Blade decided to walk into the back room at that very moment.
Both Marcus and Caden froze, watching Blade as he cautiously came to a stop a few steps from the door.
“Yes, I know all about our special guest. And no, I didn’t ask Ace to blab his mouth.” He continued walking toward the basement, then disappeared from sight.
Marcus shook his head. “I swear to god, nobody follows orders anymore.”
A few seconds later, Ace, Lucas, and Gavin all walked into the back laughing before they came to a sudden halt.
“What?” Ace asked, shrugging his shoulder as if he hadn’t a clue what all the whispering was about.
“You and I are going to have a talk about what following orders means,” Marcus growled.
“Now, now, Daddy, it’s too early to be this growly,” Gavin interjected.
Shaking his head, he pointed at Gavin. “You. Come with me,” he said as he walked toward the basement door.
Gavin looked at Ace and Lucas, who both shrugged at him.
“Now,” Marcus barked, walking down the stairs. Gavin came running after him like a good little puppy.
Wow, what’s all this? Gavin asked, looking at the heaps of merchandise that had fallen off trucks in recent months.
Some items were spoken for, while others were for the Vipers to use whenever they… needed something.
Other items, like the leather jackets Marcus was standing by, would eventually be sold to those interested in buying high-quality leather at a discounted rate.
It was all profit for Marcus. Everything had been liberated from their delivery trucks at no cost to the Shadow Vipers, so all proceeds from any sales went right into their pockets.
They were criminals, not good Samaritans.
Sue him.
The real hardware—guns, drugs, and other illegal items—were safely locked in his secret room. A room Gavin knew absolutely nothing about… he hoped.
“Here. Which one do you want?” Marcus asked, pointing to the leather jackets hanging on racks.
“What? I can have one?” Gavin asked, seeming shocked by the offer.
“Yeah, and when you’re done, I’ll take you into the city to buy some clothing. It’s not like you packed a bag when you decided to enter theViper Protection Program.” Marcus gave him a tiny smirk. He kind of liked the sound of that.
Gavin let out a squeak as he began perusing the designer jackets laid out before him. “Jesus, these are gorgeous.” Gavin pulled one out and held it up in front of him. “Wow.”
Then he froze.
“Wait. Are all of these… stolen?”
Marcus shrugged. They were going to be sold to someone else eventually. Who cared how these items got in his possession?
Marcus could see the conflict storming in his eyes. He took the jacket from his hands and held it open so Gavin could slip inside.
“Yup, that is definitely the one for you,” Marcus whispered, turning the boy so he could check himself out in the mirror. “What do you think?”
The boy was good-looking to begin with. His dark hair against his piercing blue eyes added a sleek contrast that could only be described as… mesmerizing.
Add to that the badass leather jacket Marcus had just thrown onto him.Oh, Mama.
Staring at himself in the mirror, Gavin's eyes lit up when he saw his reflection. “Wow.”
