Page 47 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part One

At least, I hope it is, and Ari doesn’t kill me for this.

The driveto High Flyer was quiet, and I almost turned back around until she finally looked away from her window. I could see her steeling herself.

I pull into the lot and shove my car into park. Kira adjusts her beanie and pulls her sleeves down, which I’ve noticed is a nervous habit. I climb out of the car and go to her side, opening the door for her. “Come on, Mama, you’ve got this.” I stick my hand in for her, and to my surprise, she slides her tiny hand into mine. I help her out and tuck her hand onto my arm. As soon as I pull open the door, I hear Tyler’s big mouth.

“Kira!” He jumps from the stool and jogs over to us. He scoops her up in a bear hug, making her laugh. “I’m so happy to see you.”

“I couldn’t tell,” she answers when he sets her back on her feet.

I look around the bar and breathe a sigh of relief when Ari doesn’t look mad, and that’s when I catch sight of Chelsea. “Come on. I want you to meet someone.” I lead her over to the group, and Chelsea smiles. “Kira, this is Chelsea, Kai, and Sean. Guys, this is Kira.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Chelsea replies and gestures to the stool beside her. Kira shyly smiles and slides onto it. “You want a drink?”

“A beer is fine.” I see Kira sneak glances at Kai and the scarred side of his face. Kai no longer tries to hide that part of himself, and I hope Kira can find strength from that, so I’m glad he’s here.

“Oh, Jason,” Tyler sings. “Quit flirting with Ari, and get my girl a beer.”

“A please would be nice,” Ari says dryly. “Hey, Kira.”

“Is that his boyfriend?” Kira whispers, and I nod. “Oh, he’s cute.”

“Right?” Chelsea whispers. “Much too cute for Ari.”

“I heard that,” Ari answers.

“So, your old age doesn’t affect your hearing?” Kira quips, making everyone die laughing.

“I like her,” Jason declares, sitting a beer in front of her. “I’m Jason.”

Kira relaxes a little more so I walk over to Ari. “Does he know who she is?”

Ari nods. “Yeah. I told him everything. What made you bring her here?”

“I don’t know. I just feel like she needs someone to push her out of her comfort zone. This was a good start.”

“We still have a CIA agent breathing down our necks. It might not be good if she’s spotted with us here.”

“They don’t have a connection to the Saviors and us.”

“Yet,” Ari points out. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” Ari stands from his stool and motions for me to follow him. We walk outside, and I brace myself for a lecture. “She needs normalcy, so this is good since Chelsea is here. But I also wanted to say something else.” Ari leans against the side of the building and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Look, I want to apologize for how I acted when you told me the truth. This whole jealous thing is new for me.”

“I’d never step on your toes, Ari. What changed, though?”

Ari laughs. “Tyler walked in on me and Jason in the stockroom.”

“And?”

“And I let him stay. I don’t know, man. Just knowing he was there made me fucking insane.”

“Did he touch him?”

“Nah. He just watched.”

“How did Jason feel about that?”

“Turned the fuck on. I’ve never seen him come so goddamn hard.”

I rake a hand down my face and blow out a breath. “Fuck.” Just the image alone has my mind going to so many different places. I would pay damn good money to see Ari in action, and the fact that it was Jason? Ten times better. “Why are you telling me this?”