Disclaimer-I own nothing.
No Escape
Chapter 8
Rukia shifted nervously in the front seat of Ichigo's Mustang. Dinner tonight was not going to be pleasant. Not by a long shot.
"Relax," he said in a soothing tone as he eased the car onto the crowded highway. "Everything is going to be fine."
Ichigo settled a warm hand on her sleeve. She was sure he'd done it to soothe her, but the feel of his wide palm on her arm sent a little thrill careening through her. Her body started to heat up for him, and she was sure that if he hadn't been paying attention to traffic, he would have seen the flush of excitement warming her cheeks.
She hated it that she reacted to him so easily when she knew there could be nothing between them. He'd leave in a day or two. He had a life of his own to lead, and after the years of service he'd put in, he deserved it.
Besides, even if he'd decided to settle down here instead of Osaka, it wouldn't be with her. There was something about her that drove people away. She didn't know what it whas, because she'd always tried to be a good person, but she knew it was there. It had to be. Too many people had walked away from her during her life for her to believe it was a coincidence.
At least she wasn't alone now, left to stumble around trying to figure out how to protect those she cared about from a murderer. Even though she had some issues with the way Ichigo was choosing to proceed, she was glad he was here.
"I'm pretty sure that meeting publicly to talk about murder is a bad idea," she told him.
"I checked all the records you had listing the kids who'd lived with Aizen. The five of us are the only ones left alive. Six if you count Kiyone. Although it's likely that the killer is some social worker gone loony or something, it's possible the killer is one of them, so meeting in public is much better than meeting in private."
One of her friends the killer? A new rush of panic flittered through her system, chilling her skin.
She'd never considered that. Why would she after knowing these people for so long? It didn't seem possible that any of them would want to hurt others.
They could be dining with a murderer tonight. And if they were, how could they even tell?
Rukia's hands started to shake, and her pulse pounded hard in her limbs. It was too frightening to consider. Even with Ichigo at her side.
She laced her fingers over her purse to keep Ichigo from seeing her tremble. She didn't want him to hold back information simply because he thought she wasn't strong enough to handle it. She'd find a way to handle whatever bad news he threw at her.
"I can't believe that any of them are capable of murder. I know these people. I've known them for years."
"The killer is probably someone else tied to Aizen, but either way, we have to warn the others. If the killer continues in order of when they arrived at Aizen's, then Hanataro is next. That's not the kind of news you give over the phone. And we're sure as hell not going to meet with him at his home, on the off chance that he's our guy and he pulls a gun."
Rukia stifled a shiver of fear and revulsion. She still couldn't believe she hadn't seen what Ichigo had-that they were being killed in a certain order. At least that got the police to pay attention.
"What was the name of the detective assigned to our case?" she asked.
Ichigo exited the highway. "Izuru Kira. I'll meet with him first thing in the morning and fill him in on the details while you're at work-unless you want to come along. In the meantime, he asked that we don't tell anyone that we know about the order of deaths. If the killer knows we know, he might change his pattern, which will make it a lot harder to keep people safe."
"I won't say anything, but they might not believe us without that little bit of news. The police didn't."
"It'll be our job to convince them," said Ichigo.
"And if we can't?"
He pulled into the parking lot of the Italian restaurant where they'd chosen to meet and parked the car on the outskirts of the lot, away from the other cars. Security lights cast deep shadows inside the Mustang and over Ichigo's lean face. He unfastened his seat belt and turned toward her, shifting his long body beneath the wheel. His amber eyes seemed to catch and hold the light, glittering in the dimness as he looked at her.
He was so beautiful it nearly made her forget all about their dinner plans. It would have been nice to sit here in the quiet with him and look her fill-soak him up as fantasy fuel for after he was gone.
His hand captured hers, and he cradled her fingers in his warm grip. His thumb stroked over her palm, sending a dancing riot of sensation careening toward her heart. He was such a gentle man when he touched her, and for a moment, she let herself imagine what it would be like to have him as a lover.
She could almost feel his wide hands sliding over her skin, grazing her stomach and ribs, cupping her breasts. He was always so warm to her perpetual cold, she was sure the heat of his touch would make her melt. She could only imagine how hot his mouth would be as it moved over her body.
The potent image made her tremble and drove all the oxygen from her lungs.
