Page 105 of The Saviors: Part One

“Axel—”

I spin around, and she’s standing there wide-eyed, with a shirt clutched to her chest. I walk slowly toward her and turn her around gently by her arm. I sweep the hair off her back, and the rage I feel can’t be described. This is what Sean meant the night he left. I swallow bile. “Did he do this?” I ask again.

“Yes,” she whispers.

“He’s fucking dead.”

I go to storm from the room, and she grabs my arm. “You can’t!”

“I fucking can, Cupcake, and I will.”

“Please, listen to me. I don’t want his death on me. I’ll live the rest of my life knowing I’m the reason he got killed.”

“He shouldn’t be alive after that!” I take a deep breath to rein my temper in. “He shouldn’t be able to breathe another fucking day after laying his hands on you.”

“It’s in the past, Axel.”

Is she serious? “I can’t let this go.”

“It’s not your decision.”

“The fuck it isn’t.”

She angrily jerks her shirt on. “You’re still just as stubborn as you were before. I,” she stabs her finger at her chest, “get to decide what happens to him.”

“You’re making the wrong decision. This is what we do.”

“If you were here, it never would have happened!” she yells, then slaps a hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize because you’re right.” No matter how much it hurts to hear, she’s right. If we had stuck to the plan, he never would have gotten his hands on her.

“I wanted to blame you so bad. But in the end, it was on me. I had the tools to take care of myself, and I didn’t.”

“Chels—”

“No. Let me finish. I might not understand a lot of things that happened back then, but I do know that I could have avoided it by staying away from him. I saw the warning signs and ignored them because he made me feel pretty. And I said he would never do that to me,” she laughs, but it’s without humor. “And I was wrong. But I can’t go back and change it now. It happened.”

“It should never have happened,” I say hoarsely, trying to keep the emotion at bay. “What did he do to you?”

“Everything,” she shrugs. “Some things were worse than others. But I’m so done rehashing it. I just want to move on.”

“How? You needed us, and we weren’t there.”

“I did need you. But it’s not your fault, and I hate myself for blaming you.” She has tears streaking down her face, so I jerk her into my arms. She wraps her arms around my waist, and big sobs start wracking her body. I sink onto the floor, pull her onto my lap, and let my tears fall. Cole sticks his head in the door, and he has tears on his cheeks. I nod my head for him to come in. He sits on the floor and molds himself to her back.

We cry for what she went through, what we’ve been through, our lost childhood, and our shitty parents. Before long, her sobs turn into hiccups, and I look at her face, noticing she passed out. I scoop her up and stand from the floor before tucking her into the bed. Walking out of that room, I feel like there’s a weight sitting on my chest. Seeing those scars reminded me how badly I fucked up.

And it doesn’t feel like something I’ll be able to make up for.

Chapter33

Cole

Ididn’t mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but I heard their voices rising and went to check it out. That’s when I heard what she was saying to him. I know Axel well enough, and I know he’s not going to let this go. Leaving Brady alive or forgiving himself for everything.

After Axel got her tucked into the bed, he came straight to the back patio to tell Sean and Kai what happened. And he hasn’t said a word since. He ate lunch in silence and immediately started drinking, which Axel doesn’t usually do. If he does, it’s a few beers, not the straight liquor he’s drinking now. Nolan couldn’t even seem to get through to him. Axel is locked into his own mind, and I don’t blame him. I had nightmares after Chelsea told me what that motherfucker did to her. No matter how many times she says it, that guilt is going to weigh on me. I won’t go back on my promise of actively seeking him out, but one way or the other, he’s going to die. You can’t live in a world where you hurt Chelsea. There’s no fucking way any of us will allow that.

Sean comes onto the back patio after checking on her for the thirtieth time. He flops in the chair beside me heavily. “She’s still asleep.”