Page 26 of Mechanic

Stepping through the large glass doors, the cacophony of noise emanating from the slot machines makes my smile broader.

This is familiar.

Someone bumps into my shoulder, causing my footsteps to falter.

“Oh, I amsosorry,” the pretty blonde says in apology.

Waving her off, her shoulders sag in relief. She turns to walk away, and without thought, I reach up and gently grasp her arm.

“Excuse me,” I start, releasing her quickly when she turns to face me. “Do you, by chance, work here?”

She seems wary to respond, so I continue speaking, my words coming out in a rushed jumble.

“I ah, need to see Rhodee Martin. I am not expected yet, but I am transferring from Las Vegas.”

Her eyes widen in surprise as a smile spreads across her face.

“I’m Rhodee,” she says, holding her arm out to shake hands.

“Antonia Delgatto.”

“A-Antonia?” she asks, her eyes almost bugging out of her head and her lips tipping up on one side.

My confusion must be obvious. Before I can question her, she holds up a hand. Her eyes dart around before she grips my elbow, pulling us out of the flow of traffic.

“You wouldn’t happen to be Shawna’s friend ‘Toni,’ would you?” Rhodee asks using air quotes around my nickname, confusing me even more.

She giggles, causing my brows to knit together, missing part of the joke.

“Ah, yeah…” I draw out warily.

Rhodee claps her hands together gleefully, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Why is that a thing?” I question, concerned I found a crazy girl.

“Sorry,” Rhodee says, waving me off. “I’m amused because Roderick assumed you were a man.”

Her explanation has me laughing. It’s not the first time that assumption has been made. Shrugging her off, I turn the conversation back to the point.

“Shawna said to see you about housing arrangements.”

“Oh, yes, I…” Rhodee’s head tilts to the side as she looks me over from head to toe. “How do you feel about a small apartment instead of the hotel?”

Before I can answer, Rhodee is pulling her phone out. Her fingers tap a few times before she lifts it to her ear.

“Gypsy, hey, it’s Rhodee Martin,” she says, somewhat friendly with a slight trace of professionalism in her voice.

“Yeah, sorry. I know it’s lunch, but this is important.”

“…Fine, I’ll make it quick. Is your apartment still available?”

My eyes widen. Rhodee wants me to move in with someone else?

Shawna warned me that housing was hard to come by at the moment. This isnotwhat I was expecting.

“Yeah…” Rhodee’s voice snaps my attention back to the one-sided conversation.

“No, girl, not a guy.”

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