Page 8 of Dark Endures

What do I do?

Be brave.

But brave risks everything. “I charge fifteen dollars an hour.” So much for being brave.

Maddox stares at me for a long time. “No. I don’t accept that.”

What? Why are the rich ones always so cheap? “I guess I can go down to—”

“No. You misunderstand me. Fifteen dollars an hour isn’t enough. I refuse not to pay my employees a livable wage.”

Is that my jaw dropping to the floor? Did he really just say that? Because my ears are hearing things. No one offers you more money than you ask for. “Um.” What do I even say?

“Shall we say forty?”

An hour? I’m going to pass out. That’s... That’s as much as I make with overtime at my main job. It’s too much. Way too much.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Let me give you the codes and a copy of the schedule.”

A little of the pressure clamping down on my heart relaxes. “Can you tell me a little about the snakes? Which ones are bitey?”

His lips tip up. “None of them. We handle all the snakes regularly. A few of them are food motivated, so watch your fingers when they’re eating, especially with Hot Dog over here.”

Who names a snake Hot Dog? Especially since Hot Dog is an emerald tree boa with vibrant coloring and a unique pattern. “There’s a story behind the names.”

“There is.” He doesn’t add anything more.

It doesn’t matter if my boss is the hottest mercurial man I’ve ever met. All that matters is I have a job.

Meeting Minutes

Maddox

I need to get my head focused on the meeting ahead of me and not the puzzle that is Mindy Peters. But she is the only thing I’ve been able to think about since last night. Today’s meeting is too important to let myself get distracted.

That smile won’t leave my mind.

“When did you get that?” Jacko points at my newest acquisition.

“He arrived yesterday. It’s a Blue Insularis Pit Viper.” The snake has been pretty chill so far.

“What are you going to do when you run out of space up here? The walls of your office have already filled up.”

That’s a good question. “Maybe add a reptarium to The Street.”

“Pit would love that, but there’s no way you’re bringing any of the venomous ones there. Not by the kids.”

Like I would ever take that risk with the constant flow of hooligan street kids that move onto The Street. If my office didn’t have as many levels of security, I wouldn’t have them here. “The venomous ones can stay here. Talking about Pit, is he ever going to tell us about the baby?” His wife has got to be at least five months pregnant by now.

“Probably when they pop the baby out.”

Jacko has a way with words. The world appreciates that it doesn’t translate to his artwork. “I’m sure it’ll be before that.”

“You don’t think something is wrong with the baby?”

Pit would have said something to me if there was. “No. I’m sure the baby is just fine.”

“They should pick me to be the godfather of this one.” Jacko gives me a pointed look. “They need someone who can have fun with the kids and isn’t a workaholic.”

---