Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon. Dirt poor at the moment so don't sue.
Rei fell; hard. Pain shot up her backside and jarred her all the way up to the teeth. Recovering quickly she brushed away the helping hands that were offered to her and came to her feet. Through the red haze of anger she could hear the buzzing sound of people talking but the words didn't register in her head. Her eyes were focused on the blonde driver's face that stuck out from the open window as she marched over to the gleaming silver car that had nearly run her down.
She could not hear what he was saying, whether it was the roaring in her head or the babbling voices of the people around her she didn't know but she was however able to read his lips and thus able to answer him.
"No I'm not alright. Why don't you watch how you're driving, you maniac?!" She shouted towards the man and emphasized her feelings by banging a fist against the hood. The metal gave off a satisfying sound.
"Hey! Stop that, you crazy woman!" The man ordered.
Hearing that, Rei's eyes shot fire and she banged her fist on the hood again. This time the ring she wore on her finger rapped against the hood. "Don't call me names, you homicidal driver! Who do the hell do you think you are? You don't own this road, you know."
The man swore, took off his seat belt and stepped out of the car. Having looked down her nose at the man, Rei was slightly taken aback by the man's height as he approached her. He was tall, nearly as tall as Nathan, which meant he was at least a head taller than her. It made her feel like a midget but she would rather walk through fire than reveal that especially to the angry man.
"Look woman, if don't stop attacking my car I'm going to have to call the cops and have you arrested for destroying private property." The man glowered at her, his blue eyes shooting lightning bolts.
He was standing so close to her that he was practically looming over her. Not the least intimidated, Rei lifted her chin and replied with blazing eyes. "Go ahead and call the cops and let's see how you're going to explain trying to run over a civilian."
"Hey you're the suicidal fool who was jaywalking."
Rei didn't know what jaywalking meant but she certainly caught the meaning. "The signal was changing." She waved her hand towards the signal and nearly slapped the man's face.
Blue eyes narrowed and a scowl darkened his face as he dodged her hand. "I'm warning you, don't get physical with me." He said in a dangerous low tone,
Rei blinked. He thought she was trying to attack him?
"Hey stop trying to intimidate her, you jerk." Someone shouted from the sidelines.
"Yeah, just because you drive around in a fancy car doesn't mean you own the road." Another voice shouted.
"Hey give the guy some slacks will ya? She's the one who walked out in front of him!" A third voice joined the shouting.
"You go, sister!"
Both of them gave a start and took a good look around. It seems they were gathering up quite a crowd. Some were wearing looks of angry scowls directed at the driver and others threw disapproving looks at her. A few were just standing curiously at the sidelines watching.
An officer came over and pushed through the crowd. "What's the meaning of this?" The portly man asked.
In answer to that several voices started talking all at once; all trying to give their versions of the stories – all that is except for the parties involved.
"Great, this is just what I need." The driver muttered and dragged a hand through his blonde locks.
Rei's feeling wasn't that far off either. Now that she had had time to cool off, she was also able to think more clearly and from the way people were talking she realized that the fault may not have exactly been just the man's. She had been slightly occupied when she stepped out on the street.
"Well do we take this down at the station?" The officer demanded. From the tone of his voice it was clear that he found the whole thing silly.
The man looked down at Rei. Rei was silent, absently biting her lower lip.
"Don't worry, miss." Someone said from behind her. "I saw everything and I'll be glad to represent you in case you want justice dealt." Before she could react a business card was showed into her hand. Startled Rei looked over her shoulder at the man wearing an immaculate dark suit and an eager smile. She looked down at the card: Jones & Associates. Thinking of suing? We get the job done.
He wanted her to sue?
"Well, miss?" The officer asked. The question was directed to her but he was giving the lawyer a disgusted look that said volumes of what he thought about such an underhanded tactic.
Rei glanced at the driver. His face was stony and those blue eyes have turned completely cool and detached. He was clearly waiting for her reply. Obviously he was expecting her to take up the other guy's offer.
Rei felt like laughing hysterically. Was this for real? She nearly expected someone to jump out and tell her she was being filmed in one of those Candid Camera shows. This was insane!
