Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 38

It was ten-thirty when Ava arrived at Marty’s Auto Repair. She hoped he had a car he could loan her. It was quite a walk to the Grey Goose and shifting into her wolf form to run down the street really wasn’t a good idea. If need be, she’d have to hire a cab. When she asked, Marty looked her up and down and smiled.

“For a pretty girl like you…anything.” Expansively he waved his hand towards the rows of cars that were for sale. “Take your pick.”

She forced herself not to roll her eyes at the mechanic, who obviously saw himself as something of a ladies’ man. He wasn’t that bad looking with short brown hair and a pleasant smile, but compared to Arthur, he definitely fell into the ‘average’ category.

Ignoring his flirting, she glanced over the line up then impulsively pointed to the end of the row. “That red one, the sports car.”

“Ah! You’re a lady of discriminating taste, I can see.” Marty nodded at her knowingly. “Marlene, my girlfriend, has a fondness for that one too. Always wants to borrow it rather than a nice conservative grey sedan.” Marty stepped closer. “A hot sports car always looks good on a hot lady.”

She stepped back and folded her arms. “I have to get to work.” She looked pointedly at the rack were the keys hung.

Marty gave her a wink and then strolled over to get the keys.

“Have your girlfriend and you been together long?” She asked idly while waiting for Marty to get the key. Honestly, if the man already had a girlfriend why was he acting this way towards her?

“Oh, we’re on and off. She was really keen about six months ago and even wanted to help me around the shop so we could spend more time together. She looks like one of those runway models, but she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty and even asked me to teach her about how the brakes and steering work! I was real disappointed when she dropped me sudden like, but now she’s back again and I ain’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, I’m getting smart. If she can have someone on the side, then so can I.” Once again, Marty winked at her.

Marty and Marlene sounded like they deserved each other, and she didn’t really want to know any more details about their relationship, but Marty wasn’t done. “Marlene thinks I don’t know that she’s seeing other guys, but I found some men’s clothing in the trunk of that car one time. I figure if she’s going to pull one over on me, I can do it back.”

They’d almost reached the car by that time, when Marty suddenly exclaimed. “Damn! I’ve got the wrong keys. Just wait by the car and I’ll be right back.”

Anxious to be on her way, she stood impatiently tapping her foot and checking her watch.

She looked around without really noticing anything in particular until her gaze landed on a large truck and two men, who were busily loading a collection of steel drums onto the back of the vehicle. A sign on the side indicated it was a waste disposal company that recycled used motor oil. There were probably a dozen containers sitting there awaiting pickup. The men worked from the front of the clustered containers towards the back, their muscles flexing as they heaved each metal drum up onto the truck.

Studying how the barrels had been arranged, she noticed that there were three empty spots near the rear. Circular marks in the soil, and the compressed weeds, showed where the barrels had sat, while scrape marks on the ground showed how they’d been dragged away. That’s unusual, she thought. Why would they load those barrels first or…? Could someone have taken those other barrels? But who would want used motor oil?

She looked up to see Marty approaching with the keys, her interest in the barrels averted by her need to get to work. Mr. Mancini hadn’t been too pleased with her when she’d been talking to Seth yesterday, and she didn’t want to give him any cause for complaint today.

As she backed the car out of its parking spot, something niggled her memory. Hadn’t the car been facing forward yesterday? She remembered that she’d seen the front fender, not the rear taillights. Not really sure why it should matter, she rolled down the window, calling over to Marty who was now watching the oil drums being loaded. “Hey, Marty! Did anyone take this car for a test drive yesterday?”

“Nope. It hasn’t moved this week. Why? Is there a problem?” He leaned on the window and surveyed the interior.

“No, I was just…er…curious as to how long it’s been since it was driven.”

“Well, like I said, about a week, but it should still be running fine.” Marty stood up and tapped the hood of the car. “You have a good day and I’ll have your car ready for you by two o’clock at the latest.”

With a nod, she rolled up the window and drove off. Turning to the right, she headed towards the Grey Goose, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. Something was bothering her, but what? Thoughtfully, she sniffed the air that surrounded her. The faint scent of perfume— Marla’s perfume—hung in the air and underlying it was the barely detectable scent of another werewolf.

Had Marla been in this car with another Lycan? But when and why? And why had Marty lied about it? Or did Marty not know? Could it be Ryne who’d been in the car, using Marla’s perfume to hide his presence? That would explain the clothes that Marty had found in the trunk. Ryne might still have a set of keys for the vehicle, so he could sneak it out, use it, and then return the car with no one being any the wiser.

Stopping for a red light, she glanced around the interior looking for any clues that might prove Ryne had been in the vehicle. Nothing jumped out at her, just some dried mud on the floor. Hmm… Marla had muddy shoes this morning, but would Marla have keys to the car? Possibly, or—it hadn’t been locked yesterday—would Marla know how to hotwire a vehicle? It didn’t seem like the sort of skill the fashionable she-wolf would cultivate but… Wasn’t Marty’s girlfriend supposedly interested in cars? And her name was Marlene. Marla, Marlene…? It seemed quite a coincidence. But why would Marla go about moonlighting as someone else?

