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“Why didn’t you try calling first?” I choked.
Ash snickered lightly. “Andrei hasn’t been answering my calls.”
The car barely came to a stop as Ash reached for the handle, stepping from the backseat, and I scrambled to follow him.
Ash whipped around and wagged his finger at me. “No,” he growled sternly. “You stay put. This isn’t something you need to see.”
He shouldn’t have said that. Now I needed to see it even more.
“I’ll stay out of the—”
“NO!”
The door slammed, and he stalked away toward the garage doors as I gaped after him. When my mouth closed, I reached for the door and started after him, half-pausing as I waited for the driver to order me in place. But the man stared straight ahead, as if he didn’t even know I was there. I exhaled, easing the door closed lest Ash hear me sneaking off after him.
Creeping across the lot, I rushed to find him before I could be located by someone else. Adrenaline pumped through my veins with such ferocity, it made me dizzy, but I heard voices as soon as I reached the interior and stopped to let my eyes adjust to the sudden flood of overhead lighting.
“…unnecessary! I was going to call you tomorrow!” a simpering voice called out.
Blinking, I peered around the doorframe and saw a small but stocky man in coveralls holding up his hands in mercy. Ash merely stood in front of him, nonplussed.
“It seems to me that you should have called me a week ago when my payment was due,” Ash replied conversationally, turning to look at a tray of tools.
He picked up a screwdriver and examined it before setting it down again.
“I-I told Draven when he came collecting that I needed a bit more time!” Andrei whimpered. “D-didn’t he relay the message?”
Ash scoffed lightly. “He did,” he agreed with a laugh. “And I found it most puzzling. In fact, I had to check with my assistant to see if perhaps I’d mixed up my dates. I had her dig up the paperwork for our contract, and imagine my shock to discover that it didn’t allow for a lateness clause.”
Now Andrei’s face twisted into a scowl.
“You’re charging me an insane amount of interest!” he barked back defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest. “I think I’m entitled to a few more days if I need it.”
A prickle of dread slid down my neck. Was this guy an idiot? He shouldn’t have spoken to Ash like that!
“Let me ask you something, Andrei,” Ash said sweetly, lifting up a file from the tray. He flipped it from one hand to the other and glanced at the auto mechanic. “How did you intend to pay me back what you owed me?”
Dumbfounded, Andrei stared at him. “W-what?”
“The money. Where were you going to get it?”
Even from my hiding spot, I could see the blood draining from Andrei’s face.
“F-from here,” he sputtered. “From working!”
Ash made a condescending sound, waving the file at Andrei’s face chidingly.
“Now we both know that’s not true, pal. This cesspool was the reason you said you needed the money in the first place. How could you possibly pay me when the auto shop is hemorrhaging cash?”
Andrei stepped back, eyes popping. “I-I managed to figure it out,” he rasped, terrified understanding coloring his face.
Even though I had no idea what was going on, nothing good could come from this interaction.
“I heard you did manage to figure it out,” Ash chuckled, dropping the file back onto the tool tray. “In fact, I heard that you used that money I loaned you to hire a crew of your own, didn’t you?”
“No! No. What?”
I still didn’t know what was happening, but even I could tell that Andrei was lying through his teeth. The panic in his words was palpable even to me.
