraps his arms around me and holds my head against his chest. The scent of leather, cedar, and faint hints of tobacco from his cologne add a layer of comfort that I’m beyond desperate for right now. I still can’t get enough words out to explain what happened, but I do manage to whisper two words to him, “Thank you.”
“You never have to thank me for coming when you need me, Savannah. If you need me, I’m there. You’re mine, Kitten.” He kisses the top of my head, and I grip him a little tighter, which causes him to tighten his hold on me as if he knows I need him to anchor me right now. I hear Liam behind me, and Theo guides me back into Fred’s office. As soon as the door is shut, Theo’s voice is deceptively calm as he speaks to my brother. “Can someone please explain why my girlfriend is so upset right now that she can’t even tell me what happened?” The weight of his hands running up and down my back grounds me just enough to take a deep breath.
Liam explains what happened to my car and when he mentions the dead squirrel, Theo audibly gasps and his hand stills on my back before shifting me even closer to him.
“Well, shit. This … I don’t … I don’t know how to explain this, fellas,” Fred says from his desk as he clicks around on his computer. I turn in Theo’s arms, but he doesn’t let me go or allow me to move any further. “I have video surveillance around my property and on my lot, not that I ever really need it around here, but it looks like my feeds went down or had a glitch or something just after midnight last night. When they come back online, it’s after two in the morning.”
Liam is standing behind Fred looking at the monitors. “And can you see the driver’s side of her vehicle on your footage?” Fred shakes his head. “Can you see anyone on the footage before or after it?”
Fred again shakes his head. “No, the way it was parked, I don’t have a clear view of that side of her vehicle before or after the feeds went out. I’m so sorry, Savannah. This happened on our property, so you should know I will absolutely take care of the repairs.”
“I’m going to be honest, Fred, I’m not worried about the cost of repairs. I’m worried about the aggressive tone of this threat,” Theo says. Before anyone else can say more, there’s a knock at the door and Sheriff Eddie joins us. Liam gives Theo a look and a single nod before stepping out of the office with Fred to show the Sheriff what happened to my SUV. As the door to the office clicks shut behind them, I exhale a little more, grateful for a moment of privacy with Theo.
“Hey, I know you’re not okay, and that’s totally understandable, but I still have to ask how you are doing right now. Also, it’s freaking me out a little that you haven’t said more than two words to me since I got here. You are a lot of things, Kitten, but docile and quiet is not usually one of them.”
A short bark of laughter escapes at that damn nickname he won’t give up. “Yeah, I’m uh…” I take a slow and controlled breath to try again, huffing it out as my heart has barely slowed down. “I wasn’t even hysterically crying or anything until Liam got here and hugged me, and then it all hit me at once, you know? I just feel so … violated and gross. Even if the damage doesn’t ruin the paint on my vehicle, I don’t think I will ever look at thecar the same. Those red words are going to be burned into my memory forever. Who would do this, Theo?”
“I don’t know, baby, but if you want to go out there with me and face it head on, I’m at your side. If you never want to see it ever again, I promise your brothers and I will make sure it’s handled. You’re in control here, Savannah, okay? Whatever you want or need, that’s what we will do.”
“Thank you for coming. I just needed you, but I didn’t want to freak you out, even though I’m still freaking out, you know?” Theo leans his forehead against mine for a moment and softly kisses my lips.
“Oh, I think you underplayed the request significantly and we can revisit that later.” Theo leans back a little before continuing, “What matters is that I’m here, and we’re going to handle this, and that includes figuring out what asshole just became number one on my shit list. And I have to ask a question as an attorney, but know that it’s also strongly rooted in being your man too, okay?”
I nod but I already know what he’s going to ask.
“Do you think Shane would do this? Because if so, that police report needs to be filed so there is an official record if necessary with the court.”
I take another deep breath and look up to the ceiling. Do I think my ex would have done this? Would the father of my children vandalize a car that his daughters ride in? Would he kill an animal to literally write a message in blood? Is he that far removed from the man I knew and loved?
“I don’t think so, but … I also can’t say for sure that he wouldn’t either.” I shake my head and shrug. “I never thought he would have behaved how he has this year, so I guess anything is possible. But if that’s the case, then I’m not fucking hiding from this.” I square my shoulders and brush the rogue tears from my face. “I will show you the vehicle, I just need you by my side when I face it. And then I never want to see it again.”
Theo searches my face for a moment before giving a decisive nod. “Alright, if you’re ready to do that, then let’s get this overwith.” He wraps one arm around my waist and tucks me to his side, and we walk out to face this shit show—together.
Chapter thirty-nine
*Liam Callahan added Theo Smith-Harrington to the group chat: Poker Night*
Liam
My contacts confirmed the night before last, someone created a dead zone from 12:04 AM to 2:25 AM for all video surveillance in a half mile radius around the auto shop. Other systems didn’t flag the error as it was coded as routine maintenance in each system we have accessed so far. This is not amateur stuff and would’ve only been possible if someone had put malware on each of the security systems to be able to send a mass system message like that to the unique services.
Finn
Non-spy speak, please?
Me
How the actual fuck is that possible?
Liam
Someone planned this ahead of time. This was not random, she was targeted. And someone knew how to covertheir tracks.
