Chapter Six

My eyes flies open when I get the feeling I had overslept and I look at the clock beside the bed and I have overslept. I'm three hours behind my schedule. I wondered why Hayes didn't wake me up. I glance to my left and he isn't there.

Confused, I throw the covers off me and peek through the curtains. I scan the small parking lot and nothing suspicious jumps at me. Our vehicle is still in the parking lot so Hayes has to be somewhere around here. Either that or he was taken while I was asleep.

I pull my jeans over my bare legs and tie my hair up. I quickly start packing our things up, hastily throwing our stuff in the bag, moving as fast as I can in the tiny room.

The room door opens and I spin on my heels, quickly, arrow ready to shoot.

"Woah, woah, woah. It's just me." Hayes says with his hands in the air.

Narrowing my eyes, I lower my weapon. "Where the hell did you go?"

"I got breakfast." He says, pointing to the white bag in his hand, along with a drink carrier. "The line was a little longer than I've hoped it would be." He enters the room fully, setting the bag and drinks down on the small coffee table.

"I thought someone had taken you."

He smirks. "It's that concern I hear in your voice?"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I answer, sarcastically, "No, it's irritation." I place my hand on my hip. "I would've had to put my mission on hold, again, to rescue you, again."

"I'm not stupid enough to get caught, again." He says, teasing me at the end.

"Let's hope not." I stick the arrow back in the holder and shrink the bow into travel size before latching it to the back of pants. I head for the tiny bathroom and get properly ready for this long ass drive.

"Let's roll." I say, walking out the bathroom, already moving toward the door, grabbing the white bag on the way out.

Hayes follows wordlessly behind. We descent the stairs and make our way to the black, medium sized vehicle. I throw our things in the backseat before getting into the driver's seat.

Although Hayes still won't tell me why Nito's unchanging price is, I have to trust that it's for the greater good and he isn't putting himself in any danger. I don't need his mother to hunt me down to the ends of the Earth because her son was stupid to put himself in harm's way. I have too much going on to be on the run from another pair of eyes set on stopping me from my priority.

Once I hit the main road and it's a straight away, I reach into the bag and pull out a strawberry covered donut. I take a huge bite and chew. I place the donut on my lap to grab what I'm assuming is my drink.

By the first sip, I instantly know it does belong to me. It's a failed attempt at my favorite caffeine. Even though, I prefers Hayes's version, I guess this will suffice until next time Hayes decides to be romantic or use it as another apology.

An hour into our seventeen long hours drive, I notice Hayes is still awake. He's been talking to me throughout the hour and it almost felt like we were on a normal road trip; as if we were back in California during the summer.

"Aren't you supposed to be 'resting your eyes'?" I ask, glancing at him.

He shrugs. "I think I can manage keeping my eyes open and enjoying myself with my girl."

"You sure?" I arch an eyebrow. "The other day you were very adamant on getting your rest."

"I know and I'm sorry for that." He apologizes. "I shouldn't never allowed you to drive for that long without a break. But I promise you, I wasn't asleep. I really was making sure we weren't follow."

"Another one of your many abilities you have?"

He nods. "It works better when my eyes are closed."

The thing about our powers they run off energy and depending on how we chose to use them, it can drain them in seconds, putting our lives in complete danger. If what Hayes is saying is true, then he was using a lot of his energy source.

"That requires energy, Hayes." I speak. "The whole point of me driving was so you can reserve your energy. Isn't that what you said?"

"I did say that but it was necessary and I didn't use much." He replies. "The rest of the drive should go without any problems. I'll rest when we get closer to Atlanta."

"Speaking of Atlanta, who is Nito and why am I just hearing about him?"

"Nito is an Arysian. He isn't under Abe's protection. He chooses to do things his own way without any laws to govern him."

"So, he's a bad guy?"

"Sometimes. He could be good at times. He doesn't work for anyone or do as anyone says. He likes knowledge and because he has to know every little things at all times, he started an underground business. He has men and women from all the world working for him. They keep track of everything that Nito might enjoy. Nito has the power to retain information and never forget them."

Hearing what Hayes is telling me, my mind begins to connect the dots. About thirteen years, our people fled to this planet and for years, Ramadi couldn't find Lily and me. Of course he would've heard the name Nito, the man who knows everything.

He had to have went to visit him at one point of time when he was desperate. His time was running out and our birthday was approaching. He visited Nito and asked for our locations. That's how Ramadi seems to know our movements.

"Ramadi knows Nito." I tell Hayes. "He gave him my location last year and he murdered my family. Why would he do that if he has a good side?"

"Nito is good whenever it benefits him." He shrugs. "Like I said, Nito doesn't follow any laws and he takes orders from no one."

I narrow my eyes as my hands tightens around the wheel making my knuckles turn white. Maybe it is a good thing we are visiting Nito. Now he will answer to me and I will make him want to forget the name Millie Delariox.

"He's going to regret ever giving Ramadi any sort of information about my family when I'm done with him." I say, darkly.

"Millie whatever you're planning, don't do it." Hayes warns me. "Nito isn't who you think he is. He's done a lot of horrible things and it isn't wise to get on his bad side."

