Dragon Fever: Limited Edition Holiday Romance Boxset

by Serena Meadows

  “Yeah, it was cool.”

  Neil grinned as Caitlyn repeated her exciting adventure, finally starting to yawn in Jordan’s arms. “Baby, do you want to sleep in Mommy’s room with her tonight?”

  While Neil had hoped for that honor, he realized Jordan’s near loss had frightened her so badly she didn’t want Caitlyn out of her sight. But Caitlyn answered, “No, I want Axel with me. You never let Axel sleep on your bed.”

  Jordan covered her disappointment with a smile. “All right. But I’m going to tuck you in.”

  “Okay.”

  Hand in hand, Jordan and Caitlyn left the sitting room, Axel following. Neil drank his beer while staring at the TV, hardly seeing it, wondering what else Knox might do to take Caitlyn. He obviously has become obsessed, and clearly isn’t listening to my warnings. He knew it was too much to hope that the man realized a dragon stood between himself and his goal.

  Jordan returned after a while, still shaken by what had happened. She folded her arms over her stomach, pacing the sitting room restlessly, her expression tight. “She’s asleep,” she said, trying to smile. “I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if you weren’t here.”

  “Come sit down.”

  Jordan obeyed, letting Neil fold her into his arms. “Somehow, it’ll all work out,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “I don’t know how, but it will.”

  “Are you sure the crash didn’t kill him?”

  “Quite sure. And no, I’m not going to go out and look for him.”

  “I wasn’t going to ask that,” Jordan replied, her head on his shoulder. “I—just, I don’t know. I don’t want him dead. I just want him to leave us alone.”

  “I’m afraid he’s going to keep trying, Jordan,” Neil told her. “He’s scared of me, but not scared enough.”

  She laughed. “That’s Knox all right. Too stupid to be afraid of a dragon.”

  “You’d think he’d leave well enough alone by now,” Neil replied, tightening his arms around her.

  “And if he doesn’t?” Jordan asked, turning her face up to his. “What will you do?”

  Neil glanced away. “That depends on him. I won’t let him take her or harm you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Shuddering uncontrollably, Knox stared at the steam hissing from the smashed radiator. In an absent way, he knew he had just totaled his truck, but his mind kept going back to the monster that plucked Caitlyn from the seat beside him. Since he had snuck into her room through the window and told her to come with him, he was certain he had accomplished his goal. A few moments ago, he was high on his triumph.

  Caitlyn was his at last, and that bitch Jordan would be alive to cry and mourn, not knowing where her daughter was.

  Rubbing his hands over his sore face, Knox realized he hadn’t been hurt when the truck, veering out of control, hit the rocks on the side of the road. “That was lucky,” he muttered.

  The truck’s frame had bent, and it jammed his door closed. Scooting across the seat, he exited the truck via the missing door on the passenger side, his terror rising again as he remembered the long talons that had ripped the door off and taken his daughter.

  “What the fuck was it?”

  Leaning against the truck, he shuddered again, wishing he had a few shots of Wild Turkey right then. But no amount of whiskey could erase the memory of the thing that had landed on the truck, bent the cab’s roof almost onto his head, and snatched Caitlyn. “Jesus,” he muttered, recalling catching a glimpse of it in the mirrors. “It was huge.”

  Finally calm enough to examine his situation, Knox realized he was a long way from anywhere and had no vehicle. “Shit.”

  Away in the distance, he looked at the lights of Livingston below, knowing he was at least thirty miles from it. As not many folks lived along the road he stood on, he knew his chances were slim that someone would come along and offer him a ride. He had no cell, even if he could get a signal.

  Cursing Jordan for getting him into this fix by not giving him Caitlyn in the first place, Knox started walking. Of course, it was all her fault. She should have immediately agreed to give him custody, as it was a father’s right to have sole custody.

  Feeling sorry for himself, Knox had walked perhaps an hour when headlights illuminated the area in front of him. Turning, he stuck out his thumb, hoping it wasn’t some dumb broad too afraid to pick up a man on the road in the middle of the night. The car slowed down as the driver checked him out, and Knox put on his most ingratiating smile.

