“She just texted me to say she wouldn’t be on for matches because the place is on fire.”
The dread flipped to panic. “Oh my god. I’ll go over right now.”
She looked to Takashi and he nodded. This new issue was more important, and they both knew it.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promised.
She glanced at the Game Master as she pulled up her game menu. “You need to handle this.”
Takashi grabbed her hand and locked eyes with her. “I will be there. And I will want to finish this conversation when things calm down.”
Mercedes wasn’t sure how to feel about that. But she could focus on it later. For now, Shira needed her.
Cars zoomed by as Takashi had his drive a little faster than he should. But seeing as it was an emergency, he had no qualms about it. Rei sat in the passenger seat, trying to get ahold of Emi.
After he’d sped through the issues with Game Master Ashton, he’d logged off, and tried to get to the car as quick as possible, though his family didn’t make that easy. His mother wanted to know if he patched things up with Mercedes yet, and Mia wanted him to play a game with her. He managed to get them to calm down enough to explain why he needed to run, and that’s when Rei announced she’d be going with him. Apparently Emi was supposed to have a meeting with Shira’s parents and she was worried.
Takashi wasn’t concerned at first, since he’d only seen Emi fifteen or so minutes before Mercedes and he had found out about the incident, but when she didn’t respond to several phone calls from either Rei or him, he started to worry.
His worry, of course, compounded his concern over Mercedes. She had not reacted in the way he’d hoped. He would have rather been screamed at in anger than watch her keep her distance while so calmly comparing him to the other men that’d let her down. And then that bit about her ex…
He’d never pried into her personal life like that, something she also didn’t do. They’d only ever discussed such a topic if they brought it up themselves. But now he was starting to wish he had. It was obviously an issue that deeply affected how she handled relationships.
“Niisan,” Rei said.
He glanced at her, noting she wasn’t looking up from her phone. It was unusual for her to call him that. “Yes?”
“Are you concerned about Emi at all?”
“Of course I am.”
She looked up at him. “But she’s not the one at the front of your mind, is she?”
He knew where this was going, and didn’t like it. “I have a lot of things on my mind.”
“But Mercedes comes first.”
“Of course she does. She’s my girlfriend.”
Rei’s eyes tightened, though he could see the surprise as well. “Since when?”
“Since right before I had to come home.”
“But you two are fighting.”
Takashi sighed. “That doesn’t mean we’re not together. Even mother and father fight from time to time.” He frowned. “Besides, it’s my fault we’re fighting to begin with. I made a mistake that hurt her, so I have to figure out how to fix it. Else we won’t be together.”
Rei stared at him for a moment. “Do you love her?”
He nodded without hesitation. He’d tried to tell Mercedes this before the Game Master showed up.
His sister’s lips spread into a tight line and then she went about trying to call Emi again. No luck.
The car pulled off the highway, and before he knew it, they’d arrived. Or at least, as close as they could get. Cars and people blocked the road, red and blue lights flashed, sirens blared, and in the distance, black smoke billowed up into the sky. Takashi’s seatbelt slammed against the back of his seat and he jumped out, Rei not far behind.
The pair rushed down the sidewalk, pushing through clusters of bystanders when they couldn’t run around. They continued until they came to a barrier, guarded by police. Just beyond them, Takashi could take in the all-too-familiar scene. No fire raged, but the blackened and partially collapsed right side of the building showed where the inferno had been.
Takashi scanned the area for familiar faces, and found just the two he wanted standing together talking. “Shira. Mercedes!”
The two looked his way, Shira waving to him. She spoke to a man in blue who then let the ones in front of him and Rei to allow them through. Both thanked the officers and rushed over to the two women. Shira’s service dog sniffed the air at their approach, but otherwise remained sitting at Shira’s feet. Had the dog not moved, Takashi wouldn’t have realized he was there. I can see why his name is Snake.
“Are you all right?” Takashi asked Shira.
She nodded. “Yes. My parents, too. Unfortunately there were several people who weren’t so lucky and have been rushed to the hospital.”
“Did Emi make it out okay?” Rei asked.
Shira shook her head. “She hasn’t shown up yet. I tried to call her to let her know about the issue and to stay home, but it went straight to voice mail.”
Rei’s brow creased. “That happened to us, too. I’m still worried about her, but at least I know she wasn’t affected by this.”
“Me too.”
“Any clues to how this happened?” Takashi asked.
Shira shook her head again. “Not yet. I did overhear one of the officers speaking with my parents about them suspecting arson. While they can’t rule out other possibilities, it’s been rampant these past few weeks, along with other types of vandalism.”
Takashi and Rei looked at each other, understanding this all too well. The incident at their mother’s shop had been ruled arson as well, though the motive was unclear, and the investigation was ongoing to determine whether it was related to the others.
Shira looked beyond them. “Well, we can now be a bit more at ease. I can see Emi.”
Everyone turned to find her and Jason standing at the blockade. Shira once again asked the officers to allow the two through, though they weren’t as okay with it this time and tried to persuade her to just join them over there instead. Stubborn as usual, she held her ground enough for them to give in.