Marty said he and Marlene had been together six months ago. Would Marla want to date a mechanic while she was still seeing Ryne? If Ryne was anything like Arthur for looks, then Marty would come in a poor second and really didn’t seem Marla’s type. That meant that Marla must have been trying to get something from Marty, but what? And what was Marla doing out at night getting all muddy?

She rubbed her temple, trying to figure this out. Someone had moved the car and Marty claimed he wasn’t aware of it. The car smelled like the perfume that Marla used, and there was dirt that could have come from Marla’s shoes. There was another unidentified scent in the car, and she made a stab in the dark and decided it could be Ryne’s even though she didn’t know him. After all, she’d met most of the pack so far, his was one of the few remaining unknown scents. Were Marla and Ryne still together? But what about the fight? She’d treated Marla’s injuries; surely the woman wouldn’t fall back in with someone who had abused her?

As the light changed to green, she decided she’d have to tell Arthur about her suspicions. If Ryne was sneaking around town in this car, then they could lie in wait and capture him when he came for the vehicle next time he felt the need of a ride. And Marla? Well, she’d broach that subject carefully. Arthur still had a blind spot when it came to the woman.

Ava made it to work with a few minutes to spare. It was another busy day, so there wasn’t much down time, but she did notice Mr. Mancini staring speculatively at her. She smiled at him and he nodded in acknowledgment, but there was no return smile. Surely, he wasn’t still upset about Seth? When she’d been hired there’d been nothing said about not meeting friends on the premises and it had been after her official work hours. Nibbling her l*p, she decided to let it pass for today. If he still seemed upset with her tomorrow, she’d ask him what the problem was.

With her shift finished at one o’clock and her car not ready until two, she decided to wander the mall for a while to fill in time. Halloween was over and Christmas decorations were starting to appear. She shook her head in amazement at how the stores seemed to push the season more and more each year. Still and all, the displays were lovely.

As she paused in front of a clothing store, she recalled the green sweater she’d seen there a few weeks ago. Maybe with her next paycheck she’d treat herself. There was a substantial balance in an account that Arthur had set up for her, but she was still reluctant to use it. Perhaps once they’d been together longer, it wouldn’t seem so strange to accept money from him.

Entering the store, she scanned the racks, but couldn’t find the sweater anywhere. Humph! Wasn’t that always the way? When you finally had money, the item you wanted was gone. A sales lady approached, asking if she wanted any help and she inquired about the green top, just in case there was one in the back. After a few moments, the woman appeared and regretfully explained that there was one in the back, but it was on hold. Making a mental note to return in a few days, in case the sweater made its way back onto the shelves, she turned and began to wander down the mall again.

Two familiar faces could be seen a short distance away and she grinned in anticipation. Zoe and Phoebe were headed towards her. Maybe they could stop somewhere together and have a coffee. Waving, she made her way over to where they were. “Hi! Fancy meeting you here.” The two women looked at her coldly and didn’t reply.

Her smile faltered. What was wrong? She tried again, glancing at the bags in their hands.

“So, have you bought anything interesting?”

Zoe narrowed her eyes and spoke from between clenched teeth. “I am so mad right now, I could smack you.”

Shocked, she stared at her supposed friend. “Smack me? Why? What did I do?”

“Don’t try and act so innocent. We know all about it. Rose told us.” Phoebe glared and crossed her arms. “Rose?”

“Yes, Rose. She saw the whole thing and told me this morning. You’re lucky she hasn’t told Arthur yet!” Zoe’s voice was getting louder and they were starting to attract attention.

“What did Rose see? What’s she going to tell Arthur?” Ava was starting to feel panicky. She wasn’t sure what the problem was, but it sounded like it would be something that would upset Arthur, and after last night, she didn’t want anything to mar their budding relationship.

“You know perfectly well what we’re talking about.” Zoe stepped closer and Ava had to fight the urge to back up.

“How could you? Especially when he obviously worships the ground you walk on! I thought it was so great when Arthur brought you here; that you’d be perfect for him. Apparently, I was wrong!” Phoebe looked on the verge of tears. “Come on, Zoe. Let’s get out of here!”

As they stalked off, Ava watched them leave feeling as if she’d been run over by a steamroller. What had that been all about? Rose had definitely been acting strangely last night and apparently it was because of something she thought Ava had done, but what? She walked back to the red sports car and slowly climbed in, still puzzling over the strange encounter.

An awful thought suddenly popped into her head. Arthur had mentioned Rose was in town yesterday to pick something up at the Gallery. What were the chances that Rose had seen her meeting with Seth? She replayed her time with her old friend and g*****d. To an onlooker, it might have seemed really bad. They’d hugged several times and hadn’t she called out “I love you” as she drove away? That could easily be misinterpreted as her seeing someone behind Arthur’s back!

Oh great! What if Rose had already told Arthur? How would he react given all she’d heard about his parents’ relationship? She could only hope that he’d been busy all day. As soon as she got home, she’d have to find him and tell him the whole story before Rose put her own spin on things. Then she’d have to go to Rose and find out who else she had told the story to… Hitting the steering wheel with her hand, she cursed herself for ever having listened to Marla and her harebrained scheme!

Thoroughly deflated, she turned the key in the ignition and drove to Marty’s.