  The car was an old Beetle, and the driver a long-haired hippy type guy. Knox opened the passenger door and peered inside. “Hey, man, can I get a ride?”

  “That your truck back there?” the hippy asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

  “Yeah. I sorta lost control.”

  “Get in, dude. I’m heading for Livingston, if that’s your destination.”

  “Yeah.”

  Grateful, Knox got into the Beetle, breathing in the powerful odor of marijuana. “Thanks, man. I had a long walk ahead of me.”

  “No problem, man,” the hippy said. “Name’s Dave.”

  “I’m Knox.”

  “Cool name, Knox.”

  As Dave drove the rattling old car down the road, Knox asked, “You live back in there? I didn’t think there was anyone who did.”

  “Yeah, I live down to earth, you know? Got a small cabin with no electricity, wood stove for heat. I love it.”

  Dave looked Knox over. “You got into a fight?”

  “Yeah. My ex’s new boyfriend. Worked me over when I went to see my kid.”

  “Just because you wanted to see your kid?”

  “Yeah, she’s denying me my rights as a father.” Knox gazed through the cracked windshield. “Court granted me custody because she’s an abusive parent, and now her boy-toy threatened to kill me if I tried to take my little girl.”

  “Aww, now that just sucks, man. You can recourse with the authorities. Especially if she’s abusing the child.”

  “They won’t believe me.” Knox faked the tears in his voice. “They believe her lies and won’t do a damn thing.”

  “That ain’t right, man.” Dave shook his head. “Just because she’s the kid’s mother, they let her keep the child. Petition the courts, Knox. If they gave you custody, then they should enforce your rights.”

  Knox nodded absently. “Yeah. I’ll talk to my lawyer.”

  “And press charges against the guy,” Dave advised. “That’s assault right there.”

  “Good idea.”

  Knox stared out the window, half-listening to Dave’s chatter about the rights of men these days and thought again about the thing that smashed in his truck and took Caitlyn from the seat. “It had to have had wings,” he muttered. “It flew.”

  “What’s that?”

  Knox shook his head. “Nothing, really. Go on.”

  By the time Dave drove the ancient Beetle to a stop in front of Knox’s apartment building, Knox was entirely sick of him and his stupid views of the world, politics, religion—all of which Dave informed him of on the forty-minute drive into Livingston.

  Knox opened the door and gratefully got out, happy to have escaped with his brain halfway intact. “Thanks, man.”

  “Good luck,” Dave called cheerily, and the Beetle backfired as he drove the rattling vehicle away from the curb.

  Realizing he’d left his keys in the truck’s ignition, Knox used the spare to get into his apartment. “What a creeper,” Knox muttered, opening the door to his home. He put the key back under the mat, then closed and locked the door behind him.

  Heading for the kitchen, he opened a cupboard and pulled down the half-full bottle of Wild Turkey. Without turning on more lights, Knox went out onto his tiny balcony and sat on the rickety lawn chair. Drinking straight from the bottle’s neck, Knox sat in the darkness and gazed out over the city.

  Pondering his next move in his efforts to get his daughter away from Jordan, Knox drank, finally
relaxing from his nightmarish scare. He almost believed it hadn’t happened at all, that Jordan and her boy-toy had truly chased him down and ran him off the road, forcing him to crash his truck.

  “Yeah, that’s what really happened,” he said, nodding happily to himself. “No such thing as monsters.”

  That would be the story he’d tell when he’d be forced to explain where his truck was and why he would need a ride to work in the morning. “High time to get real,” he said to himself. “No more jacking around with them. Gonna take that old hunting rifle and shoot them both, that’s what I’m gonna do. Take Caitlyn and go. No chance of getting caught, not with the ranch so far away. It’ll be months before the bodies are found.”

  Knox laughed to himself, growing sleepy with the effects of the whiskey and his happy daydreams. “Me and Caitlyn, we’ll be living the high life in Canada; can’t trace the killing back to me, no sir.”

  The bottle slid from his hand as he fell asleep in the chair, and by morning hardly remembered the dreams of a huge monster chasing him until it tore him to pieces as he screamed for mercy.

