Zion

“Get your ass up,” Ginger snaps, the lights turning on as I roll onto my stomach. “We’ve got a day before us.”

“The sun is not out yet,” I mumble, pulling the covers tighter. “Go.”

“Get your little runt ass up and out of bed or I’ll pull you out like yesterday,” Ginger growls, her wolf surfacing as mine wants to lash out right away. I’ve survived seven days here, one whole week in hell as I’m constantly reminded that she could kick me out to depend upon my own at any second. “Let’s go.”

I abide by her growl, sitting up as freshly-washed clothes are thrown at my face like yesterday morning. The door slams shut, leaving me to change as the moon is still up in the sky. Grabbing the bottom of my shirt, I begin to change, looking at the clothes she’s given me today. Yesterday was a pair of black leggings and workout shirt as I spent half the day outside with three other rogues as we worked out and even helped me train a bit.

For the most part Ginger has been tolerable, reminding me as Zion with how she handles many of the rogue that follow her: stern with no bias and to be respected.

Pulling the faded flannel onto my body, I begin to button up the shirt as Ginger enters the room again, tossing me a bottle of chocolate milt with protein powder mixed in. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the hot-headed rogue leader, she loves her protein drinks and pool. Not to mention she cares deeply for her hair since it seems some hair dresser is always here to retouch her roots even if her natural color is not peaking forth. “Drink up, we’re heading into the city to see Drexel.”

Nodding, I watch as she leaves again, allowing me to pull on the pair of stretchy jeans, those jeggings that Ginger practically swears bye because you can still fight in them. As I pull them on, following is a pair of boots, a knife slipped into one as I get to my feet. I put my hair back in a bun, stretching my neck as I open up the chocolate milk. Ever since Zion had called to say he wants me back, Ginger made sure security has been fully up, even introducing me to one of her main men she uses as a hacker, one who studied at MIT to drop or because his mate was banished as a rogue, following her as he became one as well.

Finding the Ring Leader in her living room, clad in her signature leather jacket, satin black top, jet black jeans tucked into a pair of combat boots, her hair is the only thing to add color to her look really. “Let’s go.”

I nod, following behind the tall rogue as a pair of rogues I’ve met as her top body guards meet us at the front door of her modern mini-mansion. “Drexel will be meeting us at a more secluded corner of a café,” Ginger explains as four more guards appear, escorting us into a maroon SUV, making sure to keep a close eye upon the outside world around us.

As the driver takes the wheel, the car starts up and I finally get to get out this property, to have a small piece of freedom. “Why am I coming?” I ask, putting on my seatbelt as Ginger pulls out her phone. “Zion could be waiting for me.”

“Not when a gun is to his fiancé’s skull.”

My skin pales. “What?”

“Relax, Cinderella, I won’t shoot you, just put a weapon to your head to make sure he won’t try anything,” Ginger explains, trying to make light of a serious situation. “He wouldn’t dare harm me or my men with a gun to his little Queen’s precious head.”

I know where she is coming from, yet I am in no way fond of her plan. “I don’t like it.”

“Doesn’t matter, you ensure my safety because of your lover.” She’s blunt, that’s one thing I am still adjusting to. Besides her healthy eating habits that make me crave some ice cream and mac and cheese. “Just don’t make me be annoyed with you enough to pull the trigger.”

I scowl, making sure she knows I don’t like anything that she is saying as the gate to her property opens for us. “Let’s just stop talking.”

And we do, the rest of the twenty minute ride feeling like a ghost town as we pass city lines and the SUV takes turns to a local café. With tinted windows, a heavy front door, and appearance of a place some shady shit might go on in on the inside, I already know the place feels like Drexel. As we park, one of the bodyguards hands me a bulletproof vest to put on under my flannel. But what use does it serve of Ginger pulls the trigger as the cold barrel is against my head?

Once the vest is under my shirt, we hop out, two bodyguards followed by Ginger and me, the rest following as we head fast for the entrance. The street is calm, crowded though as cars line the street. The café will be crowded, meaning a risky scene for someone to open fire. But what would Zion care? He has senators from the werewolf world working in the human, not to mention ambassadors that get him out of whatever trouble he is in.

Grabbing whatever fear I have in my body, I swallow it down, trying to stop my hands from trembling. Sure, I’ve got guards protecting me, Drexel here for me, and Ginger protecting me only to irritate an Alpha King, but I’m still scared of Zion. No, not of the man or actions because I think he would ever harm me, but because he could easily steal me away and I’d never get a chance to get my answers done. I need to know what happened to Lillian.

Drexel has the number of Lily, telling us she’d try and get answers by the end of the week. And it’s been a week. Holding onto the hope of Zion not interrupting this meeting, we enter the café, the smell of coffee beans helping me relax a little. Already I spot Drexel at one of the back tables, one with four chairs around the circular table, the intimidating figure of Drexel in one of the chairs as no one sits in hearing range. “Let’s go,” Ginger orders, her voice low as we separate from all but one guard, the rest acting normal as they order coffee from the counter. The guard still with us follows Ginger and me towards Drexel’s table.

