Page 47 of Saving the Last Heir
It broke my heart that she thought she needed to put aside her own grief to give me moral support. I’d prided myself on doing all I could to take care of my family and people. Over the last ten years, I’d shouldered so much responsibility, I’d almost forgotten what it was like to do anything other than lead andmanage the last remaining winged dragons and their financial holdings.
“I appreciate that, Mom,” I said, glancing at my watch. “You should get some rest. I’ve got an appointment I have to get to.”
“What appointment?” she asked.
“Nothing super important,” I lied. “Some insurance stuff. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be home later.” I brushed my lips over her cheek. “See you later. I love you.”
“I love you too, my boy.”
I went out into the hallway and nodded at Tiana, letting her know someone should be with my mother. She gave me a sad smile and headed in to sit with my mother. As I took the stairs to the roof, I thought about the pain and agony Anitoli had caused for my family. If I ever got my hands on that son of a bitch, I’d make him pay.
My anger was still broiling when I stepped out onto the roof. The warm summer air washed across me, the sky still dark but growing brighter by the moment. Leaping from the roof, I shifted and spread my wings.
By the time I landed behind Shyanne’s garage, my emotions had leveled out. Soon, all this would be behind me. We could get back to our lives, and I could go back to trying to save our race.
Stepping into the garage, I glanced around and noticed a few people milling around with coffee cups in hand or setting tools up for the day. A broad-shouldered Black man with braided hair spotted me first.
“Hey? You lost? Or you got a ride you need fixed?” he said. As he spoke, the rest of the staff paused to look up.
“Uh, I’m Jackson. Jackson Adelmund. I’m looking for Shyanne,” I said.
She emerged from her office, and waved at the other man. “Reggie, chill out. He’s a friend.”
The man gestured toward the back room. “Is this the pretty boy that owns the pretty car?”
Shyanne looked mortified. “Reggie? Can youpleasenot be a dick right now?”
Reggie, looking wholly unconcerned, sipped his coffee. “Who was being a dick?” He glanced at a Hispanic man hunched under an open hood. “Carlo? Was I being a dick?”
“No idea,” Carlo called. “You and I both know any dick you’ve got is too small to notice.”
Everyone dissolved into laughter, and Shyanne turned back to me, rolling her eyes. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem,” I said, chuckling along with everyone else. Not wanting to seem standoffish or like somerich prickthey might have thought me to be, I went around the garage shaking hands and introducing myself.
“Bro? Did you say your last name was Adelmund?” a wiry white guy with close-cropped hair and two full sleeve tattoos said as he shook my hand.
“Uh, yes,” I said, feeling a bit uneasy.
The guy’s eyes went slightly wide. “As in Adelmund Dynamics, Adelmund Finance,andAdelmund Aerospace?”
Well shit. It seemedsomeoneliked to read the Wall Street Journal.
I gave a pained smile and nodded once, releasing his hand. “That, uh… Thatismy family.”
Over the centuries, my family had become one of the most powerful and richest families in all the dragon world. Our holdings were large, and I should have knownsomeonehere might recognize my name. I wasn’t about to lie, though, not when Shyanne had done so much to help me. When I glanced over at her, she didn’t look shocked. I wasn’t surprised. After the amount of money I’d offered to pay, she would have known I was rich.
“Damn,” Brent said, eyes wide. “Youarethe guy with the car, aren’t you? Bro, that shit is badass.”
“Uh, thanks,” I said, feeling awkward pretending to own a car I’d stolen. “I’m actually not the owner. I just…uh,likethose kinds of cars.”
“Yeah,” Shyanne said, picking up a box from a counter. “He’s a supercar enthusiast. Heard I was taking this one on as a special project and wanted to watch.”
“Oh,” Reggie said, grinning knowingly at me over the cup he held. “Are you the kind that likes to watch? I dig it. The cuck chair can be pretty hot.”
“Reggie,” Shyanne hissed. “Can you, for one minute, not be inappropriate?”
The man rolled his eyes. “You take all the fun out of everything. Let’s get to work boys,” he cried, and the whole team went about their business.