  “What happened to your truck?” Darren asked as Knox climbed into his car.

  “Jordan and her friend ran me off the road,” Knox replied, ignoring his pounding hangover. “Last night.”

  “Jeez,” Darren replied, pulling out into the light traffic and headed for the job site. “Is there anything she won’t do?”

  “I know she’s trying to kill me and is egging her boyfriend on.”

  Knox knew that Jimmy wouldn’t have fallen so easily into Knox’s stories and wild explanations, but Darren wasn’t very bright. He was also gullible and easily manipulated. Except he won’t help me kill them. Knox stared gloomily out at passing traffic, wondering if Darren had any aspirin for his headache.

  “Jimmy says you’re trouble,” Darren told him, sending Knox uneasy sidelong glances. “You’re gonna get us in trouble along with you.”

  “Why would he say that?”

  “With your talk of killing your ex. Knox, you shouldn’t say things like that. People don’t understand that you don’t really mean it.”

  Except I do mean it, and I will kill them. Caitlyn is worth killing them for. Jordan should have given me custody. “Then I’m glad you aren’t worried, buddy.” Knox tried to give him a friendly smile.

  “I know you’re all talk, and just mad,” Darren said, turning left onto the road that led to the housing project they worked on. “Jimmy doesn’t understand that.”

  Jimmy can just go hang. “He’ll come around.”

  Knox and Darren clocked in right on time, and Knox caught a glimpse of Jimmy talking with some of the crew and sending him sidelong glances. Shrugging off Jimmy and his chums, Knox set to work, wincing as the nail gun he used exploded in his aching head every time he pulled the trigger.

  Hours later, as he and Darren headed for Darren’s car to go to lunch, Old McKenzie called his name. Knox glanced up and felt a jolt of fear dash through him. With McKenzie stood two uniformed cops. McKenzie waved him over as Darren said, “I’ll wait for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Fearing that Jordan had reported the kidnapping, and that he was about to be arrested, Knox considered his options if he bolted, running for the fields around the construction site. He might escape, but what then? They knew where he lived, he had no vehicle now, and the cops would track him down sooner or later.

  His stomach in knots, he walked over.

  “You Knox Wilson?” one of the cops asked.

  “Yeah. What’s wrong?”

  Conscious of McKenzie listening to every word, Knox wet his lips. The cops stared at him as though judging him, and he suddenly wished he had taken his chances and run. “You own an 85 Ford truck?” the cop asked. He read off the license plate number.

  “Yeah. I wrecked it.”

  “You also abandoned it on the old county road,” the other cop said. “It’s been towed, and you can claim it at Charlie’s Towing. You’ll be footing the bill for the tow, have to pay the fees for getting it out.”

  Forget that shit; it can stay there. “Okay.”

  The first cop handed him a ticket. “You can pay the fine any time before that date or show up in court to contest it.”

  “What’s the ticket for?” he demanded.

  “It’s illegal to abandon vehicles on the county roadways,” the cop replied. “Have a nice day.”

  The two walked toward their prowler, leaving Knox to stare after them, inwardly calling them vile names. He grew aware of Old McKenzie watching him, no doubt also judging him, and gave the supervisor a quick nod. “Heading to lunch,” he muttered.

  The man didn’t speak, but Knox felt his eyes on his back as he walked toward Darren and his car.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Sure, I’ll watch Caitlyn tonight,” Colleen told Jordan cheerfully over the phone. “You got a hot date, sweetie?”

  Jordan laughed. “How’d you guess?”

  “I hear your excitement. Who’s the lucky stud?”

  “His name’s Neil, and he’s a really nice guy. I’ll make sure you meet him when I drop Caitlyn off.”

  “I’m happy for you, sweetie,” Colleen told her. “And Tommy would like to see Caitlyn again. We need to set aside time for playdates.”

  “I know it, girlfriend, but with Knox being a jerk and all the work I have, it’s tough.”

  “Is he still pestering you? That man needs to be in jail.”

  Jordan caught Neil’s eye as he sat at the kitchen table. Caitlyn sat there also but played a game on her tablet. “Yeah, I know he does. We’ll drop her off around six-thirty; is that okay?”