"He shouldn't get on mine either." I look at him. "And why are you so afraid of him?"

He looks offended. "I'm not afraid him or anyone for that matters." He replies. "With all the knowledge he has, he can make your nightmare a living reality. He knows everything about everyone and I'm sure your name is at the top of his list."

I smirk. "Perfect."

He shakes his head. "I'm warning you to not do anything to Nito or I will go alone to meet him."

"Why not?" I question. "Why shouldn't I get my revenge after what he has done?"

"Because if you try anything before we get what we need, this whole trip will be a waste and I don't think you truly want that. Especially not when we're so close to locating Ramadi."

He has me there. I won't be the reason why my mission is screwed up. I'll finish what I've planned to do and come back for Nito.

I roll my eyes and huff. "Fine. We'll get our information and then once all of this is said and done, I'll come back and get my revenge."

"Do what you want after this is over." He says, giving me his blessings.

If Ramadi asked Nito about Lily and me, then we can do the same thing. I don't know why Hayes didn't suggest it earlier. It'll be easier to ask about Ramadi than Dante. It'll be one less stop to make.

"If Nito knows everything, then why are asking him about Dante when we can ask about Ramadi instead?"

He glances out the window. "The price of Ramadi's location is greater than what I'm willing to pay." He pauses. "Getting to Dante will cost little to nothing in compare of what it will cost getting to Ramadi."

I arch an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He nods his head. "What's the price? And this time don't leave me in the dark."

"I'm not telling you." He says. "You can asks as much as you want, nag me the whole trip and I'm still not going to tell you."

"It's that bad, huh?"

He stares at me with grey eyes. "More than you could imagine."

"Then why are we going through with it? Why waste more time driving to Atlanta when we could be coming up with another plan?" I ask.

He sighs. "Millie, I don't think you fully understand what's going on. There isn't another way to find Ramadi. You tried it your way and I'll admit it was a very good idea but you've seen what happened to Patrick. We don't need another dead agent—not with the government on our trail."

I'm sure if there was another way to find Ramadi without Hayes doing what he's keeping from me, then he would've sought that path instead of this one. I'm putting my trust in him and I know without a doubt he won't let me down. Whatever he has to done, whatever price he has to pay, he will do it for me because he loves me and he knows how important this mission is to me.

"Fine." I say. "We'll go to Atlanta." I glance at him. "You better not do anything stupid, Hayes."

"What if I do?" He asks. "What if it's the only way to get your answer?"

"Then I guess we're both doing something stupid." I smile. "And afterwards, duck and dodge from your mom."

Hayes's mother told me herself if any were to happen to her son, she would came after me personally and I have no doubt in my mind she wasn't lying.

He chuckles. "There's no hiding from her. She's a very good hunter."

"Considering you're her son, our chances at hiding are very low."

We probably wouldn't make it a full twenty-four hours before she found us and I don't want to even think about what she would do once she did find us.

I continue the drive to Atlanta and Hayes talks to me for the majority of the drive until we get four hours away from the destination. He rests his eyes and I consume way too much caffeine to stay awake. He was kind enough to switch halfway in the second half of our trip so I could sleep for a few hours. Yet the second, I drive into the city line of Atlanta, I'm more awake and alert than I've been this whole trip.

I push Hayes's shoulder, a little too rough, and his head hits the window with a soft thud. Placing his hand where he was hit at, he looks at me.

"We're here." Is what I tell him.

He straightens up, forgetting all about the small hit to the head, and directs me to Nito's secret lair.

"It's that building right there." He says, pointing to nice looking building and Hayes didn't point to the place I would've drove past it. From what I can see, there's a growing line outside the place and I know right away it's a club.

It's not exactly what I had in mind of Nito's hideout. It's not very secretive. It's out in the open where anyone can see and hear what's going on.

"Why's his building in a public place?" I ask, driving towards the place.

"It's used as a distraction." He replies.

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

I park on the the curbside and get out the car. Walking to the loud out flowing music building named, Nito—full of himself much—I realize one important detail.

"We need a different outfit." I tell Hayes stopping in my tracks, shrugging out off my leather jacket.

What we have on doesn't exactly scream "We're here to have a good time." But more "We're here to kill you."

We're dressed in all black and I have hidden weapons located in every reachable places on my body. My hair is in a very tight ponytail and I have no ounce of make up on. On top of that, I'm wearing combat boots. I'm pretty sure if Teri saw me in this state, trying to walk into a club, she would have a massive heart attack.

On the other hand, Hayes might could get inside the club with what he's wearing but I'm in desperate need of a new outfit.

He smirks. "Where we're going, you're going to want to keep your clothes on."

I frown in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, trailing behind him.

He walks past the line and towards the back of the building. He walks through the dark alley and I follow. Knocking on the door, I prepare for anything that might happen. The door opens and a super tall bodybuilder man steps out and I have to crane my neck up to look at his face.

"Hayes?" The unknown man asks, looking down at Hayes.

Hayes nods. "Nito's expecting me?" He says with an arched eyebrow.

