Zone Zero: Vengeance (Book 3 of 3)

Chapter 1

"We all have to agree on this. Either we are together as one unit, or we won't do this at all." Alex is using his authorial voice as he speaks to our small team.

When we decided to take down Cail we never imagined the amount of support that we would attract. We also had no idea that it will all happen so suddenly.

Three days ago, we received the call from Cail stating his terms and confirming that he has my brother and niece. A baby that I have never even seen that was born of my brother Logan and his late wife Jade. I cringe at the reminder of her death and the knowledge that this small child will never know her mother. She will grow up with a void in her heart all because of me.

One day I will explain everything to her and beg for her forgiveness. I will make this right.

I gaze around the room as the sound of people thinking over options fills the space and smile at the sight of our team. All here because they believe in our cause.

Alex is to my right, at the head of the small conference table. He is leaning forward on the table with his hands on display. He is waiting patiently as each person thinks about our mission ahead and has never looked more handsome.

I bask in his magnificence and etch his angular jaw and full lips into my memory. His eyes are boring down onto everyone in the room and when they reach me, my lips turn upwards in a small smile.

Amelia and Etu are positioned to his left, directly across from me. They are both sitting back in their chairs silently. They have obviously already made their minds up on the issue.

To my left is an ebony-skinned vampire with a shaved head and massive gold earrings named Imani. She exudes confidence and leans back with her arms crossed against her chest and a smirk across her face. She has small scars that litter her back and arms as well as a large one that runs down her jawline. Imani is a fierce woman who has known Alex for some time which makes her a friend to me.

Sitting next to Imani is her equally as fierce protégé, Tariq. He also has his head shaved but has many more scars than Imani. His scars extend onto his face and down to his fingers in intricate patterns. They offset the darkness of his skin and make his eyes shine with a darkened light.

When Alex introduced Imani and Tariq, he introduced them as maker and protégé but I have come to learn that they are also lovers. I found myself wondering instantly if they were lovers before Tariq was turned but have been too bashful to ask.

At the opposite end of the table sits two more men; Gable and Luther. Both men are well over 6 foot and are intimidating at first sight. Gable, however, is anything but scary if you are a female with a pretty face. He is an ostentatious flirt that finds a challenge in every woman he meets. I have no doubt that he would have used his honey like eyes to get into my pants had I not been with Alex.

Luther, on the other hand, is a quiet achiever that only really speaks when spoken to. A trait that was beaten into him as a child, was what Alex said. Even though he is a mountain of a man that has a menacing look about him, he also holds a childlike innocence behind his chocolate eyes and caramel skin.

Upon meeting the two men, Alex told me about how the three met whilst locked down inside of Zone Zero where Gable was running a lucrative smuggling business by using one of the female guards. She would sneak in goods to Gable and he would sell them at an inflated price. The currency being blood. Luther was his muscle since Gable couldn't watch his own back 24 hours a day. The two split the profits 50/50 and were known as the go-to people to see if you wanted anything smuggled inside.

Next to the two mountainous men sits a familiar face. Giselle. She arrived just yesterday after hearing whispers of an impending takeover. She didn't even have to hear who would be leading the army against Cail before jumping in her car and speeding all the way to us.