Page 83 of The Saviors: Part Two

Les’ head pops up, her mouth hanging open. “I thought you liked me, and you compare me to the gossip princess?”

“I thought he was the queen?”

Les snorts and sits up. “No. Caden took that spot. How are you doing, babe?”

I shrug and lean against the headboard. “I’m okay, I guess. Just constantly worrying about when we’re going to get hit next and if I’m going to lose one of my guys.”

Les scoots to sit beside me. “I get it. That never goes away. I worry all the time when the guys go out alone on missions, but I have to trust that they know what they’re doing. Your guys definitely do.”

I look at her in surprise. “You worry about them like that?”

“Yeah, I mean, I always have. But when I fell in love, it was magnified times one thousand. Sometimes I just want to beg them to stay home, but I know that I can’t because I do the same thing. I hide it well, but I’m always a nervous wreck that something bad is going to happen.”

“I can’t lose them, Les.” I can feel the tears starting to form and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to get them to stop.

“Don’t do that,” Les says gently, grabbing my hand. “It’s okay to cry and be worried, Chels. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t.”

Something about that makes me start to sob. Les doesn’t say anything, just pulls me into a hug and lets me cry into her shirt. I haven’t had a breakdown since the first night I got back, and it’s been building with each day that we can’t find Brady or Charlie. I still have to fight to get Brady’s words out of my head, but it’s more a muffled sound than a scream. That’s all thanks to the guys downstairs. But I still want nothing more than to put a bullet between Brady’s eyes.

“I want to kill him,” I whisper. “I want to be the one to watch the life drain from his eyes.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. He did unspeakable things to you, Chels. Did you know that Evie’s the one that pulled the trigger on her abuser?” I look up surprised, and Les smiles. “Yes, mild-mannered Evie. She did it to save her and Mateo. Talk to her, and she’ll tell you that killing him finally set her free, but it doesn’t come without guilt. Taking someone’s life is hard, no matter what they’ve done, and you need to understand that.”

“I do understand. But I feel like the relief will outweigh the guilt.”

“That’s something only you can decide, but I’m here for you no matter what.”

“Thank you, Les.”

She squeezes me tighter. “Any time.” We go quiet while I try to get myself back together. “Wait? This isn’t the bed they fucked in, is it?”

I burst out laughing, all the tension leaving my body. “It actually is.”

“My guys are going to flip shit when I come home smelling like other dudes.”

“You might have more than their smell on you.”

Les rolls from the bed and onto her feet, shivering from head to toe. “I have enough bodily fluids on me from my own guys.”

I laugh again until I’m in tears from the look on her face. It feels good to have someone to laugh and joke with who also knows what I am going through with this relationship. Someone knocks on the door, and Zane peeks his head in.

“Did you break her, Beautiful?” Something about that makes me laugh even harder, and Les joins me when Zane looks concerned.

“No,” she coughs, trying to stop laughing. “Did you need something?”

“We have a plan, and I drew the short straw coming to ask you to sit out with Bridget, Evie, and Chels with some other backup.”

Les sits gingerly on the side of the bed, and I choke off a laugh so I don’t get started again. “Why do you think I would argue?”

Zane gives her a dry look. “Because it’s you.”

“Fair enough. I think it would be fun to have a girl’s day as long as whoever stays doesn’t interrupt.”

“It’s a deal. Come down and hear our plan out to see what you think.”

We make our way downstairs, and Cole pulls me to sit on his lap. It feels good to finally be in their arms whenever I want. The guys start laying out their plan, and Les nods.

“I think it makes sense. If you hit multiple places, he won’t know which one is actually Axel. It would be enough to piss me off.”