Page 28 of Bloody Seven

Casper, who apparently goes by Ghost and has the coolest neck tattoo I've ever seen.

Devlin, the blonde who seems a bit shifty.

I'm not introduced to the female who is sandwiched between Raiden and Ghost. They both have a hand on each one of her thighs, which I find interesting. Lucky girl gets two men to play with.

"Corbin." Raiden smirks. "How's retirement treating you?"

"Nice to see you too, asshole," Corbin says, making the other two guys laugh as he escorts me to a small vacant couch on the other side of the room.

As we pass the female, she holds out her hand, prompting me to shake it. "Hi, I'm Faylon."

"Poppy," I say with a smile before going to sit on the couch.

I glance around and notice there's someone missing. Trent. Maybe he's running late. Corbin must have the same thought because he vocalizes it almost immediately.

"Where's Trent?"

"Who the fuck knows. The weasel probably got sidetracked in someone's vagina." Raiden shrugs.

Corbin pulls out his phone to send a quick text while eyeing the time. We're already fifteen minutes behind schedule and can’t wait for him if we want to make it to the warehouse on time to catch the meetup.

"We’ll start without him," I say, taking point in the meeting. I'm not sure what everyone’s vibe is, but I want to make it known from the start that I won't be a bystander.

Raiden nods. "The information I overheard from my father was that they’re meeting at a warehouse ten minutes away from here. I don't think there will be security with them since the meeting is supposed to be a secret, but there's no way to know for sure."

"I doubt they will bring security. That would draw attention. You know they're all about being as discreet as possible," Devlin says, which makes sense.

"Did you bring the guns I asked you to?" Corbin asks Ghost, and he nods, not bothering to verbalize his response.

"There's no reason to make this complicated. We all get guns, and we go in at the same time. If they put up a fight, we shoot them," I state.

"Violent little thing." Raiden raises his brow.

"You have no idea," Corbin chuckles before turning to me. "Calm down, my little bloody valentine. We need them alive."

As bloodthirsty as I am, he's right, but I still roll my eyes. "Fine. I won't kill all of them yet. But once we have what we need, can I kill them?"

Corbin smiles and nods, but when I turn to look at the others, I find them wide-eyed and speechless. I don't know why it's so hard for people to believe women are capable of murder, too.

"Faylon will be staying in the car once we get there," Raiden says, and I see her elbow him in the ribcage. "I'm not waiting in the car. I'm going in with a gun, just like everyone else."

"Do you even know how to use a gun?" he asks her.

"Want to find out?" she challenges, and he holds his hands up in defeat while shaking his head.

"Your funeral," Raiden concedes.

Ghost leans in to whisper something in her ear, and she laughs before leaning into him. Ghost and Raiden are like night and day, but it’s obvious she cares for both of them. The different effects she has on each of them is cute. I can practically feel the tension between her and Raiden from here.

We spend the next 15 minutes going over every possible detail of how our plan will work, ironing out all the factors to prevent anything from going wrong. The grandfather clock in the corner of the room chimes, telling us it's time to leave. There are only thirty minutes until the scheduled meetup, and it's a ten-minute drive. We’re not missing this.

One by one, we filter into our vehicles and drive to the warehouse. This town reminds me a lot of where I grew up. I wonder if Corbin will want to move to a place like this.

The car slows, and I know the time has come. We’ll have our first glimpse at The Collection’s higher-ups. Once we all gather in front of the door, I turn the handle slowly as the men stand beside me with their guns outstretched. We all filter in and are confused when we find the room empty, save the person secured to a chair in the middle with a bag over their head.

I can't help but let curiosity get the best of me, so Corbin and I walk over to the subdued person, and I rip off the bag. Shock courses through us as we glance down to find the last person we expect to see, Trent. That would explain why he didn't meet us at the house earlier.

Trent looks around the room with a sinister smile. "You don't even know the mess you've gotten yourselves into. They're coming for all of you now."

---