As his eyes meet mine, I know he has business to discuss. Knowing Ginger, she’s hoping for some juicy gossip regarding the Alpha King and the upcoming War. “Ginger, Sybil,” Drexel greets as we take our seats, the one guard sitting at the forth chair of the table, instantly looking around as Ginger leans back in her chair, already comfortable. She knows with me in her possession Zion won’t try anything. At least if he was sane and not going crazy like what she hopes he would be like.

“What’s the news on Lillian?” I ask right off the bat, curious as to what information will be revealed.

“That’s not the reason why he called,” Ginger states right away, giving no time for Drexel to even open his mouth.

I raise an eyebrow. “What is the meeting about then? That we had to come into the city for?” I ask, looking at Drexel as he pulls from beside his chair a small stack of three papers staples together. “If not Lillian, then what?”

“You wanted two answers,” Drexel begins. “Who Zion’s mate was and the names of the rogues that killed your parents.”

“Yes, but I already know it was rogues, no Zion, and he promised he would kill those rogues for me,” I state, looking as Ginger’s group of guards take their seats, pulling out laptops as they begin their security checks. “Zion said he would take care of it.”

“I know,” Drexel explains. “But hear me out here. Yes, I have information on Lillian, but this is also important.”

“What pack were the rogues from?” I ask, my feet beginning to rapidly tap against the floor.

“Nixon’s pack, two that he had banished three years ago due to complications in an assignment done wrong. Lily had found these files while searching for ones on Lillian.”

“What do you mean? What was their reason?”

“You should ask why I have three papers here with information person rather than two.”

“So a third party? That’s why we had to leave my property?” Ginger asks, already aggravated as I agree with her. Staying on her property would have been safer than risking our safety out here. “Really smart of you.”

“Nixon is my third profile of information.”

“Why?” I ask. “He didn’t kill my parents. It makes no rational sense of that’s what you’re getting at. My parents were killed a week after Zion took me to the palace, two rogues.” I meet Ginger’s eyes as Drexel slides the papers over to me. “Nixon wouldn’t of even known I was at the palace nor cared. It doesn’t make sense as to that he would kill my parents.”

“It would if he never wanted to banish those two rogues.” I look to the papers, one on a man named Hayden and the other names Tanner. “Pack rules state that an Alpha must banish anyone who murders another pack member. Both of these men had killed another warrior of the pack, not just a warrior, but the Beta. Nixon was forced by regulations to banish these two. Lily also dug up banking records. Every month Zion would deposit five thousand into a banking account that he wanted to keep hidden.” I nod, looking to Nixon’s page. “Lily also found old flight records. Nixon had left Newton in a three-day span of your parent’s death, right for New York City.”

“You’re saying he wanted my parents dead, but that makes no sense. Why? I don’t see any sign of him holding a grudge against Zion anywhere? We think Nixon killed Lillian anyway. The only way Nixon could hold a grudge would be of Zion killed Lillian, but Lillian was Zion’s mate who had a family with Nixon.”

“Easy,” Drexel states as Ginger shakes her head. “After Lillian’s death, Nixon wanted Zion-

“That makes no logical sense in my head and I can usually follow through with confusing shit,” Ginger interrupts, taking the papers from me. “Why would Nixon want Sybil’s parents to die to get to Sybil? If Zion was the one to kill Lillian (which seems highly unlikely), Nixon would head directly for Sybil and not her parents.”

“I agree,” I state, watching as Drexel pulls out a phone from his pocket. “Nixon would go right for me, but we already know, well, have enough information to agree, that Nixon killed Lillian.”

“Meaning Lillian could of been having an affair,” Drexel. “There’s multiple days Zion would fly down in the month to Newton. That means he could have been having an affair with Lillian. Then, bam, Nixon found out, killed Lillian out of anger, and now, that Zion has a new girl in his life, is trying to get back at Zion.”

I run my hands through my hair, letting out a deep breath as I try and see where Drexel is coming from. “It sounds like we are stretching the facts that we have to come up with a conclusion,” I comment, massaging my temples as the sound of rain begins outside. “We have no true form of evidence.”

“If Nixon wanted Zion to suffer, Drexel, he’d go straight after Sybil, not work his way around with no direct harm. If he wanted revenge he’d be wise and not wasteful.” As much as I hate agreeing with Ginger, I nod my head. No, I don’t like how she said my parent’s death were wasteful, but I know in the form of revenge, if Nixon wanted to hurt Zion, he should rather harm me physically than emotionally. “Is this all you needed to talk about, because the more we stay here the greater of a chance Zion is closing in on us.”

“You don’t think he knows where I am, do you?” I ask, meeting her gaze as a rumble of thunder can be heard. “Drexel said he would never expect to find me here, yet that was him on the phone a week ago.”

Drexel shakes his head. “He knows Ginger has you, that’s enough.”

“I own three properties on the West Coast, meaning he has three to search the radius of,” she explains, handing the papers back to Drexel as one of her guards sitting at an opposite table gives her a hand signal. “Not to mention another in Texas. So, that means they should be closing in on which one soon enough.”

I know what she is saying, yet I’m unsure as to if I trust her on that. I’ve been here a week, and knowing Zion, he should already have located which property I am at by not. Zion should be close by, lurking, awaiting the right moment to pounce and capture his prey. After all, he’s a wolf who loves a good chase, and I’ve given him one in return. I’ve initiated the game he loves to play, and the more frustrated I make the Alpha King, the more I secure chance of him winning.