  “It’s perfect. I’ll see you then.”

  Jordan clicked her cell phone off. “Colleen will watch Caitlyn tonight,” she said. “Baby, you’re going to go see Tommy tonight.”

  Absorbed in her game, Caitlyn merely replied, “Okay.”

  At Neil’s lifted brow, Jordan explained, “Colleen has a six-year old son, and we used to let the kids play together. And we watch each other’s kids when one of us needs to get out.”

  “Then we’ll be free for our date?” Neil asked.

  “Yes, if you still want to go to dinner.”

  Neil took her by the hand, and pulled her to him, gazing up at her with that sweet smile Jordan was coming to love. “I want to take you out for a date,” he said. “Your courtship ritual.”

  Jordan laughed. “I told you it’s not necessary. It’s not a requirement if people are falling in love.”

  “And are we?” he asked. “Falling in love?”

  Jordan bent to kiss him. “I know I am.”

  “So am I.”

  In the two days since Neil had halted Knox’s kidnapping attempt, Jordan had finally managed to stop clinging to Caitlyn. Caitlyn herself never spoke of it, and nothing had been heard from Knox. Feeling able to accept Neil’s offer to take her out, she had suggested a nice restaurant in town.

  “They serve really good food,” Jordan told him.

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Sitting beside Caitlyn, Jordan pulled the tablet away from her. Caitlyn protested, “Mommy, I need that back.”

  “Baby, you need to listen to me for a minute,” Jordan said, making Caitlyn look at her with her finger under her chin. “You must not tell anyone that Neil is a dragon.”

  “Why?”

  “Because dragons are not supposed to be real. People are not supposed to know about him, that’s he’s a dragon.”

  Caitlyn looked over at Neil. “Why can’t I tell Tommy?”

  “Please listen to your mommy, little one,” he said. “It’s really important you do not say anything. Okay?”

  Caitlyn pouted, slumping in her chair. “Okay.”

  “You promise not to tell anyone?” Jordan asked. “You won’t tell Tommy or his mother that Neil is a dragon?”

  “I promise. Can I have my game back now?”

  “Yeah, sweetie.�
�

  Later, Jordan introduced Neil to Colleen, who looked him up and down with approval. Colleen lived in a residential neighborhood and her husband was overseas, serving in the military. A plump, kind woman, Colleen said, “Now you two go have fun.”

  Watching Caitlyn run into Colleen’s small, tidy house to greet her friend, Tommy, Jordan took Neil’s hand. “We will. Thanks again, Colleen. We’ll pick her up at around nine.”

  “Perfect. Tommy has been bored and lonely this summer. Maybe when things settle down for you, I can bring him out to the ranch.”

  “We’d love to have him.”

  Back in the truck, Neil glanced at her as Jordan started the engine. “She seems very nice.”

  “We used to see more of each other,” Jordan said, driving toward the restaurant. “Then Knox started his shit, and I was afraid to bring Caitlyn around here. He knows Colleen and I babysit for each other.”

  “Think he will guess she’s there now?”

  Jordan eyed him sidelong. “Not if he doesn’t see us in town.”

  “Let’s hope he doesn’t.”

  Parking the truck in the restaurant’s lot, Jordan stepped out and gazed down the street. The Mule’s Shoe stood a few blocks down, and she wondered if Knox was in there getting drunk as he usually did. Neil gazed at her with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

  “That’s Knox’s favorite bar,” she said. “Maybe it was a mistake to come to town for dinner.”

  “No.” Neil took her hand, smiling down at her. “We can’t live our lives in fear of him, Jordan. We can let him dictate our actions or our happiness. Caitlyn is safe.”

  Jordan hugged him. “You’re right.”

  “I want to enjoy my first date without worrying about him.”

  Laughing, Jordan led him toward the entrance. “You first date, huh?”

  “Yeah. I want it to be memorable, in a good way.”

  As it was a weeknight, and early, they had no trouble getting a table. As the waiter asked for their drink order, Jordan looked at Neil. “Do you want wine?”