Chapter Thirty-One
Safe and warm inside the farmhouse, Rin had finally managed to stop crying, but was now feeling the full barrage of her injuries. Her heavy winter parka had taken most of the damage from her tuck and roll stunt out of the car. The shoulder and one whole side down the front was practically shredded, stuffing and nylon hanging off her in tatters. The knuckles of her right hand were slightly swollen from the punch she’d thrown but she was pretty sure she’d broken something in her left hand. The entire hand and down her wrist was swollen and bruised, and she could barely twitch her fingers.
Her hip, thigh, and knee were all burning, and while the scent wasn’t strong, she was definitely bleeding from some of the scrapes.
The poor farmer, who had introduced himself as Doug Senior, kept hovering while they sat in the kitchen and waited for Mike to arrive. He had been so uncomfortable with Rin’s tears – reaching out a hand awkwardly, like he was going to pat her arm, then pulling it back, clearing his throat, lifting his John Deere cap to run his other hand through his graying hair before plopping the cap back down on his head. All the while saying things like “there, there,” and “it’s okay, you’re all right” and then finally tossing a look over his shoulder to one of his sons and snapping, “Dammit, go bring the truck, boy, so the girl don’t have to walk to the house.”
Once in the house, he’d again offered to call an ambulance, but Rin had only wanted to call Mike. As soon as she had heard his voice, the tears had started again, so badly she could barely speak through the hiccups and sobs. Of course, her lack of communication had freaked Mike out and he begged her to tell him where she was, his voice deepening to a growl in his agitation. Still she couldn’t manage to get the words past her throat, so Doug Senior had had to gently take the phone from her hand to assure Mike that she was just “shook up”, and give Mike the address so he could come get her.
While they waited, Doug Senior had offered something to drink which she had gratefully accepted, something to eat, which she had declined, and now he kept popping his head up to look out the window, probably eager for her ride to arrive so that he could wash his hands of her, and no longer be forced to make small talk with a female prone to tears.
It was during one of those pop ups that his two teen sons came into the house. “Did you take care of it?” Doug Senior asked, looking expectantly between his two boys.
“We were trying to, Dad.” One of the boys began.
“But some man in a fancy uniform – “
“Not military, but something else – “
“Took the carcass,” the two boys explained, cutting each other off and finishing the other’s sentences.
Rin stiffened, her nerves revving up. Would her uncle’s assistant still come looking for her trying to fulfill his employer’s wishes? No, she was safe here, and once Mike came, he would bring her home to Malsum Pass, and she would be safe with him.
“He was cradling it like a baby and crying.” One of the boys was saying.
Both boys were nodding and then Doug Junior added in a voice that was almost a whisper, “I think that fox may have been the guy’s pet, Dad.”
Doug Senior let out a long sigh and shook his head. “Well, that’s a shame and I feel bad for the man, but the thing was obviously out of its head and needed to be put down.”
Rin internally cringed a bit at hearing her uncle being referred to as a thing, but these people didn’t know. They saw a wild creature, most probably infected with rabies – a danger to both them and their livestock. She saw a male who was her blood, her family, but also a male who had sacrificed his principles for monetary gain, and was willing to offer her up on that same altar, with or without her consent.
The psychological strain of trying to process such mixed emotions had her eyes welling with tears again and she blinked rapidly to clear her eyes. Seeing her struggle, Doug Senior’s face flushed with discomfort once more, and he popped up to look out the window again. “Your ride should be here any time, girlie, any time now.”
Rin could imagine he was tagging on a mental ‘please’ to that statement and the thought almost had her lips tipping up in a smile.
About five minutes later, Rin’s ears picked up the roar of an engine and she knew, without having to look, that Mike’s Charger was barreling down the drive. A moment later, Doug Senior was opening the door – most likely in relief – while his two boys gathered at the kitchen window to admire the classic muscle car.
And then he was there, bursting through the open portal, the look of concern on his face so touching that Rin again couldn’t hold back the flood gates. She burst into a loud torrent of sobs that had her rescuers looking chagrined, and Mike scooping her up into his arms.
Her head resting against his chest, she could feel the growls he was struggling to contain beneath her wet cheek.
“She should probably see a doctor,” Doug Senior was saying as he held the door wide for Mike to pass through with Rin in his arms.
“I’ll see to it,” Mike clipped out. “Thank you for looking after her.”
Moments later, Rin was tucked into Mike’s car, a blanket wrapped around her trembling frame, while the heater blew warm air on her chilled feet. They had barely left the drive when Mike released the growl he’d been containing. “How bad are you hurt?”
Rin closed her eyes, hot tears still leaking down her face, and sniffed. She lifted her left hand and winced as it throbbed. “I think I broke it.”
Mike snarled viciously, “I’ll kill that bastard. Your uncle is a dead man. How the hell did this happen?”
She wanted to tell him, she did, but the words wouldn’t come, just a ragged draw of air and another sob which had Mike swearing under his breath and his free hand stroking her hair. “I’m sorry, baby, you don’t have to say a word, not right now, not until you’re ready. You rest, and we’ll get you fixed up in no time.”
Keeping his promise not to badger her with questions was torture. It was just supposed to be lunch with the ready excuse that she needed to return to work so that the meeting was kept brief. What the hell had happened? But he’d known something was wrong when a worried Ginny had called the shop. Rin hadn’t returned to work and the older female had a bad feeling. Mike had felt it too after that – the prickles of fear creeping down his spine as he called the diner only to discover that Rin hadn't been there at all.
Cursing the lack of cell service that kept him locked near his phone in case she called, rather than out actively looking for his mate, he was there when the phone rang and heard Rin on the other end, sobbing, trying to get words out as she gasped for breath. His wolf had pushed so hard against his skin in agitation that his eyes and teeth had shifted, and he was pretty sure he’d sprouted some extra body hair. A strange man coming on the line to reassure him hadn’t done much to leash his wolf, but an address had helped. He’d never been more grateful for the power under the hood of his Charger.
Once he’d scented Rin at that farm house, he’d felt a modicum of relief, but seeing the state she was in had nearly pushed him into full shift. Her tearstained face, her coat practically hanging off her in shreds, the smell of her blood… Had they been in a car accident? Where was her uncle? And what the hell were they doing way out there in east bumfuck for her to have taken shelter with the farmer?
So many questions. But right now, Rin needed medical attention, she need comfort and support, not an inquisition.
Night was fully upon them when they finally got back to his loft and Rin was sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat thanks to some pain meds the doctor had given her. She had suffered a broken pinkie, badly sprained wrist, and a multitude of various scrapes and bruises. Rin had claimed a car accident when she’d been questioned at the hospital, but Mike knew there had to be more to the story. Best to let her rest and heal now. He’d have his answers soon enough.
Miraculously, she slept through his rather clumsy attempt to pick her up out of the car. And she slept through him carefully removing her clothes so that he could tuck her into bed. Seeing all those bruises first hand, sent him into a fine rage; he’d had to count to a hundred – twice – before the amber tint finally faded from his vision. And though Mike laid down beside her and kissed her gently, he didn’t sleep, he was too agitated to sleep. His need to protect was a fierce drive. He would watch over her tonight, every night, it that’s what it took to keep his Rin safe.