Stalker Girl: The Pretender

Six: Love & Loyalty

REZZ- Puzzle Box

Nick

It was early morning when the call for an underground fight against Volt came through. I was in the middle of my morning workout. Sonny sat down with me with a smile on his face. The owner of the new venue where the fight is taking place is a Hale in Muse City. As soon as my uncle heard Lance Montgomery say it was William Hale's birthday celebration, he asked me to go and play nice with them.

William Hale is an absolute piece of s**t. I know the stories. All of them. He didn't inherit his position on his own. The f**k had his sister kill their dad. f*****g p***y couldn't even do it himself and the way he spoke to her just before we headed out to the city, had my blood boiling. How many times has he offered her up like that?

Exael Hale is a beautiful girl. Her big beautiful emerald-green eyes are blank. I have a big problem with that. The only time I saw them light up was when the man walking her dogs walked in. The way she lit up when the three Dobermans ran up to her was amazing. More when he gave her the ultrasound.

The way Exael walks, speaks volumes. She's nothing short of a predator. I remember hearing about her back when I was still working for my uncle. I had just turned eighteen. She was fourteen at the time. Hale was marking the City as his. Except the President of the Angels of Death wasn't bowing down.

Little Sister X walked into their compound and decapitated him in front of two of their Chapters during his daughter's wedding. She used his own hunting knife to do it. I remember my uncle's smirk when Sonny told him what she asked them.

"Anyone else want to say no to my brother?"

I'll never forget that story. A fourteen-year-old girl took down one of the most notorious gun dealers in Muse City in the middle of their compound. The one place they probably feel the most secure in. Not to mention that Daniel Vaughn wasn't a small man. He was six-five and had a sick reputation. Little Sister X is a legend among our kind and she looks like a frilly little princess.

Now more than she did before. She's wearing a gray dress. It looks like an expensive schoolgirl uniform. It barely covers her ass. The thigh-high stockings are clipped to her garters under her dress. Her makeup is a lot more exaggerated than it had been. Her thick braid is gone. I actually like her hair down but it's obvious she styled it with intentions. Sure, she looks perfect. The ideal woman to have around for a fun time. But that's not what I wanted and it's taking everything in me not to beat the s**t out of her beloved brother.

"You always do what your brother asks?" I finally snap. A teal McLaren pulls up in front of us. She motions me to get in. The License plates read X/2. It's a beautiful car. The interior is all black suede. I pause because despite it being completely unconventional, it looks amazing.

"Usually," she says in a cold tone once she's pulling away from the property.

"Why?" I ask.

"He's my brother and my boss. I like my job," she shrugs.

The security team she sent out to replace my guys is following behind us. When she lifts her right arm to shift, I tense up. On the top of her forearm, she has his name tattooed there. William. The A is the symbol of Anarchy. It's surrounded by hyperrealistic red roses that look amazing over the top. There's another name under it but I can't tell what it is.

Their relationship isn't very sibling-like. The way she was dressed last night to match him. His jersey number was 01 and hers was 02. The way he had his arm over her shoulders just before I walked into the ring. He was leaning into her whispering something in her ear and she was laughing. The rumors all seem to lead to the same end. William and Exael Hale probably f**k on the down low.

"What about you? Do you always go where your uncle sends you?" she asks. The question irritates me.

"Yeah, I owe him everything. He's like a father," I clarify. She nods but doesn't say anything else.

"I have a feeling you don't like my brother very much," she says quietly. It sounds like a f*****g threat and my d**k gets hard from it. It's not her or maybe it is but violence just does something to me. Wakes up something, sick.

"He's cool," I shrug because the last thing I need right now is for her to stab me.

"He's an asshole," she scoffs. "You don't have to pretend to like him in front of me. He can fight his own battles so as long as they're not business,"

"You know it makes him look like a punk, right?" I look over at her. She grins.

"Why? Because I'm a girl? It wouldn't if I were a man. Just two brothers taking care of each other,"

She's not wrong. No one would question anything if she were a man, but the fact is that she's a woman. Women don't do the s**t she does without a really good reason and that reason is usually a very intimate one.

"Yeah, but you're not a brother," I shrug. She glances at me as she shifts into the next gear.

"Is that why you wanted alone time?" she asks. "You wanted to know if the rumors were true?" she scoffs. "You want to know if I f**k, Will?"

"Do you?" I smirk meeting her challenge. She rolls her eyes.

"Of course, not. He's my brother. He reminds me of our father," she looks down at her forearm. "Some people mistake love for loyalty. I love Will and I'm loyal to what we are. Will isn't what he pretends to be. He used to be a good person and our father took that from him. Don't let him hear you say that. You don't want to see what he's capable of,"

And with those few words, I understand. f**k. I understand perfectly. She doesn't do it because she's in love with him. She does it because she thinks she's protecting him. The part of him that might still be somewhat human. After all, my uncle pulled me from his ranks because he didn't want to see me become like him. I was well underway since I was fifteen. I wanted to prove to him that I was worth everything he had given me.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me," I admit. She smiles and gives me a shrug.

