Seven

Chapter 10

Seven looks like he's waging a conflict in his mind as he observes me. I can tell he's probably deciding whether or not to tell me the answers to those things or not. He sighs defeatedly and looks to the floor, his green eyes squeezing closed in frustration before he opens them again and speaks.

"I didn't want to have to tell you any of this but thanks to your little escapade you've given me no choice." He blows out an infuriated breath through his nose.

"Victor is my uncle." Seven begins.

"He owns the club, and many other businesses like this one." He nods in a gesture to the building around us. Immediately I'm confused, I thought Seven owned the club by the way that he orders everyone around and has this office space.

"So...you help him run it?" I ask, trying to understand his position here.

"Sort of. I help him with a lot of things but the club usually just runs itself. I come in every few months to make sure things are...up to standard." He explains. I remember Kitty saying she'd thought Seven had left again earlier this week because he doesn't usually stay around and only checks in every so often.

"What do you and your uncle do apart from the strip club?" It's bold of me to ask but I can't help but be inquisitive after what I saw tonight.

He looks up to meet my eyes and if I'm not mistaken Seven looks nervous. He pauses for a moment before finally answering me.

"My uncle Victor is a Don of a relatively notorious gang that operates this corner of the country." Seven opens up and my mouth drops. A gang?! What the fuck? Seven's uncle is in a gang?! Is Seven in a gang? What the heck is a fucking Don? Oh my god my mind is running a million thoughts in a second right now.

"What is a Don?" My mouth decides to ask first. I don't know if that's a dumb question but I'm not well versed in the gang world.

"Gang leader, crime lord, god father, kingpin." Seven offers me various definitions and my mouth goes dry.

"Oh." I don't know what else to say. I'm working at a strip club owned by a gang? And a thought occurs to me.

"Those men here tonight, Kitty called them members are they—"

"Gang members, yes." Seven confirms.

"Holy shit." I whisper and look away from him to my lap. I was in a room full of maybe fifty gang members and didn't even know.

"So you're in a gang?" I look back up to Seven.

"Yes." He answers easily.

"And Curby?" I ask even though I already know the answer. Seven nods. I don't know what to say. My mind is racing from what he's just told me, I don't know how to react to this. All I can think is why?

Why would he get himself into something like a gang? Why would anyone?

"Why are you even in a gang?" I put my question to him. And Seven frowns as if he wasn't expecting my casual demeanour and basic question.

"Uh, well that's a long story." He tries to cop out of answering.

I look to my empty wrist as though there's a watch there before speaking.

"I have time." I say and Seven's lips twitch like he wants to smile but the serious situation would make it inappropriate. Instead he bites down on his bottom lip and folds his arms over his chest before beginning.

"Well, before my uncle Victor my father was our leader." Seven starts. Why does it seem surprising to me to hear that Seven has an uncle, and father and a family? He never talks about anything personal but then again he doesn't really talk much about anything since I've known him.