SURVIVING SAVANNAH: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK 16)

by Honey Palomino

  I pulled up Derek’s number and hit the call button, but hung up immediately. The last thing I wanted to do was involve him.

  Finally, I pulled up Blade’s number, grateful I’d made him put it in my phone before he left. When he answered, the words rushed out of me all at once.

  “Maggie’s gone!” I cried. “I’m so worried, she left her phone and her wallet and she never —.”

  “—I’ve got her.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve got her, Rose. She’s safe,” he promised. “Everything’s alright, babe.”

  My heart swelled with relief and tears began falling down my face.

  Chapter 50

  MAGGIE

  When Mom walked in the door of Grace’s hotel room, I ran to her and threw my arms around her.

  “Magnolia, I was so worried about you!” She kissed my cheek and looked me over.

  “I’m alright, sorry Mom. I had a fight with Dad and just left without thinking.”

  “He was at the house?”

  “He came by to tell me he was changing our plans. He wants to leave tomorrow to go out of town for the whole week.”

  “You have school.”

  “I know, he doesn’t care. He said he would convince you.”

  “Rose, why don’t you come on in?” Grace suggested. “We have a lot to talk about.”

  Bewildered, Mom walked in slowly, looking around at everyone. Blade walked to her side, placing a protective arm around her.

  “Rose, these are my friends,” he said. “Grace, Ryder, Slade and Riot.”

  They all shook hands and exchanged a few awkward smiles. The room seemed very small all of a sudden and I wondered if I’d made a huge mistake to involve all these people in our lives.

  “Hey, guys, why don’t you let us have the room for a while? It’s a little crowded in here and Rose and Maggie need a few minutes.”

  “Of course,” Ryder said, as the guys all walked to the door. Blade hesitated, but Ryder called him to go with him. I wanted to ask him to stay, but I didn’t. Now that Mom was here, it was time to talk to her about everything.

  “I’ll be right back,” Blade said. “Call if you need us.”

  Mom nodded as he closed the door, turning back to me and grabbing my hand.

  “Maggie, tell me everything and don’t leave anything out.”

  Her eyes told me everything was going to be okay.

  It had been the secrets that were putting me in danger all along.

  Chapter 51

  DEREK

  I stood looking out over the ledge of my folk’s property, thinking about how much life had changed in these last few years. Maybe I really did have it good with Rose. Life sure had gone downhill without her.

  I’d never been happy, though.

  All the adventure I missed out on haunted me. All the things I wanted to do that I’d said I would get to later was just me trying to console myself with lies. Later was never going to come. It never did.

  I’d let myself get wrapped up in the money and power that came with being a Davenport in this town. My father had been the founder of the hospital and when his only son’s grades weren’t good enough to get into med school, he asked for favors to make it happen.

  I’d been in debt to people ever since.

  It was entirely different than being in debt to the government for tuition. My tuition never existed. It was just wiped away behind the scenes with the wave of a man’s hand, a score being kept amongst the wealthy families of Savannah.

  Saying no to marrying Rose wasn’t an option for me.

  Not going to med school wasn’t an option.

  I thought about Blade, born to a poor family that didn’t seem to want to have much to do with him and I thought again that he was the lucky one. He was the one that got to have a life, and now he gets Rose, too.

  I laughed, my laughter swallowed up by the wind as I turned away. I grabbed the plastic ziplock bag and walked over to my mother’s garden. She’d be appalled if she knew what her precious flowers were being used for.

  The angel’s trumpet was one of the biggest features in her garden. The flowers were dramatic — massive gold and pink blooms that hung down from large six feet tall shrubs. They were one of the first she showed off when she had guests. Her hydrangeas and peonies were also a big hit, but the trumpets were sure to impress.

  I pulled on a pair of latex gloves and clipped several blooms off, placing them carefully into the plastic bag before zipping it closed.

  I took one more look out at the property, remembering running around carelessly as a boy, thinking the world was going to provide me with anything and everything I’d ever need, without asking much of me in return.

  And it did.

  Until it didn’t. Now, I had to pay in a way I never imagined I would.

  I climbed into my car with a resigned sigh, the trumpet blooms on the seat next to me, as I drove away. It felt like I was driving with a bomb, and essentially I was, because those flowers could blow up my entire life.

  At this point, I wasn’t sure there was much left to salvage, but the thought of it all being over wasn’t a pleasant one, not just yet.

  “All because of Anton,” I scoffed, shaking my head.

  Hell, I thought, maybe I should give him the Angel’s Trumpet. He’s a million years old, nobody would think twice about him keeling over suddenly. And the entire fucking town would take to the streets to celebrate if that old turtle died.

  Instead, I was being forced to eliminate the threats that existed to expose what a sick fuck he was.

  Somehow, that didn’t seem quite right.

  I drove to the hotel to find Hannah and Grace, the blooms sitting peacefully beside me, a vial of saline in my pocket and my head spinning out of control.

  Chapter 52

  ROSE

  I held Maggie against my chest as she cried.

  She’d told me about everything she and Tara witnessed at the cemetery and I was mortified.

