My Boss is a Dragon

by Rowan Porter

  “Don’t move, a pipe fell on you, and I’m calling an ambulance,” Sebastian told him.

  “Didn’t.”

  The word was weak, and Sebastian could see Liam’s eyes were blurry and unfocused. Yet it had been spoken with emphasis, and he could see Liam fighting to get his senses back.

  Sebastian leaned down. “What?”

  “Didn’t fall. Someone was behind me.”

  Sebastian looked up, noticing a gap in the pipework above, where the pipe would have conceivably fallen from and struck Liam. The man could be so lost in his own world sometimes, Sebastian could easily see him missing any of the telltale signs of the oncoming blow.

  Liam’s gaze focused. “Believe me, there was someone else here. I know it.”

  Sebastian wanted to tell him to lie still, that he most likely had a concussion. But that would sound an awful lot like he thought Liam believed things wrongly as well. Liam could be absentminded, but he had one of the clearest memory recalls Sebastian had ever known. And something in the fierceness of Liam’s eyes stalled Sebastian’s doubt.

  The line clicked on. “911, what is your emergency?”

  For a moment, Sebastian gazed down at Liam, who was struggling to sit up despite Sebastian’s firm hand on him. His eyes moved to the pipe, smeared with Liam’s blood as it lay on the asphalt a foot away. Who could possibly want to hurt Liam?

  “Hello? Are you able to speak?”

  Sebastian cleared his throat. “Yes, someone’s been attacked, we need an ambulance.”

  LIAM

  “O w.”

  The sound of his voice fell flat in the confines of the car as he waited for the time to tick by. Without realizing, he’d absently run his fingers through his hair as he always did whenever he was thinking. The difference was, he still had a lovely swelling on his head from the pipe that had been used to bash him.

  Of course, no one was quite sure if that was what had really happened or not. Turned out the cameras in that particular section of the parking garage had never been turned on, so there was no recording of the attack. Sebastian’s temper had been apocalyptic when he’d learned that, and Liam didn’t want to be the one who had to face that wrath down.

  Not that his wrath would have been much better if they’d kept him any longer in the hospital. A three-day stay for what was essentially a mild concussion had seemed excessive in Liam’s mind. He suspected Sebastian had a lot to do with that particular decision on the doctor’s part, though no one, including Sebastian, was willing to own up to it.

  Sighing at the memory, Liam opened the car door and stepped out onto the street. Sunlight streamed down around him, warming his skin and easing some of his nerves a bit. He had been so relieved to get back to work after being cooped up in the hospital for so long, even if it did mean having to constantly assure Sebastian that he was, in fact, alright, and could work.

  His phone buzzed, and when seeing it was his mother, he answered it. “Hi.”

  “Busy?”

  “Getting ready to go meet Sebastian for lunch actually.”

  “Oh, you’re on a first name basis with him now?”

  Liam rolled his eyes as he crossed through the intersection quickly. “Mom.”

  “Hey, I wasn’t on a first name basis with my boss.”

  “You don’t have a boss; you work from home.”

  “Semantics.”

  Liam chuckled. “Is there a reason you called me, other than to give me a hard time that is?”

  “Is there a reason you didn’t think to tell me you were in the hospital for three days? Or why your boss had to be the one to call me and tell me?”

  Liam blinked. “Sebastian called you?”

  “Yes, when you were sleeping on the last day. He’d called to confirm and make sure there were no previous issues in our family that he might need to be on the lookout for with your new head injury. Imagine how surprised both of us were when we realized I didn’t know you were there in the first place.”

  Liam winced. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

  “Apparently you claim you were attacked by someone with a pipe, rather than it being an accident. I’m pretty sure that’s something I’ll have a hard time not worrying about.”

  “Are you the reason he’s been constantly checking up on me?” Liam asked suspiciously.

  “We haven’t spoken since that day, so no. However, I imagine it’s because he’s worried that you’re working yourself too hard,” his mother chided.

  Liam looked up, glad that the street with the café was coming up. “Everyone needs to worry a little less, I promise, I’m okay. The worst I’ve got is a headache, and wondering whether or not I’m losing my mind about being attacked or just having bad luck.”

  “The universe does like to strike out at you from time to time,” his mother said.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Look, I know you’re busy at the moment, but would you find the time this weekend to give me a call? I’m trying not to be worried about you out in the city by yourself, but it’s hard when you don’t tell me about something like a hospital stay.”

  Liam closed his eyes as a wave of guilt passed through him. “How about this? I’ll give you a call this weekend, tell you all about it in great detail, and you can tell me if I’m imagining things or not.”

  “It will have to do. Please be careful in the meantime.”

  “I will Mom, love you.”

  “And I you.”

  With a breath of relief, Liam locked his phone and slid it back into his pocket. He really wished Sebastian hadn’t called her and given away what happened, but he couldn’t really be mad at him either. Especially when he looked up from the corner and spotted Sebastian standing on the other side of the street, waving at him with a big, beaming grin.

  The warmth and happiness in the smile sent a stab of pleasure and something undefinable through Liam’s chest. He raised his hand in greeting, before looking down once again. He found it was becoming more and more difficult to keep his eyes locked on Sebastian’s lately. Something about the light in them, that seemed to shine only on Liam, left Liam feeling a little vulnerable and out of place.

