Midnight Secrets

chapter

ONE


EIGHT YEARS LATER

“Savvy, have you seen my pearl necklace?”

“I think I saw it on your dresser yesterday,” Savannah answered. A huff of exasperation followed. “My hair still won’t lie down.”

A soft snort of disgust and then, “I can’t believe you two are acting so silly over some dumb dance.”

Smiling, his arms crossed, Daniel Wilde sat patiently outside the bedrooms of his granddaughters and listened to their excited chatter. Tonight’s dance was a special event for all of them—a benchmark moment they would all remember.

Savannah, shy and much too serious about most things, had surprised them all last month when she had firmly announced that she would be going to the dance. As it was her senior prom, she’d stated, it was a rite of passage for any teenager.

Her sister Samantha had been delighted to hear that news. Of course, there’d never been any question of whether Samantha would attend. The most popular girl in school, she had turned down at least a half dozen invitations before finally accepting a date from the star basketball player.

Their sister Sabrina, rebellious and sure to do the opposite of what people wanted or expected, had adamantly announced that she would most definitely not be going. Thankfully, and with much coercion from her sisters, she had changed her mind.

Uniquely individual, but in many ways so wonderfully the same, the girls were the joy of his life. Dear Lord, how he loved them.

After Beckett’s and Maggie’s deaths, he had assumed responsibility for their care. Though the tragedy of his son’s and daughter-in-law’s deaths had made him want to lie down and die, too, he hadn’t been able to wallow in his grief. Three devastated ten-year-old girls had needed him. Little did they know that they had probably saved his life.

Raising the girls hadn’t been easy, but any sacrifices he’d made had been worthwhile. Other than the occasional advice he’d sought from some of his female relatives and friends, Daniel hadn’t wanted or needed help. People had come out of the woodwork offering their assistance. A few had even offered to take one or two of the girls to raise as their own. Daniel had vehemently refused. Not just because he didn’t want the sisters separated or because they were his granddaughters. He’d had to do this for Maggie and Beckett. He’d failed them in so many ways. Taking care of their daughters was the very least he could do. And though he still grieved over the loss, he didn’t regret one moment of raising these amazing young women.

Hearing the whispers and giggles go silent, Daniel called out, “You girls about ready? I want to get some pictures before your beaus get here.”

Savannah came from Samantha’s room. The girls’ bedrooms all connected with one another—something their mother, Maggie, had insisted on when she learned she was having triplet daughters. She had said they would be one another’s best friends. She had been right. Though each girl, especially Samantha, had her own friends, the sisters were extremely close.

Daniel beamed at the demure but lovely picture Savannah made. “You look beautiful.”

The uncertain expression changed to a glowing smile. “Thanks, Granddad. I’m glad you talked me into buying a new one instead of wearing last year’s recital dress.” Slender, graceful hands smoothed down the off-white satin. “I like it even better than I did when I tried it on at the store.”

Before Daniel could speak, Samantha, a vision in ice blue, came through the doorway. “That off-white color looks great on you, Savvy.”

Savannah threw her an appreciative grin. “Thanks for picking it out for me. I just wish I could do something with my hair.”

“You need to stop trying to tame it. Let it go free.”

“Or get it cut off, like I did.”

Sabrina exited her bedroom and Daniel almost swallowed his tongue. The girls had gone shopping by themselves and this was his first look at their attire. Savannah and Samantha had chosen to wear elegant evening gowns. Samantha’s off-the-shoulder dress was a bit more daring than Savannah’s square-cut neckline with thin shoulder straps, but still respectable. The outfit Sabrina had opted for was neither elegant nor subtle. The only description he could come up with was “harem costume.” In fact, the last time he’d seen this kind of costume was a rerun of I Dream of Jeannie. Though surely Barbara Eden hadn’t worn combat boots.

“Sabrina Sage Wilde, what in the name of all that’s good and righteous are you wearing?”

Everyone turned at the shrill voice behind them. Gibby Wilcox, Daniel’s second cousin twice removed, had arrived. He had deliberately told her to come half an hour late. Gibby was a good-hearted woman but her nervous fluttering could wear thin at the best of times. He hadn’t thought having her advise three teenaged girls on the proper attire for a prom was necessary. Now he wasn’t sure he had made the right decision.

