SURVIVING SAVANNAH: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK 16) Read online

  She was gone.

  The screen door slammed and I ran out just as she was sliding behind the wheel of her Rover.

  “Maggie! Come back here!” I shouted.

  “I hate you!” She cried out, before starting it up and roaring off down the driveway.

  Chapter 45

  GRACE

  Hannah and I sat next to Cherry’s bed, playing cards to pass the time. Cherry was still sleeping but the nurses sounded hopeful that she might wake up today. The machine that monitored her brain waves had some indication of increased activity over night, but she’d gone back to sleep, if she’d ever really woken up.

  Our hope renewed, we decided to stay close in case she woke up.

  Lacey had been a dream this whole trip, basically keeping Sadie all day long and taking her to the park and playing with her as they strolled around Savannah, and then bringing her back to me when it was time to go to bed.

  After Cherry left the clubhouse, Lacey sort of took over her role, doing the cooking and cleaning and watching after everyone. She worked in the background, always making sure everyone’s basic needs were met. She’d become one of my best friends, and although I'd spent hardly any time with her during this trip, I was glad I’d brought someone I could trust so fully with us.

  Part of me just wanted to scoop Cherry up and take her home with us. But she’d chosen to leave, and we had to respect it. I knew it was hard on Ryder having her gone. He was so used to her being there. And now that we were here, and he had to see her like this, I knew it was taking a toll on him. I could feel the anger rolling off him every day.

  I hoped like hell we got some answers soon and Cherry woke up.

  I stood up to stretch, my back screaming from sitting in the hospital’s uncomfortable plastic chairs. I walked over to Cherry, adjusting her blanket and fluffing up her pretty red curls. She was a beautiful woman, and I couldn’t wait till she woke up and showed us those brilliant green eyes again.

  A corner of a book was poking out from under her pillow, and I grabbed the edge of the pillowcase and lifted it.

  “What’s this?” I asked Hannah. She jumped up and walked over, as I pulled the notebook from underneath Cherry’s pillow. Hannah grabbed it out of my hands and opened it.

  “It’s Cherry’s handwriting!”

  “Holy shit,” I whispered, my heart skipping a beat.

  Chapter 46

  DEREK

  From the doorway, I watched as Hannah and her friend pulled a notebook from under Cherry’s pillow. I’d already been concerned when the nurses told me there was some unusual activity overnight, but now it looked like I had another problem.

  When they saw me, her sister hid the notebook behind her back.

  “Hello, ladies,” I said. “How is our patient doing today?”

  “The nurses said she may have woken up,” Hannah said.

  “Oh, I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my head. “Sometimes the nurses put too much stock into things. Occasionally, the brain has surges that we can’t explain. She’s still out and looks like she might stay that way for a while. I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you.”

  They looked at me and nodded, and it was obvious they didn’t trust me. Why should they? I was the most untrustworthy asshole in their lives at this point.

  I shook my head, frustrated with the obstacles that kept popping up. The universe didn’t want me to carry this shit out, that much was obvious by now, but I didn’t see any other way out.

  I’d come here to put an end to my Cherry problem and now I had two more I needed to take care.

  I walked over to the nurses station and flashed my most charming to the nurse in charge, Hillary.

  “Hey, Hill, do you know where those two ladies in Cherry’s room are staying?”

  “I don’t but I can find out for you,” she said.

  “I want to send them a care package, so be discrete,” I said.

  “That’s so nice of you!” she said, her eyes fluttering flirtatiously.

  “Text me the info,” I said, winking and walking away.

  Chapter 47

  BLADE

  All I wanted to do was be with Rose.

  But with Maggie and Clem at home, that wasn’t something anyone was ready for. So, I had to wait. I had to find some deep well of patience inside of me to keep going. Once I tapped into it, I realized it had been there all along, serving me well.

  I’d waited so very long to be with Rose again. I could wait a few more days.

  She’d said she wanted to talk to the girls first. Try to explain things. It didn’t seem fair to just throw a new relationship at them like a bomb and by Maggie’s reaction at seeing me at the house, even though she tried to play it cool, I knew the chances of them not taking it well was high.

  Who could blame them, though?

  They didn’t ask for any of this.

  They were just kids. With no control over their lives or destinies. It was maddening. I remembered it well.

  I’d have died before going back to that time in my life.

  So I got it.

  That’s why I was driving around on my bike, instead of driving myself into Rose right now. I’d driven so much, I needed to fill my bike up again, so I pulled into the old gas station that I used to work at, amazed that not much had changed. I’d spent hours there, working my ass off and saving so I could buy a ring for Rose. I’d used that money to buy a bus ticket and a couple of hotel rooms once I left town instead.

  A few minutes later, I was screwing the cap back onto my tank when I saw a familiar SUV drive up. I looked behind the wheel and saw Maggie sitting there, tears streaming down her face.

  I walked over and tapped on her window. She looked up in surprise and rolled it down.

