Page 61 of Carver

"No one ever forgets Trix and his computer obsession," Sapphire responded. "I have to go because I need to get to class. I love you all. Behave yourselves, and if I see one person following me that I recognize in a club cut, I'm going to lose my shit."

She made a kissing noise, then hung up. The minute the line was dead, Slayer turned and put a hand on Slash’s shoulder. "You good?" he asked.

Slash straightened and spun around. His eyes were a bit wild and his breathing heavy.

"I don't like this one bit," he bit out.

Carver shook his head and stood, joining the pair on the other side of his office. "I understand, and we will take care of it. Sapphire is family. Whatever is going on, we'll handle it."

Slayer slipped out of the room with a quick nod, leaving Slash and Carver to talk. Carver examined his friend closely, wondering what was going on.

"What do you need to tell me? What am I missing here?"

Slash shook its head and said, "I'll explain later. We don't have time right now."

Their phones beeped at the same time. When they pulled them out, it was a message from Trix.

I havean update on Gideon's mother. Get to the tech room ASAP.

“Well isn’tthis just perfect timing. Let's get moving," Carver said before they both took off to hear the news.

Twenty-Eight

When Carver steppedinto Trix's office, he froze. Gideon was seated next to the other man; his gaze locked on the computer screen as Trix typed quickly. From this angle, Carver couldn't see what exactly was going on, but given the way most of the computer screens around were working, it's not as if he’d have been able to decipher the chaos anyway.

Slash turned to look at Carver, then raised his brows as if to question what he would do. Carver shook his head and stepped further into the room after closing the door behind him.

Only Slash, Slayer, Trix, Gideon, Fury, and himself were there. Slayer still looked angry from the call with Sapphire, but he held it together while waiting for whatever came next.

Slash being there made sense too because he was Carver’s second. Fury was the wild card. Though Carver had a feeling he knew why Fury was there.

Whatever the outcome about Gideon's mother, Fury would be there to support Gideon and the reaction that came. While Carver hoped the news was good, he also wondered what good meant.

Did that mean she was alive and could be reunited with her son? Or would it be that her being gone was in their best interest?

He hadn't been able to talk to Gideon to know which would be better. His boy was there but not. Always close but never close enough.

As they sat in the empty chairs around Trix's space, Gideon turned to face him. He didn't startle at the sight of Carver, though his eyes did soften a bit and his cheeks tinted pink.

Carver felt a surge of warmth at the reaction. He wanted to think that it meant his boy was happy to see him. "Tell us what you have," Carver said to Trix, gaining his attention.

The man whipped around, smiling at the group. "Oh hey, I didn't hear you guys come in. I was too busy giving another lesson to little boss here."

Gideon dipped his head towards Trix, who nudged him with his shoulder. The carefree touch had Carver paying more attention to the group. While Gideon had been friendlier and more comfortable in larger settings, Carver didn't realize how close he had grown to everyone.

His men seemed relaxed around him instead of on guard. Fury, most of all, looked as if he was casually hanging out with friends. The thought of Gideon being a full-blown Angel was a relief. If his boy could find peace here with the others and truly become one of his crew, then it meant he'd never leave.

Carver still worried it would happen. He couldn't deny that maybe life would be better for Gideon away from it all. Maybe he would choose to move on and explore the world outside these walls.

Trix cleared his throat and then dove in. Carver hadn't realized he'd been staring at Gideon until the noise. He switched over to look at the other man.

Trix started saying, "I have an update and while I've already informed Gideon, I know it's important to tell you guys as well."

Carver's brow dipped at the news. "You told him before you told us."

Trix nodded, his smile not dropping one bit. “Technically, he was here when I found out the news, so it was kind of hard not to tell him. It was during one of our lessons, as I said before.”

Carver's face must have expressed curiosity over these supposed lessons because Trix pointed at Gideon and said, "This one right here has been getting lessons from everyone. Computer stuff with me. He's been doing his psychiatric work with Fury, of course, as you knew. And Hex has been teaching him about motorcycles. Silver has been trying to teach him about flirting, though I think that's more just entertainment for Gideon.”