Page 55 of The Saviors: Part One

“So, how are we playing this with Chelsea? She might not let us stay after this talk, much less crash at her place anymore.”

“We go in and talk to her. We give her every truth that we can and hope she doesn’t kick our asses to the curb.”

“I’m dying to know the full truth between her, Axel, and Cole.”

“Me too, but given her reaction, it isn’t good.”

“This is a clusterfuck.” I glance at him with a grin. “Let’s do this.”

“And there’s the crazy,” he laughs.

I pull into Chelsea’s driveway, relieved to see her car sitting there. Hard to believe twenty-four hours ago, we were here without a care in the world. I go to climb from the truck, and Kai grabs my arm. “You really care for her? Don’t you?”

“Yeah,” I shrug. “I’m not entirely sure what that means yet, but I know she makes me really fucking happy.”

“Are you sure you still want me here?”

“One hundred percent. You make her happy too. I’ve never seen you like this, and I want you to feel what I feel with her. She deserves everything anyone will give her.”

We fist bump and climb out of the truck because, apparently, that’s our new thing. Walking to ring her doorbell feels like we’re walking on death row. She pulls it open, and she’s dressed in her comfortable clothes—shorts and a shirt that I think is Kai’s. Noticeably missing are the Glocks that were strapped to her last night.Thank fuck.

I hold up the bag of food. “We came with gifts.”

We follow her to the living room and eat in silence. It doesn’t feel awkward, just a little uncomfortable. When she’s done, she sits back on the couch, tucking her legs under her.

“There’s no easy way to start this, so here it goes. My name is Chelsea Dawn Mitchell. Twenty-four. I run Daybreak at night when I’m not running my graphic design business. I forge documents for the bulk of my money, and I also forged my graphic design degree.” She shrugs like that’s no big deal.

“Sean Matthew Landor. Twenty-five. I’ve worked for the Saviors for five years since Axel bailed me out of jail.”

“Malakai Emmett Parker. Twenty-six. I’m an enforcer for the Saviors. I’ve been with them for five years also. Axel, Cole, and Sean saved my ass from a bad situation.”

“You don’t have to talk about that yet,” she says softly, hearing the way Kai’s voice cracked over the last word. “Okay. What else do you want to know?”

I love how she’s handling this. I respect the hell out of her for giving us a chance to explain.

“What’s the deal with Axel and Cole?” I ask.

She takes a deep breath. “I think you’ve picked up on most of it, but we were best friends growing up. When you saw one of us, you usually saw all of us. We made a pact to leave Forest Grove at eighteen, and they left me without a trace, and I haven’t heard from them since.”

“You were more than friends?” Kai asks. He’s not accusing, but all their reactions scream more than friends.

“No, but I won’t lie and say I didn’t love them both. It makes sense that I’m okay with being with both of you. I didn’t know how to handle that then. I didn’t want to lose them, but, in the end, I lost them anyway.”

“Do you want to talk to them?” I ask. My ass would want to.

She shakes her head. “The only one I would consider talking to is Cole, and I don’t even know if I want to do that.”

“You don’t owe them anything,” Kai says. “But I think you owe it to yourself to hear them out.”

“I’ll think about it. But I’m going to be honest. I don’t like that you’re in the Saviors. I’ve seen what that life can do. I’m afraid something will happen to you.”

“You grew up in the life?” I ask.

“My stepdad was the leader of a gang called the Grizzlies. He was ruthless but did teach me all the things that I needed to know.”

“Do you know why Axel and Cole split?” Kai asks.

“All I know is Cole got sick of his dad beating the shit out of him and turned the tables. Cole almost beat him to death. Roy was Charlie’s second-in-command, and he was pissed.” Kai and I exchange a glance, not sure whether to correct her or not. She doesn’t miss it. “What don’t I know?”