"Well, Miss? I don't have the whole day. Are we taking this back to the station or what?" The officer demanded in what Rei thought was a very rude tone. Clearly his patience was running thin.
"No." Rei shook her head. "It was a slight accident. Neither the driver nor I are hurt. There's no need to take this any further."
She heard a loud protest from behind her which she choice to ignore.
"What about you, mister" The officer turned to the driver.
Rei looked up and was surprised when instead of looking at the officer the driver was watching her speculatively. "No. That won't be necessary, officer." The driver told him.
"Fine, then clear out and go about your business. If I find the two of you holding up traffic again, I'm going to fine the both you, got that?" The officer gave them both a look that clearly spoke of his less than flattering thoughts of them and this whole situation.
Rei felt her hackles rise and only the sight of his uniform kept her from giving the man a piece of her mind. The driver only gave the man a bored look. He glanced at Rei and then without a word, turned and walked back into his car. The engine came to life with a roaring sound, much like a lion's. Rei standing close to the car could feel it vibrating with life.
"Look, lady if you're still playing around with any thought of committing suicide I suggest you find another car to use. I'm busy. So I'd clearly advice you to step aside." The driver told Rei coolly, leaning out of the window.
Heat rose up Rei's cheek. The arrogant jerk actually thought she was trying to commit suicide? She thought about kicking in his car.
"I wouldn't even think about doing that if I were you." He warned her as if having read her mind. "Or this time I'll be hauling your ass to the station."
Rei had the childish urge to stick out her tongue at the guy.
"Thank you." He said when she stepped away from the car. It sounded more like a feudal lord dismissing his peasant than any thank you Rei had ever heard.
"Arrogant jerk." Rei muttered under her breath and watched the silver vehicle continue towards its destination.
~ o ~
From the rear mirror, Jay watched the dark haired Asian woman cross the street with brisk steps and shook his head. Yet another crazy bizarre incident to highlight his day.
Today was fast turning into one of the worst days in his life. The business dinner last night went smoothly enough, except that the Russians insisted on sealing their deal with a toast. Or, he corrected, hundreds of toasts. He was sure he lost count somewhere along two in the morning. Actually the hours after that was a complete blur. He remembered a lot of na zdorovje and even some singing. He wasn't sure about it but he seems to have a vague memory of him standing on top of a table with Igor the leader of the group, singing their national song. He cringed at that, he truly hoped that was only a part of his dreams. There had been singing Russians in his dream, he recalled. All he remembered was stumbling through his door and literally crawling to his bed at seven in the morning.
The arrival of his beloved sister at eleven something this morning was a like a present from hell. Despite the distance, he could hear each bang she gave to the door and it was like having sledgehammers play drums on his head. The experience certainly felt as pleasant. He haven't experienced a hangover like that since the time he and Darien, thirteen and cocky as only teenagers could be, stumbled across Gramps private store of whiskey and partied all night.
He should have known Mina wouldn't give up that easily and he should have anticipated the kind of retaliation she'd give. After all even as a kid she could be vicious when pushed, not that he played fairly either, Jay conceded, but that was beside the point. He was still her one and only brother and there had been no need to take such extreme action. The shock treatment she had given him nearly had his heart going into cardiac arrest. The shower and the aspirins he took restored enough balance to him that he thought he could deal with the day. Until of course he was roped into another one of Mina's idiot schemes.
Thinking about the time spent at the airport put a dark scowl on Jay's handsome face. And temper had him turning the wheel with enough force to make the tire screech and leave marks on the pavement as he entered the underground garage of Holden Inc.'s.
Just how the hell they had expected him to find one stranger in a blasted airport the size of JFK with only a flight number and a name was beyond his comprehension. Pride had prevented him from holding the stupid sign that Mina had prepared saying "Welcome to America, Miss Rei Hino.". She had actually written a god damn sign! Well Mina might enjoy being in the spotlight no matter what but he had absolutely refused to make a fool out of himself. He could just imagine the kick the reporters would have gotten out of that if someone had recognized him and taken a picture. The only positive he could think about concerning that corny sigh was that it might have prevented him from being attacked by a crazy woman.
