WOLVES REIGN
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN: Kill for you
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April 6th
Wolf Mansion
3:22 P.M.
Syaoran rested his forehead against a folded arm, the other arm outstretched to hold onto Sakura. He'd been like that for the last hour. Sitting and waiting. Every so often he glanced up to see if any life had returned back into her pale cheeks, only to frown at the obvious answer before returning to rest his head. Sakura merely laid with eyes closed and body stiff while an oxygen mask covered her face. She had no new injury, but the injury on her hip had increased to look like a mac truck slammed into her. According to Kaho, pressure had been placed on her healing stab wound and she'd lost a lot more blood than anyone knew. After being shot, stabbed, and abused Syaoran was sure she would never be the same, both physically and mentally. The pain must have been so intense, forcing Sakura to pass out. Pain he couldn't even begin to imagine despite having similar injuries.
He wished he could remove the oxygen mask and kiss her awake. Wished he could turn back time and save her before all this happened. He wished he hadn't allowed her to go in the first place. Syaoran wished for a lot and none of it was going to help the current situation. All he could do was wait. Nothing else. The situation had been so bad her body had shut down in order to heal. He raked his mind trying to remember if Sakura had even fallen unconscious this long when she'd gotten shot on the beach a few months back. Syaoran brought his gaze up to watch the steady fall of her chest. It appeared as if she was sleeping not comatose. The calm rhythm of each breath fogged the mask and cleared up in less than a second as she breathed out. Despite the situation she looked peaceful—at ease even. The condition Isabella was in made it seem like they were in a war zone, yet here Sakura lay. She was unconscious while her friend was down stairs getting a bullet taken out of her shoulder.
The blonde hadn't been very forthcoming about the attack, either. The only thing Isabella could tell him was that they had given Jonathan and Sakura time to escape—so much for that plan. Syaoran couldn't help but wonder if Sakura had been the intended target, despite the attack being at the Haruto house. If Marius had been involved then all fingers pointed to Ceil. Although, his theory that the twins pissed off Ceil somehow was still a possibility. They had been ambushed after trying to follow her in Ritto. A mistake they were not going to make a second time, especially if Cobra was back in town. If it had been Ceil that attacked the twins last night, then they were all in trouble. Syaoran wished he could prove it, and knew deep down, there was no way to point fingers at the crazy eighteen-year-old.
Syaoran suddenly made a face, deep in thought. Cobra had been out of town for a short period, which meant that Ceil was in charge. If Ceil had been in charge then most of the recent attacks were on her, despite the agreement to allow grievance when someone passes. Syaoran didn't think that grievance mattered much to a woman that did all the killing. Something was definitely off and he intended to figure it out, especially if Marius was dead and the huge backlash from it would be coming their way. He could only imagine the type of repercussion Ceil would bring them. Marius had been by her side for a long time, had been by Lee Shang's side for a long time. Running a hand over his face, Syaoran groaned at the idea that Shang would squash the new agreement he made with their corporation.
It wasn't going to end well.
Sakura's phone vibrated across the room and his gaze went to it, watching as the hand-sized device spun in a circle and died down. Why hadn't she called for backup? Why hadn't Isabella called? No—he patted his pockets in search for his own cell phone. He had gotten a text message. Could he have stopped the situation if only he'd answered his phone? Pulling it out, he swiped his password and frowned, his chest tightening. I love you and I'm sorry was written in caps from Sakura. The time stamp didn't match the timeline, making his head explode with the possibilities that it had been Heinz using her phone or possibly a fluke in general. Sakura needed to wake up so he could figure this out and stop diving into depression with his thoughts.
As if summoning her, Sakura twitched. Her fingers lifted and fell as the muscles in her body responded to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Putting the phone away, Syaoran held her hand and squeezed, willing her awake. His lips met with each finger as her body stilled for a moment. Then, in a flash of emerald orbs dilated black by large pupils, they snapped opened. A hard breath resembling a scream fogged the oxygen mask. Syaoran quickly removed it and washed as she struggled with reality. Her body twitched and convulsed. Her mind refused to believe that she was safe as her arm shot out to grab empty air next to her injury. Her one leg shot up in an attempt to shove the air before settling back down. His heart shattered as he witnessed her body remember the attack. Grabbing her hand, Syaoran held it and leaned over enough to breath out reassuring words. Little by little her pupils returned to normal size and her body stopped twitching as her heart beat slowed to an even beat.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she finally recognized Syaoran, her fingers shaking as she reached for his face. He took that as a good sign and kissed her outstretched hand down to her elbow before kissing her tears, her nose, and her lips. "Everything's going to be okay." He whispered against her, trying to make her feel better. Her arms weakly wrapped around him before tightening in a death grip. It was almost as if she was using him as a lifeline. "I promise you're safe." He barely felt her nod as she released him. "I'm going to fix this. Ceil will see hell."
"Marius?" her voice pushed out softly, crackly.
Good, she remembered he thought before answering. "Dead," she could barely nod her head as she sucked in a ragged breath. "Why didn't you call me?" it might be too soon to ask, but he had to know.
There was no flinch of guilt or twitch of remembering the situation. Sakura barely took in a breath as she struggled to sit up. Syaoran started to help her when she winced, feeling the depths of being stomped on and stopped trying to sit up. Finally she met his gaze, settling with finding a comfortable position laying down. "I couldn't call," she whispered. Fresh tears slipped down her face and she shook her head in anguish. "There was a block in place. I wanted to call, but—"
"How…?" he interrupted quickly and flinched when she stared. He hadn't meant for the word to slip out.
"How what?" at the shake of his head her gaze narrowed. The fight in her was strong and he sighed, knowing it was futile to hide anything from her. "How what?" she repeated when he was silent for too long.
"Heinz brought you home. He must have had you guys followed." Or he must have known, he thought. Shaking his head at the thought, he watched as reality once again set in behind her gaze.
"Stalking me."
"He does have an unusual infatuation with you. Sort of like Haruto." She narrowed her gaze at him and he laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "I know. I'm glad you're safe." Kissing her, he stood and stretched. Every bone in his body cracked as he reached for the sky before settling back down.
"I almost wasn't." she whispered. "He was there for me. He said so himself."
"Now he's dead." her head shook as she stared up at the ceiling. "Don't worry about it right now. You need to rest."
"How long until Ceil sends another after me? Who else is going to get hurt—where's Isabella?" she suddenly said in a jumble of words. Her gaze widened in thought and Syaoran knew she was thinking the worse had happened.
"Downstairs. She has an injured arm, but otherwise she's fine." he cupped her face before she could ask the obvious next question. "The twins are okay. They called me before Isabella showed up with you."
A bob of her head made him squeeze tightly in affection. "I'm sorry."
"For what? You have nothing to be sorry for."
"I have a lot to be sorry for." she weakly cupped his cheek in turn before letting her hand drop. Pressing his head to hers, he breathed in the lingering stench of antiseptic and peroxide mixed with her cherry blossom shampoo. She was alive and safe. Nothing else mattered anymore. "I know there's going to be an entourage. Whose here?" she said when the silence became too much.