"Don't worry," said Ichigo. "We'll find a way to convince them. And if we can't do that, then we'll make sure they're protected."
"How?"
"The police will help now. Detective Kira has ordered extra patrols on all of your homes."
"It's not enough. The police are overworked and under-staffed."
"My buddy Uryu can probably offer some help. He owns a private security company."
"You mean the man you're going to work for? Isn't he going to be mad that you're not already there to help him?"
Ichigo shrugged and gave her that charming smile that made her feel hot all over-the one that no woman anywhere was strong enough to resist, the one that made her feel like she was the only woman alive and there was nowhere else on earth he'd rather be than here with her.
What a beautiful lie.
"He'll get over it," said Ichigo.
"For your sake, I hope so. I never meant to interfere with your new life."
"You're not interfering. I'm choosing to stay."
No matter the personal cost to his own life. That was the part he didn't say.
A rush of emotion tightened her throat, and she had to fight the urge to cry out of sheer gratitude. She'd felt the same way the night he'd pulled Aizen off of her and ended up handcuffed in the back of a police car with blood running down his chin.
"Thank you. It means the world to me that I'm not alone in this."
Rukia laced her fingers through his. He was so easy to touch, never making her feel like she'd invaded his space, and the more she touched him the easier it got. In truth, she hardly knew him at all, but he'd been in her thoughts for so many years, her body couldn't tell the difference.
She loved the way his hand felt so solid and strong and how the work-roughened patches of his skin stroked over her softer flesh. He was all man, completely beautiful, and she was finding it more and more difficult concentrating on their job rather than what it would feel like to have those hands glide over her body in a lover's caress.
"You'll never be alone, Rukia. Not so long as I'm only a phone call away."
She had nothing to say to equal the power of those words, and she tried hard not to tear up. She didn't want to scare him away or make him think he'd said something wrong when he'd given her such a priceless gift. "I'm lucky to have you in my life." Even if it was only for a few days every fourteen years.
He gave her a grin and a wink. "You haven't seen anything yet, babe."
Rukia laughed and her tension dissipated. She was pretty sure Ichigo had planned for that to happen-his teasing calculated to take her mind off what was at stake.
"Let's go before we start steaming up the windows."
Ichigo waggled his eyebrows. "I don't know. Steaming up the windows sounds like a fun time to me."
She grinned at him and unfastened her seat belt. "Maybe after dinner."
"Is that a promise?"
"I see you're still the same insatiable flirt."
"Are you kidding? I'm much better at it now than when you last knew me."
They got out of the car and headed across the parking lot.
"Practice makes perfect. Is that it?" she asked.
Ichigo looped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her tight against his side. "I've only been practicing because I wanted to make sure I was good enough for you."
She shook her head at his ridiculous statement. "I bet you say that to all the women."
"Maybe, but it's always been a lie before now," he teased.
Rukia laughed. "If some woman ever does manage to pin you down, she's going to have her hands full, isn't she?"
Ichigo's grin widened. "You were peeking when I showered this morning, weren't you?"
Against her will, her eyes traveled down his body until she was looking at the front of his jeans.
Ichigo tipped her chin back up with his hand. "No staring," he chided. "When you look it makes me hot, and I am not walking into a packed restaurant to face a potential killer with a raging boner."
"You were the one who brought it up," she reminded him with a grin.
"No, babe. You're the one who brought it up. I promise."
The idea she could turn him on made her feel a wicked sense of power. She was itching to see whether he was simply teasing her or he really meant that she could turn him on, but they were at the restaurant doors and her time to experiment was up.
It wasn't until he was speaking with the hostess that she realized all of her worry and fear had faded away. She no longer felt brittle with tension. He'd distracted her on purpose, she was sure, and once again, she owed him a debt of gratitude.
The hostess showed them to their table.
Rukia's feet slowed as they got closer, and her stomach started to churn.
"You can do this," whispered Ichigo. "I'll be right beside you."
She had no choice but to do this. Her friends needed her.
Rukia plastered a fake smile on her face and went to the table.
Momo was already there, waiting for them. Smudges of fatigue darkened her cocoa brown eyes, and her brown hair, usually up in a tight bun, fell limp around her pretty face. She looked out of place here, wearing the uniform from one of her two waitressing jobs.
Rukia greeted her with a hug. "Long day?" she asked.
