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What… was he trying to insinuate… I stuttered, blinked a few times. As if that would clear the sudden clammy feeling that came over me, making my palms sweat and the hair on the nape of my neck stand up straight.
“Again,” I said, deciding to try and wear my most intimidating of tones. This guy was used to chewing people up and spitting them out in a single high-rise elevator ride. I had to show him I wasn’t ready to back down, not from him or from the Crimson Ring. “I can assure you that there’s no conflict of interest or lack of expertise on my end. I want to find these paintings to make you happy, that’s that. And I have a game plan on how to acquire them.”
“It’s been two months now, and all you’ve brought back is a fake.”
I swallowed and avoided looking in Peter’s direction, although I could feel his glare as if it were an icy-cold dagger pressing against my throat. “This takes time to get right. I’ll also remind you that these paintings have been lost for nearly five decades. It was never going to be easy, but I promise you that it will get done.”
Davie rubbed at his chin before placing the sunglasses back on his face, shielding a skeptical look. “Don’t disappoint me.”
Before I could answer with a fake smile and more reassurances, the green screen image behind me flickered for a brief second, threatening to reveal the true surroundings. So I did what came to mind first. I kicked at the router underneath my desk, disconnecting it from the power and instantly cutting off our internet.
Peter let out a loud groan and smacked his desk. “What the fuck? He’s our biggest client.”
“I know. That’s why I’m making sure he stays as our client. When I signed up for this job, I thought I’d be staking out cheaters and drug dealers. I didn’t think I’d be hunting down three long-lost paintings for some stuck-up billionaire dickhead. So give me a little fucking grace here, okay?”
Peter put his hands up and mumbled a sorry as I got down on my knees and reconnected the router. I sent a message to Davie saying that the internet connection went down across the whole city block and that I’d reach out to him when I had any new updates. He left the message on “read,” which somehow annoyed me more than if he replied with a “fuck you and your ancestors.”
I rose up from my chair and snatched my car keys from my desk. The walls were beginning to feel tight, the air far too stuffy. I couldn’t handle being in here for longer than a few more minutes.
“Where are you going?” Peter asked, attention half back on his bikini-clad feed now that the internet was back.
“Dragon hunting,” I said before leaving the office, nearly bumping into a fae walking out of the salon with a fresh haircut. He gave me a sapphire-glinted wink and apologized, his rosy cologne scent drifting my way. I smiled back and kept on my way, forgetting about the sudden, needy warmth that flushed through my core, my body’s way of trying to remind me that I hadn’t been with a man in months now.
Maybe I’ll download a hookup app later. Just to blow off some steam.
That wouldn’t be a bad way to spend the night. Not like I had anything better to do.
But before scrolling through a grid of headless torsos all night, I had to find myself an ice dragon, and I had a decent idea of where I should look first.
Chapter 5
Madds Anatomy
Maddox
I left Damien and Robby to their beach date, feeling much better than when I had landed on their private rock high above all the other sunbathers and beachgoers. Damien was always able to give me good advice, even when we were tiny little dragons still learning how to use our wings. There was much to do, yes, but at least there was a way to accomplish it now. Things didn’t seem monumental and impossible anymore.
My day wasn’t over yet, though. As much as I wanted to blow off some steam by going to the local strip club and downing some shots, I knew there was more to do. I flew through the sky, letting the bright sun warm my permanently cool scales as my mind wandered. Malibu unraveled underneath me as I flew toward Hollywood. I flew over the Pacific Coast Highway, following the curve of the ocean, tasting the fresh kiss of the sea on the breeze.
I should have been thinking about the paintings, about how to get the last one, but all I could really focus on was that tall, broody, handsome Marvel who helped me out with those crazy cultists. I’d likely never see the guy again, but that didn’t stop me from bringing up the memory of him, still freshly painted in my mind. He intrigued me for some reason.
