Double Trouble

Thirty-six hours would go by without the Meadowbrook children before Savannah knew it was time to deal with her kidnapped children. And, the worst part of it was that, when Iyana found out of the Evermore/Meadowbrook children getting kidnapped, she seemed so blasé about the whole thing. It was despicable that her brother’s wife didn’t even care. The woman suggested that they wait it out and maybe—just maybe—the kids would be returned safety. Savannah doubted Iyana’s optimism; it just wasn’t her Jason’s or Justin’s style. Under no circumstances would the Evermore twins merely allow their niece and nephews to go free, not when they sought revenge for what Savannah and Toby had done to destroy them.

“We have to do this, Toby,” Savannah informed her husband when he returned home for the day. “It’s time we go after your brothers and rescue our children. This family feud has gone on long enough; I won’t allow it to continue. For seventeen years, I have felt the effects of your brothers’ vicious nature; no more. I want those two destroy again for all that they’ve done to me. If not destroyed; we’ll strip them of their immortality the way I did with you. You know Calarasi’s behind this; my dream thirteen years ago confirmed that he’s responsible for this. Eli has his suspicions and a part of me believes him.”

“Give me twenty-four hours; we’ll go tomorrow,” he replied.

Good, she thought. A rescue attempt is being made. Now all I have to do is ensure that Toby isn’t hurt because we go after those assholes. Due to the fact that she had eliminated Toby’s immortality from his veins thirteen years ago, Savannah needed to be careful regarding what happened to her husband. Losing her parents at age thirteen meant that she was not willing to lose him. During his stint as a vampire—the time during their relationship, immortality protected him. But, now that he was mortal, anything could take Toby away from her. Up against her brothers-in-law, this was not a good thing. Jason and Justin had immortality on their side and she could do nothing to save him if anything happened.

Savannah walked into the kitchen and was met with her brother as she went to retrieve more supplies. “Are you going after Reuben, Keith, and Dawn tomorrow?” he asked his sister.

“Yeah,” she nodded.

“So, you’ll have the weekend to find the kids?” he asked.

“That’s the plan. It looks like it’ll just be you and Eli here since Iyana plans on working all weekend.” Then, seeing the confused look on her brother’s face, she elaborated further. “Toby refuses to allow Eli the chance to step in and do his part. He wants to save his cousins from what he inadvertently allowed them to be subjected to. I think he should come with us though; Toby’s mortal now and we could use all the help we can get.”

Thomas’s blue eyes widened. “Well, that’s a shock. For years, you were always so intent on keeping Eli out of this. Though now it seems as if you’re willing to accept this; what changed?”

His sister shrugged. “After everything that happened—all the times I tried to keep my nephew out of this, I came to accept the fact that Eli’s a part of this; he has been since I had that dream thirteen years ago. From the time that Eli was a year-old, his destiny was written; his fate sealed. As much as I don’t want my nephew to be a part of this, he is. The boy I have helped raise is not someone I wish to be a part of this; however, it’s not like I really have a choice in the matter anymore. Eli Meadowbrook is a part of this; I doubt Toby is going to accept that though. He wishes for Eli to have nothing to do with rescuing his brothers.”

“That’s definitely true,” Thomas agreed. “After all that Toby went through during the century and a half that he’s been alive, he doesn’t want to lose anyone; in some respects that man is a lot like you, wanting to protect his wife, children, and her brother’s family. The possibility of Eli coming to help you rescue your children means that there’s a chance of my son getting hurt in any battle that ensues between the two sides. And, if Eli does get the chance to go, I’m going with you guys. You may need my help in getting the kids back.”

“I’ll let Toby know of that development,” she replied.

“Good,” her brother said, resuming his work.

Savannah chuckled. “It seems as if the entire family is going out of their way in order to protect my children. Both Eli and Thomas are willing to help me; it’s no surprise that Iyana hasn’t volunteered to help me. No matter what, that woman is always going to hate me. And, the thing is that I have no clue way. The only people I know that are always going to hate me for no apparent reason are Jason, Justin, and Calarasi. No one else hates me with such an abiding passion than them. Well, I’ll deal with that later; my kids are more important.”

It was shortly after that in which Savannah passed Iyana on her way in from her shift. Savannah was busy getting things ready for the following day when she looked up to see Iyana. “Hello, Savannah,” she said mildly. “How are you holding up after losing your kids?” She continued in a simpering voice. “I really do hope you’re okay; I’d hate to lose a niece and two nephews.”

“I’m sure you would,” Savannah replied, attempting to hide her sarcasm under a mask of indifference. Iyana didn’t care about Savannah’s children; she probably never would since she hated Savannah with such a burning passion. Despite being her sister-in-law, there would always be this unspoken hatred between them; a hatred that no one, save Toby, ever noticed. Not even Eli was aware of how much his aunt despised his mother; she concealed that from even him, never intending to tell anyone else of the issue Savannah had with the woman.

“No, I really do hope you find them,” Iyana insisted.

“Clearly,” Savannah replied. Despite Iyana’s assurances that she wanted nothing more than to see her niece and nephews rescued from Jason and Justin’s clutches, Savannah knew the truth. There was no way she could trust Iyana; Savannah knew that she never could. Savannah stormed away from her sister-in-law, not wanting to deal with the sight of her. Kids, I hope you’re okay; Mom’s on her way, hopefully, with your father, uncle, and cousin.