"Don't worry about it. It takes a lot to piss me off. You're not the first person to ask me that,"

Now I feel like an asshole.

"Is it true that you made your first kill at twelve?" I ask changing the subject. She laughs a low breathy snicker.

"My first official hit. Yes, but not my first kill. I was ten the first time I killed someone," she admits and gets serious. "I had eight kills under my belt by the time I graduated from Fox Grove Academy. My father had a lot of enemies. Some of them tried to take me away from him. I was my father's favorite so he taught me to protect myself really young. He sent me to Fox Grove after someone killed my babysitter when I was eight. Losing her really f****d me up and I couldn't cope so he gave me the perfect distraction,"

"I'm sorry," I whisper. She looks over at me briefly. She's about to say something but her phone starts to ring. She puts her index finger to her lips and answers.

"What's up, baby?" she answers.

"Hey, X. Uh, we have a problem," the woman answers.

"With?"

"Mmm, Mrs. Reiner wants a r****d for Saturday. She doesn't want to have her son's party here anymore. She said you disrespected her for the last time and wants nothing to do with us anymore. She's causing a scene. I know how we usually take care of problems like this but she's the Mayor's wife so I figured I should clear it with you first,"

"I'll call you back, baby. Give me five,"

"Sure thing, beautiful. I'll be waiting," the girl hangs up.

"Girlfriend?" I ask. She glances at me before looking at the touch screen on the dashboard.

"No, I don't date," she answers me. "I'm not good with personal relationships when everyone thinks I'm f*****g my brother," she puts her finger to her lips again and dials for her brother. "Will,"

"What's up?" he answers mindlessly.

"Mrs. Reiner is at Grimace. She's causing a scene. How gentle do I have to be with her so we don't have a problem with the Mayor?" she asks.

"This s**t again, Exael?" he growls. "You told me you were over it,"

"I guess that makes me a liar," she laughs. "Who would have predicted that?"

"X, why are you f*****g with her daughter? She's nobody. She didn't even f*****g graduate," he sighs. She doesn't answer him. "Give her the money back. Send her on her way. I thought you were with Cirillo,"

"I am. Ellie called me,"

"Oh," he says. "All right. Yeah, just send her on her way. Don't f**k with her. The last thing I need is for Allen to call me on my day off. You know he's needy as s**t. I've been skipping out on golf with him and the DA. Do not make me go down to the country club because of this s**t again, X,"

"Aww," she groans.

"X," he growls at her.

"I heard you," she sighs. "Fine,"

"What did she say to you?"

"It doesn't matter,"

"Exael, what did she say to you?" he demands.

"She wanted me to lift the ban on her and the sisterhood from our clubs,"

"And? Exact words, X,"

"She said, you're not exactly pure at heart," she says lowly. I'm sure that to him the words sound like they're making her feel bad but the little wicked grin on her face tells me she's about to get whatever she wants.

"She said that to you?" he asks and her grin only gets wider just before she answers.

"Yup," she says popping the p at the end.

"I'll deal with it. I haven't left for the tower anyway,"

"You don't have to. Ellie is taking care of it," she smirks.

"Yeah, because Baby Girl is known for being a b***h," he scoffs. "Call her back. Tell her I'm on my way. Quick question. Did you insure my car already?"

"Duh, I'd never give you the keys without securing it,"

"Good girl, X. Best behavior. If you have a problem with Cirillo call me. I don't want a Maribello repeat,"

"Yes, sir," she agrees and hangs up with a smile on her face. She glances at me and then turns her attention back to the road.

"You're spoiled as hell," I shake my head accusingly. The little giggle that comes out of her is the cutest thing in the world.

"Yeah," she nods. "But I work hard for it,"

"Why don't you date?" I ask as she calls her Baby Girl back.

"X," the girl answers right away.

"Keep Mrs. Reiner there. Will is on his way,"

"Oh, s**t," the girl laughs. "All right. I'll keep her busy," she says and hangs up.

"I don't know," she says looking over at me briefly before turning onto the highway. "I've never had anyone push those boundaries with me. I'm kind of a freak,"

"Wait, you've never had a boyfriend?"

"No," she shakes her head. "I was always younger than my classmates. Youngest at Fox Grove and then at M.U. After that, I just worked. It doesn't help that Will and Lance are always with me. Not that I'd want to date anyone who can't get a word out in the presence of my brother,"

Her answer takes me by surprise. Exael doesn't strike me as the kind of girl that doesn't fit in. She looks like the socialite she was born to be. She could walk into a venue and would be treated like royalty. All the women around her should bow their f*****g heads. While she might be Little Sister X. This girl isn't exactly a soldier. She knows exactly what she's doing. Thriving in a world run by men and not a single one would ever dare f**k with her. Even if she did, she doesn't seem to mind getting her hands dirty.

"Look out the window," she instructs. I turn my head to see the side of the hill. Before I could ask her why the hillside ends and the view of Muse Beach comes into view to greet me. The clear blue ocean sparkles with the glare of the high midday sun. "That's the Hale Royale Casino Resort," she says. "You should take your guys while you're here. We can go tonight. We're already dressed for it,"