Syaoran straightened. "I asked everyone not to say anything until we knew for sure that you were going to be okay. Daidouji and Sasaki are here." She only nodded, eyes closing briefly. A ragged breath escaped her mouth and she opened her eyes again. "I'll go tell them you're awake."
"Syaoran…" he stopped at the door, head slightly turned as he waited for her to continue. When she was silent he turned fully and watched as she sat up, face contorted at the pain. With a practiced ease she leaned against the pillows and bed board to relax. Finally her gaze met his and for the first time since waking up, he saw the fierce desire to fight in that look. "I'm going to be okay."
"I know."
Her head bobbed as she looked around the room, taking in the closed window and the discarded clothes strewn everywhere. It wasn't the typical room they used or even a room that anyone used. It just happened to be a convenient place to put her to make sure she was comfortable. Her expression contorted in thought. "How many rooms does this place have? Like holy mother of—"
"A hundred," he laughed as she gawped, walking out before he decided to remain in the room.
He would have stayed a thousand years in that room with her. When he was with her no one else mattered, no one else existed. Desire ran down his spine at her infectious smile, at the way her emerald orbs glittered with life. He had one fleeted thought of showing her every room the mansion had and never leaving again. Hands tight in a fist to keep his self-control in check, Syaoran pushed opened the door leading to the large common room and stopped short. Every pair of eyes landed on him. Every breath was being held as they waited for the verdict. Realizing he was the only one that knew Sakura was awake, he released his fist and ran a hand down his face tiredly.
"She's awake and perfectly fine." he announced more for his benefit then the handful of people in the room.
"Can I—?" Tomoyo started as she pulled away from Eriol's embrace. Her gaze was pleading even though her posture was stiff, waiting for denial. Syaoran nodded, watching as Tomoyo and Rika both left the room in a flurry of perfume and whispers. He was mildly surprised that Rin didn't jump up at the opportunity to join them, but then again the small Night Wing member was cross-legged on the floor with her nose in her sketch book.
It wasn't until he heard the distant door shut did he meet the entire room with a hardened expression. Business then pleasure, he reminded himself. "I need everyone in on what I'm about to say." Reina was on her feet, the child in her arms sleeping soundly. Syaoran licked his lips, suddenly feeling old and exhausted. "She's your sister now, Reina. Stay."
"She is not a sister." Koji hissed from his corner across the room, eyes on Reina. He looked a lot darker in his black clothing, his shoulder length hair brushing across his collar as his jerky movements caught the attention of the others. Syaoran faintly caught a whiff of watermelon and wondered if he'd just returned from smoking.
"Koji…" Rin started as she touched his leg, calming her brother.
Syaoran crossed his arms as he met their dark gazes. "Right now everyone in this room is going to be a part of what's going to happen next. Everyone. Including Reina, including Arya, and including Isabella." He watched hardened gazes met his. Haku wasn't happy, but he was silent. It was a huge contrast to Eriol's calm expression as he listened. Thinking of the injured Heinz member, Syaoran took a breath and continued. "Isabella was right. It's no longer a fair game. Last night Sakura and I went to the aid of Silver Snakes." He held up his hand before they could protest. "Haruto called her needing help. Sakura reacted out of instinct and as a result we learned that they have been meeting the same attacks that's been on us for the past few months."
"How can you be so sure?" Haku snapped.
"We're just going to have to find out, now aren't we?" Eriol said before Syaoran reacted with a harsh response. For that he was grateful. He was too tired to be calm, too agitated to be nice. Haku was becoming a loose cannon as of late, he didn't think he could handle any more of it.
"What are you going to do?" Kaho asked from her spot on the couch. She flipped a page of her book, gaze never leaving the words written in black. The older woman's clothes had been changed to a comfortable shirt and pants, her sneakers replaced with slippers. Earlier she'd been in her work clothes. Realizing the Black Wolves constant need for her was rising, he mentally winced. She was going to lose her job if they weren't careful.
"We're going on a hunt." Syaoran finally stated. That got her attention. "We're including Asayo on this hunt…so I need every Black Wolf ready to go."
"I'll stay with Sakura," Kaho announced before anyone could interject. Her warm gaze met Syaoran's willing him to object. She knew the dire need of having every black wolf and he knew she would argue with him if he tried to change her mind.
"Fine. We're headed to the Club. I need that place closed for business tonight." He didn't care who made the call as long as it was made. "Cobra will be returning from whatever hole he was hiding in, so I need this done quickly and quietly. I'll make sure Donovan has those silencers ready in a few hours." The atmosphere dropped in tension and Syaoran felt his stomach tightened at the looks exchanged by the black wolves.
"Donovan's still missing." Eriol responded coolly when Haku made a face to stay silent.
"What do you mean by 'still'?" Syaoran frowned as he stared at him.
"Donovan hasn't shown up for work in the last couple days. Candice doesn't know where he went and Lysander is too busy with the club to track him down."
"Why am I just now hearing about this?"
"It's not like you've been sitting in one spot long enough for us to tell you anything." Haku remarked snidely and Syaoran growled, getting tired of the blonde's constant need to throw that in his face.
"We were just at the club the other night. You could have told me then."
"Li—"
He shook his head, fingers pressing to his temples as he squeezed out a forming headache. It was too much. His temper flared dangerously close to explosion. There were too many nonblack wolf members in the room and too many personal issues to address. His uncle cautioned him to be careful with how much stress wedges between his friends and the dangers of their world, now it was time to take a step back before it was his life lost.
Koji said something in Romanian that made Syaoran tense and Reina to snap back. Moving his head so a few pops sounded from his spine, he met his comrade's gazes. "Eriol, you and Tomoyo will track down Donovan. Nathan, have Takashi help you track down Ceil's location and the location of Cobra."
"If Cobra's out of town, why would we need his location? Ceil is the only one that's currently a thorn in our side."
"With his location we will be able to avoid confrontation. I'm not in the mood to stumble in a trap again." he pulled out his phone. "Lupis Canis Café will be closed so Nakuru will stay with the baby. If and only if Sera and Icy are up for it, I want them at the club." He stared at Haku as he texted Touya and Nakuru both instructions. "Only if Sera's up for it. I can't have her making a personal matter her top priority, not now. I swear if she pulls another suicide attempt like at the university, I will personal see that she's locked up in a basement. We are not only after Asayo, but after the bastards that took out the restaurant and hurt our pack. Understood?"
"How are you going after those that attacked the restaurant?" Haku asked instead of answering the obvious threat against his sister.
"Don't worry about it."
"Are you kidding me!?"
"Li—"
"Not another word." Syaoran snapped and whirled around as a soft tap sounded.
"Master Li…you have company." Wei interrupted quietly.
"What company?"
"Detective's Luc and Sheldon, sir." The butler bowed low, waiting.
"Not interested today." He all but growled, realizing it sounded a lot harsher than he intended it to. "Tell them I'm busy with work or something, please."
"Sir,"
"I'll handle them." Kaho piped up as she stood. "They're probably here for a reason. We shouldn't give them more of a reason to scrounge up a warrant. The triplets don't need any more stress on them." Carefully she wrapped her long hair up into a bun and smiled, trying to ease the tension in the room.
