Private Finished Playing The Bad Guy

After the attack of Woodland, the conversation with Rory and the others at the hospital, her grandfather yelling at her - threatening to go to the police, Zora had fallen into bed exhausted and a mess. She had spent the whole night between tears and hysteria, she had caused everyone so much pain, hurt the ones around her. She had forced Broen to do something dangerous to himself, something that thankfully, had not killed him. And Jude, he was a mess too. She had noticed his disappearance and the red puffy eyes at the hospital, he'd been upset and crying. Hell, she had been close to it herself and if anybody had asked her again "How she was?" she would have broken down in a heap and just dissolved into tears.

Getting up from the bed when she heard the knock at the door, dressed very simply in a short red sundress and bare feet - her grandfather had grabbed her some clothes and she really didn't care what she wore at the moment - she looked and felt younger than she was. Opening the door, she saw it was Rory, somewhat happy to see her, Zora greeted and let her in.

"Of course," Zora said to Rory as she gestured to the bed, a chair, anywhere she wanted to sit actually.

"Sorry, there is not many places to sit," Zora apologized, only guessing why Rory was here. She was probably still angry about Jude and Broen, and Zora could not blame her. She'd be angry too if somebody like her had caused her family to suffer.

"Did you want anything to drink, I can offer you something out of the minibar or make you a tea or coffee," Zora said as she gestured to the hotel's complimentary breakfast tea and coffee maker contents.

Zora sat down on the bed and just shook her head at Rory's questions, "Nobody really knew. I didn't know that anybody, but myself, was in any sort of real danger. I never really expected him to do anything like this..." she said truthfully thinking of her brother and his Blsck Wings.

"I thought Woodland was a safe place, I stepped up security just in case, and yes, there is a fair amount of corporate espionage - but it's not "plant bombs, kidnap people" dangerous, that's a Hollywood version of reality..." Zora said with a sigh. "At most, it's break in vandalize, maybe spy on someone, but violence like this, no... I have never experienced that," she confessed.

Zora sighed and looked at a picture on the wall, she knew this was going to happen sometime. She had, out of shame and embarrassment, not said anything to anyone, thinking she could deal with things herself.

"The reasons I needed self-defense are because I don't have any magic left. It's fading fast. I cannot defend myself, Rory. I used to be able to. I could send off any goons or thugs my brother sent at me. Now, I can't. I am defenseless against anything he throws my way. " she told her, being extremely truthful now. "And if he knew that, I'd be dead right now."

"The Black Wings are his ... I am not sure exactly what or how he's involved, but I knew it the moment that awful detective Miller started snooping around and asking questions. " Zora said as she got up and made herself a drink, not caring that it was before noon.

"Before that, I hired Broen because it simply seemed like a bunch of thugs that I needed protection from. Thugs, he could and had dealt with. Geez, he even brought me Black Wing cloaks and cellphones the day he proposed to me that I hire him. I did not think they were overly dangerous. Just a huge problem that could be dealt with over time." Zora admitted as she sat back on the bed, drink in hand.

Zora got up, went to a drawer and handed Rory a manila envelope. "The deeds came a few days ago. They are the warehouses the Wings were using purchased through DB Holdings, the parent company of Woodland, which Tomas and I both own. My grandfather brought them, before I only suspected his involvement, now, well, it's rather clear."

At Rory's question, Zora shook her head, "I didn't tell anyone because people don't believe you when you go to them saying "My brother is trying to kill me". I learned that long ago," she said.

"Do you know why I gave up my son?" Zora asked the younger woman figuring she might as well know the whole truth since she was hellbent on it, "My brother threw me down the stairs when I was pregnant. I told my father, my grandfather, the police - and nobody listened to me. They all thought I had fallen, that I was crazy, that I was mistaken." Zora said as she hugged herself, "It's so easy to say "go to the police, tell somebody," but if nobody believes you, then what?" she asked quietly.

"I have spent years trying to stay one step ahead of Tomas, protecting myself, keeping those I love from harm. Why do you think I have nobody around me at the moment? Why I am alone? Even Broen has more people that care for him than I ever will." she said truthfuly as she took a drink trying to steady herself. God she hated the truth.