Feeling bad for how the evening had gone, Rosie decided to try to make it up to Link. When they were driving back to the apartment, Rosie said, “I got tickets to a charity auction. Do you want to come to it with me?”
“When is it?” Link asked, not taking his eyes off the road.
“Day after tomorrow.”
Barely taking the time to think about it, he shook his head and answered, “Sorry. I’m busy that night. I’ll have to take a raincheck.” He pulled over to the curb, stopping in front of the apartment building. “Talk to you soon.”
Rosie could tell he was brushing her off; she did not like it one bit. She wished she could take back the comment about finding Mr. Right; for some reason, he had been really offended by it. Was he that into her, and she had been oblivious? Did she really care? Maybe, a small voice sounded in her head.
“Fine. You’ll be hearing from me once the investors decide what they want to do. Talk soon,” Rosie replied offhandedly, reaching over to open the truck door. Just the fact that she had to open the door herself spoke volumes for how Link was feeling. Every other time, he had raced over to be a gentleman. Not now.
No sooner than the girls had exited the truck, Link drove off. “What’s gotten into him?” Eliana asked, watching the truck turn the corner and leave their sight.
“I think I said something which upset him.” Rosie shrugged before turning away and heading into the building. She had bigger things to worry about than whether or not Link was mad at her. She had projects to finalize for work. There was not enough time for her to get involved in a relationship with all of its ups and downs.
Rosie wondered how the day had gotten off to such a bad start. Upon arriving at work, her secretary had notified her of one of her clients waiting for her in the conference room. Frowning, she knew there were no appointments scheduled for the day. This could not be good news.
Her prediction had been entirely accurate. No sooner had she opened the door when she was met with a hard expression and a pointing finger.
“You made me lose almost three million dollars!” the man yelled as soon as he saw her.
“Excuse me? Tell me what’s going on, and then I’ll see what I can do to make it right.” Rosie used her most reasonable tone, something which usually worked well with her male customers.
“There’s nothing you can do to make this right. The money’s gone!” The man continued to glare at her, using his height advantage to loom over her.
Taking a step back, she moved to the far side of the table and sat down across from where he remained standing. From her vantage point, she had a clear view of her secretary. Hopefully, if things got too heated, she would be able to catch her attention and have this irate man escorted from the premises.
The man continued to rant and rave over the deal, which had gone south. At first, she could not place the man or the project in which he was implicating her. In short order, she recalled the details. Not only had Rosie advised the man against the deal in the first place, but she had also been told that she was too uptight to see a good deal when it was right in front of her. Now, the money was gone, the project incomplete, and he was blaming her for the loss. Typical, she thought to herself. Then she wondered how she could make it up to him before he reported her to the owner of the company. She did not want this guy’s stupidity to prevent her from becoming a partner.
“I’ll tell you what; I’ll keep an eye out for another investor who’ll partner with you on this. Give me a few weeks, and I’ll get back in touch with you.” Rosie stood, hoping the man would get the hint and leave. Apparently, this was not part of his plan.
“I’ll tell you what; I’ll make sure you pay for ruining me. How does that sound? You need to watch your back, you little hussy! I’m going to make you pay!” He stood, glaring at her, his finger pointing and shaking with rage.
“Okay, I think we’re done for now. I’d like you to leave.”
“Oh, I bet you would. Don’t turn your back on me. I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do!”
Just as Rosie opened her mouth to respond, another voice sounded in the room. “I think it’s time you left, mister.”
The man twirled around, ready to confront the man for interfering. Taking in the muscular, massive frame, he opted to shut his mouth. Grabbing his briefcase from the floor beside his chair, he glared one last time at Rosie before brushing rudely past Link.
“Was that guy threatening you?” he asked, arms folded across his chest as he stared after the man until the elevator doors closed.
Sighing, Rosie replied, “Yes. There wasn’t anything I could do or say to get him to be reasonable.”
“Are you going to report him to your boss?”
“What? And sound like a whiner who can’t handle an angry customer? No! I’ll figure out some way to appease him, and then it’ll all blow over.” Rosie let out a long breath, wondering just how she would accomplish all of that.
“I don’t think he’s the reasonable kind of guy, not from what I heard at least. Please tell me you’ll take precautions to keep yourself safe.”
“I always do,” she replied, patting her purse. “I keep bear spray in here for jerks like that.”
“I just hope it’s enough.”
“Hey, what’re you doing here anyway? I didn’t think we had a meeting set up.” She came around the table, stopping in front of Link.
“We don’t. I came by to apologize for yesterday. I was out of line and rude.”
“No need. I’m sure I deserved it.” She attempted to move past him to get to her office.
“No, Rosie. Nobody deserves that, least of all you.” He held her arm gently, keeping her from leaving without hearing him out.
Feeling the heat from his fingers through the fabric of her shirt, she looked down at where he touched her. “I said it’s okay, Link. I accept your apology.”
“Thanks, I feel better now.”
“Good. I do have to get to work, though. Is there something else I can do for you?”
“Sure. Can you tell me if there’s been any word on the deal going through?”
“Walk with me. I’ll check my messages and see if the investor has decided.”
Together, they walked back to Rosie’s office. Keenly aware of the glances of the people in the office, Rosie also could feel Link’s presence like a guardian angel stalking beside her. It was the strangest feeling, thinking he could be both gentle and dangerous. How was that possible?
Rosie could hardly concentrate with Link sitting so casually across from her. Not only did her fingers fumble over the keyboard, but she was also certain her cheeks were flaming red by now. By the time she made it to the end of her emails, she looked up and said, “Nothing new yet. I’ll be sure to contact you as soon as I hear anything.”