“I think she looks fabulous,” Savannah defended.

Before Daniel could comment, Samantha nodded emphatically. “I agree. Very avant-garde.”

Always one another’s staunchest allies, as usual the sisters banded together. Daniel watched Sabrina’s expression. The tilted chin spoke of defiance and the sparkle in her eyes told him she was waiting for him to tell her she couldn’t go. He also recognized the vulnerability behind the bravado—an emotion she tried so desperately to hide from the rest of the world.

As the shock wore off, Daniel took a moment to reevaluate Sabrina’s costume. Even with her midriff showing, the outfit was actually much less revealing than both her sisters’. Though demure, Savannah’s gown hugged her slender figure like a second skin, and Samantha’s gown, albeit decent, showed a bit more cleavage than he was truly comfortable with. Thankfully the wrap around her shoulders gave her more coverage. Sabrina was known as the “Wilde child” and had worked hard to earn the nickname. Yes, she had a different look, but that was to be expected. She thrived on being unique.

That settled in his mind, Daniel nodded. “I agree. She does look quite fetching.”

“But, Daniel, surely you can’t … I mean … she’s a Wilde … I …” Gibby shut off abruptly, her mouth opening and closing silently like a fish on dry land. A speechless Gibby was a sight to behold. Truth be told, he didn’t think he’d ever seen that happen.

Unfortunately that didn’t last long and she regained her composure quickly. “Well, at least make her wear decent shoes. Those look like something she found on the side of the road.”

“Actually I found them at a Goodwill store in Mobile,” Sabrina said. “They’re very comfortable.”

Daniel clapped his hands to get attention off Sabrina. “Now that everyone’s ready, let’s go out into the garden and take some pictures before your dates get here.”

Giving him a look that told him he was going to get an earful once the girls were gone, Gibby rounded the girls up and herded them downstairs.

Daniel blew out a sigh as he followed behind them. No, raising three teenaged girls hadn’t been easy, but it was the best and most honorable thing he’d ever done. He pushed aside the melancholy. Tonight was for his granddaughters. When the house was empty, he’d take the time to write his daily letter. How his wife, Camille, would have loved tonight’s event. If life had been fair or just, the girls’ mother and grandmother would have both been involved in readying them for this momentous occasion.

After his letter, he’d pour his one bourbon he was allowed each night and raise a glass to his beautiful daughter-in-law and handsome son, and once again apologize for not being wise or courageous enough to do what should have been done.

Alone at her table, Savannah tapped her foot in a nervous rhythm to the beat of the music as she watched the dancers on the floor. She felt out of place and uncomfortable, not an unusual occurrence. Social events always made her feel this way. Why had she thought her senior prom would be any different?

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her date, adding a new concern. That was his third swallow from a silver flask. She knew almost nothing about Billy Bartell. When he had asked her to the prom, she had been surprised but flattered. Having someone ask her out was unusual enough that it had given her a thrill of excitement. She had foolishly accepted, mostly because she had known no one else would ask her. She had hated the idea of going to the prom alone. Any other time she wouldn’t have been so needy or desperate. Not dating regularly had never really bothered her. Focusing on her schoolwork and extracurricular activities took up most of her free time. But this was her senior prom—a watershed event, a dividing line between childhood and adulthood. After tonight, followed by graduation next week, she would no longer be a schoolgirl.

Now, as she watched her date take a fourth swallow of whatever was in the flask, Savannah was seriously regretting the decision.

Billy had seemed nice, kind of shy and awkward. He was new at school, arriving only a few months before graduation. Savannah had felt a sort of a kinship with him. She understood the feeling of aloneness and obscurity. She had felt that way for most of her life. No, she amended. She had felt that way after her parents’ deaths. Murder-suicide was the stuff of TV news or fiction books, not a loving, secure family such as hers had been.

She’d once been a happy-go-lucky kid. But the summer it happened, everything changed. Life became somber and serious, and so had she.

Billy had seemed to share that air of seriousness. Savannah had felt no real zing with him, but that didn’t concern her. She wasn’t looking for zing. She had goals to achieve, and getting mixed up with any guy was not on her agenda until much later in life.

