From Prey to Precious

Unexpected Turn

Brian's POV:

"Where's my bike?!?!" I growl loudly as I start stalking through the garage. I know it's not here, but I can't help pacing around like a caged animal. My hands are balled into fists as I move from work station to work station, looking for any clue as to where it might be.

"I'm sorry boss, I haven't seen it," my assistant manager Wayne says nervously as he picks up one of his wrenches and pretends to wipe grease off of it. "I swear it was here a few hours ago. Right where you left it, under the tarp against the back wall."

"Well it's obviously not there now, is it Wayne," I snarl at him. "How in the hell did you just lose my bike. What, did it just spontaneously sprout legs and decide to wander off?" I snap at him as I pick up a discarded piece of an exhaust system and throw it into the wall.

Wayne jumps at the impact and actually drops his wrench on the floor. I can smell the fear coming off of him in waves but I'm so angry right now that I just don't care. Everyone in the shop knows better than to let anyone near my personal vehicles. It's not just a pride thing, but a safety thing. I really don't feel like answering any questions about secret compartments or random things that are shoved into the storage compartment under the seat. Or having to clean up the mess when someone asks too many questions that I can't answer.

With a growl that starts deep in my chest I turn towards Wayne, taking a few slow steps towards him as he starts to cower away from me. "You have exactly 24 hours to find my god damned bike Wayne. 24 hours... If my bike isn't back in this garage in 24 hours, I swear to any deity that will listen, that I will eviscerate you and anyone that tries to hide you from me."

I see Wayne go pale as he starts to stammer out another excuse. But I'm too angry to hear anything he has to say right now. I stalk past him slowly, all the while looking straight into his eyes, as I make my way back towards my office to grab the keys for my car. As I reach for the handle, the door opens from the inside and I see Darci grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh! Hey Brian I was just looking for you," she says as she bounces excitedly in front of me. She doesn't move out of the way to let me in my office and instead just looks up at me, batting her eyelashes at me while she bites her bottom lip. I've never understood why women think that men find this behavior attractive or enticing. I have never found innocence to be appealing. Give me a woman who knows what she wants, what she likes and how to get it any day of the week. But I don't even have the patience to pretend with Darci right now. I'm too pissed off and if she continues acting like this I'm going to lose my temper.

"Move Darci," I snarl at her as I grip the door, threatening to rip it off it's hinges if she doesn't get out of my way. She gives me a dramatic sigh and pouts at me, but she moves out of my way. Although instead of walking past me and leaving my office, she takes a step back, farther into it. I glare at her as I brush past her without another thought on the way towards my desk. I blatantly ignore her as she tries to catch my attention by clasping her hands behind her back and rocking her hips from side to side like an impatient child. Right now, that's exactly what she's acting like, a spoiled brat, and if she doesn't knock it off real quick, she is most definitely not going to enjoy the punishment I'll give her for it.

I open my desk drawer and start to search for my car keys as Darci makes her way over to me. I can see her coming and continue to ignore her presence, hoping that she'll get the hint that this is definitely not the time for her to try anything with me.  Unfortunately subtlety has never been one of Darci's strong suits. I continue to dig through the desk drawer, not finding my keys and getting angrier and angrier by the second. Finally I slam the desk drawer shut with enough force to make the desk jump and the drawer pop back out.

"What the hell do you want Darci? I'm in no mood for your games right now," I snarl at her as I slam my fists onto the desk. Luckily I manage to restrain myself enough to just slam them down onto the metal and not break or dent it. 

She jumps again at my unexpected snarl and finally seems to get the hint. She releases her bottom lip from her teeth and bends her head slightly as she extends her hand over the desk towards me. She's holding an envelope with "B" written on it, out towards me. I quickly snatch the envelope from her and rip it open and unfold the letter inside.

The letter reads: Brian, I stopped by on my way to see Don and noticed your busted ride. I took it back to my shop for repairs. You shouldn't leave things like that just laying around. Mom says city life is making you too soft and you need to visit more often. - V

"I found this on the floor where you bike was earlier and I figured you would want to know as soon as you got here. So I waited in here for you," Darci whispers as she continues to stand in front of my desk with her head down.

I barely acknowledge what she's said with a "Mmhmm" as I reread the short letter for a final time before tearing it to pieces and placing it in the large glass ash tray that sits on my desk. I continue to ignore her as I take a seat in my chair and pull my cell out of my pocket and scroll through my contacts for the right number. 

As I select the correct one and bring my phone up to my ear, I finally look over at Darci as her shoulders beginning to shake slightly. I want to snap at her, I want to throttle her for not picking up the phone and calling me the second she knew my bike was gone. One of her duties is to protect what's mine and she's obviously failed at that. Maybe she's not as useful as I originally thought. Perhaps I should start cutting ties with her and start looking for a replacement. 

"You can go Darci," I say quietly to her before spinning my chair around and showing my back to her. I can hear the slight hitch in her breath as she heads towards the door and closes it quietly. Normally I would try to at least appear more caring, but right now I just can't be bothered. 

A moment after my office door closes I hear the line on the phone connect and I take breath to speak when an unfamiliar female voice answers the phone, "Vinnie's Garage, this is Rachel how can I help you?"

Something about her voice just stops me dead in my tracks. My brain is completely derailed and I can't remember what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to say as I just open and close my mouth hoping that words start to form.

"Hello? Helllooo? Is anyone there?"

I shake my head in an attempt to clear out the cob webs and miraculously I seem to find my voice again, "Sorry, yeah I'm trying to reach Vinnie, is he available?"

"He's with a customer right now. Can I leave him a message or is there something that I can do to help you?"

"I dunno, since when does Vinnie let anyone else answer his private line?" I reply sharply. I've had enough with incompetent humans today.

"Well for at least the last two years when he says 'Rachel, your in charge while I'm gone'. So I'll ask again Sir, is there a message I can give him for you?" she replies back tartly.

"Just tell him that I called, he has the number," I tell her and then prepare to hang up the phone when I hear Vinnie's voice in the background asking who was on the phone.

I hear Rachel reply, "Some jerk. He said to tell you he called and that you would "have the number" I think his name was d**k though.." there's a brief shuffling on the line before I hear Vincent's voice.

"Hello Brian. Still have a way with the ladies I see?"

"Shut up old man. I want my bike back. Where is it?" I grumble into the phone.

I hear Vincent give a chuckle before I hear the flick of a lighter, "Oh she's being taken care of. I'll get her right as rain before getting her back to you I promise."

I sigh, knowing I can't argue with him. "Fine. Just, please don't paint it pink again," I plead, cringing at the memory of having to ride around on a pink and white bike with a familiar white feline sporting a pink bow on the gas tank.

"No promises. Although it's not really up to me this time."

I stop dead in my tracks as my blood runs cold, "What do you mean it's not up to you this time? Who is working on my bike?"

Vincent gives that dark chuckle again as he takes another drag off of his cigarette before answering me. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I'll have the mechanic drop it off when it's done on their way into work. I can't imagine it would be more than, what a week?" I hear him ask someone else in the room, "Yeah they say it should be done in about a week. Out of curiosity, how do you feel about Disney Princesses?"

I stammer my objection but the line's already disconnected. I stand still for a moment before letting out a primal yell and throwing my phone across the room and watching it shatter into a million pieces.

Great. Now I have to wait to see the disaster that my bike is going to be and figure out how long it's going to take me to fix AND I have to get a new phone...again.

My elder's such an ass.