Page 24 of The Saviors: Part Two

“You fucking idiot.” I walk over and snatch the bottle off the counter, then slap it down in front of him. “Take them, or I’ll shove them down your throat.”

“Keep talking to me like that, and I’m going to shove something way bigger down yours.”

“You have to catch me first, dickhead. If you don’t take them for yourself, take them for her.”

“I don’t like this side of you,” he says but grabs the bottle anyway. He pops the pills into his mouth and takes a few drinks of water. “And when I can chase you, I’m kicking your ass.”

“We’ll see.”

Cole comes into the kitchen seconds later, holding his shirt to his face. “He’s not ready.”

“Oh my God,” Chelsea says, jumping from the stool. She pulls his shirt down and winces. “I don’t think it’s broken, but it looks bad.”

Cole barks a laugh. “I’d say so since getting punched by Kai feels like getting hit by eighty pounds of concrete.”

She goes to the bathroom and comes back with a wet washcloth. She motions for him to sit, and she starts cleaning the blood from his face. Cole settles his hands on her hips and lets her do what she wants. “He busted your lip too.”

Cole pouts. “Will you kiss it and make it better?”

She finishes cleaning off the blood and lays a gentle kiss on his nose. When she gets to his lips, he grins, and she pulls back before he can deepen it. “Don’t be gross, Cole.”

“Are you calling my kisses gross, Ladybug?”

“When you have a busted lip, yes. We need to get ice on it.”

I set the timer on the oven and slip out before they can notice, going in search of Kai. I find him on the back patio with his head buried in his hands. His head snaps up when he hears the door, and he takes a deep breath. “I thought you were Chelsea.”

I sit in the chair beside him. “Why did you look scared by the prospect?”

“Because I just punched Cole in the face!”

I wave that away. “He’s fine. She’s taking care of it now. She’s not mad. What happened?”

“I thought if I pushed myself, I could get over this faster. I was fine when he touched my arm or something, but lost it when he tried to wrap his arms around me. I don’t even remember hitting him. It just happened,” Kai says raggedly.

“Cole knows that. He’s not even mad. And you know Chelsea better than that. She’s just worried about you.”

“What if I can’t even hold her again? There’s no reason for me to stick around.”

“You stop that shit right now,” I bark, surprising both of us. “You just have to give yourself time. It’s been a day, man.” I stand up to give him time to think. “Plus, Cole probably deserves to get punched in the face at least once.”

Kai chokes out a laugh. “Thank you.”

“Any time.”

I walk into the house with a plan.

One by one, I’m going to put this family back together.

Chapter10

Axel

“I’m fucking going.”

Nolan throws his hands up in the air. “Why can none of you listen to me? I’m going to go grey before I’m twenty-two because of you guys. Ari’s team can handle this.”

“I’m sure they can, but I want to watch the house burn.” I can’t explain to him how badly I want to see Judge Stinson’s house go up in flames. No one has reported him dead, so it gives us another chance to cover up for Stinson’s wife. “Have you heard from Betty?”