"Thank you, Mizuki." Syaoran nodded to Wei before turning on his heel. Time for to get to work.
University of Kyoto
5:33 P.M.
The hall of the University bustled with the end of a few classes and the beginning of more. Students walked the halls in clumps as they chatted about recent events. Some students walked around those clumps with looks of disdain, earphones in, and books clamped against their chests as they tried to navigate the wide halls towards their new destination. Tomoyo wrapped her arms around her stomach as she watched a couple of girls, no older than nineteen, giggle and follow after a few boys the same age. Their spirits were high as they leaped as one, laughing loudly as the boys swore and spun with the girl's on their backs. Tomoyo smiled then. Despite the hardships she was facing with her friends, other people were enjoying life. It was the best feeling in the world. Her smile vanished, however, as she watched the hallways slowly empty as students disappeared to the courtyard.
Glancing at Rika, who had a similar expression written across her face, she frowned. "I don't see Naoko or Chiharu."
"Their coming," Rika gave her a sidelong glance and sighed. "It's only been a few minutes sense their class ended. Maybe they had to use the restroom or something." She shrugged her bare shoulders and tried for a smile. Tomoyo returned the smile with a half shrug, her arms tightening around her stomach for comfort.
They were silent for a minute, watching students come and go. "How can you be so calm? I mean…she was practically in a coma when they arrived." Tomoyo suddenly asked out of the blue. Rika flinched as if she'd been caught sneaking away. Long fingers played with the rims of her cut-top, tugging it down to sit snugly over her shoulders. Tomoyo knew she was thinking about the best way to answer that, but when Rika's bright auburn eyes finally met hers, the tears fell.
"Oh, Tomoyo." Rika hugged her and she choked, pulling away quickly.
"I'm fine."
"Clearly you're not," Rika frowned, her arms crossing gingerly over her chest. "Sakura's alive. That's what matters. We're going to deal with this and make these people pay." She leaned into Tomoyo playfully. "You heard what she said, if we don't have a brave face on then she won't have one. We need to be strong. She's still alive. The bastard didn't uses a weapon on her. So we don't need to worry."
Tomoyo nodded numbly. "I know,"
Rika pulled out her phone and read a text message. "Besides I'm pretty sure Syaoran and Touya both would go on a killing spree with or without Sakura being injured. Apparently it's in their nature."
Tomoyo was silent as she watched Rika smile at the text. Out of everyone, she had been the one to jump head first into the Black Wolves. She didn't question what Haku did for a living, she didn't question the scars or the tattoos. Tomoyo was sure that Rika would have followed Haku to the ends of the earth if he'd asked her too. "Do you ever think about what would have happened if we never met the boys?"
"What?" Rika looked up from her phone, thumb poised over the send button.
"I love Eriol, I really do. I never imagined I would love someone like this." Tomoyo shook her head, letting the tears slide down her cheeks silently. "Sometimes I wish we never met though. All this pain and suffering this group goes through. I can't. Thinking about Sakura right now…"
Rika hugged her, letting her own tears slide down her cheeks silently. "Sakura is fine. She would tell you right now our decision to love these boys was the best thing to ever happen." Rika whispered against her hair, fingers shaking as she soothed out a small knot. "Besides, the girl jumped in head first without stopping. She's married to Syaoran Li, multimillionaire and business owner. She became friends to some dangerous man in a mask. Did you see those freaks that came over from Italy?" Tomoyo laughed at that, pulling away from Rika's embrace. "If Sakura can handle this, we can too."
"Handle what?" a voice said forcing the two to break apart and whirl.
"Meilin," Tomoyo blinked as she took in the raven-haired Li. She looked tired standing in an over-sized white shirt tied at the hip and black leggings. "I thought you were headed to the club."
"I was, but there was a change of plans." Her gaze went to the side as she watched Naoko and Chiharu saunter over with large grins. "I take it the girls' don't know what's happened?"
"Phone's been off." Rika said lowly and watched as a door opened and a handful of students exited. Naoko looked up and waved enthusiastically, her body disappearing amongst the flood of strangers. "They're going to be mad we didn't tell them." She commented a second later.
"Too bad," Meilin was angry as she stood her ground.
"Hey, what's going on?" Chiharu asked when they finally reached them.
Rika opened her mouth to answer, but Meilin shook her head as she eyed the crowd surrounding them. Long arms gathered up her hair as she stretched, revealing a fresh gun tattoo on her abdomen. "We'll tell you in the car. Right now we're doing a pick-up. Naoko's going to the club with Tomoyo."
"What kind of pick-up?" at the shake of Meilin's head, Rika sighed. "Fine. Is it just us then?"
Meilin eyed Rika skeptically before answering. "Haku, Sera, and Icy are joining us for extra power."
"Sera's coming?" Tomoyo was surprised, leaving Naoko and Chiharu confused as they listened to the conversation.
"Oh yeah—"
"No way!" a girl across from them shrilled, her head was down as she read her phone. "Dee they canceled the party at Club Genie." She shrilled as she looked up to another girl that exited the classroom.
"What? Who did?"
"Maggie says the owner gave her a fat check to compensate for the loss of her reservation. That's crazy. Since when does Club Genie close?" the same girl laughed as a familiar face approached them. "Tai it's been too long!" Tai, wide-eyed at the sight of Rika and Chiharu, stumbled at the weight of his friend as she told him the sad news.
"Let's go," Meilin said with a frown.
"Syaoran really closed down the club?" Chiharu whispered as they walked passed.
"Not for us, right?"
Meilin licked her lips as she averted her gaze away from the angry college girls. "Not to party, but a meeting place. Kabuki's not ready for us to return yet and we needed a safe alternative for everyone to meet up." Meilin checked her phone. "Come on, we'll fill you girl's in on the way."
Kyoto, Japan
5:33 p.m.
Nicholas Haruto rammed the door opened with his shoulder, his hands too bloody to use. He'd attempted to stop the blood flow from his head wound, failing enough that it covered his hands with the red substance and made it explicitly hard to drive. Driving a stick shift had not been the wisest choice either, but when one fled from a scene, one was not too choosy on how they fled. Blood had obscured his vision until he pressed a hand to it, stanching the flow and making his head flare with agony. The gash on his forehead he received from shoving Isabella out of the way of a crazy, suicidal stranger wielding a dagger had been life threatening. He knew he'd lost a lot of blood at the house and even more on the car ride. A head wound like this didn't close easy. He felt the blood loss now as the room tilted and morphed, his eyesight attempting to adjust the change in atmosphere.
Seiya got to his feet in a flash at the sight of him, forcing him to shake his head and raise a grotesque hand. His blonde friend was pale, with a bruise the size of a baseball on his cheek and a minor gash just beneath the discoloration. His Three Days Grace shirt had been torn from an obvious attempt to shred his shirt into a tourniquet and it made him wonder who it had been for—him or Mireille. Seiya's blue orbs shrank in dilation as he stared at the sight of Nick, making him blink back dizziness as he finally stared at his raised hand. Blood had dried on the tips of his fingers and around his nails while more blood caked onto his palm and wrists. Grease made the blood look like clumps of ooze and he grimaced, realizing his hands looked like he'd dug deep into a lifeless body. He almost did, he thought as he turned to his brother.
