All Cried Out (All Falls Down Book 2)

by Ayden K. Morgen

  I don't even want her to see the papers, not after last night. She slept hard, barely stirring when I carried her to bed. She cried out for me a few times, clinging like a vine even in her sleep. The last thing she needs is to see her past splayed out for the world to see.

  "At least they're getting his picture out there," Lewis says, trying to be helpful.

  It doesn't work. I'm too pissed to be rational or look for a silver lining.

  "Have your guys found anything?" I ask, pinching the bridge of my nose.

  "Not yet," he says. The sound of papers rustling comes down the line. "We're still combing through the area, looking for the bat. We did get the arrest warrant for him though."

  "Good," I grunt, turning to the coffee pot and flipping the switch to turn it on. Another warrant for his arrest doesn't really change the situation any, but I like knowing he's going to pay for as many of his crimes against Savannah as possible.

  "Melinda Martin didn't leave her motel at all yesterday," Lewis continues as the scent of percolating coffee fills the room. "We've got a patrol unit sitting on her today. We've also got someone sitting on McKee's parents' property around the clock. According to a neighbor, they went to England and won't be back until Christmas."

  "Convenient," I say, realizing I'd forgotten all about the upcoming holidays in the chaos of the last few days. Until yesterday, I'd forgotten about my upcoming birthday, too. "I talked to Savannah last night, and she thinks his parents cut him out of their lives when he dragged her off to Italy." Which just pisses me off. If they knew he was an abusive prick, they should have gone to Matthew Talbot instead of letting Savannah leave the country with him.

  This is why I hate people in this world. They don't care who gets hurt so long as they're able to protect their reputations and keep up appearances. They'll sweep any manner of crimes beneath the rug and pretend they never happened if it means they don't look bad and their money isn't touched. It's sickening, and makes me damn thankful my adopted parents are genuinely good people. So are the Talbot girls.

  "Interesting," Lewis says thoughtfully. "I'll see if we can't track them down and have someone in London have a polite conversation with them about their son. If nothing else, maybe they can tell us where the bastard is hiding out."

  "San Rafael," I say.

  "Oh?"

  "He and Savannah spent most of their time there." I lean against the counter, staring out the kitchen window at the oak tree right outside. A little squirrel scurries across the wet ground before digging its claws into the bark. He sits there for a minute, looking left and right before racing up the tree. "Savannah thought it was because he didn't want to be seen with her, but I have a feeling there's some other connection."

  "We'll look into it. I suppose you'll be at the office shortly?"

  "You're on your own today," I murmur, turning to pour Savannah a cup of coffee when the machine finishes. I place it on the tray alongside the pancakes I made her. "I have some things I need to deal with today."

  "Wedding planning?" Lewis asks, sounding genuinely curious.

  "That, too." I drum my fingers against the countertop, thinking. "Know anyone willing to spend a few hours at City College this week? I'd like Savannah to be able to attend her classes and therapy session." I promised her that I'd find a way to ensure her education doesn't suffer because of McKee. I'm not breaking that promise now, not if I can help it.

  Lewis blows out a breath, sending static crackling down the line. "I can probably find a few of our off-duty guys willing to follow her around campus. How long is she there?"

  "Four hours tomorrow, and another four on Thursday. I'll pay double whatever they usually charge, but if the media gets anywhere near her, they will deal with me," I warn him. That stipulation is non-negotiable. I don't want reporters harassing her while she's trying to get to her classes, and I definitely don't want them anywhere near her when she meets Gloria afterward.

  I briefly considered asking her to reschedule her appointment so she didn't have to deal with the media hounding her about seeing a psychologist, but after her breakdown last night, I think she needs to go. She needs to be able to work through everything happening with someone qualified to help, and she and Gloria have forged a tight bond since Savannah began seeing her after McKee hurt Maddi.

  "Yeah, I figured as much. I'll put out feelers and let you know."

  "Thanks, man," I say and then pause. "For everything. You could have been a dick about this, but you've been helpful as hell."

