AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Diesel poked his head onto the roof. “Everyone decent?”
Decent? He was joking, right? Rook and I shared a conspiratorial look, and I grinned. We were about as far from decent as it got, clothed or not.
He cleared his throat as he came out onto the roof, checking a watch I rarely saw him wear. “Almost time.”
“You joining us?” Rook asked, but Diesel shook his head, and I noticed he was carrying a familiar box in his hands. A thick envelope lay atop it.
“Nah. Just came up to give these to Ava Jade.”
I cocked my head at him, and Rook moved the tray of food as Diesel came around to place the box and envelope in my lap.
“What is this?”
“A gift.”
“Christmas was a week ago.”
I peered at the guys. He hadn’t given them anything, but they did mention he usually just did a big family meal and handed them each a wad of cash. I wondered if he’d slipped them a little something on Christmas when we came down to Sanctum to start our work.
He’d been away since then. Combing Lennox for any rogue Kings. Spreading the word that the Saints wouldn’t take kindly to anyone breaching their territory, which now stretched to encompass not just Thorn Valley, but Edgewood, and Lennox, too. It was all Saint land now, and Diesel had to work double time to keep it all in check, hunting for new blood worthy of joining his ranks.
“Just open it,” he chided. “The box first. The envelope is… something else.”
I passed the thick envelope to Grey, trying to get a look at the seal on the front, but he tucked it away under the blanket, giving me a sly wink that told me he might know what was inside of it.
My stomach fluttered as I remembered where I recognized the box from. It was the one I’d put Diesel’s leather jacket in when I’d gifted it to him. But, he was wearing that now, so he wasn’t returning it in somefuck youmove. Stupid to even think it.
The guys watched, just as curious as me as I pulled off the lid, which meant they had no idea what their father was giving me, either. I remembered the last gift I’d gotten from my dad. My blades. I only had one left now, another lost in the battle at the factory. The last one stayed at the Nest where it was safe. The last piece of him I had. At least there was a comfort in knowing now that no matter which King killed him, that person was long dead. Who knew? Maybe I was the one that ended him.
A ball formed in my throat as I squinted down what looked like a pile of well worn, supple black leather. “What is this?”
I pulled it from the box and watched Diesel’s jaw clench and his eyes harden, betraying some emotion I didn’t understand. It was an old leather jacket. A woman’s. With a shining silver zipper and the Saint emblem over the right breast. “It’s been collecting dust for too long.”
Realization hit me like a sucker punch to the gut and my eyes stung. “Was this…”
“It was Jacqueline’s.”
My throat burned.
“It’s yours now,” he told me, and I made myself look him in the eyes even though mine were welling. He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder like he often did his sons, squeezing gently. “Welcome to the family, Ava Jade. I’m so glad my sons found you.”
I coughed to cover a sob, swallowing hard as Diesel retracted his hand.
“Help me up?” I croaked and stuck out my hand. Diesel took it, lifting me from the warmth of the couch onto my feet. I sniffed, no longer feeling the cold in the air as I pushed my arms through the sleeves of the jacket.
“Fits you like a glove,” Diesel said, his voice tight. “I thought it might.”
“I can’t accept this,” I said, even though I was already hugging it, feeling a warmth bloom in my belly where not so long ago there had only been ice.
“You can and you will,” Diesel said with a note of finality, holding a hand out to Grey. “Hand me that envelope, Son.”
Grey passed it over, and Diesel lifted the top, tugging out three identical form-like sheets. He passed one to each of the boys.
I looked over Rook’s shoulder, and my lips parted on a silent intake of my breath as the paper crumpled in his hard grasp. They were name change forms.
“If you boys still want the St. Crow name, it’s yours. I’ve already signed the forms.”
Grey dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. I settled back on the couch next to him, feeling him shudder as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, tears pricking my eyes anew.
