by Ford, Mia
“Hey, Jayden. Long time no speak. How have you been?”
Okay, he sounds all happy and casual so I’ll take that as a good sign. “Yeah, good, buddy. But I need your help. Do you have a moment to talk? I don’t want to interrupt anything…”
“Is this to do with that woman? Because I don’t know if I want to get in the middle of anything…”
“It’s bad, Tommy, you know I wouldn’t call you up for help if I didn’t need it. It’s really bad. I can’t give you all the details over the phone but I can let you know that Savannah is telling the truth.”
“About the boy?” he gasps, shocked. “Are you serious? He’s still alive?”
“It’s looking that way, but right now Savannah is in an institution and I need to get her out.” I shift uncomfortably in my chair. “I know this is a bit of a rough subject, but can you help me?”
“Dude, I will do whatever I can but you’re going to have to tell me more. Face to face.”
“Face to face?” I squeeze my eyes shut in despair. “But I can’t come back right now.”
“No, I know, I’m not asking you to. I’m going to come to you. You need me, I’ll be there.”
“Oh really?” Relief floods my chest. Things are always easier with Tommy around, He has this way of making things better. I already feel a hundred percent more positive just knowing that he might come. “You will?”
“You just sit tight. I will be there as soon as I can, okay? Just text me the address of where you’re staying. And you know me, I’ll find a way to make this all happen. That’s just what I do.”
“Tommy, I cannot thank you enough. You are an absolute legend!”
I hang up the phone and smile at Pippa. She gives me a look like she isn’t too convinced right now, but she will be. Soon she’ll see that Tommy is even more of a life saver than me.
“We’re going to be okay,” I tell her with confidence. “Tommy will sort this, I promise you.”
“You think?” She knots her eyebrows together. “God, I hope you’re right. We need all the help that we can get right now. I need to rectify the mistake that I didn’t mean to make.”
“We’ve all made mistakes when it comes to this, Pippa, I almost walked away. We can’t change what’s happened, we can only make it right from here on out. Together, we’ll solve this, honestly.”
* * *
Anxiety bubbles through me as I sit in the driver’s seat of the car as if I’m a get away driver. This feels all wrong, I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but Tommy has told me to trust him and that’s what I’ll do.
“What do you think is happening in there?” Pippa leans across from her seat in the back of the car and whispers to me. “Do you think Tommy is going to do it? Was he very confident that he could just get her out, is that right?”
“I know, but in all honesty, whenever he tells me that he’s going to do something, he does.”
I try to fill Pippa with confidence, and I am being truthful with what I say but it hasn’t ever involved someone’s life before. Certainly not the life of the woman I’ve loved for a decade.
“He said he knows this world anyway, so we just have to trust that it’ll work.”
“Okay.” Pippa pauses thoughtfully. “Let’s just hope that he comes out with her then. And where will we go after that? Because Bryan came to my place last to me and I’m sure he will again. Once he realizes that Savannah is missing, he’ll be gunning for me, I just know it. I don’t want to be alone when he does.”
I turn in my seat to look at her. “I will get you a motel room, if you want one? Tommy is staying in the motel too for a while so we all can, just while we figure things out. It’s out of town and won’t be booked in your name so he shouldn’t be able to find you. Me and Tommy will look after you as well.”
“Do you think maybe one of you could come back to my place first to get some stuff?”
“Of course! We all need to look out for each other in all of this… oh my God, look!”
I point towards the entrance to the building where Tommy is half carrying Savannah out. She blinks in the sunlight and shields her eyes with her hand. She looks pale and sickly, but also happy to be out.
“Oh my God.” Pippa sounds as impressed as I feel. “He’s done it. He’s actually done it.”
“I told you, didn’t I? Tommy is a legend when it comes to things like this.”
I turn the key and bring the car to life, my heart now hammering against my chest. Nerves dart through my body. At least she’s out, but now this could mean we’re in real trouble. I’m freaked out by Bryan, he seems like a loose fucking cannon and I don’t know what he’ll do next. The more I learn about him, the worse he becomes.
“Right, come on,” I mutter to Pippa so she’ll sit down and strap herself in. “Let’s get out of here.”
Tommy helps Savannah into the car and I turn to see her giving me a longing look. I turn my lips up into a smile which I hope reassures her just a little bit. I know it can’t be much after everything she’s been through but I hope it helps just a little bit. She leans into her friend, getting comfort from Pippa too.
“Come on then, let’s get a move on,” Tommy declares once he slips into the passenger’s seat. “We need to get to the motel, I would suggest sooner rather than later.”
I pull the car into drive and move out of the car park. Leaving the sleek, posh looking building behind I feel like I can breathe out a sigh of relief because Savannah is with us. I wasn’t sure she would be.
“I’m not even going to ask you how you did that, I’m just glad that you did. Thanks, Tommy.”
He leans back in his seat and smiles. “I think you need me in all of this after everything you’ve told me. I’m going to spare out a bit of my time to help you as much as I can.”
“That would be awesome. Thank you, Tommy. The more people working on this, the better.”