  "Yeah, well, I like my job. I'd rather not lose it because I can't play well with others." He laughs and then sobers. "In all seriousness, you haven't been half bad to work with. If you ever need a job, we're always looking for someone who knows what he's doing."

  "I'll keep that in mind," I say when Savannah calls my name from the bedroom. "I'll be by in the morning. Keep me posted."

  "Will do."

  I hang up my phone and set it on the counter before picking up the tray for Savannah and carrying it to the bedroom for her. She's sitting up in the bed, stretching. Her hair is a mess around her face, her eyes still puffy from sleep. Her arms fall back to the bed when she sees me, an almost uncertain look flitting across her face.

  "Morning, beautiful girl." I hold the tray out to her.

  "You made me breakfast?" Her eyes meet mine, her cheeks flushed pink. She reaches out to take the tray, that uncertain look washing from her expression, replaced by that gentle, awed look she always gives me when I do something to take care of her.

  I settle the tray onto the bedside table before easing down beside her. "I did," I murmur, brushing a kiss across her bare shoulder. Lifting her up, I slide behind her, settling back against the pillows before tugging her into place in front of me, her back to my chest. "Eat, baby." Once the tray is situated on her lap, I wrap my arms around her waist, relaxing when she melts against me.

  "You aren't working today?" she asks. Ignoring the coffee, she takes a big drink of orange juice before carefully cutting into her pancakes.

  "Nope. I'm spending the day with my gorgeous fiancée."

  She glances over her shoulder at me, a happy smile on her face. "And what are you doing with your gorgeous fiancée?" she asks, teasing me.

  "You'll see, baby." I wink at her, relieved to see her in such a good mood this morning. I wasn't sure how she'd feel after last night, but she's a hell of a lot stronger than I am. "Eat your breakfast."

  She sighs happily and digs in, eating in silence for long moments. Every few seconds, she holds a bite out for me, feeding me from her plate even though I've already eaten.

  "You should know that they got ahold of the protection order against McKee last night," I tell her when we've cleared the plate and set the tray to the side, her coffee untouched.

  She freezes with her juice glass halfway to her lips. "How bad is it?"

  "It's better than I expected," I say, running my hands up and down her sides, trying to soothe her. "They don't know about your accident in Italy, but they've confirmed that he's wanted in connection to the vandalism of your car and that he's suspected of the break-in attempt the other night. And they know he's wanted for assaulting you… and for the attempted murder of Maddi."

  "Oh no," Savannah whispers, her voice cracking.

  I pry her glass from her shaking hands and set it on the bedside table before she spills the contents all over herself. Turning her in my arms, I cup her face in my hands. "I want you to listen to me, love. No one is upset with you about this. No one blames you for this getting out, and I don't want you blaming yourself either. This is on McKee, no one else."

  She looks stricken, but she nods. "How's Maddi?"

  "Worried about you." I press my lips to her forehead when she takes a deep breath. "She wanted me to tell you that if this means they locate him faster, she's glad they know what he did to her. She loves you, Savannah. They all do. You're part of this family, and nothing he does will ever change that."

  Savannah nod
s again, her eyes wide and watery. She takes a deep breath and then another, curling into me. "I'm not going to cry about this," she whispers. "I'm not crying about him anymore."

  I drop a kiss to the top of her head.

  "If you need to work today, you can, Jared. I'll be okay."

  "Hey." I hook a finger under her chin and tilt her face up to mine. "I'm staying home today because I miss you, love, not because I think you need a babysitter. Lewis can handle things on his own for the day."

  "Are you sure?" She bites her lip, worried.

  "Absolutely." I shoot her a grin, rolling until she's beneath me, her leg hitched around my hip. "My girl found a wedding dress yesterday, and I've been dreaming all night about what'll be beneath it."

  Savannah laughs loudly.

  Within moments, her laughter turns to moans as I lose myself in her.

  "We want to get married here," Savannah announces at dinner that evening. Everyone freezes immediately, turning to face her. When all eyes are on her, she flushes and then says it again.

