Savana walks timidly by Brice's side. As they make their way to the office they are stopped by the driver of the car from last night. "My wife is ready to do the shopping, sir. Did you have a list for her to take?"

"Not yet. Give us a few minutes to write one up, please."

"Yes, sir." The man turns to the girl and smiles, "It is good to see you up and about miss. I hope you find yourself comfortable here."

Savana gives him a slight smile, not really sure of the man.

"She doesn't speak, Calloway. Make sure that your wife gets her an iPad that she can use to communicate with us and use as entertainment when we are unable to be around her."

"Very good, sir. I'll let my wife know." Calloway nods and gives one last smile to the young girl. He thinks that she is very lucky to have Brice as a protector. He is known as one of the most vicious and nasty of the mafia leaders to those that try to mess with him. His men are all well trained and their services as body guards are highly sought after. 

Of course this also gives Brice a great deal of information that would otherwise be kept from him. As well as a wide ranging network of high powered individuals that owe him a great deal. Some of them owing their lives and that of their family members to him.

Owing the devil isn't something that sits easy with many of them, but it's better that then being dead or their families being dead.

Many of them have come to Brice looking to have problem people taken out. Competitors, preferably by death but however Brice can manage it.

Brice prefers blackmail and has a great deal of it on the shakers and movers that run the country. He will never be convicted of a crime because then the dirty little secrets he's been keeping safe will be let out of the bag. The powerful men and some women have no desire to have their little nasty secrets let out of the bag. Brice doesn't ask for money, he likes having them jump when he asks them too. Money can be traced back to him, but favors are much easier to hide.

Calloway hopes that the young miss will be able to regain her life and not have any troubles like those she has already gone through. He knows that Brice won't force her to stay, no matter what the feds might think. Brice has never had to force a female to do anything she didn't want to, unless they are one of the powerful ones and Brice asked them to do a favor for him.

He finds his wife busy getting together the shopping list for the mansion. She'll be taking one of the maids today, since she'll be busy shopping for the young lady. The maid will be doing the shopping for the mansion.

The housekeeper has her own credit card to use for the shopping, but Brice will be sending her another, from his private funds, for her to use on the shopping for the girl, Savana.

He heard the men talking about her as he was directing the clean up from breakfast. The men were talking about how her parents and boyfriend were killed in front of her when she was taken. Calloway feels really bad for her. The young miss had likely never seen violence before that and then to lose everyone that she loved in one go, no wonder she didn't talk.

Calloway hopes that Brice will be able to get her back to talking. There are many that would take advantage of a female unable to speak.

Brice leads the way into his office. Savana looks around in curiosity as Brice ushers her in. Savana takes her paper and writes, "This is the room you spend the most time in, isn't it?"

Brice smiles as he reads that. "Yes, it is. How did you know?"

"It feels like you." Savana writes. "I was going to go into Interior Design in the fall when I go to university."

"You'll still go if you want. Which University are you going to?" Brice asks highly interested in anything Savana tells him about herself. Brice has her sit down and start writing a list of clothes and things that she will need. He makes sure that she puts down sizes for the clothes and that she also puts down personal care items. He wants her to feel as at home as she can. When he sees that she didn't put down much on the clothing he doubles it, also adding in swim wear since Savana didn't, although he had told her about the swimming pools that she can use.

 "Pratt University. I didn't want to live in the city so I'm going to the branch in Utica." Brice stills, she must not know how close to Utica they are.

"Little One, Utica is the closest city of any size to us here. We live about half an hour away. If you would like, you can attend the university like you had intended and live here or if you wish I can have you taken to the dorms there or get you an apartment not too far from the campus."

Savana startles a bit and just jumps at his words. "You would let me stay here while I go to my classes in the fall?"

"I have told you, you are welcome here for as long as you wish. You are free to leave when you wish as well. You are of course allowed to switch to online courses if you still don't feel comfortable going to the mainstream classes. 

"I'm no hero, Savana. I am usually portrayed as the villain most of the time. At best you could call me an anti hero. Even that is pushing things really far. People are terrified of me and the government would love to take me down. I've given you enough that if you wished you could have them come and find enough evidence to easily arrest me."

Savana backs up from him and starts shaking. She is terrified now and he's not sure which part scared her.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Savana." Brice is actually more than a little hurt that now is the time that she's become afraid of him.

Savana scrambles to find her paper and pen. She hurriedly writes. "Not going to the police. Don't make me go to them."

"Shit. No, I won't make you go to the police. For the most part they are good people trying to do their jobs of protecting the people. You unfortunately found one of the most corrupted officers I've ever heard of. Not the worst, I know of at least one mafia boss that actually is on the police force, owns the whole fucking department and no one knows that it's him that's calling the shots. But most aren't like that. 

"I don't have a lot of respect for them, since we are on opposites sides of the law, but they do try to protect those they serve. That sheriff will pay for what he did to you and your family. I'm sure that he's done it to others as well, perhaps not as bad as what he did to yours, but I'm sure that he's collected and sold other girls, perhaps even some of the males that have gone missing from your town.

"I wouldn't have told you the things I did, if I thought you would actually turn me into the police, Savana. You are safe here, and I promise, you will be allowed to stay as long as you wish. If that means you take a commute into Utica to go to school, then I'll make sure that you have body guards that take your classes with you."

Savana gives him a confused look. "They'll have orders to protect you, but not keep you from making friends, including boyfriends."

Savana gives him a sad smile and looks down. 

Brice is confused, "What did I say, Savana?"

Savana writes on her paper and Brice stares at her words in shock. "You are kidding? No one ever asked you out except your boyfriend and only after high school?"

Savana shakes her head.

"Fuck those kids in you home town are as stupid as stumps." Brice declares and that makes Savana giggle right before a knock at the door came.

"Come in." Brice tells the person on the other side.

Savana stops giggling as she watches the young man walk into the room. "Savana, this is Seamons, he will be your bodyguard until Johnson is free to take over your protection."

Brice looks at Seamons hard, Seamons finds himself swallowing down his fear. "She is your responsibility to protect her unless KK or myself say otherwise. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Seamons is quick to answer.

"Good, now I have a meeting shortly and she must not be seen by him. She is allowed to go anywhere but stay away from the garden until after he leaves. I don't want him to catch even a glimpse of her. I don't trust him."

"Yes, sir." Seamons replies and gestures for Savana to go ahead of him as they leave the room.

"Where would you like to go, Miss Savana?"

Savana writes on her paper that she wants to lie down for a bit and so Seamons takes her back to her room.