At the thought of the small Asian woman back at the airport, Jay unconsciously massaged his right shoulder as stepped out of his car and headed for the elevators.
He had approached the woman because she had had worn a resemblance to the picture of Rei that he had once managed to catch a glimpse of; actually the right words to use would be tried to approach. He should have read the signs when she started walking faster the moment he called out to her but he had been too annoyed by the whole situation itself. Tapping her lightly on the shoulder certainly had not been a wise move. The next thing he knew, he had a screaming lunatic whacking him with a tiny purse that felt like it must be carrying bricks inside; shouting and screaming in some foreign language. It was all he could do to defend himself before security came to save him.
After that incident he became a bit leery to approach any Asian woman since all of them seemed to be armed. Instead he had headed for the information desk, something that he realized he should have done from the very beginning, and asked them to call for Rei. Thirty minutes and a few calls later, he acted on a wild hunch and charmed the woman behind the desk to go in and check the passenger record of that particular flight. It turned out the blasted woman hadn't even boarded the flight.
Simmering with rage, he had taken the drive back to Manhattan using his driving skill to work off some of the temper. He wanted his mind clear for the meeting he was going to have later today. It was fortunate for both of them that he had cooled down enough that he was able to act fast when the dark haired woman had suddenly decided to become the ornament of his car by stepping right out in the street in his path. Not that she had been very grateful of that. Though, he had to admit, she did turn out to be much more reasonable than that the one at the airport. He recalled the way she had surprised him by dropping the issue that quickly.
Still if he never came upon a Far Eastern woman again, it wouldn't be too soon for him. Somehow he had a feeling they meant only trouble for him.
~ o ~
"I have an appointment with Mr. Martin Holden." Rei informed the girl behind the reception desk after being given the routine question of her business here in the building.
The girl tapped a few keys on her computer and smiled up at Rei, "Yes, Miss Hino, right? Just go straight ahead and take the elevators to the left. Mr. Holden's office is at the seventy fifth floor."
"Thank you."
Rei looked at the mass of people coming in and out of the elevators and let out her breath slowly. Her heart seemed to be beating a bit erratically and strangely her hand was clammy with sweat. As she walked towards the elevator, Rei couldn't help preventing her eyes from scanning the crowed. Were any of them a member of the Holden family? In the short brief meetings she and her father had had throughout the years, Marcus never talked about his family and Rei never made it a point to ask either. Frankly she hadn't wanted to know but now that she was here, she found herself being curious. From the spotty memories she had, she could recall that the family had been quite large, including not just brothers but cousins as well. She wondered if she would be able to recognize any of them if she saw them, without being introduced.
By the time Rei reached the seventy fifth floor she was all alone in the elevator. She didn't suppose a lot of people, except from hotshots, were allowed to enter this level. As the door slid open and revealed the interior of the large reception hall, Rei could understand why too.
The whole place carried an aura and feel of power and money exhibited through elegance and style. The open space island kind of feel, appealed to her, along with the vegetations grown around the small fountain at the center, which made the place seem like a small botanical garden. Unlike the lobby at the bottom, where chaos reigned and people moved around with a hectic mood, harmony presided over the place like Mother Nature cared for the planet.
A sleek woman in striped gray business suit approached Rei as she stepped out of the elevator. Her red hair was pulled back in a neat bun at the back but wisp of curly hair still came loose, crowning her head like a halo. She smiled and extended her hand. "Hello, you must be Miss Hino. I'm Tracy Conway, Mr. Holden's assistant."
Rei took her offered hand and was surprised at the firm grip. The woman must train regularly.
"I'm afraid your uncle is still held up at his meeting. He has asked me to show you to his office where he'll be joining you shortly. I hope the arrangement will be satisfactory to you?"
Her style was smooth. When she put the words like that, Rei mused, how was she supposed to refuse without sounding rude?