"He is but not her." He tells us, referring to me. "Who is she?"

Hayes position his body slightly in front of me, shielding me from the man. "All you need to know is, she's with me."

The man doesn't say anything else as he let us through the door. I step into a poorly lit staircase leading to an underground tunnel.

"This isn't shady at all." I mumble to myself as the door closes behind me.

"Stay close to me at all times." Hayes says to me in a low voice as we head down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, we continue straight and come to an opening at the end of the tunnel. There's a large crowd surrounding a boxing ring with a fight going on inside. It's so loud in here, I can't even hear myself think much less what Hayes is trying to tell me before we get scoop into the crazy whirlwind of shouting people.

Nito is running an illegal brawl. The club upstairs is a coverup for this animal wild place underneath. My necklace is glowing brighter by the second and I cover it with my fingers as my eyes scan the room, looking for any imminent danger.

I don't see anything out the ordinary. Everyone that's here look like normal humans but I can't let my guard down just yet. The horrible lighting isn't very much help to differentiate between the humans and the Morches. I will have to rely on my sixth sense to figure it out.

I feel someone link their hand with mine and I'm about to start swinging when I notice the hand belongs to Hayes, who I lost the moment we got pulled into the thong of people.

He stands close to me and places his lips right beside my ear so I can hear him.

"Don't panic in any way." He starts off. "But there are a few Morches here but they don't work for Gethrol." He informs me. "They know who you are so whatever you do, don't draw attention to yourself. They'll fed off the humans as long as they don't catch your scent. Don't make any eye contact with them."

Hayes said there are a few Morches here but the way my necklace is glowing, there's over a few of them here. Possibly a couple of handful of scattered throughout the crowd looking for their prey.

I slowly nod my head. "Okay. I got it."

The crowd screams loudly when the fight that's going on ends and their favorite fighter wins. The host speaks, congratulating the winner on his fight and looking for the next fight who wants to take on the undefeated champion.

"ANYONE! ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE DECLARED AS THE NEW CHAMPION! STEP UP AND TAKE ON THE ANIMAL, THE LION, THE BEAST!"

Hayes leads me to where Nito is sitting, above the ring to the best seat in the house. He is literally sitting on a throne wearing a fur coat rope that had a train with a snake cane. The only thing that's missing is the royal crown and servants feeding him grapes and fanning him. Although, I'm pretty the two girls sitting in the love seat, wearing next to nothing, aren't there for the image.

He has three guards surrounding him but Nito dismisses
them and the girls when he see Hayes.

"I heard you were coming." Nito speaks, leaning forward in his seat. "I didn't think you actually would. Aren't you on the run?" He tilts his head to the side.

"I am but that's not why I'm here." Hayes replies. "I need information on Ramadi's right hand man, Dante."

"Ooo. I like this sound of this." Hayes sparks Nito's interests. "The night was getting boring but now that you're here, things are gonna get fun." He says, smiling.

He seems to notice I'm standing behind Hayes and he locks his eyes on me.

"And you've brought the princess with you. This is lovely. I'm sure she's gonna to enjoy the show as much as I am."

I place my hand on my hip. "What is he talking about, Hayes? What show?"

"You didn't tell her." Nito clicks his tongue in disapproval. "Now that wasn't very nice of you." He shrugs. "Oh well, you know what you have to do for your information."

"I do. Enjoy your show." Hayes says, sarcastically as he turns on his heels to leave.

I stop him. "Wait. What does he have to do?" I ask Nito.

I wanted to know what Nito's price was ever since Hayes mentioned it and now is the moment I find out. And it worse than what I imagined it to be. Hayes didn't tell me for a reason and now I know why. I know why he was keeping it hidden from me because if I had know Nito's price, we would never had come here.

"My dear," Nito speaks. "he must fight to the death."

"Fight to the death?" I repeat stunned.

Nito nods. "Yes, that is what I said. Hayes will face his opponent and only one will walk out that ring alive. There's no tapping out or showing any mercy. Whatever goes."

I have faith Hayes can hold his own but this is something different. There's a chance Hayes won't be coming back to me and it'll be because of me and my stupid desire for Dante's location.

I stare at Hayes. "You said it wasn't anything stupid."

He shakes his head. "I never said that, Boo."

I close my eyes and squeeze them tightly, frustrated. "I know!" I open my eyes. "You're not doing this."

"I don't have a choice. The fight is already placed and it can't be removed."

I say every curse word every written in mankind history as I pace back and forth on the balcony. I exhale, heavily, and face Nito.

"Can you tell me who he's fighting?"

"The undefeated champion. He came in a few months ago, getting used to his new powers, abilities and wanted to go into fighting. Ever since then, he's been challenging the most dangerous and deadly man and woman from all over the world and overcame each challenge. You're quite familiar with him, actually."

I roll my eyes. I don't know why I ask a simple question, I get a whole background story to go with it.

"The name." I say.

Nito smiles. "Why don't you ask him yourself? He's right behind you."

Turning, quickly, on my heels, I come face to face with the last person I thought I would never see again.

"Hey, Aud." He speaks, smirking. "Or should I say Princess Millian."