The Deadly Seven

Wren had never been known for her friendly demeanor. She was often described as a ‘bitch’ when people were asked what they thought of her but those she did claim as friends knew none better than Wren Nobles. Aiden was more that a colleague or someone she occasionally hung out with. She liked him. He was good company when he was in the mood to be and if not then they complained and argued like real people often do. She didn’t take his shit and he didn’t take her. Maybe that was what she liked most about it. “No I could use a break,” she said leading him to the living area. She gestured to the open kitchen. “You know where everything is, help yourself,” she said absently before saving her work and encrypting everything anew. She had an unbreakable system that would encrypt everything every three hours and only she knew the main keyword to unlock every encryption. Some things were encrypted with old encryptions so nothing was saved under the same key. “You look like shit, there’s beer in the fridge help yourself, whiskey’s in the cabinet if you need it,” she said sitting on the couch and putting her laptop away.

immediately finding his way to the kitchen, aiden began to serve himself. ❝ you’ll regret those words. you forget i can eat more than five football players. ❞ he joked. aiden wasn’t much for teasing and playing, but at the moment if he let himself take in what had just happened, he knew he wouldn’t be the best company. he had the rest of his life to replay what the barillas had roped him into. he should have known when the two cousins came in to his gym that he would regret giving them a tour. filling the biggest bowl he could find to the brim, he popped open a chilled bottle and took a seat on her couch.  ❝ my vote’s monster movies. i get enough fight club in the ring. ❞

Wren didn’t stop to gawk as Aiden got out of the shower, she had bigger concerns than the naked male in her bathroom. She had seen men naked before it all looked the same to her anyhow. “I don’t care if I get mixed up in it,” she said with a shrug before crossing her arms, “I mean,” she hesitated before admitting, “I think of you as a friend, okay? Don’t shame me for it, I know it’s dumb and a shit idea but- if I could help you any time just…know that I would.” She watched him for a minute then turned to go. “You should stay here tonight, it’s monster movie night. Or we can watch Fight Club,” she said in an attempt to joke while leaving the bathroom. “I made stew if you’re hungry.”

pulling the tshirt over his head, he turned to look at wren once more. aiden nodded at her words. friends were good. he never had a long list of them. but if this friend not only helped him with his books, but offered food, who was he to to complain. though if he was being honest, he had considered her a friend ages ago. perhaps that was why he place was he first he thought of. ❝ wouldn’t dream of shaming you. teasing you, maybe. ❞ he smirked, opening the bathroom door for her, ❝ you said you had something to do. don’t let me distract you. i can get out of your hair. ❞

Wren leaned against the wall but tilted her head in the direction of the bathroom to hear Aiden over the water. “Yeah I might have some sweats,” she said pushing off the wall and going to her dresser. She dug around a bit before finding the old sweats she had kept from a past lover and a baggy tee shirt she got from a thrift store before going back to the bathroom. Her knuckle rapped at the door but she just walked in and set the clothes down on the back of the toilet for him. “Aiden? No one- no one else knows I’m here right? You weren’t dropped off outside or anything?” she asked looking at the shower. She didn’t care that he was naked or that he might want some privacy. This was important.

seeing that wren just waltzed into and made eye contact with him through the glass shower door, he scoffed. aiden shut off the water, as clean as he could get without completely disinfection himself. he slid the glass open and reached for the towel as he dried off. ❝ thank you. ❞ he lifted the corner of his mouth in something that could be mistaken for a smile. ❝ no one. had them drop me off at the busiest intersection from here. i doubt they’ll come back. if they want to find me, they already know i never leave the gym. ❞ walking behind wren, he began to get dressed. ❝ i know i shouldn’t be here, but thank you. and trust me, you won’t get mixed up in this shit. ❞

Wren wasn’t one to pry so if Aiden didn’t want to talk about it, they wouldn’t talk about it. They both had peculiar dealings with unscrupulous people and there was a lot she didn’t want to talk about either so why would she ask someone to talk about what they clearly didn’t want to talk about. She looked at the mud tracked through the her house and made her way to the bathroom. She opened the door just a hair and leaned against the wall where Aiden could still hear her. “So like is this a ‘I need an alibi’ situation or a ‘Some drunk fucker is in the hospital’ situation?” she asked peeking into the bathroom but not in a leery kind of way just to make sure he heard. “I’m kinda in the middle of something big so if we could just figure out my part in your game I’d appreciate it.”

as he began to reach the point that no amount of soap would clean off, wren’s  voice came into the room. ❝ don’t need an alibi, but if you happen to have some clothes that would ft me, you’d be a doll. ❞ he scoffed, cursing himself for forgetting to bring closes. he didn’t even have his car, since kam just dropped him off three blocks from wren’s place. aiden thought it best not to give the sicilian an exact location. the blue eyes barilla didn’t seem like the trustworthy type, unlike wren. he appreciated how the blonde could keep a secret.

“blah blah lets stay inside forever and never see the sun. yes i know dicra doesn’t like going out but this surprise will be amazing i promise!” giving his hand a squeeze solana glanced up at the sky, admiring the sunset for a moment before dragging him across the busy city street. ignoring the loud blare of car horns sounding off at the fact they were jaywalking. “so i haven’t talked to you since that date your mom set you up on…how did it go? you find mrs. right?”

Wren had been working on her laptop, hacking into the latest victim’s offshore account, when she heard the knock. Now very few people knew where she lived and even fewer showed up at this hour but still she pulled herself up and peeked out into the hall, surprised to see Aiden. “What? Yours broken?” she smarted off while opening the door and letting him in. “They don’t have water where you live?” she continued but there was the hint of amusement in her tone as she shut the door behind him. “I do agree, though, you smell fuckin awful.” She gestured down the way to the only enclosed room in her flat. “Towels are in the closet.”

with a quick nod of gratitude, aiden made his way to the bathroom. ❝ your place was closer. ❞ he said with a grunt as he closed the door with his elbow, trying to make the least amount of mess. aiden stripped and stepped into the shower before the water heated up. as the stream began to take off the top layer of dirt, he ran through the night in his head. searching for any mistake he might have made: generic shoes, easy to dispose of; hair up in a beanie, no hair samples; wiped the shovel, no fingerprints. replaying every second of the past three hours, he scrubbed anything that could trace him the woods.

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“shhh i have told you already it’s a surprise! just…go with the flow.” flashing a wide grin as she skipped ahead of him she took hold of his hand. her body crashing into his slightly. “what happened to you trusting me huh?”

❝ hair of the dog, ya’no. i need a gin

❝ c’mon. it’s summer. no one will