Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“More like a secret society, according to Alayna. She’s got a lead on where to find them, but in the meantime, I have to send money to the guy who had her.”
“Dragon, I want to help you, but what good is it going to do to send money to the guy who had her if he doesn’t have her anymore?”
“Because,” I say, “he still has her daughter.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Diana
My heart drops.
I say nothing. What can I say? This is a new development, though not all that surprising, considering everything.
“She’s thirteen,” Dragon continues. “Which means Griffin had her when she was fourteen years old, Diana.” He swallows, steels his gorgeous face. “My little sister became a mother at fourteen.”
I don’t know what to say.
How can I make this better for him?
The answer is, of course, that I can’t. But at least she’s alive. Or was alive, until this cult got hold of her.
“All right,” I finally say. “How do you want to deal with this? Do you want me to wire you the money, and then you wire it to this person?”
He takes a slow breath in and then sighs it out. “I think that would be best, if it’s okay with you. He’s been dealing with me. I don’t want your phone number or other information anywhere near this guy.”
I simply nod. I agree. I don’t want my phone number anywhere near some pedophile who’s been keeping a little girl since she was five years old.
My God… What if he’s doing something to the daughter?
I don’t voice any of this. Dragon has no doubt thought about it already anyway. There’s nothing either of us can do until we find the poor thing.
“I’ll send it right away. To your number?”
He nods.
I pull up a cash app and pay the extra fee to wire the money within seconds. A moment later, Dragon’s phone dings.
“That’ll be the money hitting your account,” I say.
He simply nods. Apparently, he’s not doing anything until we get back to the hotel, which is fine with me. Back to the hotel, where Teddy is.
Crap. Teddy.
“The dog? What did you do with the dog, Dragon?”
“What choice did I have? I left him in the hotel room.”
I draw in a breath. “I understand.”
But I fear what we may find when we get there. Teddy has been a good dog so far, but without one of us there… God, he could be barking up a storm, or he could be chewing things, pooping everywhere.
But whatever. I’ll pay the fines. I’ll do whatever it takes.
Money is not an issue for me. I’ve always known I was lucky, but not everyone has unlimited resources like I do. For the first time, I see that I can do more with my money than just live in luxury.
I can help people who need it.
Like Dragon.
Like his sister.
Like his newfound niece.
Dragon pulls into a parking spot at the hotel. “Stay there,” he says. He gets out of the car and comes around to help me out the passenger side.
I put a little bit of weight on my foot, and I wince.
“Come on, Diana. Let me help you.”
I expect him to take my hand, but instead he sweeps me into his arms, carrying me as if I’m a small child.
I grab his shoulder. “Dragon, I can walk. Just let me lean on you.”
He shakes his head. “This is quicker. We need to check on the dog.”
He’s right. We get more than a few looks as we walk into the hotel and toward the elevator.
“Ignore it,” Dragon says under his breath.
Once we’re in the elevator—no one else is in it, thank God—and on our way to our floor, he sighs in relief.
“You can put me down now,” I say.
“I’ll put you down when we get to the door. I’ll have to get out my key card.”
We get to the door, and he does indeed put me down. I’m a little sad that I’m no longer in his arms, but now is not the time. I lean against the wall while he opens the door.
I expect the worst, but I’m pleasantly surprised. Teddy rushes toward us, whimpering but not barking.
I look around the room. The bed is a bit rumpled, but I don’t see any accidents on the carpet.
“Good boy,” I say, petting his head.
“I’ll take him down in a minute.” Dragon walks me toward the bed. “You lie down.” He props a firm pillow under my right leg. “Keep it elevated. I’ll be back in a moment. Then I’ll send the money through the cash app.”
He grabs the leash, hooks it to Teddy’s collar, and then he’s gone.
I lean against the fluffy pillow. I don’t even care about the ten grand. I’m worried only about Dragon, his sister, and his niece.
A few moments later, Dragon returns, and Teddy, once he’s unleashed, runs to me and joins me on the bed.