Tipping his head in affirmation, he stood. “I guess it was worth a try.”
“What’s going on, Link? Why are you so anxious to find out about this deal?” Rosie finally took a good look at Link. Not only did he seem anxious, but he also looked tired.
“I got an offer for another big project. I don’t have the resources to take on both of these jobs at the same time. I need to give the other guy an answer in the next few days.”
“Ah, that makes sense. How about I give my investor a call and feel him out for you?”
Quirking his eyebrow at her choice of words, he replied, “As long as it is only a phone call.”
“What?” Rosie had no idea what he referred to until she thought about her previous comment. All over again, her cheeks blushed bright red. Shaking her head at him, she said, “Okay. You sound like a fifth-grader right now. I need to get to work, and I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than tease me.”
Link laughed. “Fine. I’ll check back in a couple of days if I don’t hear from you first.”
“Sounds good.” Rosie waved to him while she remained seated at her desk. For some reason, the room felt so empty when he left it. Only seconds had passed, and she already missed him. What was wrong with her?
Leaving the office after dark never appealed to Rosie. Tonight, the feeling of being watched felt stronger than ever. She convinced herself she was being paranoid because of the man confronting her first thing that morning. Unfortunately, the oppressive feeling refused to subside.
Deciding to take a shortcut through a section of Central Park, Rosie turned off of the sidewalk. No longer was she surrounded by throngs of people. This feeling of aloneness always used to bring her comfort, yet today, it made her feel even more exposed.
Clutching her purse close to her side, she felt through the fabric to where the bear spray always stayed. Once she identified its familiar shape, she let her fingers move up to the strap where it dangled from her shoulder. Her steps lengthened as she hurried along the running path.
No people could be seen. She felt more alone and exposed than she ever felt. Thinking about her talk with Link about feeling safe in the city no longer felt accurate. Maybe she should get out her cell phone and call an Uber to take her home today. She should have thought about that option before turning into the park. Now, she was going to have to backtrack to get to a place where a car could actually pick her up.
With her mind made up, she turned around and ran right into the man who followed so silently behind her. More startled than anything, she tried to back up, apologizing for running into him. The man reached up and stripped the purse off of her shoulder. Faster than she could even imagine, he had her turned around, his arm around her throat.
“Don’t scream, or you’ll regret it,” the man growled into her ear.
Instantly, Rosie’s desire to scream rose in her throat. She began to struggle against his ever-tightening hold. If she lost consciousness, then she would be at his complete mercy. This was not an option; she was going to go down fighting. Never before had she felt so angry and helpless at the same time.
Always, she had planned for what she would do in this type of scenario. A girl could not grow up in the city and not prepare for this. She went utterly still, certainly confusing the man holding her captive. Only then did she feel the cold steel of a knife being held against the soft flesh of her throat.
“That’s right, don’t struggle, little girl. Now, I have a message for you.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” She tried to sound calm and confident, not allowing her fear of dying to enter her voice.
“You can’t take a man’s money and not expect to give something up in return. Now, just move over here off of the path, and I’ll show you what’s in store for you tonight.” He began pulling her backward, not caring if her feet did not want to cooperate.
Rosie knew where this story would end, and she was not willing to participate. She imagined herself being small and invisible. This did not seem like a very great plan, but her mind refused to go in another direction. She could see her purse lying on the path ahead of her, where the man had dropped it. Hopefully, someone would see it and wonder where the woman was who owned it.
An odd feeling rose through Rosie. She felt her hands and feet begin to tingle, and she found it hard to breathe. No, you will not start hyperventilating, she admonished herself, even though this felt uniquely different. Her mind kept going back to becoming small, something untouchable.
Suddenly, she seemed to be viewing the world from a different perspective. Had the man thrown her to the ground? For some reason, she was on her hands and knees, looking up at the man, still holding the knife in his hand. The expression on his face puzzled her; he looked scared. Was someone behind her? Tearing her gaze away from the man, she swiftly looked behind her and almost jumped when she saw a bushy tail waving behind her.
Looking down, she no longer saw her hands. Instead, she saw two small, red paws. Not wanting to overthink this delusion, she decided to take advantage of the man’s distraction. Rushing forward, she bit the man as hard as she could on his leg. The taste of blood touched her tongue, causing her to recoil in disgust.
Whirling around, she raced away from the now howling man. She had never moved this fast before, almost as if she were an Olympic athlete. Rushing past the underbrush and through the trees, she kept running, never feeling as though she were tiring. Finally, she came to a stop at the lake’s edge. Surely, the man had not followed her; she heard nothing from the forest.
Only then did she notice how much she could actually hear. It was as if someone had given her a hearing aid and turned it up on high. The crickets surrounding her sounded as though they were all vying for her attention. She stepped toward the lake, still wondering at her perspective. Everything seemed so low; she could not explain it.
Leaning over the edge of the water, she saw a fox’s face staring back at her. Her eyes widened with surprise; at the same time, the fox’s eyes widened. No! This was not happening. Her mind had cracked, and she had gone crazy. That was the only explanation she had for what she was seeing. There was no way she had turned into a fox. That was something you only read about in fantasy novels or saw in the movies. There was no such thing as a shifter.
Looking back at her reflection, she leaned forward until her nose touched the surface of the water. The coolness certainly felt real. She sat down, only then realizing her actual situation as her tail curled around her front feet. What was she going to do now that she had officially gone crazy? Could she just go back to her normal life? Probably not now.