Chapter 36 – Ava Jade #2
A tingle of apprehension raced down my spine watching the vet breathe into a paper bag near the front door as Diesel patted his shoulder.
For a guy who treated some of the most gnarly wounds I’d ever seen, he was far less butch than I thought he’d be.
I still hadn’t met him officially, but it was clear to anyone watching that this guy was not here of his own volition.
In his late thirties, he was built slim, with a whip of red hair that touched the tops of his ears and an overly pointed chin. He looked so out of place among all the beef and brawn surrounding us. But he wasn’t wrong to be afraid.
The Kings still outnumbered us two to one, and if they got so much as a whiff of our advance, there was a good chance most of the men here wouldn’t be coming home to their families.
But that was why we went over the plan a million fucking times.
Because it had to work.
“Don’t worry about the vet,” Grey said, reading me wrong.
I wasn’t worried about him. I fucking pitied him his complete and utter lack of balls.
“He’ll be hanging at the back of the advance.
Dies only wants him with us to treat the wounded on site.
We lost too many men at the Docks that he could’ve saved if we got them to him faster. ”
“I know,” I replied. “He won’t be armed, right?”
Rook shook his head. “ Pffft , as if.”
That was good at least. A gun in those shaky hands was sure to cause a fucking catastrophe.
“We ready to roll out?” Corvus called to Diesel, adjusting the straps on his vest before visually checking mine. I gave him a pointed look.
“Five minutes,” Diesel shouted, and everyone on the lawn and driveway spread the word.
My blood buzzed with adrenaline and I blinked slow, shivering as a pool of it enveloped me in its warm embrace, making me tip my head back.
“Cool it, Ghost,” Rook said, hauling me back against him so I could feel the start of his erection through his jeans. “Or I’ll have no choice but to take you right here on this lawn in front of the whole crew.”
Was it bad that I was thinking about letting him do just that.
The others nearby looked at us like we were crazy, and they weren’t wrong. Where their faces were long and drawn or tight with worry, my dark prince and I smiled, thriving on the promise of violence.
The sound of a horn broke us apart, and I was about to cuss out whoever’d done it. They were going to wake the whole damn neighborhood with that noise and the last thing we needed was curious neighbors coming out onto their lawns.
But it wasn’t one of ours. Headlights flashed bright across the lawn as a truck I recognized pulled right up onto the grass in front of us, followed by three other cars that parked down the street.
A few Saints drew their weapons, but Grey lifted a hand. “Lower your weapons.”
Damien St. Vincent opened the door of his truck, standing on the kick bar to look out over the assembly, a bright smile spreading wide on his face as he found Diesel by the door. “Glad we caught you, Brother!”
“Damien?” What the fuck are you doing here?”
“A little birdy told me you might be able to use a hand.”
He whistled, and those in the cars down the street exited, coming to join us on the lawn.
“No fucking way,” Grey said excitedly, speed walking across the grass to where two guys approached with a group of others behind them. He embraced the first one and got tackled to the ground in a bear hug before the other one hauled him back up and into a back thumping embrace of his own.
“Who are they?”
Rook ran a thumb over his lip. “Well, shit. Now it’s a fucking party.”
The two guys waved at Corv and Rook, coming over. The one on the left had a smile that practically glowed in the dark, while the other, though he looked happy to see my guys, had an aura of danger around him like a black cloud I doubted ever saw sunlight.
“Hardin, Kaleb, how’s it going, you fucking beautiful bastards?” Rook said, answering my question for me, slapping smiley guy’s hand before tugging him in for a hug and fist bumping the other one.
“Shit, Corv, the buzzcut does not suit you man. You got to grow that shit out,” the smiling one said, jerking Corvus in for a hug while rubbing the top of his head like a lucky charm.
“You always knew how to give a guy a compliment, Kaleb. Harind,” Corv shook the other one’s hand. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Shit, wait. We need to make the proper introductions,” Rook said, completely interrupting Hardin’s reply, earning himself a glare in the process. He put a palm to my lower back and shoved me forward. “ This is Ava Jade.”
Hardin’s bright eyes ran the length of me before giving a nod. “Nice to put a face to the name.”
“No shit?” Kaleb said excitedly, snatching my hand to shake it roughly in his.
I lifted a brow at him and yelped as he jerked me forward, using his firm grip on my hand to spin me in a circle before letting me go and giving me a good appraisal himself.
“Damn. They don’t make ’em like that in SoCal. ”
I snorted, changing my mind about stabbing him for the unsolicited dance. “So, who exactly are you guys?”
Kaleb put a hand to his chest, looking at my guys with wounded puppy eyes. “They didn’t tell you about us. Now, I’m just hurt.”
“Hardin St. Vincent,” the brooding one said, extending a hand, which I took. “And this jackass is my brother, Kaleb.”
“St. Vincent?”
“They’re Uncle Damien’s sons,” Grey explained.
“You’re here for the fireworks, then?” Rook asked, his black eyes alight with enthusiasm in a way that told me I could trust these two.
“Seems that way,” Hardin answered. “D said you could use the help.”
Kaleb shoved Corv. “Couldn’t miss the chance to come up and see your ugly mugs.”
I caught sight of Damien and Diesel speaking in hushed tones near Damien’s truck, and looking around at all the now-hopeful faces of our crew, I truly hoped Diesel didn’t turn down his brother’s offer.
I scrutinized Damien St. Vincent in a new light.
I would’ve never pegged him as the fatherly type, but then again, I would’ve never guessed Diesel to be a father, either.
His sons didn’t look much like him aside from Hardin’s dark hair and wide-shouldered build. And maybe Kaleb’s face shape, with the sharp edged brows and even sharper jawline.
They were pretty, but not pretty enough to go saying my guys had ugly mugs. Joke or not.
Damien wrapped an arm around Diesel, drawing him over to where we stood on the lawn while they continued their conversation.
“You know I can handle my own shit, Damien,” Diesel was saying, and I wanted to fucking hit him.
“I know,” Damien said. “But you don’t have to. Besides, I’m looking forward to fighting alongside my brother. It’ll be like old times.”
Diesel’s hard exterior seemed to crack at that, his lips pulling into a half grin.
The rest of Damien’s men came forward, saying their hellos to my guys and Diesel, who graciously welcomed each one.
“This is all I could spare,” Damien said, indicating the additional twelve men on top of himself and his sons.
“It’s more than enough, Brother.”
Damien let out a loud whoop, slapping Diesel on the back before tearing his jacket off to reveal a menagerie of polished steel strapped over his chest and around his waist. He stuffed his tatted hand into his pocket, and when he withdrew it, gleaming brass knuckles glinted in the moonlight as he raised his fist. “Move out! Let’s go kill us some motherfucking Kings . ”