  Lexi looks around the table at everyone and then shrugs. "Okay," she says.

  "Really?"

  When Kit and Maddi both nod, a relieved smile washes across Savannah's face. I squeeze her hand in mine and grin at her. We originally planned to marry at the Botanical Gardens where I took her on our first date, but since we've moved the wedding date up, there's no way to make that happen. After talking about it today, she confessed she wants to marry me here, where she fell in love with me. I told her the girls would be happy to let us get married on the property. It'll give everyone something else to focus on, and we can keep the media out. Plus, all of our firsts happened on this property—our first kiss, the first time I made love to her, and the first time she said she loved me. It seems only fitting that we tie the knot here, too. Maybe being cooped up here will feel like less of a prison for my girl then.

  "Have you thought about where?" Lexi asks, cutting a piece of the steak Evans and I grilled.

  "Under the oak tree outside the guesthouse," Savannah says instantly.

  "Why there?" Kit asks her, genuine curiosity in her question.

  "Um…." Savannah's eyes dart to me and then away, a blush staining her cheeks. "It's probably stupid," she mutters.

  "I doubt that," Lexi says, smiling encouragingly at my girl. "Spill it."

  Savannah's blush deepens. She folds her hands in her lap and then looks at me. "When I first came back here after… everything, when I needed to think, I'd sit out on the porch. Jared would come over to talk to me, and every time I saw him beneath that tree, no matter how bad things were at the time, he made me feel like everything would be okay. The first time I saw him out there, for the first time in a long time, I felt safe."

  "I never knew that," I whisper, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "You never told me."

  She gives me a small smile, looking at me from beneath her lashes. "Even when you confused me, just seeing you made me feel better, stronger. I want to marry you beneath that tree because that's where you always appeared when I needed you the most. I didn't have to say anything, you just knew, and you came for me."

  I don't think anyone has ever said anything that means as much to me as the words she just gave me. My mouth is so dry, I have to lick my lips several times before I'm able to form a response. Pushing my chair away from the table, I lift her from hers and place her in my lap.

  "Christ, I love you," I whisper, burying my face in her hair. My heart is pounding, my hands shaking. I close my eyes and breathe her in, letting that vanilla and sex scent work its way through me.

  "I love you, too."

  No one says anything for a long time, letting us have this moment to ourselves. And then I clear my throat and look up to find everyone watching us. Kit and Lexi have tears in their eyes. Maddi has a big grin on her face, and Evans is smiling.

  "I guess we're getting married under the oak tree," I say, grinning widely.

  Laughter erupts around the table. I kiss Savannah gently before sliding her back into her seat so she can finish eating. The girls claim her attention, chatting about setting up an arbor with wildflowers and ivy for us to stand under. Savannah looks at me, asking what I think.

  "Whatever you want, beautiful girl," I murmur, lifting my beer bottle to my lips.

  She smiles at me and then turns back to the girls.

  "Are you and Lexi going to the office tomorrow?" I ask Evans, speaking quietly so I don't interrupt the girls and their planning.

  "Yeah, Lexi needs to go in for a while."

  "I'll see if Grayson can sit with the girls."

  "Good idea." Evans pauses. "How much do you know about Reed Sinclair?"

  "Sinclair? He worked for Matthew for six years in Africa before moving stateside. He's been the Chief Operating Officer for four years now. Why?"

  He shrugs, taking a pull from his beer. "You see the paper this morning?"

  "Yeah, I saw it." The damn thing was hard to miss, considering the story on my girl was front and center.

  "In addition to the story on Savannah, there was one on Alexis and T.I.," he murmurs, casting a quick glance at the girls to ensure they're still caught up in their own conversation. "Sinclair had nothing but good things to say about her, but made it clear he was ready to fill her position in the event she's asked to step down."

