Chapter 3
“At this afternoon’s commencement ceremony, the students have asked summa cum laude graduate in veterinary medicine, Zenya Hale, to speak. Zenya…”
Zenya took the stage and addressed the guest speaker as well as the university’s chancellor and other officers before turning to her fellow students.
“I have lived my life clinging to one adage and an old Chinese curse. The adage says that the only consistent thing in life is change. I believe that with all of my heart. How many of you today are graduating with the degree for which you had first enrolled? Not many, would be my guess. But with change comes opportunities: a new start, a new way of viewing the world, a whole new life that you had never even dreamed of. I believe that opportunity is here for all of us. Today.
“Today is the day when most of us turn our backs away from formal education and the freedom of our youth and look forward to a future of learning and adult responsibilities. With each new day, we choose to live our best lives…or not. For some, that will lead to an exciting future. For others it will merely be an acceptance of the inevitable, but even so, we can choose to make life more than tolerable. We can choose to commit ourselves wholeheartedly not just to the mundane, but to creating beauty wherever we can.
“For most of us, our time here at UC Davis will be a high point in our lives. Our time, and the lessons we learned here, will remain a part of us regardless of what happens or where our path might take us. It will be our solid ground. The place from which we look to the heavens and find our North Star to lead us onward.
“Thank you all for being part of my journey, and as the Chinese curse says, ‘may you live in interesting times.’”
Most of the students laughed, their families and the faculty twittered a bit nervously, but then a rousing round of applause sounded as the students took to their feet and in spite of being told not to do so, tossed their graduation caps into the air. Zenya walked past the outraged chancellor and other distinguished guests and climbed down the steps from the stage where her brother was waiting for her.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he growled.
“I was thinking that might be the last time I ever got to think for myself, much less speak my own mind. I don’t think your buddy is going to want me to do that.”
“You think to rabble rouse our females?”
“I think to see them free, even if I am not. Mark my words, Zaiden, there are those who will give shelter to women needing it—human or shifter. Colby Reynolds at Windsong is one of them.”
“Shows what little you know. Colby is making plans to leave Windsong and make a new home for himself and some of his resistance fighters in Cornwall.”
She did know. Caye had told her. “And has Lucian decided to get off the fence and support the Resistance?”
“He sees no benefit in us doing so. The Baihu Clan will keep to itself, as we have always done.”
“You and Lucian might want to look at history. Appeasement and neutrality have not always been the strongest position in the long run.”
“That is not your assessment to make.”
“Of course not. I know the place you and Lucian want me to occupy. You want me at his side. He wants me in his bed.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “This is most likely the last night of freedom I will ever have. Can we just try to enjoy it?”
Zaiden sighed as well. “I would prefer that we were not at odds—now or ever. Just promise me you meant what you said to Lucian, and that you have accepted your place.”
“I didn’t have much choice that I could see.”
They arrived at the restaurant on the Embarcadero. She had worked here for the past two years during the summer and spring breaks for some extra spending money, renting a room from another employee. Before that she had worked at the non-profit veterinary clinic in the city. Caye had advised her to find some innocuous job at the Embarcadero as it would most likely be the place from which she made her escape.
As they rolled up, the valet parking attendant greeted her. “Zenya. Big day. Congratulations on your graduation.”
“Thanks, Sal,” she said as she and her brother walked past him.
Zaiden said nothing. White tiger-shifters were notoriously arrogant.
Candy, the hostess, showed them to a wonderful table that overlooked the water. “I made sure you got this table.”
“Thanks, Candy.” Zenya had warned her friends her brother and the men accompanying them would most likely be condescending, bordering on rude, and to just ignore them. They should feel free to mix up their orders.
The restaurant brought them a bottle of Zenya’s favorite wine, an extremely expensive California pinot grigio. She could tell Zaiden recognized the label and knew its worth.
“It’s a good thing your mate is very wealthy, little sister.” He stood, holding his wine glass up as soon as the sommelier had poured their wine. “To my little sister, Zenya, the fated mate to Lucian and soon to be first lady of Baihu Clan.” Everyone took a sip. “It will be good to have you home, Zenya. You have been missed.”
“Funny,” she said, taking another sip, “I didn’t miss any of you at all.” When they all looked askance, Zenya laughed. “Oh, lighten up boys. Your alpha is not taking some milksop to mate. Look at it this way, I will give him strong sons to carry on in his name.”
As dinner progressed, Zenya observed Zaiden getting a text from Lucian, ensuring everything was going to plan. She rolled her eyes as her brother texted his alpha that everything was as it should be. He couldn’t be more wrong. Or maybe he was right. The problem for him was that their plans and hers were diametrically opposed.
When they had enjoyed their main course and ordered dessert, Zenya stood and excused herself from the table to go to the restroom. Two of Lucian’s goons stood, and she did nothing more than laugh at them. When they got to the women’s room, one of them went inside to make sure there was no one there, nor was there a door or a window, while the other one detained her.
