Aiden Harper

Preparation

Aiden

I waited until the bakery closed and met my cousins there. River unlocked the door to let us inside. Once inside, we got to work, ensuring Gloria couldn't run. For this plan to succeed, I had to tell the cousins I knew the truth about them. Yeah, that went over like a lead balloon.

"How the hell did you figure out the truth about us?" Nixon asked.

"Just because I didn't talk much for two years doesn't mean I wasn't listening," I said with a shrug.

"Who else knows about us?" Nathan asked.

"Diego."

"Did you tell your girlfriend?" Noah asked.

"Eden doesn't know." I shook my head.

"Make sure it stays that way," Nash said. "The fewer people who know, the better."

I nodded in agreement.

Nash looked at everyone. "Let's get to work."

We nodded and got the bakery ready for Gloria's arrival. I installed a remote feature for the locks in the panel. With a press of a button, the bakery would go into lockdown. Nathan and Noah reprogrammed the security cameras to play video footage on a loop at seven. They were essentially erasing evidence of Gloria's visit.

Nolan installed microphones that ran sound via Bluetooth to our phones so we could hear what they said. We tested the feature to ensure it worked.

Noah worked the bakery counter while Nash, Nixon, Nathan, and Nolan acted like customers, and Diego and I hid in the kitchen. With everything in place, we headed home. Well, I returned to Grandpa's place since he was on our protection detail.

Nash dropped me off and waited until I was inside, safe and sound.

Grandpa met me at the front door. "Where were you?"

"I was hanging out with Tino and the others," I said.

Grandpa searched my face for a lie but couldn't find one. "At least you're spending time with your cousins."

I nodded before heading to bed.

********
Raymond

I checked on Rueben and Mia before feeding them. They swallowed those mice like they were starving.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked.

I recovered the traps. "Feeding my pets." I smiled.

"You have venomous snakes in cages." Misty raised her brow.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because people hurt my daughter."

Misty looked at me and knitted her brows.

"Misty, I'm not a bad man. I'm nothing like my mother. My ex kept my daughter from me for over twenty years. I lost time with Eden. I want people to pay for what they did to her."

"I didn't know my mom because she died right after my birth. But my dad was the best dad ever. I couldn't imagine not having him in my life. I understand why you're angry. Someone cheated you out of time with your daughter. Promise me you won't hurt Eden."

"That's one promise I can keep."

Misty smiled and nodded before going inside the house. I didn't want her to think I was crazy for bringing two venomous snakes here. I have my reasons.

"Interesting talk you had with Misty," a voice said.

I spun around to see Tino and his cousins looking over the fence at me, and then I approached them. "How much did you hear?"