Chapter Twenty-Five
Rin didn’t go to see her uncle the next day, preferring to hide away at Mike’s for at least a little longer. She had called the Tully’s Saturday night and informed them who the male was, but that she wasn’t ready to see him. The couple had been surprisingly understanding, and assured her that they would make her excuses to her uncle.
Then Sunday she had received a call from Margaret Tully that had only reinforced her opinion of her uncle. “Mr. Nakamura,” Margaret spat, “has decided that if you are not going to make yourself available to him immediately that he will be finding more suitable accommodations for the duration.” Margaret had huffed over the phone. “More suitable? Who the hell does that bastard think he is to insult my home?” Before Rin could respond, Margaret continued her snarling tirade, “Then that little pipsqueak of an assistant had to chime in to assure me that while some people might find this type of rustic charm quaint, Mr. Nakamura is used to more amenities.”
But Rin couldn’t hold back the chuckle of amusement as Margaret muttered, “Well, he can shove his amenities right up his rich ass. The nerve. No wonder you don’t wish to see him, child. Five minutes in his presence had me practically needing to be restrained.”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Tully.” Rin said sincerely.
“Nonsense; there is no reason for you to apologize for him. But I didn’t just call to complain.” Margaret sniffed, obviously still in high dudgeon. “I overheard your uncle speaking with the pipsqueak. They plan to try to corner you at the office on Monday, so you may want to let Ginny know and take the day off if you’re not yet ready to hear whatever pompous bullshit your uncle came to tell you.”
Rin felt a mix of stomach tightening trepidation, imagining being waylaid in her tiny office, forced to listen – cornered – exactly as Margaret had said. But she also felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the information. She may be Kitsune, but this town already treated her like pack. It was humbling, and Rin was deeply touched.
Rin did in fact contact Ginny and was again flooded with love for this pack when Ginny had grown indignant on Rin’s behalf. “You take whatever time you need, Rin. I’ll deal with your uncle.” The growl that had laced those final words, was indicative of a she-wolf preparing for battle: protective and fierce.
And so it was that Rin was down in Mike’s garage on Monday afternoon when the phone rang. Mike had his hands full under the car that he was working on, so Rin picked up the phone and answered in her most professional voice while grabbing up a pen in preparation for taking a message.
Tim’s voice boomed through the line, cheerful in his greeting. Once he learned Mike was busy he said, “Hey listen, can you write down an address for Mike?”
As soon as Rin agreed, Tim started rattling off the address and what time tonight. “Tell him he won’t want to miss it, the money’s going to be big on this one.”
Rin wanted to find out more, but Tim gave her a quick, “Thanks, Rin, got to go,” and then disconnected the call.
Rin stared at the address, her curiosity driving her a bit batty. She kept reminding herself that she was just being paranoid and she needed to cut the crap, but as soon as Mike came out from under the car, the words left her mouth despite her best intentions. “Tim called with an address and a time. So what’s this job that’s going to pay out so much money?”
Mike glanced from her to the paper on the counter and then he turned his head to look for a rag to wipe his hands, though one was hanging from his back pocket, “Just one of those odd jobs I was telling you about. Some pay more than others so Tim keeps me apprised of the best ones.”
Did he look uncomfortable or was Rin just reading more into this because of some fear-induced side-effect of her captivity that had left her suspicious and quick to jump to conclusions?
“What kind of job is it?”
Mike shrugged as he wiped thoughtfully at his hands, still avoiding Rin’s gaze. “Just some body work.” Then he threw the rag aside, finally looked her way, and grinned, “Are you hungry? We can go to the diner, or if you’d rather stay here, I can run and pick us up something.”
Rin stared at Mike for a moment, her eyes moving over the face she was so in love with. His explanation was completely plausible, and went hand in hand with what she had originally assumed – Mike was doing some automotive work on the side. No big deal. And because she was so in love, she should trust him despite her instincts screaming that he wasn’t being completely honest with her. Right?
Attempting a smile, Rin gripped the pen harder. “I am a bit hungry, but I’d rather not chance a run in with my uncle.”
Mike shot her a brilliant smile, “Not a problem.” Approaching, he gave Rin a kiss that left her breathless, “It’s my honor to serve.”
Rin’s smile held until Mike was out the door, but as soon as he was gone, a devil of a voice inside her head had her copying down the address and time and stuffing the paper into her pocket – just in case.
“I can do this, I can do this, I can do this” It was the chant that had her sitting behind the wheel of the little sedan that Mike had been letting her use to learn to drive. And the chant that kept her from freaking out as she struck out alone, intent on finding out just what Mike and Tim were up to.
Her spine was stick straight, her teeth were clenched, and her knuckles were white on the steering wheel, but she was going to get to the bottom of this mystery and finally put her suspicions to rest – even if it meant driving illegally, alone, at night, with just a permit.
The trip took longer than Google maps had suggested, but then again, the app had probably assumed she’d be going the speed limit, rather than roughly twenty miles per hour slower. She also managed to scream her head off when she accidentally swiped a trash can while her gaze had been scanning for the building that belonged to the address she was intent on finding. Sending up a little prayer of thanks that it hadn’t been another car, or worse, a pedestrian, Rin finally spotted the right building and parked.
The street wasn’t well lit and was part of what looked like an industrial section of town. The building was mostly dark and she would have thought it abandoned except for some lights shining out through the dirt crusted windows on the first floor. Her ears were also picking up quite a bit of noise inside, shouting, cheers… Had they gone to a party? Maybe a rave? If so, they had yet to start any music.
Creeping around the side of the building, Rin tried to find a window that wasn’t as dirty so she might be able to see what was going on inside. Instead, she encountered a big man, human, looking mostly bored as he leaned back against a door. Rin swiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and tried to look like she knew exactly what she was doing as she approached the man. Offering a smile she said, “I’m here to meet a friend.”
The man’s eyes moved over her from head to toe for a second before he held out his hand without a word. Was this a bar? Did he need to see ID? Glad she had shoved that, her cell, and some cash in her back pocket for this trip, Rin pulled out the laminated card and laid it on the man’s large palm. The man actually grinned as if he found her amusing, let out a little chuckle and handed the ID back before he grunted, “Lady, I couldn’t care less who you are. Twenty bucks gets you in the door.”
Rin felt her cheeks heat with a blush, but she quickly stuffed the ID back in her pocket and pulled out her cash to hand over to the man. A moment later, the door was opened for her to walk through. Never would she have imagined what she would find on the other side.