I glance in the rearview mirror and see Savannah with her eyes closed as she leans on Pippa. Pippa gives me a relieved smile as she embraces her friend. I can see that we’re finally on the way up. I think at this point we all need some healing and this could be the start of it.
But I want to spend some time with Savannah alone before we move forward.
“Tommy, I know that I’ve already asked a lot of you, but is there one more thing you can do for me?” He gives me a side eyed unimpressed look. “Well, it’s not really for me, it’s for Pippa. Will you pop to her house with her to grab some stuff? She wants to stay at the motel with us so Bryan can’t get at her.”
“Oh, of course. We don’t want that psycho near any of us if we can help it.”
“Thank you, Tommy,” Pippa pipes up. “I appreciate it a lot. I just need to get some stuff for work.”
“Oh yeah?” He turns right around in his chair. “And what is it you do?”
“I’m a journalist. I work for the local news station.”
“Oh wow, that sounds really interesting. You must get to cover lots of great stories.”
“Probably not as interesting as the army, but yeah, I do like it a lot…”
I focus on the road while they talk, trying to get to the destination as quickly as I can. I’m excited now, pleased that I can hold Savannah in my arms. And I’m even more grateful that I didn’t leave. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I left Savannah alone in all this hell. It’s all worked out for the best actually.
Let’s just hope things keep on looking up. We all need that.
15
Savannah
I feel a little stronger as I walk into the motel room, like the drugs are finally leaving my system completely. The moment Tommy rode in on his white horse to save me from that place was the moment I began to feel more like myself. Jayden has really pulled it out of the bag, he’s become my hero, and I love him for it…
The thing is, I really do love him. I’ve loved him for as long as I can remember and that doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. I never loved
Bryan, I was forced into that, and he doesn’t love me either. He can’t love me and treat me in the way that he does. Maybe he didn’t even love me from the start, it was all just a tactical game. That would be very much like him. He’s married me for the money or whatever and now he can fuck whoever he wants whenever he wants. He doesn’t even hide it. I think he’s proud.
“Thank you,” I rasp as I turn to look at Jayden. “Thank you so much, you have no idea…”
“Well, Tommy was the one who sweet talked the nurses.”
He shrugs and blushes, coy and playing down his victory. He’s so sweet, just the way that he’s always been. He hasn’t changed much in the last decade. He’s grown stronger, his body is thicker, and he looks better, but deep down he’s actually the same person and I love him for it. He’s so awesome.
“You took my call and you came for me.” I step closer to him. “I appreciate it so much.” I slip my fingers through his and smile up at him. His eyes widen in surprise but he doesn’t move. “And not only that, but you found the van too. That’s such a massive thing, it proves that I’m telling the truth.”
“Well, that was by accident too. I was getting my car fixed at the time. But I learned a lot too. I know now that it was never in a crash so there’s no way it could have happened like Bryan said.”
I mentally cheer, feeling amazing. Thank God for that, I’m right!
“There is actually something that I want to ask you…” he starts. “But it might be best if I wait until you’re better. I know you’ve just been through a horrendous time and you’ll need to sleep.”
“No, no, I actually feel more alert than ever,” I insist, being honest. “Ask away.”
“Okay.” He chews down on his bottom lip looking nervous. “Do you know a man named Hank Fry?”
“Yes, that’s a name I know.” I narrow my eyes at him. “He works for my dad, why?”
“Oh, he does?” I can see Jayden gulp. “I just think… he might be a person of interest that’s all.”
“You think he was in on this?” I don’t know much about him to be honest, so I can’t tell if he’s a good or bad person. This isn’t totally a surprise to me. “Was he one of the guys who stole my son?”
“I don’t know, I don’t want to say that, he was the owner of the van, that’s all and I want to speak to him.”
“Oh right, well as far as I know he lives near the bank in town. He should be easy to find.”
His face lights up, this must be something that he’s struggled with because he doesn’t know anyone here. Thank goodness they brought me out now at the right time! I can be useful again.
“We can start tomorrow then. First off, you need some rest.”
He indicates towards the bed but I shake my head. “I don’t want to go to bed alone.”
“Oh.” He gives me a confused look. “But I’ve book you your own room, I thought you’d want some space.”
“That’s really sweet.” I refuse to let go of his hands. “But I don’t want to be alone.”
I can see him hesitate but I continue to give him a loving look. He’ll be scared because this is wrong, and I know it as much as he does. We shouldn’t be even in the same room right now, not with all of this sexual chemistry floating around us, but my marriage is a shame. To me it just feels like this is where we were meant to be the whole time. It’s almost as if it’s ten years ago and we’re outside that bar once more, about to kiss.
“Yeah, okay, whatever you need,” he rasps, sounding very unsure. “I’ll stay here with you.”
With a smile I lead him to the bed and I climb inside. He cocks his head curiously at me, unsure if this is what he should be doing, but I nod encouragingly. I want to hold him now, I want to hug him, to feel safe and warm in his arms. I don’t want to spend another night alone, I’ll feel like I’m in the hospital again.
Once he caves and he climbs in next to me. The weight and warmth of his body causes butterflies to flap violently in my stomach. I turn onto one side and smile at him, breathing in his wonderful scent.
