Page 66 of Property of Azrael

If only I’d remembered how much I hated moving when I had agreed to move in with him, I would’ve hesitated a little more. But Az, my analytical person, solved that issue with a promise of pizza and lots of beer.

“Baby, don’t take this the wrong way, but you really don’t have all that much, do you?” Azrael queries, spying one of the guys packing a case of my things into the moving truck parked at the entrance of my apartment.

“I made do,” I reply while securing the last box of kitchen items. He goes to help me, but I wave him off. “Nothing over fifteen pounds, remember?”

“Didn’t hear any complaints from you last night when I did some lifting,” he jokes, reminding me of our private goodbye party for this place. The one where my neighbor had pounded on the wall when I got a little too vocal.

Fox walks past us with a box in his arms. I put mine on top of his stack and give him a smile. “Thanks, Foxy.”

Az shakes his head at the nickname before planting a kiss on me and stepping into the house. A crash reverberates from inside, followed by yelling.

I quickly rush up the steps to discover Fox, Van, and Orion holding my couch, with one end pointing upward toward the ceiling, and the other wedged against the floor, dirt coating its edges. Their faces alert me that something is wrong.

My eyes go wide.

“Who knocked over Betty?” I cry, seeing one of my potted plants shattered on the ground. Betty had been my first foray into gardening, and well, it came with a learning curve. One where I nearly killed her no less than three times. It had taken me a significant amount of time to restore her from her wilted state, only to have these guys knock her over at the first chance.

“Fox did it!” Van blurts out.

“The fuck I did! It was you who veered off course!” Fox barks back before stilling and staring at me. “Wait, did you say Betty?”

“I did,” I admit, pouting.

“You named your plant?”

“It was a very long and lonely pandemic, asshole,” I reply, still crouched on the floor, trying to scoop up the spilled soil. “You owe me a new planter.”

Fox beams wide. “I have the perfect one.”

“On second thought, I’ll just swing by Target and get my own.”

“Too late!” he guffaws. “I’ll bring it by later.”

I smack myself in the head for the chaos I just invited into our new home because of a plant. The guys continue to argue before Az steps in and supervises the removal of my couch without further casualties. As the last of my boxes gets packed away, Az and I head back into the house.

“One last look around?”

He grabs my hand and stands beside me. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“With all my heart.” Moving in with him is the easiest decision I’ve ever made. It’s the consequences of accepting my role in his life and his club that will prove to be the most difficult, but I’m ready for the challenge. I gaze around the room, and with a sigh, saying goodbye to my old life one last time. I turn and lead him back out and close the door. The sound of the lock clicking into place has me remembering the phrase: When one door closes, another one opens. I was ready to step into that open door and start a new chapter in my life.

“Heads up!” Azrael pulls me out of my thoughts and tosses me the keys to our rental car. “You can drive.”

We walk hand in hand toward the black Range Rover we had rented in Mexico to drive home.

“Has Van heard anything about Wanda?” I ask Az as he opens the driver’s side door for me. “It’s been a long time, and I’m thinking the rental company wants this car back. It has to be costing you an arm and a leg.”

“It’s nothing to worry about,” he assures me. “The Rover is yours.”

“How is it mine? We’re renting it, aren’t we?”

He doesn’t respond. Instead, he steps back and tips his head to the interior of the car.

“Don’t ignore my question. Where’s Wanda...” My words trail off when I notice something black lying on the seat. I peer up at Azrael’s blue eyes, sparkling with hope and happiness.

“Pick it up, baby girl.”

My hands shake as I pick up the soft black leather cut. My fingers trace over Az’s club logo patched into the middle, with a property rocker curving above it, my name in thick gold embroidery sewn into the bottom rocker.

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