Page 22 of The Saviors: Part Two

“Since everything with your security system is on here, they can bypass the codes to get into the house.” I squeeze her knee. “That’s not going to happen.”

She surprises me by sliding her arm through mine and laying her head on my shoulder. “I’m so glad that you’re okay. When they took you from that car…” her voice trails off, and she takes a breath to collect herself. “I thought he was going to kill you.”

“So did I,” I admit. “But he didn’t, and we’re all here in mostly one piece.”

She laughs softly. “It’s kind of funny watching Axel walk around like a pirate.”

“Captain peg leg is his new name even when it heals.”

“I can get behind that.”

We lapse into silence, and I get back to work. Chelsea is softly running her hand up and down my arm, almost like it’s soothing her. I’ll give her whatever she wants just to hear her laugh or see her smile. Even if she’s more subdued since she got back, Brady didn’t break her. She’s going to come back stronger than ever with us at her back, and he better watch the fuck out.

“You’re making me dizzy.”

I look down at her and smile, that’s when I see the top of a bandage sticking above her shirt. “What happened?”

Her whole body freezes, and she sits up. “Nothing,” she says fast. Too fast.

“Lovie,” I say softly. “What happened?”

“Nothing. It’s not a big deal.” She goes to get up, and I gently grab her arm so she can’t. A sick feeling sinks into my gut, and I have to swallow everything that I want to say so this comes out right.

“Did he do this?” The look in her eyes is all I need. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because everyone’s injuries were so much worse…” Something about the look on my face makes her trail off, her eyes wide.

“Hehurtyou. That seems pretty fucking important to me. Is there anywhere else?” She shakes her head, eyes still locked on my face. Tears splash down her cheeks, and I reach up to wipe them away. “Don’t you understand that you’re the most important person to us? That when you get hurt, we hurt for you? Axel, Cole, Sean, and Kai have been hurt more times than I can count. They’ll pull out of this just fine. And so will you. But that doesn’t mean I won’t burn down this goddamn world to find someone who laid a finger on you. Now tell me what he did.”

She stares at me wide-eyed for so long that I think I scared her until she’s out of her chair, straddling my lap, and wrapping her arms around my neck. I wrap my arms around her and just hold her, already sensing that’s what she needs. “He cut me,” she whispers, and my heart breaks in two. I’ve caught on to most of what happened to her because of those fucking pictures he sent, but that’s all I needed. “I tried to fight him, Nolan. I tried so fucking hard, but he’s stronger than me.”

I pull her back to look at her face, wiping away more tears. “He’s not stronger than you. He’s a fucking coward. You got away from him.Twice. And he didn’t take away what makes you, well, you. You could have hidden away for the rest of your days, but you made a life for yourself without anyone. You did that by yourself. You need to give yourself credit for that. Then you opened your heart and home to a bunch of guys who wouldn’t know love if it bit them on the dick.” She gives me a watery laugh. “He didn’t win before, and he sure as fuck didn’t win this time. The only difference is you have us now. You just have to learn to let us help you. Why else didn’t you tell us about that?”

“I thought you would be disgusted like he always was. AndIfeel that way. I started to believe everything he said again. I’m stupid, fat, lazy, or whatever else he could come up with. He has a way of making those hateful things sink into my brain.”

“That’s what people like him do, Lovie. It comes from his own insecurities. He knew you were too good for him, so he wanted to break you down.”

“And he did!”

I shake my head. “No, he didn’t. If he did, you wouldn’t have made it out alive the first time. You wouldn’t have been able to be with Sean, much less Kai, Axel, and Cole. You need to start seeing what we see.”

She lays her forehead against mine. “We?”

“If you want it to be a ‘we’, then yes. I’ll never push you into anything that you don’t want.”

“I want it. I just need…time.”

“And that’s perfectly fine. Under one condition. If you let me hold you like this still.”

“I like that condition.”

Me too, Lovie, me too.

* * *

“Sean,if you don’t get the fuck away from me…” I warn.

“Come on. I just want to see your arm. This is your first war wound. It’s an important part of becoming a Savior.” He walks around the kitchen island, and I move to the other side. “One time.”