  "He's cocky and ambitious, but he's not stupid. As badly as he wants her position, he knows it'd be career suicide to sabotage her. If the Board found out, he'd be out of a job in a heartbeat." I lean back in my chair, thinking. "They might be questioning her leadership at the moment, but if they ever find out someone is intentionally sabotaging her, I can guarantee you, they'll have him or her out the doors in a matter of hours."

  No one on the Board necessarily wants to see Lexi fail. They were loyal to Matthew, and will be just as loyal to her, but they're chomping at the bit, pissed because coverage of T.I. has turned into a three-ringed circus. Since so much of that attention is focused on Lexi and the Talbot family, they blame her. It's not her fault though. She had nothing to do with what happened. She was simply a pawn her crazy half-brother thought he could use to force their father into doing what he wanted.

  If she can hold the Board off until the attention dies down, it'll give her time to put in place the ideas she's been working on for months. When that happens, her position as the head of T.I. will be cemented. Matthew taught her well, and there is no one more capable than Lexi of pushing T.I. to the next level where international humanitarian operations are concerned. She's brilliant, and she believes in Talbot International's mission, perhaps more than anyone.

  "I think someone is leaking information," I say, reaching for another dinner roll.

  "Who? Sinclair?"

  "Unlikely. He has too much to lose. Truthfully, I've wondered if it's not Tracey Milton."

  "Lexi's assistant?" One of Evans's brows flies upward, his surprise evident.

  "Mmhmm. She's the only one with unfettered access to Lexi. We ran an extensive background on her and she has an impeccable record, but she's been on edge recently."

  "Hasn't everyone?" he questions.

  "True enough, but it's something more with her. She was incredibly anxious about you coming in. I can't help but wonder if she's not mixed up in something she shouldn't be. I could be reading more into it than is there, but I warned Lexi to be very careful what she says to her."

  Evans thinks about it for a moment, frowning. "I'll keep an eye on her," he says then.

  "Couldn't hurt." I'm not sure Tracey would do anything to intentionally hurt Lexi, but I have a feeling if Evans digs deep enough, he'll find something she's trying hard to hide. I'm not sure if it'll be that she's sharing information she shouldn't or if she's involved in something else, but all the signs are there. For Lexi's sake, I hope I'm wrong. It'll kill her if Tracey's the one attempting to undermine her authority by disseminating information about her personal life and the crisis her family has endured.
r />   "What does Olivia think about you two moving the wedding up?" Lexi asks.

  My mother's name catches my attention. I turn to see Savannah worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as if it's only just occurred to her that we still have to break the news to my parents.

  "She'll deal with it," I murmur, reaching out to snag Savannah's hand. Bringing it to my lips, I brush a kiss across her knuckles. "It's our wedding," I remind my girl.

  "She's going to be so upset," she whispers, clutching her stomach.

  "No, she won't," Lexi hurries to assure Savannah, mouthing sorry to me. "She can't wait until you're her daughter-in-law. If moving the wedding up makes you and Jared happy, she'll be all for it. Besides, she's going to love that you're doing it on his birthday. It's romantic."

  "You're his gift," Kit adds.

  "You're my everything," I amend, causing the girls to break out in a chorus of aww's.

  Savannah takes a deep breath and then blows it out. "You're right. She'll be okay with this." She doesn't quite sound like she believes it, but at least she's not letting it stress her out. As excited as my mom has been about the wedding, the last thing she would want is to upset my girl.

  "We'll tell her together," I promise.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Domino Effect

  "Jared." Savannah's hand runs across my chest, shaking me gently. "Wake up."

  I groan and roll toward her, reaching out blindly to pull her into me. "No," I mumble against her ear, throwing a leg over hers to keep her in the bed with me. "It's not time to get up. Go back to sleep, beautiful girl."

  "Jared," she says again, laughing softly. "Your phone has been ringing for ten minutes. You need to answer it."

  I lay still for a moment, and then I hear the ringing from the other room. Peeling my eyes open reluctantly, I realize it's still dark outside. A quick glance at the clock alerts me to the fact that it's two in the morning. What the hell?