Page 133 of A Wild Darkness

Hayden’s eyes light up. “And then burned whatever building they’re in down.”

The three of us are quiet for a few minutes.

I quickly cycle through different ways I could work out this idea. “But we’ll be at that library downtown tomorrow night. Security was tight the last time we were there. And I’m sure if Silas is suspicious, he’ll bump it up once again.”

Christian nods in agreement, his eyes trained on the floor, deep in thought.

Another idea forms. I sit straighter in my chair and lean forward over the desk. “What about Moore Mansion?”

“What about Moore Mansion?” Hayden asks.

A mischievous grin grows across Christian’s face. “That’s where the last event of the killing season will be. It’s remote…”

“And I’m sure we’d be the only group there, since the Society will need secrecy,” I add.

Hayden’s eyes widen. “And it’s on the island. There’s nothing else around there. We could hack into their security systems.”

“It’s basically Hacking 101 with these old buildings. I’ll need enough time to take them out one by one,” Christian boasts.

“With five of us, including me and the night crew⁠—”

“And me,” Christian interjects. “I’m going in on this, too.”

Hayden rolls his eyes at the fact that Christian doesn’t want to play the elusive and cold tech guy anymore. “Fine. We’d easily be able to knock them off one by one. And quietly, too.”

A fire builds inside me with each step of our plan as we lay the groundwork to take out the West Coast chapter of the Black Veil Society. We’re not a big operation, but despite what ignorant people might think, to pull off large-scale organized crime like this we really don’t need many people. Just the right people.

“This is great,” I say, turning to Hayden. “Hayden, can you spend the next week checking out Moore Mansion? I want you to locate detailed blueprints of the interior, perimeter, any access points to the island, and the mansion.”

Eager to get started, Hayden jumps to his feet. “Fuck yeah.”

I stand and walk around my desk. “Ensure the place is completely cased and confer with Christian regarding everyone’s placement.”

“Of course,” he says.

“Now we need to go back to discussing tomorrow night,” I say.

Christian sighs. “I’d treat the event as you both proving your loyalty to the group, whatever they ask. If you don’t, they might get spooked, and we don’t want them to cancel the last event. If they do, we’d be fucked.”

He verbalizes everything I’m thinking, and it makes the stakes even higher. My heart pounds with excitement and nerves. I need to speak with Stevie about how important it is for us to play our part fully tomorrow night. There is no room for hesitation.

I wipe a hand down my face. “I need to speak with Stevie.”

Hayden and Christian exchange a quick smirk.

“Fuck you both.”

“What are you going to do when all this is over?” Christian asks sincerely.

I shrug. “What do you mean?”

“Are you guys a thing? Like, are you going to bring her into our world completely?” Hayden clarifies for me, but also for himself.

I shake off my annoyance with their questioning, but I know it comes from a concerned place. They have skin in the game as much as I do. “She is mine. That’s it.”

“Does she know that?” Christian presses. “Does she want to live a life like this?”

Suddenly, I get a pang of uncertainty. “She has to.”