“It’s clear,” said the man who had gone inside.
“And what would you have done if there had been some woman inside?” She shook her head. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
She slipped inside. There wasn’t a door or a window easily visible from the inside of the restroom. Only if you knew to look beyond the grate that covered a vent could you see the window. The vent was over the last stall. If you removed the grate, just inside the vent to the immediate left, there was a small window. Zenya quickly removed the grate and felt for the backpack that was supposed to be waiting. It wasn’t there. Panic started to set in. She took a calming breath and felt again to the right. There it was—away from the window or the grate where it might be seen.
Pulling it down, she separated the skirt from the bodice of her dress and changed from her heels to the hiking boots. Once she had redressed, she tucked her hair up under a wig cap and then pulled on a baseball cap that had a hairpiece sticking out the back so it looked as though it had been intended to wear that way. She grabbed the packet of things she would need: ID, money, burner phone, key fob, et cetera and stuffed them into the black motorcycle jacket pockets before stuffing the skirt and heels into the backpack and replacing it to the right of the grate opening.
Standing on top of the toilet, she boosted herself into the vent, taking the time to snap the grate back into place before lowering herself into the small alley between buildings. Stuffing a piece of bubblegum into her mouth, she turned toward the pier and the ferry terminal and began to blow bubbles. She didn’t want to call attention to herself by popping them, but she had practiced enough to make them large enough to obscure her face. Walking hunched over, she made her way briskly toward the walk-on entrance to the ferry. She stood just inside the ferry cabin, watching the dock to ensure she had made her getaway. Once they were midway across the bay headed to Oakland, she made her way down to the vehicle area and located the older SUV that had been registered in her new name more than six months previously. It would be loaded with food, clothing, and camping gear. She plugged in her new burner phone and paired it with the SUV’s communication system.
Once they arrived in Oakland, she drove off the ferry, watching carefully to see if anyone was waiting for her or was following her. Once she was sure she was clear, she breathed a little easier, tossed the bubblegum out the window, plugged her new phone into the charger, and made her way south and then east. She was to make her way to Arizona. Sometime between here and there, she would get a call with further instructions.
Wanting to stay off the main roads, Zenya drove in the dying light, keeping the sun directly behind her as it sank slowly below the horizon. Having it at her back indicated west, so by driving opposite to it, she was headed east. Once it became dark, she pulled off and put a pre-selected destination in Mesa, Arizona into the GPS. She followed the navigation unit’s direction to what was likely to be the last In-N-Out Burger joint she would see for a long, long time.
She arrived at the restaurant before it opened and waited. She ordered for two. Hopefully, she would be meeting with someone from the Shadow Sisters here. If not, she’d have leftovers for later in the day. Besides, she made a point of telling the restaurant employee she was picking up something for her boyfriend who was waiting over at the gas station. She didn’t want to be seen as a woman traveling alone. Once she had her burgers, she filled her tank and got back out on the road, hoping to hear from her contact soon.
There was a lovely little park right outside the city. Zenya pulled under the trees. It was probably overkill as they wouldn’t be looking at her from overhead, but still, it made her feel better. Better safe than sorry, right?
She had just taken her first bite of her burger when the phone rang, and the caller ID showed Caye. With relief, she finished chewing, swallowed, and took a sip of her drink before answering.
“Hey, girl! You did a great job. You got away clean. Your brother and Lucian’s thugs were having a meltdown for most of the night. It never even occurred to them to head to the ferry. They’ve had the bus terminals, train stations, and airport staked out, and had people searching the hotels. I tried tracking you on CCTV. I knew what you were wearing, but I had to look twice to find you. The bubblegum was inspired, and I am going to start using that. It really hid your face well.”
“Thanks. I hoped it would do that. Do you know if they found how I got out?”
“I do, and they didn’t. Candy waited until they left, pulled the backpack out and screwed the grate back into place. There’s more cash in a lockbox under the seat. What do you say we hook up in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee?”
“Is Dolly one of us?”
Caye laughed. “Don’t I wish. You’re two and half to three days from here, but I can rendezvous earlier if you need.”
“Actually, no. The SUV is really nice. Thanks for getting me the sunroof. Should I check in?”
“Yep. Mark the time. Ten hours from now, call in and we’ll go from there. If you have any trouble or think they’re on to you—I don’t care how remote a chance you think it is—go ahead and hit the emergency signal on your phone. It’ll get your coordinates to the person closest to you. If it isn’t me, I’ll be on the phone with you and walk you through to safety. We’ve got you. The Shadow Sisters haven’t lost anyone yet, and you’re not about to be the first.”
“Thanks, Caye. I don’t know what I would have done…”
“I know. And someday you may be in a position to help. Take care and stay safe.”
Zenya ended the call and plugged in the new coordinates Caye texted her. She took the time to finish her food and have a little nap. She plugged her eclectic driving songs into the MP3 Player and got back on the road. She might not be driving into the sunset, but she sure as hell was heading for her very own happily ever after.