EDEN

EDEN - Chapter 7

Nothing about this place seemed anywhere close to 'fine'.

Simon thought that the guards out front were intimidating, but once the five of them had entered the dilapidated building, several more armed gang members were waiting for them. Half of them were on the ground floor, covering the left and right walls alike. The rest were lounging on the catwalks above, leaning against the railing. The gunmen varied in appearances, but they all seemed to be around Simon's age. Each had their gang's symbol tagged on their shirts, jackets, pants, even bandanas.

Scattered around the large, singular room was a veritable ocean of stolen merchandise, crates overflowing with what must've been several thousand of dollars worth of miscellaneous goods. The types of contraband were vast, ranging from small things like ornate jewelry and high-end computer parts, to big-ticket items like shiny new firearms and exotic sports cars. Unlike the professional tidiness of a real warehouse, everything from the stolen items to the packing materials they came in lay scattered across the floor. Clearly no attempt had been made to keep the place organized.

At the very back of the warehouse was a standalone office for an on-site foreman, about the size of a large bedroom. Of all the floor space covered in junk, the area surrounding the office had been swept clean, making it look nice compared to the rest of the concrete dump. Simon's heart skipped a beat when the door to the office was kicked open, swinging wide enough to slam against the structure. Out from the modular office strolled a curly red-headed young man with his hair slicked back, dressed in a funky large purple overcoat lined with zebra fur.

Striding out from the office, puffing his thin chest with haughty bravado, was none other than the scrawny punk calling himself the leader of the D.C Devils, Big E. Standing menacingly at his sides were two older and much larger men, both in matching suits. Based on their broad shoulders, use of sunglasses indoors, and twisted cords plugged into their ears, even Simon could deduce that they were his bodyguards.

"Ladies, gentlemen! Welcome!" Big E held his hands up before coming to a stop in the middle of the room. "How can Big E be of service to you fine folks today, hm?" His eyes traced along Lexine up and down, unapologetically licking his braces as he did.

Everything about the gang leader made Simon cringe on the inside, experiencing second-hand embarrassment from the shame Big E should have been feeling for himself. He looked around to see if any of the Devils had noticed his reaction, but found them all focused on Lexine, who had taken her first step towards their leader. "Hey, how's it going? We're here to—"

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Big E put a hand up, causing his bodyguards to step together and his gang members to aim their weapons. "Listen mama, I understand your rush to get with Big E, a'ight? Believe me, I do, but I can't just have ya walkin' up to me like that!" As his bodyguards parted, he solemnly put his hands to his chest, gripping his exotic coat. "This is our first time, girl! Gotta take these things slow, y'know?"

"Fine," Lexine exhaled, shrugging before putting her hands up, "Frisk me if it makes you feel more comfortable."

Big E smiled wide enough that his freckle-covered cheeks were pushed to either side of his face. "That's what I like to hear." He gave an up nod towards Lexine. "Search her."

One of the guards at his side stepped forward to meet Lexine, who held her arms out and placed her feet shoulder-width apart. When the man approached her, he began patting down her shoulders, arms, and sides before taking a knee to check her legs and boots as well, being as thorough and professional all throughout. When he couldn't find anything, he stood back up and returned to his boss' side. "She's clean."

Big E, as well as his armed followers, all relaxed. "Sorry about that, baby. You can't be too careful, know what I'm sayin'?" The slimy dealer shot her an unflattering smile as he motioned for her to come forward. "So how can Big E help you today? In the market for a shiny new toy?" He broke away from his bodyguards to show off his hoard of stolen treasures, rifling through boxes and packing material before coming out with his arms full of goods. "We've got ARs, AKs, HKs, FALs, and RPGs! We've got bags, coats, diamonds, cars, hell I've even got military hardware so new that they don't even have street names for 'em yet! I offer top-quality black market merch without all the attached strings the mobs and cartels like to worm into these deals. Money up front, no questions asked, no refunds: That's my policy." After laying down his pitch and boasting about his inventory like a used car salesman, Big E sauntered back in between his hired hustle. "Well? Anything catch your eye, Sweetheart?" he wiggled his eyebrows up and down, popping the fur collar of his coat as he rocked his hips in slow gyrations, "Anything at all?"