Page 42 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part two
“It’s not small!” Nolan yells in the background, and I crack up when Axel’s eyes narrow.
“Get Nolan what he needs, and stop fucking calling him.” The call disconnects before I can reply, and I laugh even harder.
“We’ll let him stew for a while.” Tivon jerks his head toward the door, indicating who he’s talking about. “A couple hours with that and he’ll be more willing to give up information.”
Tivon goes outside and Ari raises a brow at me in question. “Tivon flipped his shit downstairs when he found out one of those guys is the one who grabbed Jason.”
“What the fuck?” Jason stirs from Ari’s tone, and Ari smooths a hand down his cheek. “Tell me you killed him.”
I chuckle. “It wasn’t me. Tivon slit him open. His insides are currently on the outside.”
“Tivon?”
I sigh and sit in the chair in front of the couch. “You can’t tell me you don’t see that Tivon is struggling to fit in. He’s already working with us as part of the team. He would put his life on the line for any of us.”
“That’s his job.”
I shake my head. “It’s more than a job for him. You should have seen how fast he reacted when that piece of shit called Jason a faggot, and when he realized he’s the fucker that hurt him.”
“Tyler, I’m on too many meds to sift through your riddles right now.”
“He wants to be a part of us. Not just the team.” Ari just keeps staring at me, and I roll my eyes. “The relationship, Ari. He would walk through fire, which he did, for Kira and Jason. He would take a bullet for any of us. That’s more than a job.”
I can tell by the look on Ari’s face that now isn’t the time to push the issue, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop pushing. I need a plan.
And I think it has everything to do with the man currently sleeping in Ari’s lap.
18
ARI
Between the pain, Tyler’s words, and the constant threat over our heads, I didn’t sleep for shit last night.
After Tyler dropped his bomb, he gently woke Jason up, and they helped me to bed. I can’t even say I tossed and turned because I can barely fucking move, which is already getting on my nerves. I want to get back in the field, but until Keon and I are both healed, this is all falling on Tivon.
Which brings me back to the main reason I couldn’t fucking sleep. Does Tivon really feel out of place here? We’ve done everything we can to make sure he knows he's part of the team, but I could also see him feeling like an outsider coming into what I’ve built here. The problem is, I don’t know how to change it.
With a groan, I try to swing my legs out of the bed but before I can move fully, the door opens, and Gavin walks in. “Where are you going?”
“I have to piss. Were you standing guard at the door?”
Gavin shrugs and walks to the bed. “No, I was coming in anyway. But if you’re going to try to do shit yourself, maybe we should.”
“I fucking hate this shit.”
Gavin helps me sit on the side of the bed, wraps my arm around his neck, and gets me to my feet. “Trust me, I remember this feeling. But you’ll get there faster if you’re smart about this recovery.” We walk slowly to the bathroom, and Gavin gets me situated. “Do you need me to hold it?”
“Fuck off.” Gavin chuckles and I have to grit my teeth to keep from snapping. He keeps a tight hold on the back of my shirt while I take care of business, then helps me to the sink to wash my hands. Once that’s done, we walk toward the living room. “I want to sit outside for a bit.”
Gavin changes direction and grabs some pillows from the couch on the way. When we get to the small porch, he sits me down on the chair and pulls another over to prop my feet on, tucking pillows around me as he goes. “Tivon is cooking breakfast. I’ll bring you some out when he’s done.”
“Gavin,” I call out when he’s almost to the door. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“What do you think about Tivon?”
“I like him. He’s more than proved himself already, and has made up for how he entered our lives.”
