Page 75 of Lawless Sinners

“Okay,” I whisper.

He nods once, sharp and grim, then walks toward the office with his phone already in his hand.

I stand there, throat tight, the cut throbbing near my brow, and my heart pinching behind my ribs.

As I turn back to the feed room, Dane appears.

“Jesus,” I snap. “Do men in this yard only approach by ambush now?”

He lifts both hands. “Wow. You’re jumpy today. Scared I caught ya slackin’ off?”

“I should be so lucky.”

“A courier dropped something off for ya.”

“For me?”

“Yeah. It’s sitting on the kitchen table.”

I frown. “Is it big? All the orders are meant to come through here.”

“Nah, it’s small. Looks personal,” he says. “You must have ordered a new personality.”

“You’re a dick.”

I flip him off and head back to the house.

At the back door, I kick off my boots and step inside, shrugging out of my coat as I follow the bitter scent of old coffee into the kitchen.

A small plastic courier bag sits on the table, my name printed in black ink across the label.

No return address.

No logo I recognize.

The prickle at my nape comes back. I pull open the cutlery drawer, grab a pair of scissors, and snip through one end.

Inside there’s a small velvet box.

For a second, I just stare, because whatever I expected, it wasn’t this.

I set the scissors down and crack it open.

Gold shines in the gray daylight pouring in through the windows.

A short chain lies coiled against black silk, delicate and weighty, with a heart pendant resting in the center. Black diamonds sit across the surface, dark little sparks trapped inside the gold.

My breath leaves in a long sigh because next to the pretty heart is the letter F, also set in black diamonds.

I’m dumbstruck for a second before I drag out a chair and sit with the box open in front of me, then close the lid before opening it again because apparently, I don’t trust my own eyes.

The F is still there.

Small. Dark. Expensive.

My hand moves inside the courier bag, and something stiff catches against my fingers. I pull out a crisp white card.

Gold lettering gleams on one side.