Jonathan walked in slowly behind him, nursing his arm as he stared at the ground he walked with pinched brows. He'd been especially silent during the car ride, which was unusual for him, but understandable. They had just been robbed of their trust, had been attacked in their own home by someone that should have been on their side. It didn't matter that Marius had been sent to kill the girl, what mattered was that he had attacked them and killed one of their own. Nick could still envision the sight of his friend and roommate, dead on the couch where she'd been napping. She didn't have a chance to defend herself. Cowards.
Nick frowned as Jonathan plopped down onto the nearest couch, his gaze never leaving the floor he trained it on. Something was going on in that thick head of his and it was eating away at him. The moment he'd called Li about the situation and then Aisha to leave a message, his twin brother had shut off. At first Nick thought it was a bruised ego for not protecting Sakura, but during the long drive, he knew it was something else. Jonathan didn't have an injury aside from his broken collarbone. Marius had ultimately left him alone to play with the girl. So what was going on in that head of his? Nick knew he had figured out something critical and for the life of him, blood loss and all, he couldn't connect the dots his brother had.
His twin had always been the logical half.
Waving off Jonathan's strange behavior, he tiredly went to the small infirmary room in search of his girlfriend. Not wanting to frighten Kenzie as she worked, he elbowed the door opened softly and entered. She was kneeling in front of Mireille, her black hair pinned up awkwardly to keep out of the way. Nick paused at the door when neither girl noticed his entrance.
"I don't understand what the hell is going on." Kenzie was saying as she strategically wrapped Mireille's leg, puffing out air when a strand of her black hair fell from its horrible bun job. Mireille pinched her eyes closed in pain, seething at Kenzie's unkind hands.
"What's not to understand?" Nick finally said.
Both girls jumped at the sound of his voice. "Nick—"
He stopped in the middle of the room, his gaze sharp. "Ceil sent Marius after Kinomoto. She was the target, not us." He summed up easily. Kenzie flinched and Mireille seethed as her nail scratched her skin. Nick narrowed his gaze at the black-haired girl tending his girlfriend, watching her movements and the way her body suddenly tensed.
"This right here proves Kinomoto wasn't the target." Mireille snapped as she pointed at her temple were a baseball size bruise marked her face. It was the same bruise Seiya harbored, but in a different location. Nick felt anger rise within him at the sight of his girlfriend's injuries. "Look at yourself, Nick. That's not a love tap—shit! That hurt!" she all but yelled as Kenzie moved onto her face.
"Hold still." The girl ordered.
"No." Mireille leaned back and swore as the stool she balanced on threatened to dump her. "I'll do it." she snatched the cloth from Kenzie's hand and pressed it tenderly to her head.
"Kenzie go make sure Jonathan's okay. I need to talk to Mir. Alone." Kenzie stood and frowned, her dark eyes portraying her emotions as she finally shrugged and moved out of the way. Nick took her spot on the footstool, moving Mireille's injured leg to rest against his lap. Taking the ice pack he gingerly placed it on her bruised limb and shifted his position. "Let me." he told her softly, but with bite.
"Nick, that was a deliberate attack—"Mireille started.
"Wait," he leaned forward to dab a cotton ball soaked in antiseptic against her busted lip, being mindful of her piercings. Mireille narrowed her gaze in both pain and confusion. The moment the door shut behind Kenzie, she frowned and pulled away from his effort to help her.
"You think she's apart of Ceil's little group?" she whispered.
He was silent for a minute, choosing his words carefully. "Kenzie's not a Silver Snake." He finally said as he finished with her lip and moved in closer, examining the bruise on her temple. His blood-caked fingers lightly touched her skin and slid down to the gash just beneath the bruise. It was the same size as Seiya's and he wondered what exactly happened that they both received the same injury. Meeting her gaze, he sat back. "If it was a deliberate attack on us, I don't want anyone knowing that Kinomoto was there or that crazy companion of hers."
"Marius already knows."
"Marius is the least of our problems." Nick hissed.
She shook her head. "I don't—Cobra."
Nick grabbed the first aid kit and rummaged through the contents until he found a sanitizing wipe. "We can't just waltz in at the compound and expect him to understand that we were attacked by our own people, especially when we had certain guests over."
"What do you suppose we do then?" Mireille took the second wipe he unfolded and slapped his hand away, leaning forward enough that she could reach his head injury.
"I don't know." she paused her cleaning motions and he closed his eyes, exhaustion taking over. "I really don't." opening his eyes again he pulled away from the wipe to kiss her lightly, taking in the pain and anguish she was feeling. "My brother is in no condition for this fight. We're not in any condition to fight."
"What are we fighting?" she asked. From her tone of voice, he knew she was fighting to maintain control of her emotions. Pressing his forehead to hers, fresh blood oozing from his injury, he ran a hand over her colored hair and down to her cup her neck.
"To survive." A tear slipped down her cheek and he cautiously wiped it away, studying her expression as more fell after the first. "Mir—"
She shook her head and pulled from his touch. "I didn't sign up for this, Nick. None of this. Sure I wanted the thrill, but almost dying twice in a manner of a day is not what I signed up for! I fell in love with you…not the drugs, not the money, and definitely not the near-death experiences we've been facing. I love you…but…I just…I can't keep doing this." Mireille lifted her leg and stood with a wince, all her weight concentrating on one side. "We can't keep this up."
Hugging her body to him, he closed his eyes. "What can I do?"
"I—"the door opened with a harsh snap. Nick tightened his hold on Mireille's body and she flinched as her tear-stained face went to the door.
"Nick, Mireille, come quick." Seiya said with a slight grimace at the interruption. "It's Jonathan."
"Damn-it," he breathed out and nodded as he finally released Mireille and stood. Kissing the top of her head he moved to head back into the main room only to stop as she tugged him back to her. "What...?" in one move she slammed on a band aid, forcing him to lean down to her five foot six stature. Grimacing at the harsh gesture as she enforced the bandage with adhesive tape, he pulled away enough to see the slight smirk on her face.
"Can't go beating on your brother while losing any more blood." was her answer before kissing him soundly on the lips, along with a shove to get him moving to see what the damage was.
Nick growled at the sudden gut-wrenching desire in his groin and disappeared through the door. What he saw made him stop once more, this time in mild surprise. Seiya was across the room with both hands on Jonathan's good arm, trying to tug him off a figure pressed to the wall. White-blonde hair peeked out from a purple hood as terrified gray eyes begged silently for help. Jonathan had Aisha by the neck with his bad arm, the sling used to keep his arm in place no longer doing its job. It was the gun in his other hand that had Seiya tugging with no luck and Aisha horrified by the outcome.
"Jonathan what are you doing!?" Mireille shrilled as she hobbled to them. "Nick don't just stand there, do something!"
"She's one of them." Jonathan growled.
"One of who?" Mireille was hysterical as she hopped on her good leg towards them.
"Jon!" Seiya swore as he received an elbow to his bruised cheek.
