Page 109 of The Saviors: Part Two
“It’s not that, Sean. Charlie isn’t safe.”
I bark a laugh. “No shit. What do you know?”
“Not a lot. Grant dealt with him more than I did. He runs some kind of mercenary group.”
“Heusedto. He’s after my family, and I need to know everything.”
“You have a family?” He looks around the room. “Did you bring them?”
“Fuck no. Are you stupid? Why are you acting like you give a fuck?”
He swallows and folds his hands in his lap. “I have a lot of regrets from your childhood. Ones that I wish you would let me make up for.”
I lean in close, and he almost shrinks back. “You mean when you found those gay magazines under my bed and beat me for two days? Or when you locked me out of the house in the middle of winter because I scratched your Porsche? Oh, wait, it might be the time you refused to feed me for almost four days because I dropped a plate of spaghetti at six. It definitely could be the time that you held a knife to my dick, threatening to cut it off unless I admitted that I was straight. There is no making up for any of that. Tell me about Charlie so I can leave.” I let all that sink in, and I notice that the guard has moved further away, probably letting me say what I need to in peace.
“He approached Grant many years ago. You might have been seven or eight at the time. He told Grant and me that we would have protection if he could use Rose Hills for his illegal activity.”
“He didn’t hold up his end of the bargain. Because Grant’s dead, and you’re rotting here. What else?”
“He would pop in from time to time, but it was only to make sure we were doing what we were supposed to.”
“Did he ever mention Abbs Valley?”
“All the time. He had an obsession with taking them down so he could gain control. We told him he was crazy, but he was adamant. How are you mixed up with him?”
“That’s none of your concern. Is there anything else you can tell me?” He shakes his head, and I sigh. “So I wasted a trip here.”
“I’m sorry I don’t know more. Maybe Grant has something stashed in his files.”
“We’ve already thought about that. Ghost is on it.”
“Gabriel is okay?”
“Quit acting like you care,” I hiss, my anger rising to the surface.
“I do care! I wish I were a better father to you.”
“You weren’t shit to me. I wasn’t going to do this, but I need to. You made my life hell, but I didn’t need you to become the man I am today. The man who has the love of a beautiful woman and his family. That’s right, Mattie. I’m still not straight, and it’s the best time of my fucking life. We’re all going to get married, and I’ll spend my life worshiping the ground they walk on. If life ever blesses me with a child, I’ll make sure that kid knows every day how much I love them no matter how much they mess up. Because, unlike you, I have the capacity to be that man. Have a nice life, asshole.” With that, I stand up and make my way to the door.
“I’m dying, Sean. I have liver cancer.”
I turn back around, and I can see the hope all over his face that, somehow, this will change things between us. “Good. I hope it’s painful.” I watch his face fall, and that’s all I need to see.
I leave the room without a backward glance, hand my badge to the guard at the desk, and make it outside before I lose my shit. I thought I was over the shit he did to me growing up but replaying it for him has fucked me up. “Come on,” Ghost says, leading me to the car. He helps me sit down, jogs to the driver’s side, and fires the car up. He doesn’t move, he just waits for me to say something.
“He’s dying. Why the fuck do I care that he’s dying?”
“Because you’re still human, Sean.”
Something in that statement breaks me. A sob erupts before I can stop it, and Ghost is jerking me into his arms. I cling to his shirt and cry for the child I never got to be. For the thirteen-year-old me who was so confused because he found guys attractive. For that same kid whose dad jerked him naked from the shower and placed a knife against him. I cry for every bad memory that flashes through me. It feels like it goes on forever, and I can’t stop the tears. The car door opens behind me, and I whirl around to come face-to-face with Kai. I jerk back to look at Ghost. “I thought you might need him after this, so he followed us down.”
Kai doesn’t say a word, just pulls me from the car, pushes the seat up, and shoves me into the backseat. He climbs in behind me and pulls me into his chest. I try to fight the tears again, but he’s not having it.
“You were there for me when I needed you the most. Let me be there for you.”
“He’s dying, Kai. Liver cancer. I shouldn’t fucking care!”
“But you do, and that’s okay.”
