So here I am back with another chapter because I love you all so much, enjoy xo
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"Hi Gray." I sang into the phone after he picked up.

"Hi Av, you know it's 6 am in the morning?" He chuckled into the phone.

"I know, I just miss you." I said softly, not wanting to wake Zade.

"I miss you too sis, I'll be home for Christmas break before you know it." He replied sweetly.

We talked for a while, he told me about all his classes and the friends he has made so far. He sounded so happy and I knew I made the right decision to let him go.

"I love you too Gray." I whispered into the phone before hanging up.

I turned back to Zade to find him awake.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" I asked, shifting closer to him.

"You didn't." He smiled sheepishly, pulling me into his arms.

"How was your sleep?" I asked, pushing the hair that fell onto his forehead.

"The best." He mumbled into my hair.

Pressing my lips to his cheek, I pulled him out of bed with me. "Time to get ready for school." I groaned.

I was still in my jeans and tank top from the night before, my watch and bracelet sitting on Zade's bedside table.

"Thank you for taking my things off for me last night." I pointed at his bedside table.

"I wish I could take more off." He winked with his bad boy smirk playing across his lips.

"Zade." I blushed a hot red, pushing at his toned chest.

"You're mine." He dipped his head into my neck, pulling me into his arms.

I hummed innocently, winking and slipping from his arms.

He chuckled as I left his bedroom for mine to get ready for school.

As soon as I was done, Maceo asked if he could talk so I made my way down to his office with him and Chris. Wondering what they wanted to talk about but they both seemed very happy so I knew it wasn't anything bad.

"Last night at The Pit after we left someone open fired at everyone, the family sitting in the booth next to us especially." Chris said once we were all seated.

"That's not good, is everyone okay?" I asked, panicked at the safety of the strangers at The Pit.

"Harsh truth or cherry covered truth?" Chris asked, chuckling at the face I pulled.

"I'll stick with cherry covered truth for now." I said, smiling at the both of them.

"Seven people dead and twelve injured." He replied.

"That sounds like the harsh truth option." Maceo cut in, giving Chris a look of disapproval.

My smile fell as I stared at the two of them, "It's my fault." I stated, "I should have warned them too." Staring down at my hands, my heart ached at the lives I could have saved.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as I sunk into my seat.

"It's not your fault, nowhere near it Av." Maceo pulled me upright, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

I responded to the hug, the hug felt like one my father always gave me. And I cried. I didn't mean to but the tears fell and I couldn't control them.

"Chris you're an idiot." Maceo growled, tightening his arms around me.

My soft crying muffled into Maceo's suit jacket. 

"I'm sorry Ava, I didn't mean to upset you. I wasn't trying to tell you it was your fault, we were just going to thank you for getting us out of there." Chris patted my arm with a pained expression.

I stared up at the two of them, Maceo with an angry facial expression directed at Chris and Chris's pained one. I laughed at the two. Who laughs during a moment like this? Me apparently.

"I'm sorry." I wiped at my face, laughing softly.

"You're a weird girl." Silas smiled as he stood in between the opened office doors.

"Silas go have breakfast." Chris said sternly, shaking his head.

Silas left running and shutting the door behind him.

I laughed harder, it was so silly but so funny. I sobered up and hugged Maceo and Chris for being so caring towards me.

"Lucian wanted us to thank you too, he's happy you told us when you did." Maceo smiled, sitting back at his desk.

"If it wasn't for you we all would have been injured or worse since we were sitting close to that family who were targeted. So we want to thank you very much, you have quite the gut feeling." Chris said, his tone light and thankful.

"That's okay, I just felt a little uneasy and then I spotted this man. He looked nervous, like he was waiting for something to happen." I said smiling at the two of them.

"Was he wearing a white suit? Brown leather shoes, dark brown hair with a gold chain?" Maceo asked and I nodded.

Him and Chris shared a look before turning back to me with warm smiles.

"Can we ask a couple of questions about your parents?" Chris asked aware I didn't like talking about them but I trusted him and Maceo so I nodded.

"Can I ask a couple of questions too?" I sat straighter.

"Of course." They nodded.

"The floors yours." I joked making them chuckle.

"Your mothers parents, do you know who they are?" They wasted no time and I didn't mind.

"Me and Grayson have never met them and mum wouldn't tell us what their names and things were, just why we never got to meet them." I shrugged.

"Why?" They asked immediately.

"Her parents disowned her for being with my father and cut her off completely. Every single one of her family members didn't want anything to do with her from Uncles to cousins and even nieces and nephews. Her parent's never approved of their relationship but my parent's were madly in love. Mum said that her parent's tried forcing her to marry someone else for some kind of power but she never gave details, she only explained briefly. It was hard on her to turn on her family, it was clear when she spoke about them but she always told us, as long as she had us kids and our father, that was the only family she needed. She got in contact with her parents when I was born but they continued to disown her. She has siblings but they turned their backs on her too so she never talked about them." I explained what I knew.

"Would you ever want to meet your grandparents?" They asked.

"No, they are not my grandparent's. You can only hold that title if you're present in that grandchild's life, they weren't present and they had the option to be. Mum never let them know about Grayson because of their reaction to me being born." I smiled at Maceo and Chris's sadden faces.

"Have you tried doing your own research on them?"

"No, I didn't see the point in it. They didn't want to be apart of my life when I was a baby so why would they want to be now?" I replied, my tone normal as if I was talking about a school project or anything else.

"Good point, you're a strong and beautiful young lady. They're stupid for turning their back on you and your brother. They'll regret it when they see the young lady you've come to be." Maceo said with so much proudness and care, it was hard not to cry but I kept my tears in as I blinked them away.

"Thank you." I whispered softly, returning Maceo's warm smile.

"I agree with Maceo." Chris stood, hugging me into his side.

"Now, the floor is yours." Chris smiled, making me laugh.

"Kota said something about Lucian being a gang leader, is that true?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, we work for him and someone else but you'll be meeting him this Friday." Maceo said nervously.

"Lucian doesn't look like a gang leader." I stated with the same curiosity.

"You haven't seen him when he's in his big bad alpha mode." Chris rolled his eyes at his own words playfully.

"And I'm glad that I haven't." I laughed, "So this Friday I'll be meeting the other one? So you guys work for two gang leaders?" I asked nervously.

I was surprised about the whole gang thing and I knew I should feel frightened about the news but I trust Maceo and Chris.

"I'm glad too." They said in unison.

"Yes this Friday the whole lot of us will be attending a birthday dinner. You'll meet other people we're good friends with and their families. You don't have to be scared or anything, they are nice enough and I promise we will look after you and your brother, you two are apart of this family and I can't wait to meet your brother." Maceo exclaimed, reassuring me.

"He's better at words then I am, so everything he said." Chris smiled warmly.

"We have informed Kota about everything that has happened with you moving in with us, we're also keeping an eye on him as well just for safety reasons." Maceo said.

My heart swelled at their actions of telling Kota everything and looking out for him.

"Thank you, really. I appreciate you two very much." I stood and kissed both their cheeks after they made their way towards me.

"Go have breakfast and head off to school." Maceo hugged me once more.

"See you later, and learn heaps." Chris smiled as I made my way to the office doors.

"Wait Ava, one more question. Do you know your mothers maiden name?" Maceo called out before I stepped out the doors.

"Monrovian." I said over my shoulder and clicked the office door shut behind me.