Sighing, Nick moved from his spot to interfere. "Let her go, Jonathan." He said calmly, blue eyes like ice. "Now."
"She's one of them." Jonathan said again.
"I-I can explain. Jonathan…please?" Aisha begged as she gasped for air. Jonathan only pressed harder, making her pale face turn red.
"One of who!?" Mireille shrilled. Turning to Nick, her eyes widened with confused anger. "Nick do something." She snapped at him.
"Where's Kenzie?" Nick asked instead as he looked around the small room.
"She received a call and went outside to smoke and take it." Seiya released Jonathan's arm and stared oddly at him. Fresh blood slid down his cheek from the opened gash and he swiped at it with the back of his arm. "Why are you worried about Kenzie? Jon has our friend by gun point."
Nick only made a face in thought, his fingers touching the bandage Mireille put on his head. The tape shifted with his scrunched forehead, pulling the wound and hair both. "Jonathan let her go." He put a hand on his brother, meeting blue orbs for blue orbs. Aisha smelled heavily of gunpowder and ocean, a scent that seemed odd coming from a girl that should have been at the compound far away from the ocean. Ignoring that revelation, he held his brothers anger with his own. "Now is not the time or place. We need to leave. Now."
"Leave…?" Jonathan shook his head, loosening his hold on Aisha. "Why?"
"Gods. What the bloody hell was that about!?" Mireille grounded out and froze, staring at the twins. "Nick…?"
Nick ignored her as he pulled out his phone to stare at the missing bars. Déjà vu tilted him into motion as he looked at the three people in the room as a whole. "Seiya, go out the back and into the gully with the girls." That should be far enough the phones should work at least, he thought miserably. "Jonathan and I will pick you guys up in an hour with the truck. Don't call anyone. Not even us…just in case. Got it."
"What the fuck?"
"Just in case of what?"
"Nick…" Mireille's voice was near hysterics as she stood her ground with a wobbly posture. He glanced at her, head shaking. Their conversation early flashed across her face and he knew she understood what was happening. "What are you going to do?" she asked in a whisper.
"I'll be fine." he kissed her long and hard, right there in front of everyone. Something he never truly did—ever. Mireille's body shook as she took in his salt-licked lips, her tears streaming down her pale face and stinging her wounds. "Kenzie didn't go for a smoke to talk to someone. We'd smell the cigarettes in here. It's not safe anymore." he whispered so only she heard. He pressed something into her hand and kissed her again.
"Haruto…" Aisha started and he ignored her, making sure Mireille saw him and only him.
"One hour. If you don't hear or see the truck…" he paused at the horrified look on her face. "Call Li."
"Li…?" Seiya was confused as Mireille nodded numbly.
Nick finally glanced at him. "He'll be out looking for blood. Marius is dead. So he'll be out for someone's blood and for once, it's not ours."
No. The blood will not be ours this time. Nick thought savagely.
Li Mansion
6:15 P.M.
Pain raced across her skin like needles piercing flesh. Warmth filled her stomach, growing hotter by the second. A twitch of muscles made the hot feeling spill across flesh. Placing a flat hand against her side, she stared at the darkness across from her. It was molding into a darker shadow and coming closer to eye-crossing distance. Confused by the sudden black shadow looming over her, she opened her mouth to let out a scream, only to have nothing come out—no air and no sound—nothing. The pain flared into an unbearable sensation that sent stars flashing across her vision, imitating strobe lights following a beat sound. Only the sound was her heart. It was the only thing she could hear.
Turning her head she stared at a pair of bright blue lights that were so fierce, they resembled a planets warmth. Confused by the bright colors that flickered with each beat of her heart, she stretched out until fingers touched something cool and solid. It was almost as if the darkness itself was solid enough for her to feel with a flick of fingernails. In a flash that darkness grabbed her, pulling her harshly into the abyss of its nothingness and the twin blue lights blinked out almost as quickly, but not before revealing Jonathan's image in a blur of motion. She let out a blood-curdling scream that ignited the pain in her side and sent the warm ooze of liquid to spill onto her flesh like a slug slipping away. Her scream bubbled up in her chest, curling into air at the base of her throat, and escaped her mouth in a breath of cold fog.
"Everyone has a weakness. This is yours." A voice stated with a foot raised that came down like a gavel, slamming her entire being into oblivion.
Sakura let out an abrupt scream and slammed her body to the side and away from the dark oblivion resembling someone's foot. Gravity took over, sending her twisting in a tangle of sheets to the floor. Swearing as her body met with the wooden floor, Sakura groaned and stared blurry-eyed at the ground. Not Marius after all. Blinking slowly, she took in the lines of the wooden floor made from oak and took in the strong stench of orange cleaner that wafted up her nose from a recent cleaning. Frowning at her chance meeting with the ground, she pushed herself up on wobbly arms before locking her elbows and pushing up. Her leg was wrapped in a thin white sheet, the sheet itself wrapped around the couch leg. Twisting until her back was against the floor, she heaved out a sigh followed by an embarrassed laugh. At least she was alone to endure the embarrassing moment of falling off the couch.
At least she thought she was alone. A door across the room creaked until it snapped into place and she groaned. Must have scarred one of the servants or one of the triplets. At least it wasn't the massive bed, which was higher off the ground then the couch, the impact then would have been intense. Embarrassment aside, she sat up and winced from the dull throb of her brand new pain. Her nightmare had become her reality and vice versa. She didn't even remember falling asleep. From the angle of the tea cup on the dark side table, she had a sneaking suspicion that it had an extra dose of chamomile to knock her out or something stronger. It was a dirty trick to be treated like she needed more sleep than a sloth. One that Kaho inflicted on her every injury she harbored. They didn't do this to Syaoran and she was sure he had a knack at being injured every week.
Not wanting to be a patient or receive any more sympathy, she struggled to untangle herself from the sheet of death and stood with a slight limp favoring her good side. Walking was going to be a pain, but at least she could walk. With bright eyes she scanned the room she was in with a slight appreciation to the hundreds of rooms in the mansion. A bed sat against the far wall, neatly made with black and white sheets that matched the black floral blinds. A window the size of a wall had tinted plated-glass that covered most of the light for lack of light. It was getting dark outside, indicating she'd been out for a while. Whoever's room she inhabited had a weird sense of black and white taste. She could easily make out a white rug in the adjourning bathroom. Absently wondering if the tile was black, Sakura walked towards the double-doors. The room was starting to give her a headache.
Or the silence was giving her a headache. She was used to someone making some kind of sound, from the video games the boys played down to the punching bag that the girls banged on, there was always some kind of noise. At the moment, it was unusually quiet for a large mansion of twenty residents. Entering the long hallway, Sakura stared at the lack of presence with a frown. Not one body. Her bare feet were silent as she walked along the carpeted floor, heading towards the main room she knew everyone hung out in. Her sense of the mansion was growing, but when she turned the corner and stared awkwardly at another long corridor of doors her frown went deeper. If only there was a map plastered to the wall to help her navigate a single room. Turning back the way she came, Sakura listened to any indication of someone in the mansion—anyone.
