Page 16 of The Saviors: Part One

He pulls over about two miles from the house where we hid his truck. We strip off the concealing tarp, fold it up, and climb into his jacked-up black Ford Raptor. No one says a word the rest of the drive, and when we finally get to the house, Axel storms off, slamming the door behind him.

Cole pulls off his jacket and vest, places them in the hidden compartment in the garage then does the same with mine and Kai’s.

“How much longer can this go on before he snaps?” Kai asks.

Cole runs a tattooed hand down his face. “He’s close to it now. I don’t know what to do.”

“We’re one step closer,” I say, pulling the hard drive from the pocket of my cargo pants.

“Get that to Nolan. He needs to start digging,” Cole says, patting me on the back. “Damn good job.”

I make my way upstairs to my room, strip to my boxers, and flop on the bed. Tucking my arms behind my head, I stare at the ceiling.

It took all my willpower not to have Nolan track down Dawn today. He can find her number, and I could do it that way so I don’t show up at her house like a stalker.

What Cole said today has been rolling around in my head. I don’t have anything against relationships, I just don’t know how one would fit into this life. I’ve never had a girl that made me want that until her. Her eyes hold so many secrets, and I want to dig through them one at a time. Especially the ones that made her insecure about a body that makes her look like a goddess. Some asshole has broken her down because there is no way that she can look in the mirror and not see what I see. I’d like to find him and beat the shit out of him.

Rolling over onto my stomach, I groan into the pillow. This isn’t me, damn it. I don’t obsess over women. I give them a damn good time and go on my way. I sure as hell don’t defend their fucking honor.

Jumping from the bed, I slide on loose shorts and head to the gym. Turning the music on full blast, I strap on boxing gloves and go to the punching bag. I need to work out some of this tension. Maybe if I punch something hard enough and for long enough, I can go to sleep without her on my mind.Fat fucking chance.

Every time she pops into my head, I hit harder. Every sigh she made.Punch.Those beautiful green eyes.Punch. Those luscious tits.Punch.The smile that lights up her entire face.Punch.

By the time I’m done, my muscles are screaming. The only thing that this accomplished is keeping her in the forefront of my mind and giving me a fucking hard-on.

“You’re a fucking traitor,” I tell my cock.

“Who the hell are you talking to?” Kai’s voice makes me jump out of my skin. I whirl around, and he’s standing less than two feet from me.

“Fuck. How does someone your size move silently?”

“The music is loud as hell, and you were in some sort of zone.” He wanders over to the bench press, slides on more weight than Axel had, lays down, and starts heaving the bar up and down.

I rip my gloves off, turn the music off, and walk over to him. “Why are you awake?”

He gives me a look. “You’ve lived with me for how long? You know I don’t sleep. Why are you awake?”

“I was trying to shut my brain off.”

He nods knowingly. “I get it. Want to talk about it?”

Kai might not talk much, but he’s the best listener I’ve ever met. I flop on the floor beside him, lay down, and try to get my thoughts together.

“It’s this girl, man.”

“The girl from the bar?”

“Yes. There is something about her.”

Kai racks the bar and sits up, leaning his elbows on his knees to look at me. “What do you mean?”

“I have one-night stands all the time. Never once have I thought about them the next day. I almost had Nolan find her.”

Kai’s eyebrows raise. “Okay. So, you want to see the girl again?”

“Yes.” I pause. “No. Fuck, I don’t know, Kai. What kind of real thing can we have if I have to lie to her all the time.”

“I understand, but if you learn that you can trust her, why can’t you tell her the truth?”