  I’d had no idea she’d been holding all of this horror inside of her for years. How she hadn’t broken down before now escaped me. A surge of protectiveness rushed through me and I wanted to make every single one of those men pay for what they’d done.

  When she’d named them one by one, including my father, my heart dropped. These men needed to be taken down, every single one of them, including my corrupt father. He’d tried to control me for years and once he figured out I was done with living my life to his standards, he had no problem letting me walk away. I had no idea he’d descended to this kind of darkness, preying on my daughter for his sick game.

  I closed my eyes, caressing her hair and I looked over at Grace. She smiled, her green eyes full of kindness and compassion. Blade was right when he said I was going to love them. I hadn’t really gotten to know them yet, but what I’d seen so far was impressive.

  A knock at the door surprised all three of us.

  Grace walked over to the door and looked through the peephole.

  She looked back at us with alarm.

  “Who is it?”

  “Derek,” she replied. She walked over to her purse and pulled out a gun, putting it in the back of her waistband.

  “Just in case,” she whispered. “Do you want me to let him in?”

  I nodded, adrenaline pumping through my veins. She grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to Ryder, then we walked over to the door, flinging it open as I came face-to-face with Derek.

  “Rose!” he cried in surprise.

  “Hello, asshole.”

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, confusion storming in his eyes.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” I said.

  He looked up and down the hallway suspiciously, then turned back to me, his eyes searching mine.

  “Can I come in? Please?”

  “Fine,” I said, moving out of the way. I felt more comfortable than I might have had Grace not had that gun. I wasn’t sure what the hell Derek was up to but
I knew I didn’t trust him anymore, if I ever had.

  “Maggie!” he cried, as he walked in and saw her sitting there. “You’re here too? What the hell? Where’s Clem?”

  “I dropped her off at her friend’s house for a few hours on the way over,” I replied.

  “How do you know these people?” he asked, looking at Grace.

  “It’s a small town, right, Dad?” Maggie said, her voice laced with sarcasm. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was looking for Hannah,” he said. “I um, I wanted to talk to her about her sister.”

  “You always make consultation house calls to hotel rooms?” I asked. “That’s a new one.”

  He looked nervous and shaky. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered that he very well could be trying to kill our daughter, and any sympathy I had for him died away.

  The mama lioness in me roared to life and I couldn’t take it anymore. I closed the distance between us, getting in his face.

  “Derek, what the fuck is going on? What are you up to?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Cut the shit,” I said.

  Anger flashed in his eyes, but he still resisted.

  “I told you. I came to talk to my patient’s family member. I was under the impression you and Hannah were in the same room, Grace.”

  “Is Cherry okay?” Grace asked.

  “Yes,” he said, nodding.

  “Dad,” Maggie called out, her voice shaking. “Why did you tell Beddingham you were going to take care of me?”

  The blood drained from his face and he froze.

  “Um, I just, um, I meant —.”

  “—Were you going to kill me? Let them kill me?”

  “Magnolia!” he cried, admonishing her. “How dare you say such a thing!”

  “How dare I?” she shouted. “I saw them! Did you know that? I saw the murders, I saw those men in the cemetery and I saw what they did! And all this time, you’ve been hanging around with them. Are you involved now? Are you one of them?”

  He looked like he’d been slapped. I felt like I’d been slapped myself. This was all too much. I knew Derek was a terrible person, but murder?

  He was frozen in place by being confronted by his daughter, and time seemed to stand still until a loud sob escaped from him. He fell to the floor and I watched in amazement as he started crying — deep, pitiful, wracking sobs.

  “Dad?” Maggie called out. Grace and I exchanged looks and she gratefully took over.

  “Derek, what’s going on? We’re here to help. You’re not alone. If you’ve gotten yourself in over your head, let us help you.”

  I was amazed at her calm words and even more so when he looked up at her, nodding gratefully with tears falling down his face.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, his words ripping from his throat painfully. “I’m so, so sorry, I fucked up so badly…”

  “Derek?” I whispered, disbelief washing over me.

  “I didn’t know how to fix it, Rose, I’m so sorry,” he cried. “Maggie, I’m so sorry baby, I love you so much!”

  Maggie ran to him, throwing her arms around him and crying with him.

  Chapter 53

  BLADE

  We were on our way back to the hotel with a couple of pizzas when Ryder got a text.

  “Fuck!” He growled. “Derek’s at the hotel room. Step on it, Riot.”

  Riot sped up and my heart pounded in my chest, the last few blocks seeming to take a lifetime to maneuver. As soon as he pulled up, I took off running.

  If that motherfucker hurt Maggie or Rose, I was going to kill him.

  As we got closer to the room, I could hear Rose’s voice through the door.

  “You were going to kill our daughter?” she shouted. I busted through the door and froze at the sight of Derek on the floor crying and Rose standing over him, shouting at him.