Reina's daughter, a bubbly 10 month old, wasn't making noise and the triplets, who rarely left the mansion, must be somewhere else. Usually she could hear one of the girls making more noise than a stampeding elephant or at least hear music thundering against the walls of the mansion. Her animal analogies made her laugh and she walked back into the room she'd just exited. Snatching her phone off the table, she stared at the blank screen and sighed. So much for some tell-tale sign that someone was somewhere. Shoving her cold phone into her bra, she flattened her hands against her black dress and thought—where the hell was everyone? She couldn't even hear servants, which wasn't as odd since they were quieter than a mouse, it was just odd not to hear a single sound in the entirety of the building.
With a shrug of her shoulder to no one in particular, Sakura headed in the other direction down the hallway on an absent adventure. She was bound to find someone. She just needed to try harder. The rooms were all nearly identical, except for the patterns of material and furniture. At one point she found the room she shared with Syaoran, but no Syaoran. At least she was getting closer to a destination. In another minute she found the large common room that lacked video games, but still a good lounge area for them to hang out in. once again it was empty. Crossing the floor, she opened one door that led to Haku's quarters and frowned. No light and no sound. They weren't sleeping because according to her phone it was only six. So where the hell was everyone? Where was Rin and Koji? They were two people that would have been at her side the moment she stirred, for that she was certain.
"You're supposed to be resting?" a voice said the moment she turned away from Haku's quarters.
Sakura took in Kaho's tall form with bright eyes. "Where is everyone?" she asked her cautiously, knowing the deep frown on her pale complexion wasn't because she tasted something sour.
"Out." Kaho set down a tray of tea and crackers before folding her arms. "Sakura, sit down."
"I'm fine," Kaho gave her a look and she sighed. Kaho was still wearing her uniform, which meant she either hadn't had time to change or she was heading back to the hospital to work a longer shift. "Only if you tell me where everyone went."
"Hunting,"
"Hunting? Seriously?" it was such an odd thing to do at this time.
"Will you sit down? Now." it was a demand and Sakura plopped down, grimacing at the ache in her side that followed from the drop. Kaho held her gaze as she found a spot on the edge of one of the chairs, exhaustion marking her pale face. Sakura suddenly felt bad for the older woman, always having to be at the Black Wolves beck and call and never enough time to be alone and enjoy her job and life. "This last incident put Li over the edge." Kaho said as she studied her. "He's called everyone in. Something he hasn't done since…well…it's been a good few years."
"Everyone as in…?"
"Black Wolves."
"I see," Sakura stared at the steaming tea on the tray. Another dose of chamomile from the smell of it. "Koji and Rin?"
"With Syaoran, same with your other guests." Sakura took that in before standing. "Don't even think about it. You are in no condition—Sakura!" Kaho followed after as she headed for the opposite door.
"I'm not going to sit around while my husband goes after lunatics. I'm fine." she studied Kaho with the same menacing gaze. "It doesn't take this much man power to go after one person. Who else is he hunting?" Kaho remained silent and Sakura frowned. "Kaho, I deserve to know."
There was a long pause as Kaho considered that last statement. Sakura knew she was debating on telling her. Now that she was married to Syaoran it gave her an advantage of ranking, like she was royalty, and even though she hated that power, she could see it on Kaho's face as she took a second to respond. "Haku and Sera are going after Asayo with a handful of wolves. Touya is going after a few Silver Snakes that harmed Nakuru that night Cobra attacked. Syaoran's personally trying to figure out Shang with Night Wing. Eriol's searching for Donovan. Kyle's after the mysterious riders that killed Tachibana. Anything else?"
Sakura blinked. That was a lot to take in. "It's an all-out war then."
"Like I said. Tip of the iceberg."
"And you're stuck babysitting me."
"I'm not stuck. I chose to—"her phone buzzed and she heaved out an exasperated sigh. "That's work. Please don't go anywhere. I mean it, Sakura. Stay. Put." Kaho held her gaze until Sakura broke away from it.
"Scouts honor." She lied and smiled as Kaho narrowed her gaze and walked away. Sakura could tell she didn't want to answer the phone, especially with her words clipping as her anger rose with each syllable.
The moment Kaho was out of sight, she spun on a heel and headed downstairs. There was no way she was going to stay in the large mansion alone, Dr. Mizuki aside. If she text Syaoran he would either ignore her or answer. Same goes for her friends. Her entire body felt like she'd been slammed by a semi-truck and tossed aside like a rag doll. She knew if she sat back on that couch, there was no getting back up. What she needed to do was walk, run, escape, or something in between. When she found the large staircase that aimed for the front of the mansion, she smiled. At least she knew her sense of direction from the common room. Now all she needed was download a map on her phone of the rest of the mansion and she'll be square.
The silence of the mansion was making her headache worse and the chill of the bottom floor was giving her injury a run for its money. The moment she stepped down on the bottom, bare toes meeting with polished hardwood flooring, a shadow overlapped her own. "You're supposed to stay put, not that I care what the good o'doc says."
"I am." Sakura turned and gave Isabella her best smile only for the smile to drop at the sight of her. Isabella's left arm was in a sling, a bandage wrapped around her neck and shoulder where the injury was. Her white-blonde hair was dirty with a hint of dried blood in it and a bruise marked her once cheerful, sarcastic face. Ice blue orbs narrowed on Sakura when she stared a minute too long. "I'm just going for a walk."
"Then I'm coming with." Isabella arched a brow when Sakura hesitated. "Is there a problem, Kinomoto?"
"It's Li…and no. No problem." She wasn't about to deny Isabella anything, not now and not later. They had both faced something horrendous and from the looks of it, she got the blunt end of that horror. All Sakura suffered was a bruised ego and an even larger bruised stomach. She started walking again, heading for the back door to the large gardens.
"I owe him my life you know." Sakura stopped walking, sensing the turmoil in her voice. "That twin saved my life. I would have been dead in their damn backyard." She turned and watched as emotion crossed the girl's face. "We heard you screaming and I tried—do you realize if you would have died on their property a lot of heads would have been rolling?"
"I know."
"No I don't think you realize the extent to it. You are…" she waved her good arm at her like she was brushing her under the rug. "You're a vampire now. One of their own gets hurt and heads will literally roll. You're also married to a Black Wolf. Rumor has it they don't take death lightly, especially not your brother, which leaves me with that—Kinomoto would burn down the city if his sister ended up dead."
"Thanks for the reminder." She mumbled and turned.
"Heinz too." Sakura paused from walking away. "It's no secret he has a weird thing for you." Sakura turned back to face her and for the first time she saw jealousy behind her gaze where normally there was fire. "I have a feeling he would take out anyone that stands in his way to avenge your death. I mean anyone….Sakura wait."
Sakura whirled around, tears in her eyes. "Isabella I'm going for a walk. If you'd like to join me then fine, but I'm not in the mood to hear about my current status situation."
"Someone's here." Isabella said.
"What?" she was not expecting her to say that, and frowned in confusion. In that moment, Kaho stormed through the door with a frown. Her gaze went to the two of them before walking by in a wave of perfume. Sakura blinked. "Who—?"