Emi ran over to them. “Is everyone okay?”
Shira nodded and gave her the same rundown she’d given Takashi and Rei.
Emi smiled. “I’m glad it’s not as bad as the local news made it out to be.”
“I tried to tell you myself, but you didn’t pick up your phone,” Shira said.
Rei crossed her arms. “Same here. Takashi and I both tried to contact you.”
“Sorry. My phone is on the fritz today,” Emi explained. “Jason is having a look at it to see what’s going on.”
“My dad could do that, too,” Rei offered. “It’s his specialty, after all.”
Emi looked at Jason, who was looking at the smoldering building, piquing Takashi’s interest. Jason was acting odd.
When he didn’t look at her, Emi looked back at Rei. “If Jason isn’t able to, then I’ll be happy to talk to your dad. It’s possible it’s just showing its age and needs to be replaced. I’ve had it for three years now.”
“I’ve held onto phones longer than that,” Mercedes said. “Never heard of any of them not getting phone calls ever.”
Emi shrugged. “It was just an assumption. Could really be anything at this point.”
Jason placed his hand on Emi’s lower back suddenly. “Let’s get going.”
Emi looked confused, but before she could say something, Mercedes did. “Why?”
Everyone looked at her. She looked irritated.
Jason half-smiled as a light chuckle came out of his mouth. He looked confused by her question. “Because there’s nothing keeping us here at this point. Her meeting is canceled, and the police are going to have to do their investigations before another
one is rescheduled.”
Shira’s eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms. “Says who? We can set up meetings outside of the building proper.”
“Besides, she’s here with friends. Actively talking to them, on top of that,” Mercedes said. “And did you think to ask her what she wanted before deciding for her?”
Takashi noticed Rei’s interest in Mercedes shift.
Emi held up her hands. “Girls, it’s okay. Jason and I had plans after the meeting, so it’s no big deal.”
Takashi frowned. He didn’t like how Emi jumped to defend that behavior. Mercedes and Shira were right, he should have asked Emi if she wanted to leave. The Emi he knew wouldn’t have been okay with such a decision being made for her. Something wasn’t right.
A potbellied man with light hair and eyes and a woman of lithe form and dark complexion approached them. Shira greeted them with a large smile that reached her ears. “Mutti. Vati. Are you all done talking to the police?”
The man chuckled and spoke with a thick accent. “For now, yes. I see your friends have come to make sure you’re okay. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
Everyone greeted him.
He looked to Emi. “Emi, I’m sorry you came out all this way for nothing. I know it’s a bit rough on you for travel. I promise we will make it up to you once things calm down.”
Emi smiled at him. “It’s okay. I can use this time to visit my mother.” She patted Jason’s hand. “And it gets him out and about every now and then.”
“Well at least you can see a positive side of it all.” He chuckled and looked around. “Now, I shouldn’t keep you. I’m sure you all have important things to get to today. Shira, dear, go de-stress. We’ll handle everything from here.”
Shira managed a weak smile. “If you say so, Vati.”
The small family said their goodbyes, and then Shira faced everyone. Emi spoke up first. “I think Jason and I will leave now. Once things calm down, Shira, I’ll be happy to reschedule.”
“Of course. Expect a request in the next day or two. Even with this going on, my father never stops, and he’s eager to see the designs you planned for this meeting. And I hope you get your phone fixed.”
“Me too.” Emi waved to everyone and the pair left, Jason not saying a word.
“I don’t like him,” Shira said when they were out of earshot.
Mercedes nodded. “Each time I meet him, I like him less and less. I mean, who does he think he is?”
“A control freak.” Shira looked to Takashi and Rei. “Sorry if you like him.”
Rei looked at Takashi who nodded before she spoke. “We don’t. He’s given us a weird feeling from the start. And him choosing what Emi does doesn’t sit well with me at all.”
Mercedes looked back at the smoldering building. “He was way too interested in that.”
Shira’s brow rose. “Do you think he’s involved somehow?”
Mercedes pursed her lips. “I think he’s creepy, yes. But I don’t think he’s a psychopath. I just think it’s weird how fixated he was, and then he jumped right into telling Emi they should leave.”
Takashi agreed with her. It was a strange behavior.
The sound of a rumbling stomach hit his ears and Shira touched hers. “I think it’s lunchtime.”
Mercedes laughed, sending an ache through Takashi’s chest. He missed being the source of that. Would things go back to normal for them? This whole time, she’d actively avoided any eye contact with him. It felt like he was punched in the gut every time. What he wouldn’t give for some extra alone time with her right now to show her how much he wanted—needed her.
“Do you two want to join us?” Shira asked. Takashi realized in his focus on Mercedes, he may have missed a bit of the ongoing conversation.
Rei looked up at him, and spoke before he could invite himself and make Mercedes uncomfortable. “We’ll have to pass. The family wanted us for a few things today.”
Shira nodded. “That’s fine. Thank you both for stopping by. Wasn’t necessary, but it’s appreciated.”
