Prevail

by Wendi Wilson

  Her whole body deflated. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “Savanna, I spent the last several years having a hatred of Alts and everything they represented drummed into me. Alts are evil. Alts are an abomination.” She ticked each fact off on her fingers as she spoke. “Alts need to be eliminated.”

  “But you don’t believe that anymore,” I said.

  “No, I don’t,” she confirmed, “but it’s hard to ignore discriminatory reflexes. I spent so many years believing it, my first instinct is to run far, far away.”

  “You’ll get past that with time,” I offered.

  “Maybe,” she said. “How did you come to terms with the polyamory part of it?”

  “Poly- what?”

  She sighed. “Loving them all. Being in a relationship with them all.”

  I smiled. “It was strange, at first. I started out by dating them all, individually. They all liked me and wanted me to pick one of them. But after a few dates, I realized I couldn’t decide. And they realized they didn’t want me to choose.” I paused for a moment, my gaze assessing her expression. “Is that how you feel about the twins?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “I like them. A lot. They are both so sweet. And funny. And gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, they are,” I said. “And I’ve noticed the way they look at you.”

  “Like they’re starving and I’m the last morsel of food in the universe,” she admitted, her skin darkening.

  “What happened after we left the room?” I asked, hoping beyond hope she wouldn’t brush me off. I was dying to know.

  “Slade kissed me.”

  “He did?” I squealed, clapping my hands like a five-year-old. “Well? How was it?”

  She nodded, the smallest hint of a smile lifting her lips. “Amazing,” she sighed. “As soon as the door closed behind you, he grabbed me. I thought my heart was going to explode.” She pressed her palm against her chest. “It was… exhilarating.”

  “What about Silas?” I asked. “What did he do?”

  “He asked me if he could kiss me, too.”

  “Well, that was polite,” I quipped, smiling. “What did you say?”

  “I was confused and a little overwhelmed. I mean, I like them both. I do. But having a relationship with more than one person? Kissing them both, right in front of each other? It doesn’t seem natural.”

  “It’s different, sure,” I admitted. “But when everyone cares about each other, equally? It’s incredible and I couldn’t imagine it being any other way.”

  “I said yes,” she whispered.

  “And?”

  She grinned, her perfect, white teeth reflecting the fluorescent lighting. I laughed, happy that my three new friends were finding joy in each other.

  “So, does this mean I’m forgiven?” I asked.

  Her smile melted into a stern look. “On one condition.”

  “Anything,” I vowed, holding up my right palm in a solemn swear.

  “Don’t ever try to kiss either of them again,” she said, trying to suppress a smile.

  I laughed. “Deal.”

  Then I did something completely out of character for me. I lunged forward, my arms going around her in a tight embrace. She hugged me back, making me feel warm all over.

  I’d never had a real friend. The only people I ever let in were the Patton brothers. But, somehow, Lizzie had snuck beneath my defenses and wormed her way into my heart. I didn’t know what I would do without her.

  “Thank you for forgiving me,” I said.

  She pulled back. “Well, something good came of it. The boys asked me to officially be their girlfriend.”

  I squealed before slapping a hand across my mouth. “Sorry,” I whispered, “they most likely heard that. Did you say yes?”

  She shook her head. “I told them I had to think about it.”

  “Are you going to say yes?”

  “I’m not playing games with them,” she declared. “I really do have to think about it. This is a big step in a direction I’ve never taken.” She smiled, then. “But I’m definitely leaning toward yes.”

  “They’re good guys and they’ll treat you like their queen,” I said.

  “I know. It’s not that,” she said. “And it’s not that they’re Alts, either. We’re in the middle of a life-changing event. Emotions are running high and I’m scared their interest in me will lessen once things go back to normal. Also, there’s the problem of geography.”

  “You live in Georgia, they live in Connecticut.”

  She nodded. “I know I left my crazy ass parents, but I didn’t plan to stay gone forever. I didn’t plan anything, really, besides warning you. I don’t have a home right now.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” I promised, hooking an arm through hers. “We should probably get back out there before the boys come in here searching for us. Or eat all our food.”

  “You’re probably right,” she laughed.

  I paused with my hand on the door handle. “Thank you for forgiving me.”

  She shook her head. “There was never any question,” she admitted. “I just wanted to make you sweat, a little.”

  “Jackwagon,” I said, laughing.

  “Seriously, though. You forgave me for much, much worse. You accepted me into your group, made me feel wanted and needed. You didn’t hold my past against me and you introduced me to the Madsen brothers. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

  “Ditto,” I said, my eyes burning at her admission.

  We left the restroom, our eyes shining and our arms linked together. So many emotions were swirling through me, I felt like I was going to explode.

  My parents were safe. My boys were back by my side and had forgiven me for persuading them. Their best friends were here, putting themselves in danger to stand beside us and falling in love with my best friend.

  We’d figure out what came next later. First, we had to stop a madman.

  Chapter Nineteen

  A loud banging wrenched me from sleep. By the time my eyes opened, I was the only one left in the bed. Jett was peeking through the peephole and Wyatt and Beckett flanked him on either side of the door.