"If it's those damn detectives again I'm going to personally dispose of them myself." Kaho got out as she went to the front room. Never in the time that Sakura knew Kaho, had she seen her so angry. There was a wave of that energy wrapped around her like a blanket. Following after the older woman, Sakura stared at her as she shoved passed the room's occupants and peered through the blinds. The triplets turned their heads as one before going back to peering through the bay window. It was the same bay window she snuck out of once upon a time.
"Someone's here."
"I don't recognize the car."
"It doesn't look like much."
"It's kind of dingy."
"Girl's out." Kaho ordered and all three turned once again to face the older woman before sighing, scrambling to get off the seat window. Sakura watched as the oldest of the three stood her ground and folded her arms. Her cast had downsized to a brace, but it was still large and bulky, making it hard for her to fold her arms and look menacing at the same time.
"Whose here?" Sakura found herself asking as she gave a running Lily a hug. The youngest of the three sisters tilted her head up to meet her gaze.
"We don't know." bright brown eyes blinked in her confusion before she unwrapped herself from Sakura and stood by her to watch.
"How did they get through the gate?" Kaho asked suspiciously. Sakura had a feeling she knew even before she glanced at the girls.
Violet disappeared behind a door faster than a breeze, while Lily hid behind Sakura, using her height to hide without struggle. It was Rose who was still standing by the window that answered. "We opened it."
"You were told—"Kaho started and stopped when another door opened.
"A Tai Delson is here to see the Mrs." Wei interrupted making everyone turn to the old butler. His old eyes were on Sakura as he smiled casually.
"Tai…?" Sakura frowned. She knew that name, but why? It was Isabella that burst out laughing while Kaho sighed in agitation and walked towards the foyer. Sakura stared at Isabella. Was she missing something?
"Come on, Tai Delson." Isabella said when it was clear her mind was drawing a blank. Shaking her head, she allowed Isabella to steer her after Kaho's dying anger and into the large foyer. Standing at arm's length away from Kaho was a male figure that made Sakura smack the palm of her hand against her forehead. Tai Delson, she thought awkwardly. His black hair was slicked back and out of his face, revealing the stitches across his forehead from the Noe mask cracking against flesh. His dark eyes lit on Sakura and a weak smile spread over his features as if embarrassed.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked and folded her arms across her chest. "How did you find this place?" she asked again when she realized it was odd having him there.
"I…well…" Tai looked around the foyer with large eyes before bringing them back to meet Sakura's gaze. His shoulder lifted in a shrug. "My friend's party was canceled. She was having it at that club uptown, downtown, I don't know, but she's really pissed about it."
"So what?"
"'So what?'" he mimicked in shock. "It was a big deal to her."
"Li closed down Club Genie." Kaho commented when she understood immediately. Sakura took a second before a light went on in her head. Club Genie, a night club the Black Wolves owned. Last time she was there, Jonathan and Aisha had snuck in to try and talk with her. It was the same night that the boys went looking for Ryu and found out the truth. Her gaze fogged over as she thought about that night and missed the statement Kaho made to Tai.
"That's not why I'm here." Tai insisted for what sounded like the umpteenth time.
"Then why are you here?" Sakura asked as she came back to the present. "I would think after what Heinz put you through, you'd be far away from us."
"You would think so." Isabella said softly with high amusement. "Kid just tell us why you're here." she snapped when he could only stare.
The look he gave her was the same look Sakura gave her, and she flinched. Isabella was going to be seeing that look a lot until she healed. "You look like her."
"Look like who?" Isabella frowned.
"The girl in the mask. One of them at least." Sakura raised her brows as she turned to Isabella. Girl in the mask could mean multiple people. Isabella was more confused as she stared Tai down.
"Delson just tell us what you want and stop stalling." Kaho rubbed a spot on her temple, her eyes closed.
"Sorry. I want to help."
"Are you insane!?" Sakura blurted as the triplets, hiding behind one of the doors started giggling. Kaho snapped to attention in their direction and one of them squeaked, being shushed simultaneously. "Did you get a concussion hitting your head on the Sister's face?"
"No."
"Then why…?"
"I can't apologize enough about what happened to Chris's girlfriend. I can't even apologize enough for any damage done by going to the cops about him missing. The other night on the beach, I saw something that I thought only existed in movies or story books. I never imagined that people actually go out of their way to harm another human being." He shook his head when Kaho made a face. "When you came to apologize yesterday, I had planned on going to the detectives again, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."
"That's good." Isabella commented dryly. Sakura shot her a look and she shrugged her good arm.
"I want to help." Tai continued as if she didn't say anything. "I saw your friends in the hallway at school and put two-and-two together. Somethings going on and from the looks of it…" he pointedly looked at their bruises and injuries. "…something big is happening. Right?"
"I don't think that's a good idea." Sakura said in a weak voice as she let her arms drop. She vaguely remembered telling Syaoran she was going to take Tai as a part of her non-existing group, but now that he was here in the flesh, she didn't think she could ask for his help. Tai was innocent. He wasn't one of them.
"No one is helping." Kaho spoke up when it was clear Sakura wasn't going to deny him any further. "I mean it. I will not have my patient running off to set her back another year and neither of you are going after Shang." She turned that glare on Isabella and Rose in the background. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Too late."
"Wha—?" Kaho let her guard drop as she stared at her.
"Heinz wants an audience." Isabella said as she eyed her phone. Sakura's phone vibrated in turn and she sighed, knowing it was him. Her lips turned up in a half-smile as she turned her phone to her. "He wants the kid to join you on this audience."
Sakura could only blink as she read the text message. How did he know Tai was here? "God damn-it," Kaho muttered as she closed her eyes and hung her head. Sakura couldn't help but wonder if she just aged ten years. She sure as hell did.
Club Genie
Downtown Kyoto
8:51 P.M.
Syaoran stared at his laptop and nothing else. A map of the city was illuminated with blue and purple lines, giving him an idea of the traffic. Dark bubbles told him where his comrades were and a light color told him where the police were, luckily nowhere near his friends. He wanted something done and they were going to achieve it without complications. It had been strange to close down the club for their own personal purposes, but with the restaurant still under renovations he had no choice. He wasn't about to bring over a dozen people to the mansion. That would have raised a red flag. The girl that had reserved the upper level of the club had been more than furious to have it canceled. He was more than pissed to have it canceled; that would have been money the club could have used. Wolf was not going to be happy about the chunk of money gone from the account, either. Syaoran ran a hand over his face at the thought of his uncle. He didn't even know how he was going to tell him he was using the entire group to extract a revenge made for war.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had every Black Wolf out on the street nor could he remember the last time he wasn't out there with them. Instead, he was inside the club staring at a monitor that should have been Nathan's job, and wallowing in guilt and anger. Nathan was staring at a screen as well, which made it worse. The brown-haired black wolf sat across the club against the DJ booth, his legs propped out with a computer on top of them and another sitting next to him. He was multitasking as he chewed on a piece of candy, courteous of Naoko. Naoko herself was sitting cross-legged next to him, a notebook opened on her lap as she jotted down strategies that would help their friends. Syaoran tilted his head as he watched the couple work. They were the perfect match. Nathan was quick with the keyboard, his mind working a mile a minute as his fingers flew across the board, his mouth running out roadblocks ahead of the game. Naoko was quick with her writing and jotted down everything he said in order to find ways around a problem.