An image of the one boy she’d give serious thought to shoving aside her agenda for popped into her head. Slightly shaggy, golden-blond hair framed a handsome, intelligent face. His well-built, muscular body was at least six feet tall, and the confidence in his long-limbed swagger only added to his mystique. Completely out of her league and sphere of knowledge, Zach Tanner had secretly fascinated her from the moment she saw him. Not that he knew she existed. Having him notice her was only within the realm of her nighttime fantasies.

Zach was everything dreamy and sigh-worthy. She had first spotted him two years ago, when she’d been in town on an errand. He had been talking to Mr. Henson, the owner of Henson’s Grocery. Actually they’d been arguing. Henson was shorter, but much broader and had the fierce look of an angry, snarling bulldog. Zach hadn’t backed down. They’d almost been touching noses, their words heated and loud. Henson had been accusing Zach of something and he had been denying it. Unknown to either of them, Savannah had stood several feet away and watched the whole interlude. She had only caught bits and pieces of the argument because she’d been so fascinated by Zach. The way he’d stood, his shoulders so straight with an air of pride and self-assurance she could only imagine, fascinated her. He had seemed so mature … maybe even more so than Mr. Henson.

From that moment on, she had been on the lookout for him. Whenever she caught a glimpse of him, he always seemed preoccupied, as if he had a lot on his mind. Midnight was a small town and everybody knew one another. Being the kind of person who listened much more than she talked, she picked up more information than most adults thought she should know. Oddly, she didn’t know all that much about Zach and his family. She knew he lived on the other side of town and that his mother, Francine Adams, was a divorcée. And though Savannah had heard more than a few whispers of “floozy” and “harlot” in relation to Francine, she knew little more than that. Zach had a brother named Josh who was two years younger than Savannah and played on the football team.

A heavy arm came over her shoulders, startling her. She twisted her head around to see an obviously drunk Billy Bartell sitting beside her, grinning. His face was flushed with color and beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

“Why don’t we go to the car and make out?”

Her stomach roiling at the thought, Savannah shook her head. “I’m really enjoying listening to the band.” Hoping the exercise would sober him up, she pushed away from him and jumped to her feet. “I love this song. Let’s dance.”

Billy grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. Alcohol-tainted breath covered her face, making her stomach turn even queasier. “Let’s make our own music.”

Breath held to avoid the alcohol stench, Savannah resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the cheesy comment. She tried to pull away from him, but he held tight. She tugged again. “Let me go.”

“Not till I’ve had a taste of you.”

Horrified, she stopped struggling to gape at him. “Excuse me?”

“Come on, Savannah. Everybody warned me you were the uptight one. But with sisters like Samantha and Sabrina, there’s got to be more to you. Underneath that straitlaced, prissy air, I know there’s a wild woman. Loosen up a little.” Holding her with one hand, he reached into his jacket with the other and pulled out the silver flask. “Take a little sip and let’s have some fun.”

Not only had he insulted her, he had insulted her sisters, too. Torn between getting away from him and slapping him, Savannah took the flask he held out to her. She watched the triumphant grin disappear from his face as she poured the liquid onto the floor.

“Hey!” He grabbed her arm. “Stop that! That cost a lot of money.”

More furious at her own poor judgment than she was at the louse Billy had turned out to be, Savannah used both hands to push him away. “I’m leaving.”

“You’re not going anywhere, you ungrateful little bitch.” He grabbed for her again but she managed to jump away in time.

“Back off, you jerk.” Though she knew several eyes were on them, Savannah pushed her humiliation aside. Getting out of the room, away from Billy, was more important than her embarrassment.

Weaving in between tables, Savannah took rapid, determined steps, her eyes on her goal—the gym entrance. The temptation to run was strong but she resisted. She’d always done her best not to draw undue attention to herself; this would be no different. Blending into the background was something she was good at, and tonight she was glad for that. She hated the thought of people talking about her. There had been enough talk about the Wildes in her lifetime.

As she reached the door, she spotted one of Sammie’s friends. A pleasant smile fixed on her face, Savannah said, “Hey, Megan, have you seen Samantha or Sabrina around?”

Megan pulled away from the guy she was plastered against. “Haven’t seen Sabrina, but I think I saw Samantha and Toby going out to the parking lot a few minutes ago.”

