Page 14 of The Saviors: Part Two
“You should have never been in this life, Nolan,” Cole says softly. “We wrapped you up in some really bad shit.”
“I make my own decisions on what I’m wrapped up in,” Nolan says hotly. “You act like I’m fucking fragile, and I’m just going to fall apart.I’mthe one who went against what Charlie wanted and got help.I’mthe one who ran to save Axel with no clue how I was going to do that.I’mthe goddamn reason they’re out of that hell hole. Quit treating me like a fucking princess.”
“No one’s saying that—”
Nolan holds up a hand to cut Axel off. “Yes. You are. I can see the look on both of your faces. You’re going to bench me when we get back to Forest Grove.” Nolan jerks the new shirt over his head and gets an automatic from the floor. “And I’ll be damned if I went through that fucking training for nothing.” He hands one to me, then Axel. He picks another one up, slings the strap around his neck, and dares us to say anything. “I can handle myself.”
Axel wraps a hand around Nolan’s neck and jerks his lips to his. He kisses him hard and then lays his forehead against Nolan’s. “I’m sorry. You’re right. You saved our asses back there.”
“I just sent out the SOS.”
Cole laughs. “Don’t get modest on us after that speech. You did it, Nolan. You saved them.”
“Thank you,” I say gruffly. “You saved more than just my ass.”
Before he can reply, Cole slams on the brakes. “Goddamnit!” he says. SUVs are lining the road, effectively blocking our path. Les and her guys in the SUV ahead of us spill out and over the hill when they open fire. We follow suit, and my vision tunnels when I start sliding down the hill. It’s like deja vu of the wreck, except we aren’t in a vehicle this time.
“We need to scatter! They’re trying to pin us down!” Les’ voice comes through the comms. “Is everyone out?”
Everyone starts calling out that they’re okay. We get to the bottom of the hill, and I grab Nolan without a second thought and push him to the ground. “Stay down,” I whisper.
He nods and gets into position with his automatic in front of him. Gunshots are cracking left and right, but I can’t see Cole or Axel. I know they’re good because they called out when Les asked, but I need my eyes on them.We can’t keep doing this.Charlie’s escalated past the point of torturing and has moved to wanting us dead. We’ve trained for this moment, but we all have a breaking point, and I think this is it.
I hear Les making a phone call, and then her voice abruptly cuts off.
“Les!” Ryder yells. “Get these motherfuckers!”
“We need to move. Stay low to the ground,” I instruct Nolan and start moving toward the sound of the other’s voices. Several shots are fired to cut us off from trying to get to the others.
“What do we do?” Nolan whispers.
I think through our options as fast as I can, and we don’t have many. I look down at Nolan, ready and waiting for whatever I say. “We fight back.” Just like that, he nods. “Aim up and open fire.”
He jumps up, and we pull the triggers. It’s time to take our advantage back.
It’s time to take our fucking lives back.
Chapter7
Chelsea
Idon’t know how long I’ve been running, but the woods seem like they go on forever. My legs and lungs are burning, but I don’t dare stop. The only thing that’s keeping me going is the fear of Brady catching me, overwhelming the pain. If he had been pissed before, this would take him to a whole new level.
“Chelsea!” Brady’s voice cuts through everything, and it makes me trip over his big shoes on my feet. I hit the ground hard but pull myself up, taking off again. “I knew you couldn’t resist it! Come on! You’ll never make it out of here alive, you fat bitch!”
That spurs me on even faster. I try to place where his voice is coming from, and I think it’s coming from my left, so I veer right. He already knows I’m out here, so I can’t risk hunkering down somewhere. It’s completely dark now, and I can’t see a foot in front of me. There’s no moonlight guiding my way, just the absolute will to live.
“Chelsea!” he sing-songs.Fuck.That sounds close. “I’m not the only one out here.” That almost pulls me up short. Of course, he would be using whatever Charlie would let him. “Just come back to the house!”
“Fuck off,” I mutter and take a sudden right. My feet slip out from under me, and I’m sliding down a hill. A tree branch scrapes my leg, and I have to clench my teeth to keep from screaming. I’m up and running before I can start to panic.
“Did you really think I’d fuck up something like tying you up?”Keep talking.The more he does, the closer I get to pinpointing his voice so I can avoid it. “You’re the fuck up in this marriage, not me.”
When I ran from Brady, I never filed for divorce because he would know where I was. I didn’t care about anything we shared together, I just wanted out. I started using my maiden name again because it’s not like what I was doing was entirely legal anyway. Now, I’m reminded that I’m still tied to this psychopath.Not if he’s dead.
“When I get my hands on you…” he lets that threat trail off, but I already know what he’s going to do to me. The one punishment he used to use against me was forcing me to have sex with him. He hasn’t done that since he’s taken me, and I’ll be damned if he touches me like that. “Chelsea! Goddamnit!”
I feel like I’m running in circles. There are no breaks in the trees, and I’ve passed the stream to my left twice. I can’t die here. I need to know if Brady is telling the truth about my guys. A thought hits me so hard that it takes my breath. If they’re dead, there is no one left to look for me. They’re all I had.No.I can’t think like that. I let visions of them fill my head and will them to be alive. All of them are too strong to be taken out like that. I’d feel that loss deep in my soul, and all I feel is the determination to see them again.
