Page 27 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part two
I pull my legs up to my chest and bury my face against them, hugging my knees. Big sobs tear from my chest, and I can’t remember when I last cried this hard. Someone knocks at the door, so I try to get my shit together.
“Sweetheart, open the door.”
I clear my throat. “Give me a minute.”
“No. Open the door.”
I slide to the side and unlock it. Gavin gently pushes the door open and without a word, sits on the floor beside me, pulling me into his arms. I fight like hell to keep the tears at bay, but when he kisses the side of my head, I give up. Gavin doesn’t say a word, just rubs my back and gives me the chance to fall apart. When the sobs turn into hiccups and I realize what just happened, I can’t even look him in the eye. I try to pull away when he tries to tip my chin up, but he’s not having it. He grips my chin with two fingers and jerks my eyes to his.
“Don’t you ever hide from me. This has been hard and emotional. There’s nothing wrong with letting those feelings out.” Gavin stares at me until I nod in understanding. “Now. Do you feel better?”
I take a deep breath, nodding again. “I do.”
“Good.” Gavin reaches over and yanks some toilet paper off the roll. He mops my face up, making me laugh. “I know you hide a lot with humor, Ty. But I want you to know that I’m always here for you if - no,when- you decide to stop hiding behind it.”
“I know.” I jerk his lips to mine for a quick, hard kiss. “I’ll get there.”
“That’s all I can ask.” Gavin jumps to his feet and pulls me to mine.
I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tight. I knew Gavin was special when I first met him. Not many people would throw themselves into the line of fire for two people he barely knows but Gavin was willing to give his life for Chelsea and Nolan, and he continues to do so for us every time we go on a mission.
I’ll spend the rest of my life letting him know he saved my life too.
12
ARI
Iwatch as Tyler walks out of my room with tears in his eyes, making me feel like a total asshole. The nurse gives me a sympathetic look and starts checking the IV bags.
“How do you feel? Any pain?” she asks. I shake my head, even though my body feels like one giant bruise and my shoulder is screaming. “Don’t be a tough guy.” I give her a look and she laughs. “I’ve seen your type before.”
“And what type is that?”
“The type that grits their teeth through the pain, but that’s not doing you any favors. Your body needs time to heal, and you can’t do that when you’re hurting.” She checks a few more things and turns to face me. “I don’t know a lot about whatever you have going on, but I do know that the waiting room hasn’t been empty since you were brought in. They aren’t leaving, whether you’re awake or not.”
I see Axel step up to the door and nod. “Give me a few minutes.”
She pats my hand and smiles at Axel when he walks in. He drops into the chair like he’s aged ten years. “Good to see you awake, but I’m about to knock your ass back out.”
“Who tattled?”
Axel’s eyes narrow. “No one fucking tattled, you fucking dick. I heard what was being said in the damn waiting room. Have you gone insane? Were you without oxygen too long?”
“You know this is the safest option.”
“Did you not learn from my mistakes? As much as I wanted to take Charlie out on my own, I know I couldn’t have done it without my team. You found a group that wants to deal with your tempermental old ass, so don’t fuck it up.”
“This is worse than Charlie, Axel. My father is what Charlie delusionally thought he was.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that you can’t sideline the guys and lock Kira and Jason in a tower. Lean on them, Ari.” Axel sits up in the chair, and I know I’m not going to like what he has to say next. “And bring Tivon in.”
“Yeah, fuck that. I don’t trust someone who, instead of coming to me like a man, decided to stalk us.”
“He didn’t do anything that you haven’t done before. You’re just pissed because you couldn’t figure it out.”
“Fuck off,” I grumble. “Tyler said he wasn’t the one at Jason’s apartment or the one who tried to run us off the road. Did you guys just blindly trust him?”
“Do I look like someone who trusts easily? You know me better than that. He has information that you can use. As for theotherproblem, we’ll need to figure that out too. Any idea who that could have been?”