When Rei had given her consent, Martin's assistant took her down a wide carpeted hallway and entered the third room to the right. Rei was a bit surprised to find that the room was no bigger than any of the other ones that they had passed. Considering whom he was, Rei had always assumed that Martin's room would look like one of those executive offices that they showed in those Hollywood movies.
Left alone in the room, Rei sat down on the leather sofa by the wall to wait for Marcus' arrival. She glanced around the place curiously. Everything about the room was toned down; from the choice of furniture to the feelings she received of the place, making her believe that Martin was a very private man. It was a trait that he seemed to share with his brother.
At the thought about her father, Rei's lips pursed slightly in response. A mix set of emotions settled over her. The hand she had clasped in front of her shook slightly and she could feel the anger building inside her, threatening to erupt like a volcano even as her heart ached. Closing her eyes, Rei emptied her mind and focused on her breathing. She was trying to use meditation to force the turbulent feelings back into the sealed place deep within her heart. It was a trick that her grandfather had taught her as a child, to help her to control her temper; a method that she had found worked really well in the past. Nowadays however it seemed to require more effort, time and concentration. She could feel the familiar headache starting to build in her temples.
Just when Rei thought she nearly had control again, her ears picked up the sound of loud voices nearing.
"I told you, Mrs. Holden. Mr. Holden is not in at the moment." The voice belonged to Tracy Conway, the assistant. She sounded agitated.
"Tracy, for the last time, address me by my proper name. It's Mrs. Dumont now." Another voice said in a clipped tone. There was little patience in the woman's tone and not much warmth either. "Considering the size of this company I'm constantly surprised by the quality in the staff here. Can't they afford to hire competent people around here?"
Rei's brows rose slightly in surprise at the obvious insult. Opening her eyes she turned her face towards the door, looking as if she was trying to see through the gleaming wood and the people outside.
"Like I said, you can't go in to Mr. Holden's office. He's already got a visitor waiting in there for him." Tracy told her and her tone was frosty. No doubt the insult had hit bull's eye.
"Then Martin will just have to reschedule his appointment now, won't he? I'm sure business won't suffer too much if he misses out on one meeting." The woman said with a lofty tone. It was clear from her tone of voice that she didn't seem to think too highly of Martin's work.
Tracy made a protesting sound but before she could utter anything else the door to the office was pushed open and Rei came face to face with a stunningly looking woman in her late thirties. The woman wore a cream colored blouse and matching pants. The fabric, silk if Rei wasn't missing her guess, draped over her willowy figure in a most complimentary way. Gold winked from her ears, throat and hands but her greatest asset was her fiery red hair; thick, and curly it was pulled up from her face to reveal a swanlike neck and draped artistically over one shoulder. Rei had never seen a hair color as vivid as hers.
Just like Rei had been assessing the newcomer, so had she returned the favor. As the blue eyes wandered down Rei's simple clothing, her full lips pulled back into something that resembled a smile and a sneer. "I regret to inform you this but there's been a change of schedule, my dear. Mr. Holden is elsewhere busy at the moment so you'll have to reschedule your meeting with him and conduct your business another day."
Rei didn't know whether it was the condescending ton or the woman's behavior towards Tracy but she decided right then, that she didn't like the newcomer.
Shooting the woman a half smile of her own, she said in a tone like she was talking to a person with a simple mind. "Actually I think you're the one who's mistaken here. You see I'm not here on business."
Blue eyes turned frosty and cold like the Arctic Sea and the smile vanished. "If you're not here on business then what are you here for?" She demanded. It was clear from her tone of voice that she expected Rei to answer her question.
Rei looked her squarely in the eyes and said calmly. "It's a personal matter that does not concern you."
The woman's eyes flashed with anger. Clearly she was not used to being denied anything. Taking a few steps closer so that she was standing only a few inches away from Rei she hissed out, "Now you listen here, you little tramp. You might be his current lover at the moment but don't think that it'll hold much power. He'll get rid of you soon enough once he tires of you and trust me he always does. I'm the only one who has ever been able to hold his heart, for whatever it has been worth. If you want to get as much as you can out of this situation, I suggest you leave right now and I might persuade Martin to keep you along for a while longer."