Bringing his gaze back to the computer in front of him, Syaoran watched as the lights intersected and stopped. Someone was playing an interference with the police so Haku and the others could hijack a truck. A truck he later found out that had Asayo driving it with goods they needed to acquire. Sera's signal moved from the west and he swore, watching as her light blinked as it barreled down on that semi-truck. She was going to be a high-risk if the police figured out they were running interferences from the main task at hand. How long was it going to take them to realize that a roadblock had been placed on the highway? How long until they realize that a war was escalading on the very streets they were sworn to protect?
And it was war. Syaoran hadn't wanted to admit it before, but Ceil Shang was more than just a bad storm, she was a hurricane. Every step that Ceil took, she took out a city. Every move suggested, a country is destroyed. The power she was gaining was going to wipe out all of the underground organizations—Silver Snakes included. If that was her intention then they needed to stop her. He just couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how. It wasn't like he could go up to her and kill her point blank. Her father would not only terminate the arrangement with his Li Corporation and jeopardize millions of dollars, but he would also return the death of his only child in kind. He couldn't tell the elder Shang, either. It would go against every code in the book. At least Cobra was as predictable as a snake could be. Ceil was not and that was the problem.
So what could he do?
Syaoran groaned and ran a hand across his face. He was exhausted, his eyes were going cross from staring at the screens, and his head was beginning to drum against his skull. He just needed to figure out where Ceil was hiding and work from there. That idea was a lot harder when she was hiding as if she'd dropped from existence. Syaoran looked up when his eyes threatened to cross permanently and watched as Koji, sitting at the top of the balcony with a tablet in front of his face, swung one leg in agitation. Smoke left his parted lips as he spoke in rapid Romanian to himself, anger rising and falling as he tapped at the tablet's screen with one finger. It look as if he wasn't having any luck searching for Ceil either, and that was a problem.
He scanned the nightclub, taking in angry expressions in some wolves and concentrated expressions on others. After telling everyone what had transpired in the last week, no one was happy. They were happy to finally get that itch scratched when he told them they were finally going to deal with Ceil Shang, but still a lot of the Black Wolves were not happy. It may have to do with the company he was keeping or the fact that it's taken him this long to extract some kind of game plan. A laugh echoed the club and he flinched, dark gaze going to Rin and Reina sitting at the bar chatting with Lysander. He was entertaining them, showing them tricks he learned as a bar tender and telling them stories, no doubt about his sister, Candice. Syaoran frowned as he watched them. Donovan was still missing and the stress marking Lysander's usually calm face was plain as day. His disappearance was raising a lot of flags in Syaoran's head as well.
Reina's laugh echoed the nightclub as she threw her head back, arms wrapping around her sleeping infant protectively. Lysander's smile was forced as he watched her enjoy a joke he told. Rin's own large grin was met with a splash of water as he attempted to make the young vampire laugh as well. Syaoran couldn't help but smile. If Sakura was with them, she'd be sitting there as well. Arya, drawn to his sister's laugh, sat down next to them and Reina immediately started translating the joke for him to understand. Syaoran watched as Lysander tensed at the new company, but still remained relaxed. He had no track record for violence, but he knew how to protect himself and those that needed it. It was because of that lack of violent streak and because Reina had an infant sitting on her lap, Syaoran opted to keep them close and away from danger. Although the other reason was because Reina was another problem altogether. The police would be searching for her soon, there was no doubt about that. How soon? That was the real question.
A vibration drew his attention to the table and he blinked, staring at the black-burner phone as it spun in a slow circle. He was beginning to think he made a mistake giving them one. Snatching it before it stopped ringing he brought it to his face and barked out an angry, "What?"
"Nick told me to call you." Mireille said after a short pause. Syaoran's head pounded in sync with his heart and he grimaced. Everyone was using the phone but the person he gave it to. "Look, I'm not happy about calling. I shouldn't have to call a mongrel like you, but it's been two hours and—"
"Explain." He interrupted, getting the attention of Nathan.
Mireille clicked her tongue ring against the phone before answering. "Nick said if he doesn't come back in an hour to call. I waited. Aisha can't trace them and our phones…Nick told me to call you for help."
"That's a terrible explanation, Cox." He snapped and sighed as more heads turned to watch him. "Where did they go?" he tried again.
"I don't know! That's the problem!" she shrilled loudly. He pulled the piece away from his ear as she continued to rage through the phone. Nathan got up from his spot and stretched, brown eyes never leaving Syaoran's. "All we know is he suddenly had this epiphany about Kenzie being Shang's and disappeared with Jonathan. They haven't returned and I'm…worried." Her voice softened at the end, surprising Syaoran. Mireille was not a weak individual.
"So what would you have me do? I'm in the middle of something." Nick saved Sakura. He owed him a favor and he intended to see it through, but right now? He didn't know.
"Look. Your little bitch got our pad raided by Marius. The other bitch brought in those masked freaks—hey!"
"Li…" a new voice spoke as Mireille fumed in the background. He said nothing, trying to figure out who was now speaking. "Heinz has our location. He's requesting an audience with Sakura and yourself."
"Who…?" he paused as he listened to Mireille shrill about Jonathan being right about traitors.
"It's primitive you attend this meeting. He has what you're looking for and a proposition—"
"I'm not doing Heinz any favors for a long time." he snapped. There was silence on the other end and for a minute he was sure they'd hung up, despite his response. When he heard Mireille's voice yelling at someone else about being a disgrace to Silver Snakes, he rubbed his temple. "What's the condition and where?" Koji was hopping down from the balcony, getting a few Black Wolves to inch away from him as he landed with an audible snap of boots. His black gaze was on Syaoran's and they shared a silent conversation.
"Osaka Bridge in one hour, an escort will be there to bring you to the compound. Bring the vampire's accompanying you. Isabella has instructions to bring the kid and Sakura."
"The kid? What?" she hung up. Syaoran growled as he stared at the burner phone. Heinz had a knack of being creepy, but this was overkill. Looking up from the phone he was met with nearly every pair of eyes in the room. Nearly, Rin was sketching something in her book as Reina watched. "Lysander you're in charge. Nathan I need you take over this…" he waved at his computer. "…and make sure our friends stay on task."
"Where are you going?" Nathan asked calmly. Naoko stood from her spot and touched his arm.
"To deal with a problem." He ran a hand through his hair and froze as his phone binged with multiple texts. For the second time that night he stared blankly at a phone. There were multiple text from Kaho that made him wish he'd stop leaving Sakura behind. It was the text from Sakura that made him slid across the floor in the chair and stand. Tai Delson is at the mansion.
The kid. Isabella had instructions to bring the kid. That's what the girl on the phone said.
"Damn-it," Syaoran growled. It was going to be a long night.
To be continued…
So one or two things:
Arya is the brother to Rin, Koji, Reina, and Marcus—Talia is not a sibling but Arya's dead wife.
I have been revising the story so the timeline is way off. Apologies.