With a nod of thanks, Savannah headed outside. If she couldn’t find either sister, she’d come back in and call her grandfather. How silly for her not to bring her cellphone with her. The sparkly little purse she’d been so excited about was only large enough for her lipstick, compact, and a small box of breath mints. She hadn’t even considered that she might need a phone.

Calling her grandfather would be her last option, though. She and her sisters did their best to handle these kinds of problems on their own. Daniel Wilde was super protective of those he loved, and when it came to his granddaughters, he would move heaven and earth to keep them safe.

Her parents’ deaths had occurred in early summer, and Savannah and her sisters had still been reeling with the grief when the new school year began. They had never anticipated the snide comments and cruel jokes of their classmates. Even at ten years old, Savannah had been mature enough to realize that most of the hurtful words were just being repeated from what kids had heard their parents say. That hadn’t prevented the hurt.

At the beginning, she would tell her grandfather everything, but had soon stopped when she’d seen his reaction. Daniel Wilde had been livid. He’d confronted the principal, the teachers, and had even faced down a couple of parents. Not only had it been embarrassing for her, she had been worried about his health. His face would get purple with rage, and Savannah spent sleepless nights worrying that she would lose him, too.

She learned to keep her mouth shut. Whenever comments were made, she pretended she hadn’t heard them. Eventually the kids stopped. By then, Savannah had become quiet and withdrawn. Getting lost in her studies or her favorite books was her way to cope.

No, calling her grandfather and telling him that Billy had been a skeevy creep would be her last resort.

Lost in thought, Savannah was in the middle of the overpacked parking lot when she realized that not only was her sister not around, coming out here by herself hadn’t been the wisest decision she could have made. A group of boys, some dressed for the dance, some not, were leaning up against the cars, drinking and smoking. She turned to walk away and zeroed in on a new goal—getting away before any of them noticed her.

“Hey, Blondie, where you going in such a hurry?”

Not looking back to see if she knew who’d called out, Savannah kept walking. Once again, she was tempted to run. This time she would have if her long dress and four-inch heels hadn’t impeded her speed. She thought about taking a moment to stop and step out of her shoes, but the sound of rapid, heavy footsteps behind her kicked her heart rate into high gear and forced her into a running panic. A bulky body stepped out from the shadows and stood in front of her; Savannah jerked, her high-heeled feet skidding against the pavement to avoid a collision.

A wobbling, obviously drunk Clark Dayton stood before her. Sober, he was one of the most obnoxious guys she knew. Judging by the belligerent smirk on his flushed, round face, being intoxicated hadn’t made him any nicer. After graduating last year, he had left Midnight for college. All three Wilde sisters had been glad to see him go. He had tried to date each of them, and when Savannah, the last one he asked, had turned him down, he had resorted to crude comments and behaving even more obnoxiously.

She stepped around him and said firmly, “I’m going back inside.”

He grabbed her arm and whirled her around. Three other guys were standing behind him. She recognized Clark’s cousin, Mason Hardy, but didn’t know the other two. Savannah refused to panic. These jerks were just trying to scare her and admittedly doing an excellent job.

“Let me go.” The words were a demand but she inwardly winced at how shaky and uncertain she sounded.

“I don’t think so. It’s about time you Wilde bitches learned a lesson. You ain’t no better than anyone else.”

“We never said we were. You—” She stopped abruptly. Getting into a verbal shouting match would accomplish nothing. She needed to get away and quick.

Her head twisted so she faced the school building, she pretended she saw someone and called out, “Hey, guys, I’m over here!”

Clark twisted around, giving Savannah the opportunity to jump away from him and run. She took three steps forward before one of the boys she didn’t know stood a few feet in front of her. He began walking toward her, leaving Savannah no choice but to back up. She slammed into an unmovable object—Clark Dayton. Beer-scented breath whispered in her ear, “We’re going to have us some fun.”

He backed away, leaving Savannah to turn slowly around and assess her situation—it wasn’t good. She had somehow been corralled into a dark area of the parking lot. Four drunken young men surrounded her and there was no help in sight.

One of them thrust a bottle toward her. “Take a long, deep swallow … it’ll get you in the mood.”

Having no other choice, Savannah opened her mouth, took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of her lungs.