Chapter 99: In Disguise

As the light was beginning to fade in the skies, Esme was aware of just how late it was getting. Luckily the shops were still open, and she made a quick dash to a costume shop, exiting in her new attire and feeling quite badass in her new get up. The shopkeeper had asked her who did her 'awesome' scar makeup on her back as it looked so real; Esme smiled knowingly and told her it was a secret.

But as soon as the she-wolf left the store, her smile dropped, and she rolled her eyes. That woman was being nosy; she knew it wasn't makeup. Walking swiftly down the street, Esme looked like a 'punk rocker' with a short black wig, the tips of the hair red, and she gelled it up and flicked it to the side, leaving it stylishly dishevelled. 

Esme's eyelids were thick with black makeup making the dark shades of her eyes look almost black and pretty terrifying. Her lips were shaded in dark purple, and on her bottom lip, she had two fake piercings and, on her nose, a ring. She winked at herself in one of the passing window's enjoying how people on the pavement made way for her. 

Esme wore a black long-sleeved crop top that had multiple rips on the back of the material, revealing the large claw mark scar on her back and the few bite marks on the front of her toned stomach. But she didn't want to make it evident that she was showing her scars off and put two studded and spiked black belts over her waist that matched the studded military boots and low black ripped skinny jeans. Esme pulled her hood up then flexed her fingers, getting used to the fingerless black leather gloves as her eyes searched her surroundings. 

Now that she was dressed the part, she felt a little more relaxed walking the streets without anyone knowing her identity. 

"We still need to be vigilant," Isana commented quietly. Her wolf was nervous, but she didn't scold her or tell her she was doing anything wrong. For too long, they had been a little too comfortable in Gabriel's presence and like a cat being tamed, they were happily living in the protective walls away from the threats of the outside world. Esme needed to stretch her legs and get to the bottom of everything that had been making her mind so crowded with her thoughts.

Like Luther and others have said, she is a rogue. And rogues didn't trust or rely on anyone; as sad as it sounded, it was the truth. Esme trusted those vampires for some freakish reason, she trusts them, but she was also a lone wolf. She could get information quickly and was 'killing two birds with one stone' by meeting up with Marcus. If Marcus was planning on being a good boy, that was. 

Esme dipped into a side alleyway and followed through a few more, conscious of anyone that might follow her. Nobody was following her, and now that the streets were dark and only illuminated by the moon and stars, Esme crept forwards and pulled the black bandana up from her neck, covering the bottom half of her face. The lighting may be dark in these back streets, but she wasn't sure if there was still CCTV around the parking lot she was going to steal a car from. 

Yes, she felt bad, but her outfit took ages to create and would take too long if she shifted in and out of her wolf form. Esme approached a small yellow car that looked like it could break any second and then stared at a snazzy Audi parked in the corner of the lot. 

"Girl, it would be sick cruising in that but earth to Esme! There is an alarm system. Go with the beat-up beetle of a car. You can always return it with some money?" Isana advised. Her wolf knew she hated stealing from others who were even poorer than she.

"I just hope it runs alright," Esme muttered back as she undid the window and pulled the lock-up to the car door. She glanced around still and almost jumped out of her skin as she heard a dog barking in the distance; holding her heart, she surveyed the area again before climbing into the driver's seat and threw her bag into the backseats and grew her claws ready to cut the wires. 

"Hold on. Check the glove compartment."

"Isana, that was a one-off-"

"Hey, it doesn't hurt to look! And you might save them some time to get this thing repaired," Isana interrupted. Esme shrugged and reached for the glove compartment and stifled a laugh, shaking her head before grabbing the keys to the car. "What did I tell ya!"

"It's almost like they want the car to be stolen," Esme joked and turned the key in the ignition. "Seriously, who leaves their keys in their car? It's a little sus, but this is the easiest car to get into."

Esme started to drive out of the parking lot and into the road, taking her time in doing so. It had been quite some time since she'd driven a car; even when she hotwired cars for Rian and Anastasia, she let them drive more. Esme wasn't the most confident in driving, and that wasn't because her reflexes were terrible; she'd never crash, but she was always searching the pavements or other cars. This she-wolf was just one small ball of paranoia, and it did not help when driving. 

"One day, when this is all over. We wouldn't have to keep looking over our shoulders," Isana murmured thoughtfully. 

"Pfft, one day.. yeah, that's a dream," Esme replied and pulled out onto the main road.

Esme's phone started to ring, and she shifted in her seat as she pulled it out of the pocket of her tight jeans and checked the caller id while keeping an eye on the road. It was the unknown number again; she flipped the phone open and put it to her ear as she stopped in front of some traffic lights. 

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"You know where the hub is, right?" A smooth, velvet-like voice spoke through the speaker.

Ah, Marcus. 

She glanced around, her paranoia increasing, even though she knew it was unlikely he was watching her right now. It was just a freaky coincidence.

"How'd you get my number?" She asked instead. She knew the general direction of the Hub but didn't want to tell him that. 

"I have my ways, Nyx." She could almost hear the smile in his voice, and she rolled her eyes before putting the car into gear again. "I didn't think you'd come to see me so soon."

Esme smirked, "You know, not everything is about you, Marcus."

"Hmmm, what information are you after? I could give it to you for free," He replied tactically.

"Ha! There is always a price. What do you want?" She replied with a shake of her head. Even if it had been years, she still at least knew that of her friend. 

"Ouch, you really do know how to hurt me," Marcus mocked. "I want to see you unarmed at the Hub. How about that?"

Esme sighed and pushed down on the accelerator as she started to pull out onto the motorway away from Chester. 

Esme burst into fake laughter in response to Marcus' comment. "Are you trying to get me killed?" She snapped, the laughter in her voice gone and replaced with suspicion. 

"You know, Nyx, I thought you had a lot more confidence in your skills," He replied in a sing-song voice. She could hear Marcus walking, his footsteps crunching into what sounded like gravel on the ground. "Come armed, unarmed. It is up to you. I will see you soon."

Before Esme could reply, he hung up. She dropped the phone into the passenger seat and tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. Even with her awesome disguise, Esme could still feel her stomach twist in knots, and her heart pounded loudly in her ears. This was quite a risk; if anyone knew of her identity, she would have to leave Chester. That information would spread like wildfire. 

But she would remain confident; in the past, she was never found out when she visited a Hub. It was only on rare occasions that the pack found her over the last few years. But the information she used to seek was minor, ranging from information about the White Sands pack to anything that intrigued her with the location she had been hiding in, anything else she could listen to through word of mouth at the Hub.

After coming off the motorway, Esme turned the car onto a dirt road signposted 'The Hub' with an arrow. The car lights lit up the surrounding woods that opened up to a field with a tiny parking lot that mainly consisted of motorbikes, and the building looked like a run-down red-bricked factory. But as Esme parked up, she noted that this Hub was both designed to look run down and actually was. 

Once she turned the engine off, the sounds of laughter, howling (human and wolf) and fighting from inside the Hub filled her ears, and she surveyed the surroundings. Nobody seemed to be waiting for her, not even Marcus. Esme reached out for her bag on the backseat and started searching for her money at the bottom of it. She already had money in her boots, a bit of cash in her gloves, and now she stuffed some notes in her bra. 

Not bringing enough money with her to pay for their services could also cause issues. She may be skilled at fighting, but already at eight in the evening, the bar was wild and filled with blood lust at the sounds of hundreds of werewolves and possibly other creatures were in there. Marcus was also in there, and he was the one she needed to be the wariest of.

SLAP!

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