  “Hey, you okay?” I asked, gently.

  She hesitated for a second before finally shaking her head.

  “No,” she whispered, before breaking out into sobs.

  “Hey, hey now!” I said, reaching in and patting her on the shoulder. “What’s going on?”

  She shook her head, her voice cracking as she tried to speak. “It’s my father! I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t go home! They think we’re so stupid because we’re kids, but we’re not! We know more than they do! And I just — I just — I don’t trust him!”

  “Oh,” I said, my eyes wide as she kept ranting.

  “And I’m running out of gas! But I left my purse, and my phone, and I can’t go back there!”

  “Whoa, okay,” I said, looking around. I wasn’t sure what to do with a crying teenager, but I wanted to get her somewhere safe. Sobbing next to a gas pump didn’t seem like the place to hang out. “Why don’t you get out? Let’s get you some water or something and we can find a place to sit and talk.”

  She nodded and got out, grabbing her keys before following me. I sat her down on the curb next to my bike and ran inside to get her something to drink before coming back. She’d calmed down a little and looked up at me sheepishly.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Sorry about that.”

  “Nothing to apologize for,” I said, sitting next to her. “So, what’s going on with your dad?”

  “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. I know he’s involved in something shady. He keeps having these secret meetings and hushed phone calls. Today, I overheard him tell someone he was going to ‘take care’ of me. I don’t really know what to think.”

  She sighed, looking out at the passing cars.

  “Maybe I’m just paranoid. Kids talk, you know? All the time. We hear shit, too. And we see things. They don’t know we do, but we do.”

  I nodded, trying to make sense of what she was trying to tell me.

  “I was friends with those girls. The ones who died. Lily and Jo.” She swallowed hard, her eyes filling with tears again. “I don’t want to be next.”

  I shook my head.

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Did you know there’s a running bet going on abou
t who’s next? I heard I was on it. Can you believe that?”

  I shook my head again, unsure how to reply. I figured it was best to just keep quiet and let her talk, but when she turned to me with immense fear in her eyes, I knew I’d do anything she needed me to do to keep her safe.

  “The whole town knows about the list. I hate this place,” she said.

  I nodded. “I can relate to that.”

  “Why did you leave?” she asked suddenly. I wasn’t prepared to answer that bluntly, so I opted for vagueness. That was a big can of worms to open later.

  “It was time for me to go,” I said.

  “How old were you?”

  “Eighteen,” I said.

  She nodded, firmly, as if I’d just confirmed something for her. “Smart.”

  “Maggie, I want to help you. What do you need? How can I keep you safe?”

  She looked over at me and smiled, and I had the distinct feeling that I was looking at myself at eighteen. All I wanted back then was someone to offer a little help, a little support.

  She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed.

  “Thank you so much,” she said. “I’m so afraid. I know so much and I think they might be after me. I don’t know if I’m safe and I really don’t want to be alone.”

  “You’re safe with me,” I assured her, meaning every word with all of my heart. “I’ve got an idea. Let’s get some gas in your car and then you can follow me, okay?”

  Her smile of gratitude was huge and I felt terrible for her. She was way too young to have to go through this kind of shit. She deserved a lot more than Savannah had to offer.

  I hoped like hell she found her way out.

  Chapter 48

  GRACE

  Maggie was a beautiful young woman.

  Blade brought her to my hotel room and told me she wanted to talk, and she needed somewhere safe to stay. I sat her on the couch and made her comfortable, giving her a blanket and chocolate and water.

  She wasn’t even eighteen yet, but her eyes seemed a lot older. I recognized that look in many of the girls we rescued, and I hated it every time. It meant they’d seen too much. They’d been through things that nobody their age should have to go through. It meant life had not been kind to them.

  Blade sat next to her, patiently holding her hand. She was nervous and I smiled at her, hoping to put her at ease.

  “Anything you say stays in this room, Maggie. I want you to know we’re here to help you, whatever you need, whatever you decide.”

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice hesitant but strong.

  “Blade said you were worried about your father,” I prompted.

  She nodded, biting her bottom lip. “Yeah.”

  “Do you want to tell me why?”

  She shrugged. “How much do you know already?”

  Blade had given her a brief overview of who we were and why we were here on the way over, so she had a good idea of what we were trying to accomplish. She knew about Cherry, too.

  “Why don’t you start at the beginning?” I suggested.

  She nodded and took a deep breath.

  “The adults think we don’t know anything. But we see and hear everything. We know the rumors aren’t all true, but we just spread them and exaggerate them for fun. We know what’s really happening, though. Even more than I told you, Blade.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “We saw them, what they did to those girls,” she said, her bottom lip quivering. “What my dad did…to Cherry.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  “You saw them? That sounds horrible, Maggie,” Blade said, his eyes wide.

  “It was,” she nodded, slowly, her words slowing down. “We didn’t expect it, of course. They’d been there before, we’d seen them there before, but without all the violence.”

  “Can you back up a little, Maggie? Who did you see, and where?”

