“When will I be starting?”
“Monday morning, Mr. Gentry. I assume I don’t need to remind you that there is a fine if you decline to assist. Looking at your financial information, you can decline the placement for … one moment.” I could hear him typing. “It appears you will owe us five hundred thousand dollars.”
“ItappearsI will mentor starting on Monday morning then.”
“We appreciate your aid in helping a new member get their footing. I’m sure you will complete the year before you know it.”
“I’m sure I will.” Taking a deep breath, I accepted that this was part of having a dragon in my life. I was a professional and could easily get through the next year of helping River Barallo and his new dragon.
“Great! I’ll text you the address information. You have a great weekend.” He hung up the phone.
Checking the address, I knew this was one of the best apartment complexes in the city. I recall these units ran two million to start. They were beautiful homes with all the best amenities.
River got through one year of intense scrutiny and another year of monitoring to qualify. I knew they would have been so far up his ass that he would have been sore for weeks. I should take all of that into consideration with my opinion of him.
At 9:30 a.m. Monday, I parked my truck in the construction company’s lot. I grabbed my backpack from the passenger’s side and jogged towards the building. I was a little later than I would have wanted. River and his companion had been alone for about twenty minutes. How much harm could come in that short amount of time? Slowing as I passed the windows of the building, I looked myself over. This morning, I threw on well-worn jeans and a classic rock T-shirt. I didn’t hate what I saw, running my fingers through my hair, which had dried a little wild. At forty-two years old, I looked pretty good, and this wasn’t a date. His opinion of me was irrelevant if I got the job done.
I opened the doors to the apartment lobby and felt like I had just entered a hotel. A small sitting area with high-quality couches and chairs sat to one side, and the other wall had a rich ebony desk with an impeccably dressed concierge.
He looked at me like a wet dog about to shake in his lobby. I gave him my megawatt smile, knowing it would likely make him uncomfortable.
“Can I help you?” he sneered at me.
“I’m here to visit River Barallo. He’s expecting me.” I gave him an equal amount of contempt. If only he knew who I was. I pulled out my gold Dragon Club membership card and signed the visitor's log with my full name to speed up my entry. His eyes got huge. He nodded a few times, his attitude changing.
“I’ll unlock the elevator, then tell him you are on your way up. Mr. Barallo is in the penthouse.” He said as he walked to the elevator doors, first inserting a key to open the doors, then inserting a card into an unlabeled slot below the numbered buttons. I knew this key allowed the car to go to the penthouse directly.
“Of course he is,” I muttered as I followed him. Riding up the elevator felt impossibly long. There were forty floors with no stops.
The doors opened to the penthouse, making the lobby look like a junkyard. I knew these apartments for their clean lines and open-concept design, but what I saw was unexpected. As I looked around, I saw a decanter of whiskey tipped over, broken glass on the floor next to the wet bar, and a trail of bloody footprints headed toward the kitchen. I took two steps into the room, unsure of what I was seeing. Where was River? Where was his companion?
Hearing a groan, I moved further into the apartment. There were char marks on the white cabinets, a roll of burned paper towels, and mixed bottles of spices piled haphazardly in the sink—a picture of what happened formed as I stepped towards where I had heard the groaning.
Flat on his back, wearing a suit and covered in something that was purplish blue, was whom I assume was River. There was a nasty gash on his head with a sizable lump that was already becoming dark. There was a pie pan at his feet. Eyes closed, he groaned again.
A laugh tried to bubble until I realized I didn't see his companion anywhere. Seeing his sink, wet bar, and cabinets, I now had a good ideaabout what was happening. How he ended up in this pathetic state was unclear.
“Where?” I asked without a preamble.
He halfheartedly pointed towards the back of the apartment. He wasn’t dead, so I stepped over him, walking in the direction he pointed.
I needed to find his dragon.
Chapter three
River
When the elevator was on the way up, I knew it would be my family or someone from the club. Gary, the daytime concierge, took his job seriously, letting nobody come to the penthouse without first clearing it with me. The Dragon Club had probably sent someone to take Charlie from me, and they probably knew I had terrified him within the first hour at his new home. Honestly, I wouldn’t allow me to keep him, either.
My brain felt like it was in a vise, and I was afraid to move. Lifting my arms or any other part of my body felt impossible. Involuntarily, I groaned when I moved. Any self-respect I had was now gone. Bravely, I opened my eyes, seeing a pair of Timberlands a few feet from me. I recognized words that I assumed had something to do with Charlie and waved vaguely in the direction I saw him run. I was considering just laying where I was until they were both gone.
He completely disregarded me as he stepped over me as if I were an inconvenience to his goal, which I assume was to get Charlie and leave. As I watched his boots clear my body, he seemed particularly tall. Maybe that was just because I was lying on my back looking up at him.
I lay on the cool tile, contemplating my options. I had already considered staying here until Mr. Timberland -I was calling him that in my head- left with Charlie. My other choice was to save a little of my pride and thank him for the opportunity. I bet this was some record. Adragon was removed in less than an hour. How can I be so successful in my career and fail so miserably and quickly with a dragon?
I decided I should at least try to live up to the standards my family had instilled in me. Raising my head, I winced at the throbbing throughout my body. My hip and ribs were killing me. I must have hit them harder than I thought. I slowly sat upright and slid my body back to lean against the stove. Feeling a little dizzy, I assumed the last blow to my head was the reason.
I used my fingertips to feel the lump just above my eye. It had quickly become a sizable mass. The back of my head felt wet; I could tell it was probably bleeding after touching it. I was a disaster.