"Not as long as it will be when I'm finally done. I've got another shift in an hour, so I can't stay long."
"We'll try to be quick, then." Rukia turned and motioned toward Ichigo. "Do you remember Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Momo took the hand Ichigo offered. "How could I forget? You were my first crush."
Ichigo gave her the same charming smile that had probably caused the crush to begin with. It certainly had caused Rukia's. "I'm flattered."
Momo chuckled. "I'm sure you are. I look so glamorous in my uniform."
Ichigo winked at her. "Absolutely fetching."
Rukia's little stab of jealousy shocked her. Ichigo was a die-hard flirt, and she had no reason to mind that he was doing it with Momo. But she did.
"Where's Natsuki?" Rukia asked Momo, interrupting their banter.
"The teenage girl next door watches her for me on my late nights, which are almost all of them lately. I don't know what I'll do when my babysitter goes off to college next year."
"Natsuki can always come stay with me when you're working. I'd enjoy having the company, especially since Kon will be leaving next year, too." Rukia kept the sadness from her voice so Momo wouldn't think it had anything to do with her little girl. Natsuki was a joy to be around and would help ease Rukia's sense of loss when Kon went to college. She knew it was the way it was supposed to be, and that she'd be proud of him when he left, but she wasn't looking forward to him leaving.
Momo's look of relief made Rukia ache for her friend. The poor woman was barely holding her life together. She'd just come out of a bad marriage, had to work two jobs to make ends meet, and, on top of it all, her daughter was a constant worry. Natsuki was one of Rukia's students and shy to the point of being nearly crippled by it. Rukia had been working on pulling her out of her shell for two years now, but she hadn't made much progress.
"She loves staying with you," said Momo. "That's all she could talk about last week after you watched her."
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," said Ichigo. "At least not until Yammy is back behind bars."
Momo looked from Ichigo to Rukia. "Yammy?"
"Kon's father. He came to my house last night. He told Kon he'd seen you and Natsuki there."
Ichigo's mouth flattened. "He said you were hot, which means he's taken some interest in you. You need to be careful. He's a dangerous man."
Momo's brown eyes closed in weariness. "Don't worry. I'm used to watching out for dangerous men."
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Grimmjow kept his eyes fixed on the wad of cash dangling in front of him in a clear plastic bag. The muscle-bound man holding it creeped him out, but for that much cash, Grimmjow could stand a little creepy.
Grimmjow squared his shoulders and tried to pretend he wasn't aching to reach out and snatch that bag away. "That's not enough for anything permanent, pops, but it's enough to rough the guy up a little. Send him a message."
The man's face was shadowed by his deep hood, but his eyes still shone a dark brown. "A broken leg would be my first choice. That way, he won't be able to run away."
From what, Grimmjow didn't dare ask. He so did not want to know.
"Broken leg. Got it." Grimmjow stared at the money and had to shove his hands deep in his pockets to keep from snatching it away. He needed a fix bad, and that much dough would keep him hooked up for a month.
"He'll be with a woman. Do not touch her."
"Sure. Whatever you want."
Grimmjow pulled his gaze away from the money long enough to check out the guy's face. He had a creepy serious look in his eyes that said he meant business. Those eerie brown eyes would haunt Grimmjow's dreams for a year, he was sure.
"If you hurt the woman, I'll find you and kill you in your sleep. Slowly. Are we clear?"
Even with his body burning for a fix, Grimmjow still felt the shudder of fear that slid through him. "We're clear. Can I call in my crew?"
"I don't care how you get the job done, just do it tonight. They'll be coming out of the restaurant soon. He drives a flashy silver Mustang. Be waiting for him."
The guy offered him the bag of cash, and Grimmow grabbed it and stuffed it down the front of his jeans for safekeeping. "I won't be late, man."
And he wouldn't. No way was he going to give creep-o here a reason to come back and find him.
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Ichigo hadn't actually expected any of tonight's dinner companions to stand up and announce they were a killer, but it would have been nice.
Uryu had called today and was breathing down his neck about getting his ass out to Osaka, pronto. And if that wasn't enough to light a fire under his ass to get out of town, his inconvenient attraction to Rukia would have done the job.
