Page 13 of The Saviors: Part Two
“Report in,” Les says into the comms. She listens and turns to us. “Nothing. We’re good to go.”
“Hart is perched up there somewhere,” Cole explains, and I nod. He hands me an earpiece so I can keep up with what’s going on.
“Did Charlie really get away?” I ask, feeling that rage bubbling inside me.
“Yeah,” Nolan answers. “Axel beat the shit out of him, and when I went to go find something to tie him up with, Axel fell asleep on the job.”
Axel breathes a laugh. “You little asshole.” He slings an arm around Nolan’s shoulders and pulls him to his side. “You better be glad I like you, Naughty boy.”
Gage flips around and starts walking backward. “Wait a minute. You two?”
“Gage,” Les groans. “Now is not the time for one of your gossip sessions.”
“Come on, Pretty girl. I need answers.”
Ryder chuckles. “Just ask Bridget. I’m sure she already knows.”
“Ohhhhhh. That’s a damn good idea. Or Caden. That motherfucker knows all the good shit.”
“To answer your question, yes,” Axel says. “Me and him.”
Gage shrugs. “Cool. It’s about time Holden 2.0 got laid. What kind of other freaky shit is going on at your house?”
Zane shoves his shoulder to turn him around. “Shut up, Gage.”
Gage looks over his shoulder and waggles his eyebrows. “You going to spank me, Big Daddy?”
I blow out a breath and feel myself relaxing even further at his jokes. And when he gives me a small smile, I realize that’s what his intention was. Gage, even with all his bullshit, is one of the best at reading people. He picks up on shit that no one would even pay attention to. He reminds me of Sean in so many ways because Sean would be doing the same thing. Giving me so much shit that I’d have no option but to forget what just happened to me. Even if it’s short-lived.
We get about five feet from the building when the SUVs come into view. Sucking up what courage I have, I slide into the very back with Axel and Nolan in front of me with Cole driving. He pulls out to follow Les, and I can already feel the panic set in.
“Roll the windows down,” I croak, and they do it without question. Having already been in a wreck and feeling like I’m being suffocated means cars aren’t my favorite thing right now.
I let their conversation on how to find Chelsea fade into the background and go to that place where she’s with me. Her smile is bright, and when she wraps her arms around my neck, I don’t freak out. I crush her to my chest and just hold her there. Slowly my heart rate returns to normal, and I unclench my fists.
None of us can live without her in our lives. If this is how I feel, I can’t imagine what Axel and Cole are feeling. But both of them have gotten good at hiding what they’re thinking. Years of pretending you don’t love someone will do that to you.
Chelsea had just started to open herself up to us, and now she is right back where all the bullshit started. What I can’t figure out is how the fuck they knew we were in Abbs Valley and what road we would be taking. We knew it would be a risk going, so we stuck to the less traveled ways, which I guess Charlie would have known. The bomb he dropped about working with Brady is something I never saw coming. Chelsea was such a liability to him that he had to resort to sending her to a monster. He knew that if he didn’t do something, Axel and Cole would have come back and ruined whatever plans he had about taking down the Abbs Valley crews. He has to be delusional to think that would ever work. Charlie’s reach is big, but theirs is bigger.
“Where are we?” Axel asks when we hit the main road.
“Right outside of Grover,” Cole answers. “There’s a bag back there with clothes and shit in it.”
Nolan picks it up and starts handing the stuff out. When he hands me a shirt, I shake my head so fast I make myself dizzy. The burns and just the thought of something constricting my chest are enough to send me into overload. He smiles at me and then hands me socks and shoes.
He turns to Axel and looks at the wound on Axel’s thigh. “That looks really bad.”
“I’ll be alright, Naughty boy.” Nolan pulls medical supplies from the bag and does his best to cover the hole in Axel’s leg. Axel runs his fingers through Nolan’s hair and closes his eyes like he’s savoring that he’s still with us. “Are you really okay?”
Nolan helps Axel get into sweatpants, socks, and shoes before he sits back. “I am. I might melt down later, but my main focus right now is you guys and Chelsea. I don’t have time to worry about me.” Nolan pulls his shirt off to change to a new one, and Cole’s eyes zero in on his arm.
“What the fuck happened?” Cole barks.
“Charlie grazed me with a bullet trying to scare me.”
“He’s fucking dead,” I growl, making Nolan flip around in the seat. “It’s one thing to fuck with us, but he’s fucked with you now.”
Nolan snorts. “What makes me any different?”