Rei stared at the woman with the beginning of irritation coiling like a snake in her stomach. Disgust didn't even start to describe what she was feeling. Mistaking Rei for her ex-hushand's lover was bad enough but to even offer her that kind of a suggestion.
Baring her teeth and making no pretense of smiling Rei said, "Haven't anyone ever told you that projecting oneself in every woman you see, is bad for the health?"
Watching the woman's eyes widening in shock was satisfying and hearing her suck in her breath in outrage even more enjoyable. Years of training made her alert enough to catch the woman's striking hand.
"You bitch. How dare you! Tracy, call the security! I want her out of this building this instance. Tracy!" One look over her shoulder showed however that the assistant was already gone. "Coward, I'll have her fired for this. As for you," She turned blazing blue eyes on Rei, "when I'm finished with you, you'll wish you've never been born. You have no idea whom you're dealing with."
"Nor do you." Rei told her calmly. The irritation she felt was quickly started to change into simmering anger at the woman's attitude. Bad manner was one thing but she had never tolerated anyone threatening her not even as a child.
"All right what's going on here?" A new and awfully familiar voice suddenly said. The voice was dark and had a lilting quality that seemed to play at her nerves like a guitarist over strings.
Rei looked up, violet eyes met lake blue eyes and it was debatable who looked more shocked. Standing in front of her was the very same driver that had nearly run her down on the street below.
"You!" Both said at the same time.
Martin's ex-wife, startled at the reaction, stopped with her futile tugging efforts to free herself and looked from the tall man behind her to the slight woman holding her captive. "Jay, you know her?" She asked.
Hearing the woman's voice, brought Jay back to his senses and he looked at the pair, his sharp eyes stopping at their interlocking hands. "Seems like it." When his eyes returned to meet hers, Rei felt the force of his gaze hit her like a physical blow and she body tingled with the warning of danger. Those blue eyes were not very welcoming and something told her that unlike the woman in front of her, this man was not someone to be trifled with. "I see that you've changed your mind."
Rei frowned. She didn't know what he meant but it didn't take a degree in psychology to figure out that it was nothing good for her.
The man seemed to take her silence as a yes because his lips took on a grim line, "Well seems you have found me, though I don't know how you ended up in Martin's room. So why don't you release Tanya and come with me? We'll settle this somewhere else."
Settle what? She wasn't about to go anywhere with him. Obviously he wasn't just a reckless driver but touched in the head as well. From the way he looked now she would be glad if she got out of wherever he intended to take her, alive.
"Miss I'm not going to ask you twice. Let her go right now." The man told her silkily and took a step further in to the room.
Something told her to run, but she stiffened her spine and planted her feet. Lifting her chin defiantly she said, "This has nothing to do with you. So leave us."
Jay stopped in his tracks a slightly startled look crossing his face at the quiet order from her. Amusement warred with annoyance within him. Did she even realize the precautious situation she was in? He didn't know how she managed to force herself all the way up here. He'll applaud her for her resourcefulness and boldness the second after he sacks the person responsible for letting her in. Unfortunately for her however she will find out soon enough that he is not an easy opponent to deal with. Actually if she was smart enough she should have taken up that stupid lawyer's offer at the street and had a better chance of gaining some money from it. This was his territory.
Rei watched the smile that surfaced on the blonde man's face and she was not the least of bit reassured. He looked like a predator that had just spotted a prey and decided for the kill.
"Jay, don't just stand there. Call the security. I want the woman tossed out on the street. No better yet call the cops. I want her arrested for assault." Tanya demanded.
"Oh I don't think we need the guards for that." Jay told her wryly and glanced at Rei.
Indignation flooded her at the look. She recognized it well enough having been at the receiving end of those often as she grew up because of her tiny stature. "Put a hand on me and you'll be singing soprano, Blondie." The man might be tall but carrying a black belt in karate gave her advantage of knowing of how to take down opponents twice her size. Though instinct told her she was going to need both hands to accomplish that with him.