“Hi,” I whisper as he turns onto his side and smiles at me too.
“Hi,” he chuckles back. “This is a bit nuts, isn’t it?” I nod. “I didn’t think we’d end up here.”
“No, me neither. But it feels good, right? It’s okay that we’re here?” I’m asking him, I need to know what he thinks. It’ll determine what happens next. “You don’t hate this, do you?”
He blushes brightly. “No, I don’t hate it at all. It actually feels really awesome.”
I crawl my fingers forward and gasp loudly as I brush them against his skin. He’s sent electricity racing all the way through me and I don’t know what to do with it. It’s all brand new. It’s incredible though.
I move my hands across him until my arm is around his neck and then I shimmy closer to him until our noses are touching. We’re breathing in deep, inhaling one another, and it’s building an intense anticipation. A vibration starts in the tips of my toes and it creeps through my veins, working all the way up me, buzzing at my core, tingling in my chest, affecting every tiny bit of my brain. I’m utterly consumed by him.
“Is this a bad idea?” he whispers thoughtfully. “Do you think maybe we should take a step back?”
I cling my fingers to his cheek and refuse to let go. “No. I don’t think that at all.”
He won’t take control because he doesn’t want to make any offense so I do it for him, I push myself towards him tantalizingly slowly, filling in the gap between us and I press my lips against his.
Oh my God! Kissing him, even just this tiniest little bit, feels like the most wonderful sensation in the world. I love it. Fireworks explode in my chest, tingles burst all over my skin, I can feel goose bumps pricking everywhere. I cling to him tighter and deepen the kiss, darting out my tongue and swirling it around his. Kissing Jayden reminds me of the past, of who I used to be, of who I wanted to become. I much prefer that version of me.
I want more, I want what I didn’t have last time so I slide one hand slowly down his body, feeling each and every muscle across his torso as I go. It makes me groan loudly and lustfully, his body is amazing. Then I inch it downwards until I reach the top of his trousers. I’m itchy with desire, I need him now.
“Wait.” Jayden clasps his hand down over mine to stop me before I go too far. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. Of course I am.” I smile up at him, flickering my eyelashes. “I’m sure.”
But his grip doesn’t loosen. “I just don’t want to take advantage of you…”
I pull his hand away from mine and press it to my panties. My dress has already hitched around my waist so he can feel the pulsing heat coming from my core. “I’m certain,” I rasp out. “Feel how sure I am.”
He groans like he’s in pain and nods. He doesn’t move his hand while I inch his trousers down, he stays there, slowly massaging me through the cotton material. I can feel my body soaking them. Soon I’ll be soaking him.
I pull him free, wrapping my hand around his throbbing erection and I slide my eyes closed in bliss. It’s easy to put myself back ten years and to imagine this is what should have happened at the end of that night. I wanted him to come back to my room then, but he was such a gentleman. How different things could have been…
It’s nice to live that fantasy for real. It feels really fucking right.
“Oh, Savannah.” He slips my panties down over my butt, setting me free. “You’re so wet.”
“All for you.” I hungrily kiss his ear lobe and cheeks, slipping down to his throat. “You make me this way.” He slips a finger inside, pumping away at my core. “Jayden, I really need you.”
Already, I can feel myself tipping towards the edge, I’m tip-toeing on a knife edge, ready to fall over. It’s as if the last ten years have been pure torturous foreplay and now I can hardly handle it. I need him now before I completely crumble and fall apart. It’s building, like a pressure, burning at my core.
> “I need you too.”
Thankfully, Jayden tugs a condom from his pocket and he tears it open. Watching him roll it down over himself is like pure sex on a plate. He’s like an angel, ready to send me to heaven. And my God, I’m ready for him. I roll my hips, writhing and flipping myself off the bed as I eagerly wait for him. I reach forwards, trying to grab him quickly, to bring him to me, which seems to make Jayden very happy. He loves seeing me lose my mind.
He leans forwards, hovering over me like a predator, and brings those delicious lips of his down to meet mine. As we kiss hard and passionately, I can feel him nudging my entrance, begging to be let in. I part my thighs even further and flip my hips up to meet him. I can’t play games, I’m far too needy for that.
“I want you now,” I gasp as I arch my back. “Please, Jayden. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
I don’t even have time for us to take our clothes off, we’re simply in a state of almost undress, but it’ll do. My dress hitched up around my waist, his trousers tugged down, is enough for now. It sets free what we need.
In one powerful thrust the loud clap of our bodies slamming together fills the room and it sends my head spinning into the clouds. Stars flicker in front of my vision; a heady thickness consumes me. This is the most incredible sensation I’ve ever had in my life, and the faster he pumps the better it gets. I love it. I cling tightly to Jayden and ride through the pressure, pushing it further until he’s coaxed an orgasm right out of me.
“Oh, Jayden!” I cry out and the bliss washes over me in waves. “Oh fuck! This is… it’s…”
I can’t explain how I feel tight now, the sensations flooding me are too much, too intense. I’m buzzing, buckling, flipping, losing myself completely. I hold onto Jayden, loving him with every fiber of my being. This is real, this is what love is supposed to feel like, this is where I want my future to be.
