Chapter 35
Barry felt restless ever since his last conversation with his anonymous benefactor. He was worried that the man might decide to pull the plug on him and send him back to being a broke hustler with only his big dreams to his name. He knew that the only way to win back the man’s trust was to deliver on his own side of the agreement, but then, what he was asked to do was too crazy for him to even wrap his head around it.
Forget about the craziness, Barry, he told himself. You need that man to keep bankrolling you, so suck it up and get the job done.
He picked up his cellphone and dialed Aubrey’s number. As he had expected, she didn’t answer, so he left a voicemail telling her that he needed to speak with her urgently. He decided that he would go to her store later on if she didn’t return his call before the close of business.
He was desperate, scared, and unsure what his future held. He had gotten into bed with the devil and now it was time to pay the price for the life of luxury he’d enjoyed from his generous benefactor.
To his surprise, Aubrey called him back and he answered the call on the first ring.
“Stop stalking me, Barry. I need you to stop calling me, please,” she said immediately when he answered the call. “I thought I made myself very clear the last time.”
“Aubrey, please, listen to me,” he said urgently. “I need to talk to you in person. It’s very important.”
“I’ll have to get a restraining order to keep you from bothering me any further because this thing with you is getting out of hand, and frankly speaking, I—"
“Are you a werewolf?” Barry blurted out before he could stop himself.
“What?” Aubrey sounded confused.
Shit! Barry thought and felt embarrassed even though Aubrey couldn’t see him right now through the phone.
“Is that why you have been stalking me?” Aubrey asked, sounding incredulous. “You think I’m a werewolf?”
“No, it’s not me,” he said quickly. “Someone thinks a bunch of people in our hometown in Fairbanks are werewolves.”
Aubrey scoffed. “You’re unbelievable, Barry. If this isn’t the most insane thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life, then I don’t know what else is. This will be the last time I speak with you. I’m getting a restraining order today and I will strongly advise you to honor it.”
She hung up before Barry could get another word in.
“Damn it!” he yelled furiously. “Now, that motherfucker made me make a fool of myself. Werewolves in real life? I mean, come on!”
At least now he knew for certain that he was dealing with a wealthy lunatic, because let’s be real—who has ever seen a werewolf in real life? Who? Those creatures don’t exist! They’re the result of people’s overactive imaginations, but somehow, his estranged father and the raving mad man who set him up financially seem to be convinced that fictional creatures really do exist in the human world. What would they ask him to go search for next? Unicorns?