Rei pushed Tanya away from her and released her hold at the same time. She didn't use that much force but the woman still stumbled and would most probably have fallen if Jay hadn't reacted fast and caught hold of her. His quick movement gave Rei pause. There might be more behind that elegant façade after all.
"You'll be hearing from my lawyers. Make no mistake about that. I'll have you put into prison for this." Tanya was massaging her wrist but Rei knew for a fact that she didn't hold her tight enough to bruise her.
Rei folded her arms in front of her and arched one dark brow. "Oh, really? Well do tell me how you're going to explain it especially when I have witness that says you were the one who charged into this room and started throwing insults around and not to mention attacking me? Hmm?"
"Tracy will tell no such things."
"Oh but I do beg to differ she's not exactly going to be helping you out especially considering your warm personality and your high esteem of her qualifications." She was wearing a smile but her violet eyes were burning with an inner fire. If either Ami or Mako had been around, they would have recognized the look as the one Rei wore when she was turning from being annoyed to royally pissed off. It was a warning sign that one should not press her unless they wanted to be scorched by the inferno that was her temper.
Rei watched the pair. Tanya wore a slightly hesitant look about her and swallowed visibly. Jay on the other hand was looking at her with gaze that she could not recognize. The intensity in them was however very unnerving.
~ o ~
Tanya could feel her heart beating erratically. There was something about the girl's eyes. Her mouth turned dry. She waited for Jay to react but the annoying man was just standing there watching the girl with an unreadable expression as if he was seeing something he had never seen before.
Finally loosing her patience, Tanya demanded. "This is ridiculous. Are you going to let a slip of a girl threaten you like that?"
Jay looked down at her, pale brows raised slightly. "Seems to me the threats are more directed at you than me." He informed her.
Blue eyes a few shades darker than his, bulged in outrage. "Oh this is great. Just great!" Tanya threw up her hands in the air, "I cancel an important appointment at my hairdresser to see my idiot of an ex-husband and what do I get? I get attacked by his whore and snide remarks from the family's charity case."
Jay stilled and his eyes coated over with ice. "What did you just say?" He inquired softly in a dangerous tone.
"If you keep calling me that, I'm going to clean your clock. And I won't care about your connection to Martin." Rei growled under breath and took a threatening step towards her.
"Well that's the term referred to women such as you, isn't it? Or do you prefer the title escort lady?" Tanya shot back scathingly but took a step back at the same time. Her back came against a solid chest and warm hands came up on each side of her shoulder; the touch was as familiar to her as the voice.
"Actually my dear, in this case, I think niece would be a better term to use." Martin Holden murmured softly. His breath blew slowly against her cheek, the touch as soft as a caress and Tanya felt the familiar stirring of desire awaken within her even as she quenched it with disgust. She looked over her shoulder at her ex-husband to see if he noticed anything but if he did he was certainly not giving any show of it now as his attention was turned towards the girl. He wore an indulgent smile on his face, the kind that he had always reserved for her and their daughter and that had always irritated her. So he had found another he was going to play father figure too? Then her breath caught as the words he had said registered in her head and she turned with a startled gaze towards oriental looking woman. Niece?!
"Hello Rei. Welcome to New York." Martin said and walked towards her.
"Hello. And thank you." Rei replied, her pale cheeks were slightly heated. Tanya's eyes narrowed. She had to give it to her. The girl had some acting skill, being able to pull of the innocent slightly embarrassed look so well that Tanya would have believed her too if she hadn't been threatened by the very same person a minute earlier.
As Tanya watched, her disgust grew even more pronounced when Martin, instead of taking the hand Rei was offering, embraced her. He never did have it figured out the difference between public and private. Such an awful display of affection in front of outsiders was embarrassing.
She cast a glance at Jay beside her. His face looked like carved in stone and her lips compressed. Unlike his sister who was as open as a book and completely carefree, Jay was as devious and ambitious as they came. She could almost imagine those wheels turning in his head plotting for his next move and how he was going to use this new turn of event to his advantage and gain more power in the family. After all he already got several allies including Tracy.