  “Sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “My friends and I sneak into the cemetery all the time. We’ve done it forever. It’s easy, you just go in through the hole near the east entrance and if you stay in the shadows, nobody ever even knows you’re there. The guard does a crappy job and is usually on his phone and smoking cigarettes, he barely patrols the grounds at all.”

  I nodded, urging her to continue.

  “The men have been coming for years, too. They think they’re the only ones there. They even pay the guard to leave for an hour or two. And then, they just go crazy. They wear these black robes, with red belts, and they build a bonfire near the fountain and dance around it and throw stuff into it, chanting and, I don’t know, worshiping the moon or the devil or Beddingham or something. They do it every summer and we always just watched from the shadows and laughed at them. And then, when we saw them in public, we’d just snicker and make fun of them amongst ourselves. It was just one of those weird, quirky Savannah things, you know?”

  Blade nodded in understanding and she kept going.

  “But two years ago, they did a lot more than dance. We couldn’t believe it when they brought Lily out. She was practically naked, in just her underwear, and she looked drugged or drunk or something, because her grandfather was literally dragging her by her arms into the circle. They dusted her with some kind of white powder, then said some prayers or something over her body as she laid in the dirt. And then…”

  She stopped, taking a deep breath, her eyes filling with tears as she kept going.

  “They killed her. Her own grandfather! He started cutting her, and like, catching the blood in this goblet. She was screaming and moaning, but she was really out of it and eventually she just passed out. It was sick,” she shook her head, and Blade reached over, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. “We ran away, of course. We were all afraid, and hoping it wasn’t real, that maybe our eyes were lying. But the next morning, Lily’s body was found by Little Gracie’s grave and everyone in town was talking about it. We were terrified, so we didn’t say anything about what we saw.”

  “I am so sorry you witnessed that,” Blade said, his voice full of emotion.

  “We tried to forget it, but it wasn’t easy. It was just me and Tara that night and we tried to just make light of it. Maybe that was mean or something, but we didn’t know what to do or how to handle it. We even kept going to the cemetery, pretending we weren’t scared.”

  She took a drink of water and continued.

  “We figured that was it, you know? We never expected it to happen again. But sure enough, the next summer there they were again, but this time they had Josephine. They did the same thing with her that they did with Lily, only this time it seemed even more violent. They all took a turn with cutting her and capturing her blood, and then they…they…they drank it and poured it on themselves! We’d stayed longer this time, and seeing them do that was just so…gross and wrong. Tara started crying and puking, so we left again. The next day, her body was found in the same place as Lily’s.”

  “And you and your friend never told anyone?”

  “Who were we going to tell? The Sheriff? He was there! The Mayor? He was there, too! And he’s my grandfather! I was stunned. Even though Mom had cut him out of our life years ago, I still couldn’t believe he was there. And Anton Beddingham, the most influential man in town, was one of the murderers! Carlisle did the same thing. Even Beddingham’s lawyer was involved. And we figured that nobody else in this town was going to believe a couple of teenagers with no evidence.”

  “You’re probably right about that,” Blade said.

  “We screwed up, I know,” she said. “We should have filmed it. But both times were so unexpected, we just froze and then we ran.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” I assured her.

  She flashed me a grateful smile and I felt so bad for her. She’d been holding all this in for so long and it was a huge burden to bear for such a young girl.

  “Maggie, what does this have to do with your father?”

  She looked over at me wit
h wide eyes and started crying again.

  “He’s involved now. He talks to Beddingham all the time. Today, I heard him on the phone and I heard him say he was going to ‘take care’ of me. My birthday is this coming weekend and he’s insisting I go out of town with him.”

  “You mentioned that he did something to Cherry.”

  “They were doing some kind of rehearsal or something, I’m not sure. But Cherry was there and they saw her. She ran and Dad chased her. I didn’t see what happened, but when we were driving home later, we saw them towing her car away from the scene. The next time I saw Dad, his car had been painted another color. It used to be red.”

  I nodded, remembering that Hannah had seen a picture of Cherry’s car and mentioned red paint.

  “What are you afraid of exactly? With your dad?” Blade asked.

  “I’m afraid I might be next,” she said. “That list…”

  “Maggie, we don’t know who, if anyone, might be next,” Blade said.

  I pulled the notebook out of my bag and held it up. They looked at me with surprise.

  “Actually, yes we do,” I said.

  Chapter 49

  ROSE

  After getting home with Clem, something felt off.

  I expected Maggie to still be here when I returned but she was gone. I went into her room and saw her phone lying on the bed. No teenaged girl leaves her phone at home willingly.

  I looked on the kitchen counter and saw her purse lying there. I looked inside and saw her wallet and phone charger inside.

  “Shit,” I said, my heart speeding up as a feeling of dread washed over me. Maggie would never leave home without her purse and phone.

  I fished my phone from my purse and started to call the police, but then stopped cold. She’d never forgive me if I sent the cops after her.