On the way into the restaurant, he'd only meant to tease her to get her mind off of all the doom and gloom, but it had backfired in a serious way. As soon as her exotic amethyst eyes had slid down his body, looking like he was something good to eat, he knew he was in over his head.
She wasn't a kid anymore. She wasn't married or attached in any way. She was fair game. And Ichigo really wanted to play.
He stared across the table to where she spoke quietly to Momo. The flickering candles on the table cast a soft light over her pale skin, making it glow. The flame was reflected by her glossy midnight hair, making it shimmer every time she moved.
It was the kind of sight a man never got tired of seeing, and right then, Ichigo knew he was headed for trouble. He wasn't good at keeping his hands to himself. Especially not when he knew he wasn't the only one wanting to touch.
He'd just reached out his hand to stroke hers when their next dinner companion arrived. Ichigo pulled his hand back and rose to his feet.
"Hanataro," greeted Rukia. "I'm so glad you could make it. Do you remember Ichigo?"
Hanataro was on the short side, with midlength black hair that was combed to exacting standards, except for the bangs that framed his blue eyes. He gave Ichigo a limp, sweaty handshake, which sent a stack of papers under his own arm fluttering to the floor.
"Sorry," he squeaked out and dropped to the floor to frantically recover his papers.
Ichigo bent down to help, using the oppurtunity to see what Hanataro was toting around. Without looking like he was, Ichigo scanned the pages as he picked them up. They were financial documents of some kind, along with tax forms. Rukia's tax forms.
What the hell was he doing with those?
"I'm sorry, Rukia," said Hanataro. "I was going to give these to you tonight, but now I'll have to take them home and reorganize them."
"It's fine," soothed Rukia as she helped gather papers. "Tax day isn't for a while yet. I'm just glad you were able to fit me in. I know how busy you are this time of year."
Hanataro blushed. "It was no problem. Your forms are simple."
She gave him a wide smile. "Then why can't I figure them out myself? I don't know what I'd do without you."
Hanataro's blush darkened, and he tugged at his tie as if he had a hard time swallowing.
Ichigo handed Hanataro the folder that had housed all of the papers and watched as he carefully righted the chaotic stack of tax forms.
"You're an accountant now?" asked Ichigo as he helped Hanataro to his feet.
"Yes." He set the folder on the table and brushed off his knees, though Ichigo could see no dirt.
"That's great."
"I suppose. It pays the bills."
Hanataro sat down across the table from Rukia but barely raised his eyes from his lap. The way he could hardly look at Rukia without blushing made Ichigo think that the guy had a bad case of the hots for her.
Not that Ichigo blamed him.
Renji showed up right on Hanataro's heels. He smiled at Ichigo and shook his hand, while offering hugs to the ladies and a hearty slap on the back to Hanataro. The smaller man nearly landed on the floor, but Ichigo steadied him.
"Good to see you all again," said Renji. "We should get together like this more often, though under better circumstances if I read Rukia's expression right."
"That would be nice," said Rukia, "But we'll have to do it without Ichigo. He's on his way out of town in a couple of days, so enjoy him while he's here."
Ichigo raised a brow at her comment and said in a low voice to her, "I do so like to be enjoyed."
Rukia shot him a warning look, but it was softened by the feminine smile that warmed her mouth.
"Momo doesn't have much time, so I'm going to get right to it." Rukia cleared her throat and glanced nervously at Ichigo.
He nodded in encouragement. "Go ahead, babe."
Renji gave him a narrow, disapproving look at his endearment, but Ichigo ignored him. He sat back and let Rukia explain to the group what was going on while he kept an eye on their reactions. He was hoping that something about one of them would jump out at him and proclaim their guilt as the killer.
She took a deep breath. "I think we're all in danger. I have reason to believe that someone is killing people who used to live with Aizen and staging their deaths as suicides."
Momo's weary eyes widened. "Please tell me this is a joke."
Rukia reached for her hand. "I'm sorry, but it's not."
Hanataro sat silently.
Renji leaned forward, his handsome face furrowed with concern. "I looked into those deaths when you told me about them, Rukia. There was nothing to support your claim. You talked to the police, and so did I."
"The police were wrong not to believe me," said Rukia.
Renji shook his head at her. "Those poor people were suffering and chose to end it. They'd never want their actions to make the rest of us afraid. I can't believe you're doing this."