At the thought of her husband's assistant Tanya turned to look at the woman in question. She was standing discreetly outside in the hallway and tried very hard not to give off a smug face but Tanya knew better. The woman had run off to get her boss. Oh she'll deal with her later.
Without a word Tanya went and closed the door in the woman's face, cutting her and the other curious onlookers off from more entertainment. No doubt they already had enough to gossip about during the afternoon breaks over coffee. Tanya would have loved to tell Jay to leave too but her powers, unfortunately, didn't extend that far.
Turning her attention back to her ex-husband and the girl in question, Tanya studied the girl quietly as the two of them talked. Long black hair, pale skin, oval face, high cheekbones and extraordinary violet eyes. Yes she should have recognized the girl. Aside from those eyes, the girl was a spitting image of her mother. Though Sakura never had her kind of foul temper. No, that temper or hers reminded Tanya of someone else. Some humor returned as she thought of how the old hag would react when she was faced off with someone as equally foul tempered as her. For the first time since she signed her divorce papers, Tanya regretted the fact that she wouldn't be able to be around the Holden's to watch those two square off. Something told her that this girl would not jump just because the old hag snapped her fingers.
Tanya was still wearing a smile when she was introduced to Rei. The handshake was brief, telling her that the girl didn't hold her in any higher esteem than she did. As far as Tanya was concerned it didn't bother her at all. After all she was no longer a Holden and the chances of their paths crossing would be as good as non existence, especially since there won't even be anymore contact with her ex after today.
Remembering her reason for being here, Tanya gave Rei a bright smile. "I'm sorry about the earlier misunderstanding. I was upset and I needed to talk to Martin. I still do. So I hope you won't take this the wrong way when I ask to have a moment alone with Martin? It won't take long and then the two of you can finish catching up."
The question was directed to Rei but it was at Martin she was looking at. Without a word, she give him a very pointed look, one that she was sure he would recognize even if they had been divorced for three years.
Not disappointing her, Martin cleared his throat and looked apologetically at his niece. Heat was slowly creeping up his throat a clear sign of embarrassment on his part. "I'm sorry, my dear but would you mind excusing us for a while?" He put a hand on Tanya's elbow, clearly meaning to lead her out of the office.
Refusing to be the one to leave, Tanya planted her feet, giving him the option of either stay or cause a scene; knowing full well that he loathed the latter. Either way the girl was going to pay for her behavior.
She had however not counted on Jay who stepped smoothly forward. "Why don't I take Rei and show her around instead. That way the two of you can talk in private here?" He suggested to Martin.
Three startled gaze fell on the man but he seemed unfazed by it. "Miss Hino?" One hand behind his back and the other extended sideways, he gestured for her to precede him.
Tanya watched the girl carefully, trying to see if she was impressed by the obvious display of charm but, after one glance at Martin, Rei walked out with a composed face.
She let the smile on her face linger until the door had shut firmly behind the pair. Once she was sure they had moved far enough down the hallway not to overhear anything, the smile vanished from her face and she whirled around to face her ex-husband her blue eyes shooting lightning bolts.
"You!" She hissed and took a threatening step closer.
Martin took one look at her and an apprehensive look crossed his face. "Now, Tanya."
~ o ~
Rei followed Jay down the hallways paying little attention to her surroundings. The slight headache she had felt earlier was starting to build in force and she knew that if she didn't take an aspirin soon she was going to feel like someone was playing the Macarena with her head.
Her eyes drifted sideways to the tall man beside her. He was no longer giving off the sense of danger like he had before, actually ever since Martin revealed her identity he seemed to have turned hundred and eighty degrees in his behavior towards her. It puzzled her a great deal since she wasn't even sure what had brought on the antagonism to begin with. Considering that it had been mainly his fault with the near accident before, she had a lot more right to be angry than him. One thing was definite however, he made her uncomfortable and she had no more liking in staying with him than she had with Tanya.
Rei was just coming up with a way to excuse herself when a woman in bright peach suit and dark rimmed glasses came hurriedly down the hallway towards them. Rei got the impression that the woman would have run if it weren't for the skyscrapers she wore. As it was she was moving rather strangely.
