Page 57 of Serving my Dragon
“What happened? When he found me, he ranted about me messing up his plans and that I’d caused problems between the two of you.”
Sally’s nose wrinkled. “He was really pissed when you got in the way of us catching the dragon.” The woman’s gaze slewed to me and turned assessing. “Since I was the one who insisted you come along, he blamed me for the fact the dragon jumped off that cliff.”
“You mean the same cliff he shoved me from?” Kayleigh retorted.
A wince creased Sally’s face. “I didn’t expect him to do that. In his defense, you got between him and the find of a lifetime.”
“You’re defending him?” Kayleigh’s rounded mouth was as big as her eyes.
“This operation was months in the planning. From the activation of the volcano to the monitoring of the area to keeping this jet on standby so the extraction team could nab the dragon and flee before the Peruvian authorities suspected anything.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I get in the way of his illegal activities?” was Kayleigh’s sour and sarcastic rejoinder.
“We didn’t have a choice.” Sally’s hands waved. “We knew the government would never let us take the dragon through legal channels. I mean, you can’t blame them. A dragon is a big deal.”
“Who the hell are you?” Kayleigh spat. “Because the Sally I know wouldn’t be cool with illegal and truly morally reprehensible behavior. Nor would she be okay with her boyfriend killing her best friend.”
Sally’s face tightened. “Blake only tried to get rid of you because you caused such a stink.”
“You knew from the beginning what he planned, didn’t you? Why would you bring me along? You had to know I’d have a problem with it.”
“I thought it would be fun. You and me checking out the sites. Also, I didn’t want to be the only woman in the group. You were never supposed to find out our real reason for being here, but you suspected from day one that something was up. When the drones caught sight of the dragon soon after its hatching, it was supposed to be me and the boys heading out to catch it. You were the one who insisted on tagging along,” Sally accused. “I tried to downplay our operation by telling you we were after a rare lizard, but fucking Blake let our real objective slip.”
Listening to the women, the conversation full of revelation and drama, I really craved some popcorn.
Kayleigh huffed. “Oh well, it’s all my fault then he tried to murder me. God forbid I had some morals, unlike you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Again, Kayleigh gaped before exclaiming, “You were illegally hunting an extinct animal. You did nothing to stop your boyfriend from shoving me off a cliff. As a matter of fact, you’re still with the jerk. You never went to the cops to report my disappearance and now you have a chance to be my friend. My best friend”—Kayleigh emphasized—“yet you’re refusing to help me escape. Do you want me to die?”
“He’s not going to kill you.”
“Only because he now thinks I’m useful,” Kayleigh retorted. “And you haven’t answered my question. What happened to you? Since when are you evil and greedy?”
“I’m tired of being poor,” Sally exclaimed. “Tired of working for assholes who treat me like shit. So yes, when I saw a chance to make some money, real life-changing money, I took it.”
“At what cost, though? Can you really live with yourself if Blake murders me?”
“It doesn’t have to be like this.” Once more Sally waved her hands around. “Tell Blake you’ll cooperate. Help him to understand the dragon and bring it to heel.”
At that statement, I snorted. “You think I’m so weak as to obey humans?”
Excitement filled Sally’s face. “You can talk!”
“No shit,” I muttered, using an expletive. It seemed apt for the moment.
“This is amazing. Given biological limitations, reptiles aren’t supposed to be able to produce human speech.”
“I am not a reptile,” my indignant retort.
Sally clapped her hands. “I can’t wait to get you in a lab and do a full physical on you. The first, seeing as how they’ve yet to take the male into custody.”
“Tell me more about this male,” I purred.
“I don’t have many details yet. The higher ups have been tight-lipped about releasing any information. But apparently, this other dragon calls himself Abaddon. Have you chosen a name yet?”
“Her name is Polly, short for Pollita,” Kayleigh stated.
