Page 25 of The Saviors: Part Two

“Yes. Vivian made it safe and sound. Quit changing the subject.”

“Nolan,” I sigh. “I can’t sit around this house and do nothing. I don’t hear you out there fighting with Cole about going.”

“Because Cole didn’t get shot in the goddamn leg! Cole didn’t get snatched by his psycho dad for four days. Cole isn’t walking around in pain all the time, ignoring his pain meds.”

“I can handle—”

“The pain. I know. You’ve told me that. Twelve fucking times.” I try to reach for him to pull him to me, but he backs up a step. “No. Don’t do that. Go. Stay. I don’t care because I’m done trying to protect someone that doesn’t want it.” He leaves the bedroom and slams the door behind him. I sink down on the side of the bed and stare at the door he just walked out of.

Ari called about an hour ago and said they were ready to move. I told him I wanted to go, and Nolan lost his shit. I haven’t had the chance to tell Chelsea yet, who I’m sure will have the same reaction as Nolan. I’ve never had anyone who cared about my safety like this, so I feel like I’m drowning trying to figure out how to react. We’ve got no leads on Charlie or Brady, and it makes me feel like I’m losing my mind.

I feel like every bit of this is my damn fault, and I need to do something to fix it. That starts with burning down Stinson’s house. For all we know, that’s where Brady’s hiding.

The doorknob turns, and Cole walks in, shutting the door behind him. “You want to tell me why Nolan has called you every name in the book besides Axel?”

“He’s worried about me going.”

“As he should be.” I narrow my eyes, and Cole shrugs. “You don’t need to go. It’s a quick search, some gas, and fire. That’s it.”

“I do need to go. None of you would be—”

“Jesus fuck. Are we doing this again? I thought we already established that this isn’t your fault. I know you want some payback, Axel, and you’ll get it, but it doesn’t have to be this.”

“Then why are you going?”

“I’m not.” He chuckles when I frown. “Chelsea asked me not to go. So I’m not going. I intercepted her before she came to you because I know how you are. She’s terrified to let any of us out of her sight, and I don’t blame her. And Nolan feels that way too. He cares about you. Suck it up and give in a little.”

“We’ve got to get these motherfuckers, Cole.”

He sits on the bed beside me. “We will. It might not be today, tomorrow, or hell, a week from now. But wewilltake them out. It has to be as a team, though, Axel—no more self-sacrificing hero bullshit. You have a family that wants you to walk back through the door after every mission. Chelsea deserves that. From all of us.”

“Can we still do this? The Saviors, I mean?”

“I think we can. We’ll just have to decide what we go on and what we send Ari’s team on. Some of the shit we’ve done is stupid.”

“You’re not lying.” I sigh and rub my temples. “I’m going to fuck this up, aren’t I?”

“With Chels and Nolan?” I nod. “No. You just have to learn to make compromises. If I had someone lay it out to me the way that Nolan did with you, I’d stay in a heartbeat.” Cole laughs. “All Chelsea had to do was give me a kiss and ask me to stay.”

“Message Ari and tell him to go. They need to check in when they get there and when they get back.”

“See? Compromise.” Cole pulls his phone from his pocket and shoots off a message to Ari. He throws it on the bed, and then he’s squeezing me in a hug so tight that I feel like I can’t breathe. “I’m fucking glad you aren’t dead.”

I wrap my arms around his waist. “You too.”

He pulls back and grins. “Now go apologize to Nolan.”

I pull myself from the bed and head to the living room. Nolan is sitting on the couch with his laptop on the coffee table, just staring at it. No one else is in here, so I sit beside him, and he won’t even look at me.

“I’m not going.”

“Good for you.”

“Will you look at me?” He glances at me and then looks back at his laptop. “Please, Naughty boy.” He finally turns on the couch so he’s facing me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about what this does to you or Chels. You have to give me some slack, though, because Iamtrying. I’m not used to this.”

“Used to what?”

“Somebody giving a fuck.”