Savanna shrugged. “I’ve been through this before.” The second choice, the expendable one. The one who wasn’t quite enough.
Fallon observed her a while. “If Korbin loves you, he’ll stick around.”
“Yeah, I know the drill.”
“No, I mean it. He loved my mother and he stood by her no matter what. He never cheated on her and he treated her like a queen. I see that now. It took me a while, but I saw it.”
Savanna smiled through the ache in her heart. “Yeah, I know that about him.”
“May we have a word with the two of you?” an agent came over to them and asked.
Savanna saw that Korbin was being handcuffed.
“What are you doing?”
The agent glanced back. “We don’t have a choice. Your boyfriend is a hero, but he’s still a suspect in a murder. We have to take him in.”
Chapter 18
Demarco kicked the plywood again, trying to loosen the nails. But the boards were nailed good to the beams and weren’t budging. He paced his tiny space. Where the hell was Damen?
Hearing someone at the front door, he started yelling.
“Help! I’m in the basement! Help!” He kept screaming, “Help!”
A few moments later, he heard glass shattering. Whoever was there had heard him. He sagged against the cool metal of the bars for a second.
“Demarco?”
“Cora?” Cora had found him.
“Demarco!” He heard her feet thudding above and then reaching the basement door. She rushed down. Seeing him, she breathed and said, “Oh,” as she reached the barred door, gripping it with her hands.
“Oh, Demarco.”
“How did you find me?” he asked.
“I guessed he might have taken you to his house. I was hoping and praying.”
“You’re a good guesser. The key.” He pointed. “It’s hanging by the stairs.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t accustomed to so much excitement, violent excitement. He vowed to keep her from ever going through anything like this for as long as he lived.
Her fingers shook as she maneuvered the key in the lock. When it snapped open and the door swung free, he felt a rush of gladness.
Taking her into his arms, he hugged her and kissed her all over her face. “I love you.”
Her hands bracketed his face. “I love you, too.” She had begun to cry. “Oh, Demo. I have terrible news.”
She still held his face. He braced himself for what was coming, already knowing.
“Damen is dead.”
He shut his eyes. Would prison have been better? He’d have probably gotten life.
“Police found him in an RV park. They believe he tried to kill Korbin again and Korbin ended up killing him.”