Mercedes nudged her. “No need to be so formal.”
“Sorry. I’m just trying not to think about how much I want to find this asshole and shove my shoe up his ass.”
Takashi pressed his lips together as Rei and Mercedes laughed.
They all said their goodbyes, Takashi’s eyes lingering on Mercedes a moment longer. He wanted to talk to her—finish the conversation they’d started earlier—but she was making it clear she was uncomfortable with him still. Takashi and Rei made their way back to the car. Things were quiet between the two as he set up the GPS to send them home.
“Niisan,” Rei said when the car pulled away. “What did you do to make her so mad at you? It had to be bad with the way she was actively avoiding looking at you.”
Takashi wrestled with the answer. Why did Rei want to know? “It’s complicated.”
“We have a long enough drive home where you have time to tell me.”
He turned in his seat to look at her. “Why do you want to know? You hate Mercedes. Emi even told me how happy you were that she and I weren’t communicating well.”
His sister’s lips twisted as if she were struggling with the right words. “I want you to give me her number.”
Not what he expected to hear. “No.”
“Ochi, please send me Mercedes’ number so I can talk to her.”
“Contact sent,” Ochi said through the car dash.
Takashi’s eyes widened. “I didn’t give the okay for such a request.”
“I sense no malicious intent from your sister.”
Takashi’s gaze shifted to his sister, who was now sending a text. “What is going on here?”
“I’m telling her I want to meet tomorrow to talk.”
He rubbed his face. His sister’s cryptic actions were making his head hurt. “Why? You keep avoiding that answer.”
Rei sent the text and sighed. “Because she stuck up for Emi.” Takashi watched his sister, waiting for her answer. “Emi is my best friend. She’s your ex and yet Mercedes stuck up for her without hesitation. She showed real irritation for Jason’s actions.”
His sister sighed. “I thought the two of them were putting on an act when they were both over for dinner. Getting along and acting like it didn’t matter that Emi was the ex and Mercedes was the soon-to-be new girlfriend.”
Rei pursed her lips for a moment. “Mercedes has shown she is so much more mature than me. And she makes you happy. More than Emi ever could.” She looked at him. “I shouldn’t have acted the way I have, and I’m sorry. Let me help convince her to give you one more chance.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Rei was one of the most stubborn people he knew. She hated being wrong, and loathed to admit she had been. Takashi reached out and pulled her in for a tight hug. “Thank you.”
She let him hug her for a moment, but when it lasted too long, she struggled against him. “Okay, okay. Enough with the love-fest.”
Takashi chuckled and pulled away. “Whatever you say, Rei-chan.”
“Don’t call me that,” she whined.
When Takashi laughed at her expense, she punched him in the shoulder. She then huffed and crossed her arms, pouting.
Takashi found himself amused by his sister’s antics. Why are all the women in my life adorable? “Ochi, please add a stop before our destination.”
“Of course. Where you would like to go, Takashi?”
“Those Buns Dough.”
Rei’s eyes narrowed. “Trying to butter me up?”
He did his best to not laugh at her unintentional pun. “To placate a woman’s anger, give her sweets. It’s father’s motto, and one I fully agree with. Not even Mercedes is able to resist.”
His sister�
��s mouth twisted and she sighed with defeat. “You’d better be prepared to spend a lot.”
“I’ve got a car ride’s worth of time to explain to you what went down between Mercedes and me, and prepare for my crying wallet.”
Rei rested her arms on the console. “Okay, let me hear it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The white sports car pulled into a free parking spot, and Mercedes took a deep breath. Rei had contacted her yesterday asking to meet with her for lunch at The Mill. Apparently she wanted to talk, though Mercedes wasn’t sure what about.
She couldn’t shake her unease as she climbed out of the car and headed inside. She couldn’t, for the life of her, understand what would compel Rei to reach out to talk, not after she’d made it quite clear she didn’t like Mercedes. She even refused to join her and Shira for lunch yesterday, though of course she couldn’t be sure if that was because Shira had invited Takashi too. Bitch.
She hadn’t been pleased Shira would pull that on her. Yes, Mercedes agreed to talk to Takashi, but she wasn’t convinced about anything with him right now. But it’s hard to stay mad. He’d made a rather convincing argument, and her heart said not to give up on someone like him yet, even though her brain argued to be smarter. It made this all the more confusing for her.
The rich scent of roasted beans surrounded Mercedes as she entered the small coffee shop. She looked around, finding Rei at a corner table by a large window. Two cups of steaming coffee and two pastries sat on the table before her.
Rei looked at her when she approached and smiled. “Mercedes, you’re here.”
Mercedes smiled back, finding the friendly warmth from Rei nice, but as awkward as she expected. “I am.”
“I’m glad you came.” Rei pushed one cup and one pastry toward her. “I got something for you.”
Mercedes sat down across from her, noting the coffee was a cappuccino with a cocoa-powdered heart design in the center of the cream. “As much as my mother would tell me pastries do not make a proper meal, I approve. And thank you for buying this for me. You didn’t have to.”
Spellbinding His Ranger Page 25