"Mr. Arlington. Oh I'm so glad I found you." The woman breathed a sigh of relief and waved a portable phone in her hand. "There's an emergency at the building site on Hampton. Roderic needs to talk to you right away."
His face didn't change but Rei could feel the strong emotional waves that surged through him, she was startled at the potency and the fact that she was able to even feel it. Normally she wasn't that sensitive towards others emotional feelings, but today her abilities seemed to be heightened. Even back in Martin's office she had felt the tension in the room like bow strings drawn tight enough to break.
Jay took the phone from the woman and started firing off fluently in a foreign language. All Rei was able to decipher was that it was some kind of Latin language either Spanish or something close enough to it. She and the woman waited patiently as the conversation continued for a while. The throbbing in her head increased and sensing the other woman casting her curious glances didn't help to improve her temper.
"Jess. Would you please take Miss Hino here down to my office and bring some refreshment?" Jay said suddenly, startling the woman enough to make her jump. He waited long enough for her to nod her head, and then resumed his conversation with the man on the other line.
Rei watched his broad back disappear down the hallway and around the corner with flushed face. She closed her open mouth with an audible click. "You could have at least asked me for my opinion." She muttered under her breath.
"I'm sorry, miss. Did you say something?" The woman, Jess, inquired.
Plastering a smile on her and hoping that she wasn't looking like she was giving off a grimace, Rei said. "Yes I was wondering if you have a piece of paper and pencil that I can borrow?"
The woman smiled hesitantly, letting Rei believe that it was indeed a grimace she gave off, and went in to the nearest office to fetch the things.
"Could you please give this to Mr. Martin Holden once he finishes his meeting?" Rei asked and handed the woman back the piece of paper where she had scribbled down a note to Martin telling him to contact her about the further arrangements for the funeral along with the name of the hotel and the room she was staying in.
"Yes of course. But what about Mr. Arlington? Should I give him any message?" It was clear from her tone that she found the whole thing very puzzling.
"Just tell him I left and there's no need to baby-sit me anymore." Rei told Jess over her shoulder and headed for the elevators.
She knew she was being rude, but she was past caring. All she could focus on at the moment was putting one foot ahead of the other. Fortunately for her the elevator arrived rather soon and it was completely empty. The moment the sliding doors slid shut, Rei leaned heavily against the wall and rubbed at her temples trying to relieve the tension there. She could do nothing about the tension she was feeling in her chest, however.
Her eyes stung but she didn't even know whatever for. Certainly not for the rudeness of Martin's ex. As for those curious looks she had received as she walked down the hallways well she could stand those too. After all she had grown up with people staring at her even as a child, being half Japanese and half American and looking both. She was certainly not upset about being pushed around like a ball from one end to another. There was no reason for her to feel like she was in the way for everyone. It wasn't her idea to come here, but as far aas invitation went she had never felt more like an intruder.
When she came out to the trafficked street below, Rei felt lost. Unlike earlier she didn't feel the excitement anymore. The mass of people walking up and down the street combined with the sound of traffic and strange looking surrounding was turning claustrophobic. Unable to cope with the feeling she took the cab back to the hotel.
The moment she had thrown off her shoes and taken two aspirins, Rei grabbed the phone and started punching in the sets of numbers that she knew by heart.
A few signals went and then a sleepy voice mumbled something that sounded vaguely like hello in Japanese.
"Ami." Hearing the familiar voice of her oldest friend, Rei felt the tension in her chest starting to loosen up.
AN: Well here's the chapter a bit later than I anticipated but like I said I'm without a beta at the moment and correcting my own grammar is not easy. ;) Hope you guys still enjoyed the read. The Holden's are quite a dysfunctional family huh? And to think there's more to come once the funeral comes along.
Anyways thank you all so much for the lovely reviews. As you can see I love New York though I have only been there on brief visits the city made a real impact on me. If there are some inaccuratecy concerning the place please do point them out to me.
Oh and for those of you wondering "na zdorovje" means cheers in Russian.
More Rei and Jay coming up in a week or so.
Cya!