Chapter 6 - Benjamin

                                    

                                          
Like puzzle pieces falling together
I stormed into Max's office. "Gym. Now!" Max looked up from his paperwork. "Where's Val?" he asked, but the moment he saw the murderous intent in my eyes, he nodded.
We lived in the secret penthouse on the top floor of this building, only accessible with a special keycard. We walked over to the elevator in silence. The elevator had thirty-four buttons, and we were currently on the thirty-fourth floor. Once inside, Max took out his keycard and scanned it on the button panel. The doors opened a few seconds later, and we walked to our private gym.
I took off my jacket and shirt. Multiple punching bags were hanging from the ceiling, and with one clean punch, I destroyed the first, sand spilling everywhere. I walked over to the next and did the same. After I destroyed every single one, I finally calmed down. I didn't lose my temper often, but when I did, I was a walking disaster. I took a deep breath and finally looked at Max.
"I'm so sorry, Max. I feel like I failed her."
"What happened?" he asked.
"She's sick. She was running a high fever, and I didn't notice because I was too distracted by the fact that she was opening up to me. I'm a caregiver—that's what I take pride in. It's in my nature, and I failed at the one thing I'm supposed to be good at."
Max walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "It's not your fault, Benji."
"You don't understand. Yesterday, after she left, I did a background check on her. Max owns this tech company, but it's a front. Behind the scenes, it's a tracking business. We look for people who don't want to be found, and we're the best. It's not exactly legal, but it pays well. We don't do the dirty work though; we just track and locate by any means necessary. She's a ghost, Max."
"What do you mean, ghost?" he asked, confused.
"Digitally, she doesn't exist. I didn't understand it myself, but it made sense after what she told me today."
"What did she tell you?"
"She told me she's been moving around her whole life with her mom, but her mom died two years ago. She's been alone ever since. She told me she was homeschooled and didn't go outside much. She's never had any friends, so she's shy because she doesn't know how to communicate."
"Well, that explains why she's so timid, but what does that have to do with her being a digital ghost?"
"I dropped her off at her apartment, and it didn't look like a home someone was living in. She told me she had just moved in, but there were no moving boxes. She doesn't own anything she can't carry. I think she's either a fugitive or she's running from something. When I asked her about her dad, she looked like she was ready for murder."
Max scoffed. "That doesn't sound like something she'd be capable of."
"Not if she's a bunny shifter, but we don't know what kind of shifter she is."
The puzzle pieces finally started to fit together, and I was scared. If she were a fugitive, I would have been able to find traces of her, but I didn't. I think she's in real danger. Max nodded.
"I think we should tell her we're her mates," he said. "That way, she'll know we'll protect her no matter what."
"Let's bring her dinner tonight," I suggested.
Max nodded. "That's a good idea."
I'll clean up this mess and start cooking. Let's meet downstairs in three hours. She lives only a ten-minute walk from the office, so we'll walk.
"See you later," I said, and Max nodded.
I started cleaning the gym, my thoughts heavy. I hated that I had to leave her by herself when she was sick. I had planned to stay, but the silent plea in her eyes when she asked me to leave made me comply. She was clearly struggling, and I didn't want to push her.