  “Savanna, let me in!”

  “It’s Lizzie,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “Let her in.”

  A quick glance at the bedside clock had me cursing. It was just after five in the morning. Lizzie wouldn’t barge in that early unless it was serious. I dangled my legs over the edge of the mattress as Jett swung open the door.

  Lizzie rushed in, breathing hard with tears splashing down her face. “He has my little sister,” she announced, shoving her phone in my face.

  Silas and Slade hurried in and Jett clicked the door closed behind them. I turned my attention back to Lizzie, taking her phone from her and studying the picture on the screen. A younger version of Lizzie was sitting in a chair, her wrists tied to the wooden arms and her eyes wide with fear.

  I was ashamed to admit I hadn’t even known Lizzie had a sister.

  “My idiot parents must have handed her over to them. She’s only twelve,” Lizzie said, her voice bordering on panic.

  “You don’t know that,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “Maybe Dr. Patton took her like he took my parents. Yours could be freaking out right now.”

  “I don’t think so,” Lizzie argued, pulling out of my embrace. “I told you he has them completely brainwashed. I thought she’d be safe. They’ve never involved her with church matters before. But, they would do anything for him. Anything.”

  “It doesn’t matter how he got her,” Jett interjected. “What matters is that he does have her, and we have to get her back.”

  I nodded, agreeing with Jett. “Where are my mom and dad?”

  “They decided to get their own room last night,” Silas said. “We were way too crowded in that room. I assume they’re still asleep.”

  “Good,” I said, nodding. I looked back at Lizzie. “Did he send any instruc
tions? What do we have to do to get her back?”

  “Nothing. Just this picture.”

  As soon as the words left her mouth, my phone’s ringtone echoed through the room. I scrambled to the night stand, snatching the device up and tapping the answer icon. Holding the phone to my ear, I skipped the pleasantries.

  “What the hell do you want, you bastard?”

  He laughed. He actually laughed.

  “You are not the only one with a few tricks up their sleeve, my dear. How is my former protégé Lizzie feeling this morning?”

  My mind tripped over the word protégé, but I decided not to give it too much thought. At least, for the time being.

  “Let my sister go!” Lizzie screamed before the Madsen brothers cocooned her in their arms, whispering words of comfort.

  “What do you want?” I repeated, refusing to take the bait.

  “Do not be obtuse, Savanna. You know exactly what I want.”

  “You’re going to have to spell it out for me,” I said, tapping the speakerphone icon. “For all of us.”

  A sigh echoed through the speaker. “Very well. I need you to meet me at the gates of the White House. Come alone, or Grace will not fare well.”

  Grace? I thought. My confusion must have shown on my face because Lizzie tapped her phone and mouthed “my sister.”

  I felt like an idiot for being confused, but it was the first time I’d heard her name and I hadn’t had any coffee yet. Refocusing, I let anger fill me.

  “Does that make you feel powerful?” I snapped. “Such a big, strong leader, threatening a child.”

  “Shut up,” he barked out. “You shut your filthy Alt mouth and listen to me. You will meet me at the gates at nine this morning. Nine o’clock sharp. Do you understand me?”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “I will kill Grace Williams and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

  The line went dead and I tossed the phone onto the bed. I looked over at Lizzie. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she leaned into Silas, who had his arm around her shoulder. One of her hands was gripped in Slade’s, their fingers tightly interlocked.

  “We’ll get her back,” I promised.

  “You have to,” she said, sniffing. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to her.”

  I nodded, hoping I looked confident, before I let my eyes roam across the faces of my boys. Dr. Patton wanted me to come alone, but there was no way I was leaving them again. They must have seen the commitment shining in my eyes, because all three of them smiled and nodded.

  “That’s the first time he’s referred to me as an Alt… like, in a derogatory way,” I said. “I’ve always had the feeling he held me above the rest. Like I was superior because he created me.”

  “Well, I guess foiling his dastardly plan dropped you down to our level,” Wyatt joked, a grin ghosting across his face before it regained its serious expression.

  “We need a plan,” Silas said.

  “Why don’t you head back to your room?” Jett suggested. “We all need to get dressed, then we can go grab some breakfast and strategize.”

  I looked down at myself, realizing I was wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and panties. Thankfully the shirt was Beckett’s and hung down to my knees. I pulled at the hem, just to make sure I was fully covered.

  The Madsens led Lizzie from the room and the door swung closed behind them. I sank onto the bed, all my bravado draining out of me. I looked up at the boys.

  “How are we going to fix this?” I asked. “We can’t let anything happen to Grace. Lizzie would be devastated.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to her, or any of us,” Jett said, exuding enough confidence for all four of us. “We are going to end this. Today.”

  I stood up and hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek. His arms snaked around me, lifting me off my feet for a second as he embraced me. When he set me back down, I turned to Wyatt, then Beckett and gave them the same treatment. Then I grabbed some clean clothes from my bag and headed for the bathroom.