Rukia frowned at Renji, then pinned the others with a pleading look. "I wouldn't worry you all with this if I didn't think it was real."
Momo gulped down some water, and Ichigo noticed her hand shake. "I can't deal with this right now. I have to go to work."
She stood and slung her purse over her arm.
Rukia shot to her feet. "Momo, wait! We need to figure out what to do!"
"What to do?" Momo nearly shouted.
People at neighboring tables glanced over, but Ichigo gave them a hard stare, telling them to mind their own damn business. They went back to eating with only curious, fleeting glances toward the women.
Momo lowered her voice. "What I have to do is go to work and pray my tips are good enough tonight that I can make my rent payment tomorrow. Then when I get home, I have to do laundry so Natsuki has something to wear to school tomorrow and so that I can get to my next job by six in the morning wearing a clean uniform so I don't get fired. I'm already doing everything I can. I can't do any more."
"But you could be in danger," said Rukia.
"I'm already in danger of not being able to put a roof over my daughter's head, or food on her plate. For a mom, it doesn't get more dangerous than that."
Rukia took hold of Momo's arm, keeping her from fleeing. "Please, let us find a way to help you. I have some friends you could go stay with where no one could find you or Natsuki."
"And what about my jobs? Natsuki's school? We can't walk away from our lives."
"You could stay with me. I'll get Natsuki to school."
"She's been through enough already. If you want to help, then you all figure out what I can do that doesn't cost me my paychecks or uprooting my daughter's life and I'll listen. But right now, I've got to go to work."
Rukia followed after Momo for a few steps, then came to a halt. The look of failure on her face made Ichigo want to gather her in his arms.
He stepped in front of Rukia, who was still watching Momo leave and tilted her chin up until she looked him in the eye. He kept his voice low enough that it wouldn't carry to the rest of the group. "Let her go. She's dealing with the news in her own way. I'll check out her place tomorrow and see how safe she and Natsuki are."
Rukia gave him a small nod. "Thank you."
"For now, let's figure out what the other two want to do, okay?" He guided her back to her seat. Hanataro gave her a quick glance before his gaze scuttled away.
"This is why I didn't want you to worry the others," said Renji. "Now Momo is going to be scared for no reason."
Rukia's eyes narrowed. "There is a reason, Renji! You just don't want to believe it because it makes you vulnerable."
"I've tried cases involving some of the most useless pieces of filth on the planet, and more than one of them has threatened to kill me. Those were real threats. Those made me feel vulnerable. This is just a string of bad coincidences affecting a bunch of wounded children."
"They weren't children any longer," insisted Rukia. "They were adults who'd made something of their lives. They'd moved on."
"And so should you."
"I am moving on! I'm trying to help the people I care about!"
"You're not helping. You're only scaring them," said Renji.
"I think Rukia is right," said Hanataro. "I, for one, am not going to risk my life staying here. I'm going to get out of town until this all goes away."
Rukia gave Hanataro a relieved smile. "Thank you for believing me, but thank you more for protecting yourself. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Hanataro blushed.
Renji let out a rude, scoffing sound. "This is bullshit! I can't believe you're going to send people running for the hills. How are any of us going to find peace if you keep disrupting our lives?"
"I'd rather disrupt your lives than see you dead."
Renji looked at Ichigo. "What do you have to say about all of this? Do you believe her."
"Yes. I do."
"Why? Because it will get you into her pants quicker?"
"Renji!" scolded Rukia.
Ichigo refused to let the man ruffle him. "I believe her because she's right. I believe her because the evidence supports her."
"I know you. You're a womanizing bastard who'll screw anything with legs."
"You have legs, Renji. Are you trying to tell me something?"
"I've lost my appetite," said Renji and pushed away from the table. He threw a bill down to cover his drink and stomped away.
Hanataro looked around nervously at the emptying table and said, "I should probably go start packing. Sorry to leave so soon."
"Best luck," said Ichigo.
"You'll call me when you get there safe, right?" asked Rukia.
Hanataro nodded and scurried away, tripping over himself in his haste.
"Guess it's just the two of us now," said Ichigo.
Rukia let out a long, stress-filled sigh. "Guess so."
AN
That was actually longer than it was supposed to be, but whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some American Idol practicing to do. Please, please, please review! FYI, my fav chapter so far. Go, Ichiruki!