  “They blackmailed me!” Derek insisted, his voice cracking with fear. “They were going to choose for me if I didn’t choose one! Anton’s evil, Rose! He was making me choose between Clem and Maggie and I didn’t know what to do. Cherry figured it all out. She followed us for weeks, and then listened in on our meeting. I panicked and ran her off the road. When I saw she was still alive, I grabbed her notebook and left her there, knowing someone would call it in. I’ve been keeping her asleep, afraid of her waking up.”

  Ryder, Slade and Riot ran up behind me, all stopping short to witness the exchange between Rose and Derek. I could feel the anger rolling off them as he confessed.

  “Anton did this? Because of some sick ritual?” Rose asked.

  “It’s disgusting. I kept trying to figure out a way to stop it, but with Bradley and Carlisle and the others, it’s useless. There’s no accountability in this fucking town and you know that — not to mention your father. I’m so sorry, Rose.”

  I heard his words and uncontrollable rage filled my veins.

  I lunged towards him, my hands out and ready to rip his head off. But then I saw Maggie, her body curled up next to his, tears streaming down her face and fear filling her eyes and I stopped myself.

  Derek looked up at me, his eyes filled with sorrowful resignation.

  “You’re right to want to kill me, Blade. And you can, if you want. Just take care of my girls, okay? They belong to you now.”

  I shook my head, words failing me. Rose ran over to me, and I wrapped her in my arms, meeting Derek’s gaze over her shoulder.

  “Let’s fucking get Anton.”

  He nodded, lifting his chin.

  “I’m in. I need to do one thing first.”

  “What the fuck is that?” I asked. He wasn’t exactly in any position to be making demands.

  “I need to wake up Cherry.”

  Chapter 54

  DEREK

  “You ready?”

  “Yes, Dad,” Maggie said. “I’ve got this, don’t worry.”

  She climbed into my car, arranging the skirts of the long white robe around her legs, before I closed the door.

  We drove in silence to the cemetery, the moon following us the whole way. The streets were empty and quiet at this late hour. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and I reached over and grabbed Maggie’s hand, squeezing it tightly.

  I slowed the car down as we reached the entrance of Bonaventure, maneuvering through the open gates. Normally, at this hour, the gates would be locked securely, but Anton had paid off the guard again and we had free reign of the place.

  The sound of crickets chirping broke the silence, the heat of the day still lingering heavy in the air. The other’s cars were there, too. The shiny black exterior of Anton’s Rolls Royce shined under a dim light. I parked and we got out without saying a word.

  I grabbed her hand and we started walking to the meeting place. When we reached the secluded glen, the men were standing in a circle in full regalia, their robes tightly closed with their braided red belts, heavy black hoods hanging over their heads as they held lit candles in front of their bodies.

  Anton walked up and stood in front of Maggie, inspecting her, the candlelight flickering over her face in the dark.

  “You’ve made a good choice, Davenport. Young lady, I’m impressed you’ve offered yourself up so willingly. If only more girls were like you.”

  Maggie smiled up at him, her face open and innocent.

  “It’s an honor to be chosen, sir,” she whispered. “When my father told me you wanted me, and why, I was in tears. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.” She did a little curtsy that we hadn’t planned and I suppressed a smile. Anton was impressed. He nodded approvingly, as did the others. Maggie walked over to her grandfather, Finley, and smiled at him. “I’ve missed you, grandfather.”

  “I’m proud of you, Child. You’re a better disciple than your mother ever was.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she said, flashing him an obedient smile. “I’m honored to offer myself to you.”

  “Shall we begin?” Anton asked. “T
his way, young lady.”

  We followed him and he led us down the edge of the glen, turning and trailing through the trees, and stopping when we got to the fountain.

  “First, you’ll cleanse yourself, Child.”

  I cringed, looking over at Maggie with alarm. Serenely, she nodded, and then climbed right into the fountain without hesitating. I wondered if she’d seen this part when she witnessed this before. I hadn’t been invited to their sick parties before and was only here now because they’d wanted Maggie so badly. If it wasn’t for my girls, I’d never been privy to their weird shit. I hated being involved now, but I also wasn’t sure entirely what to expect.

  After she was soaked, hair, robe and all, Anton helped her out of the fountain. I wanted to peel his skeezy hands off my daughter but I kept my rage in check.

  “Blood is life, life is blood,” Anton began chanting as he led us away from the fountain again. The others joined in, marching back down the pathway through the dark, chanting like a bunch of freaks. “Life is blood, blood is life, life is blood, blood is life…”

  Their eyes glossed over as we reached a small meadow, a bonfire roaring in the middle of it. They began marching around the fire, chanting and chanting until Anton stopped, throwing his head back and howling.

  I gasped in surprise, and then the others followed, joining in on the howling. Laughter bubbled up inside of me and I swallowed it down.

  What fools they looked like. Just a bunch of old men, howling at the moon to somehow purify themselves. Purifying themselves from the same so-called sins they’d condemned others of doing for centuries. As if sacrificing an innocent child and bathing in her blood would wash them clean.

  When the others started crowding around Anton, though, I realized what this was really all about.

  Him.

  The men fell to their knees, surrounding his feet, holding their hands up to him, worshiping him.

  Finley spoke out first and for the first time in my life, I realized just how crazy Rose’s father really was.