Savannah's Curse by Shelia M. Goss Page B

the cleanup process.
    He kissed the top of her head. “You’re not in this alone.”
    â€œI don’t even know where to begin.”
    â€œYou take upstairs and I’ll take the downstairs and we’ll meet up somewhere in the middle,” Troy said, attempting to lighten up the situation.
    â€œYou’re sure you’re not an angel. One minute I want to hit you, and the next minute I want to give you a hug.”
    â€œI’ll take the hug,” Troy responded.
    Savannah wiped her teary eyes. “Just put stuff back, the best you can. I’ll do a thorough cleanup later.”
    Before they could act on their cleanup duty, the doorknob turned. Troy pushed Savannah behind him as he removed his gun. Asia and Montana walked in at the same moment Troy had unlocked the safety and was ready to shoot.
    â€œMan, you guys could have been killed!” Savannah shouted. She walked past Troy and hugged her sisters.
    â€œWe weren’t going to let you deal with this by yourself. This is our problem too,” Montana said, not once loosening her hug.
    Troy watched the encounter. “Ladies, I don’t mean to impose, but you might want to close the door.”
    Asia was the first to leave the group hug. “This place is a mess,” she said as she walked past them all.
    â€œWe were just about to straighten up.” Savannah closed and locked the door.
    â€œHelp is here.” Montana picked up pillows off the floor as she talked. “Troy, it’s good seeing you again.”
    â€œSame here. Just wish it were under other circumstances.”
    â€œI know what you mean,” Asia responded.
    Savannah and Troy took the downstairs, while Montana and Asia cleaned upstairs. Troy did a thorough sweep for bugging devices and was relieved to find none.
    â€œI’m sure they’ll be back. The information they were looking for was here.” Savannah made a beeline to the fireplace. She reached her hand up the chimney and removed some folders.
    â€œWhen did you have time to do that?” Troy asked out of curiosity.
    â€œA lady can never reveal all of her secrets.” Her eyes twinkled as she smiled.
    â€œI’m just glad they didn’t break anything,” Montana stated as she walked into the room.
    â€œIt could have been worse.” One of us could have been killed, Savannah thought.
    â€œI don’t know about y’all, but I’ve worked up an appetite.” Troy rubbed his stomach. “What do you ladies like? I’ll go pick us up something.”
    After taking their orders, Troy heard Montana say, “I like him. He’s a keeper.”
    He didn’t wait to hear what Savannah’s response would be.

9
    While waiting for Troy to return, the three sisters sat in the living room. The tension was thicker than molasses. Savannah felt responsible for the fear she knew her sisters now faced. “Ladies, this is getting dangerous. I think we should all move under one roof,” Savannah suggested.
    â€œNot here,” Montana responded. She looked around the room. “Do you actually think we would be safe here?”
    Savannah hung her head. She didn’t know what to think. “Until I can get a better handle on things, I think it’s best. First order of business, you both need to take a leave of absence.”
    Asia, who normally agreed with Savannah, threw her hands up in disgust. “You must have hit your head while you were trying to escape last night.”
    â€œVanna, what we need to do is leave this to Uncle Raymond,” Montana said.
    Savannah felt trapped. “Doesn’t it seem strange that Dad didn’t confide his suspicions with Uncle Raymond? Apparently, he didn’t trust him, so neither should we.”
    Asia stood up. “I’m out of here. Montana’s right. You are beyond obsessed.” Asia looked between Savannah and Montana. “You both are welcome to stay with me.” Asia