  When I emerged, the boys were dressed and sitting on the bed, staring at their phones. I watched them for a moment, noting the seriousness of each of their expressions.

  “What is it?” I asked from the door of the bathroom. “What’s happened?”

  “Nothing happened,” Beckett assured me, “but we think we may have figured out our uncle’s plan to gain access to the president.”

  “I was wondering about that,” I replied, walking over to bed and plopping down between Beckett and Jett. “It’s not like you can just walk up to the gates and they’ll let you in to see him.”

  “He’s holding a press conference on the lawn of the White House this morning at ten thirty. This article says they’ll start letting the press in at nine,” Beckett said, turning his phone around to show me the screen.

  There was a photo of President Worth standing behind a podium with a headline that read, “President calls unexpected press conference.”

  “So, he wants me to meet him there and, what? Pretend to be reporters?”

  “It would be the easiest way to get on the property,” Jett stated. “What he plans to do from there is anyone’s guess.”

  I checked the time on the bedside clock. It was nearly six. I stood up and turned to face the boys.

  “Let’s go get some food. And coffee. Coffee will help us figure out what to do.”

  Wyatt grinned, jumping to his feet. “You heard her, boys. She needs coffee. Let’s go.”

  “I’ll text Silas to have them meet us at the van,” Beckett said.

  As we headed out, I thought about how lucky I was. We were a team. If anyone could figure out how to save Lizzie’s sister and get out unscathed, it was the seven of us.

  “What about your parents?” Slade asked as I sipped steaming hot goodness from my cup.

  Setting the coffee mug down, I picked up my fork and stabbed at a strawberry on my plate. “I sent my mom a text,” I admitted. “I told her we had some things to do and we’d be back later.”

  I was a little ashamed that I’d taken the coward’s way out, sending a vague text instead of talking to her. But I knew my mom. She would argue and order me back to the motel. I’d deal with her anger later.

  “What are we going to do?” Lizzie asked, her face looking pale as she moved the eggs around on her plate.

  “Well, we’re not going to let Savanna go on her own, that’s for sure,” Jett declared.

  “But Brother Earl said—”

  Slade grabbed her hand, stopping her flow of words. She stared at their clasped hands for a moment before meeting his eyes. They seemed to have some sort of unspoken conversation before Lizzie inhaled deeply.

  “We’ll save her,” I vowed, my voice quiet.

  Lizzie looked at me and nodded. It was obvious she was scared out of her mind for her sister. I hoped I could keep my promise.

  “Does anyone have any ideas?” Silas asked.

  “I might,” I said.

  I started talking, laying the scheme I had concocted in my head. All eyes were on me, everyone listening intently and offering up suggestions to improve my idea. After about an hour, we had a solid plan.

  “We’re going to get Grace back,” I promised as the planning session wrapped up. “We’re going to stop Dr. Patton and make sure Alts everywhere are safe.”

  I said it with conviction, but my insides were quaking with fear. Fear of failure. I pushed the fear down with a calming breath and clenched fists. We would succeed.

  Because failure was not an option.

  Chapter Twenty

  The White House was epic. I’d seen pictures of it on T.V. and in the movies but seeing it in person was… epic.

  I only had a moment to marvel at its vast beauty before the seriousness of our situation came rushing back and I refocused. Dr. Patton would be there in an hour and I had to be ready.

  I shifted my weight from foot to foot before hopping up on tiptoes to see over
the crowd. The line for White House tours seemed to be moving, finally. We decided joining a tour was the easiest way to get everyone else inside while I circled back around to meet Dr. Patton at the press entrance at nine.

  After a quick online search, we realized getting a tour wasn’t as easy as just buying a ticket and going in. Apparently, you had to apply through your local congressman no less than three weeks in advance of your planned visit.

  So, we had to improvise.

  When we finally reached the security guard, Jett persuaded the people in line behind us to back away so they wouldn’t overhear our conversation. Wyatt persuaded the guard to approve their admission and give them all lanyards with V.I.P. passes in them. They could break away on their own with those, no questions asked.

  “Hey!”

  A young woman standing behind the security guard stepped forward, her hand going to her pocket and pulling out a small radio device. Beckett caught her eye and ordered her to stop, but the walkie talkie continued its path to her mouth and she inhaled, preparing to ruin all our plans.

  “Stop,” I yelled.

  The woman, obviously an Alt employed by the president, stood frozen in place, her eyes darting about wildly. Unfortunately, the security guard and the other five Alts in our group froze, too.

  “Oops. Sorry,” I said, sending mental commands to the Madsens and my boys, releasing them from their immobile state. Then I told the security guard to carry on processing their group tour admissions.

  Lizzie bounced in place, the only one not affected by my commands. Slade called her forward to give the guard her information. I turned my attention back to the Alt.

  “Tell me the truth,” I said to her, infusing my words with persuasion. “How old are you?”

  “Nineteen,” she replied, frowning at her inability to resist answering me.

  “Why do you work for the president?” I asked.

  “My parents lost their jobs. They were on the verge of losing everything when President Worth saved us by offering me a position here with great pay and benefits.”