  Belatedly, he realized someone was shouting louder than was usual even on the busy city streets. Frowning, Liam brought his head up and looked around for the source. Sebastian was still standing on the corner on the other side of the wall of moving cars and trucks, waving frantically and pointing behind Liam.

  Confused, Liam turned on his heel to spot what Sebastian was so frantic about. The toe of his dress shoes caught on the lip of the raised sidewalk. Liam gave a yelp as he pitched forward, unable to stop himself before he slammed into the sidewalk with a groan. Nearby, a car backfired louder than he’d ever heard it, and his vision swam from the jarring collision with the ground.

  Liam groaned, knowing his clothes were ruined and he probably had a bruise or two to go with the swelling on his head.

  “God, do I have the worst luck or what? Shit that hurt.”

  As if appearing from thin air, Sebastian was at his side, frantic. “Liam! Are you alright?”

  Liam peered up at him, his knees and pride both smarting. “I’ve busted my ass on the sidewalk before Sebastian, it’s okay. I didn’t hit my head.”

  Sebastian stared down at him, wide-eyed. “You…fell?”

  Liam blinked up at him, mouth agape. “You think I just, what, decided I liked the ground a lot better and wanted to hang out down here?”

  Sebastian took hold of Liam’s wrist, hoisting him up. “Liam. Someone on a bike was coming toward you, that’s what I was trying to warn you about. When they got close enough, they took a shot at you.”

  Liam looked around, realizing that everyone who’d been on the street was peering out from behind vehicles, mail drop off boxes, doorways, and other assorted makeshift covers. Everyone looked absolutely terrified, and were glancing around as if they expected the danger to come back. It dawned on him then, the loud noise he’d heard
hadn’t been a car backfiring, but a gun.

  “Oh fuck,” Liam said simply.

  Sebastian just stared. “You’re telling me you managed to avoid getting shot because you tripped?”

  Liam’s face burned. “I was turning around to see what you were freaking out about, and my shoe hit the sidewalk and there I went, tumbling down.”

  “You have the best kind of luck,” Sebastian murmured.

  “I don’t think getting shot at counts as very lucky.”

  Sebastian’s features darkened. “No, and now I’m sure you weren’t mistaken about getting attacked in the parking garage. It even makes me wonder if those beams nearly crushing you was that much of an accident either. The foreman tried to figure out who was steering that forklift that crashed into it, and never got a straight answer. It didn’t seem odd to me at the time, construction sites are always busy.”

  Liam glanced around nervously. “Did the guy get away?”

  Sebastian’s reply came in a sharp growl. “Yes, I wanted to tear his goddamn head off, but I didn’t want to leave you alone in case someone else came along.”

  “Someone’s seriously trying to kill me,” Liam said in wonder, unsure if he was more confused or terrified.

  “Yeah, I think I know who.”

  Liam raised his brow. “You do?”

  Sebastian’s nostrils flared. “Tyler Diesel.”

  “The guy you can’t stand, who you have history with, and probably a really ugly rivalry with? He’s the one you think is trying to kill me?”

  “And it started ever since I brought you on after courting Zhao for a deal. If you ask me, it adds up, and I don’t trust it.”

  “But why?”

  “Because that’s the sort of man Tyler is. This deal with Zhao isn’t worth your life though. I need to call him later, call this whole thing off.”

  Liam straightened. “Like hell you are. We’ve put in a lot of time and effort, and I made a whole plan that’s going to work.”

  “You’re really going to argue with me when your life is at stake?”

  “This is a matter of principle, especially at this point.”

  A bang from a few yards down made Sebastian jump, jerking Liam toward him in a protective hug. When nothing else happened, save for the traffic both on the street and the sidewalk continuing on, Sebastian eased his grip.

  “Look, I think it’s best if we get you off the streets for a little bit. Come with me, and you can argue if your life is worth the principle or not.”

  Liam was inclined to agree with the first part, but he refused to back down about the last bit. He’d be damned before he let Sebastian sabotage the entire deal, the future of the company, just because of one man’s underhanded methods. Once they were safe and could think a little more clearly, he would have to make sure to convince Sebastian of that.

  Seemed simple enough.

  SEBASTIAN

  “T his really isn’t necessary,” Liam insisted.

  Sebastian was glad his back was to Liam as he fussed, trying to get the door to his apartment unlocked. He’d told the landlord repeatedly that the thing refused to budge half the time, particularly during the cooler months, when the heat in the building caused everything to swell. He would have thought with what he was paying for the place, the landlord would be a little quicker on the draw.

  Hitting the door open with his hip, Sebastian snorted. “You can keep arguing with me over it if you want, but I’m not budging.”

  “I don’t need to stay at your place,” Liam continued.

  Sebastian smiled, again glad that Liam didn’t have a clear view of his face. After the few minutes it took for the fear to wear off, Liam’s stubborn personality had reasserted itself. That included resisting Sebastian from the moment he’d suggested Liam stay with him until they figured out a better way to keep him safe. Sebastian still thought it was better to cancel the deal with Zhao all together, but Liam still hadn’t budged on his stance with that issue either.

  The automatic lights came to life as they stepped through the threshold, revealing a short entryway that opened up immediately into the spacious living room. When he’d first bought it, Sebastian had thought the place was a little out of date, and after making sure he could, he had the place stripped down to the bare bones of the building and had more built on top of it. The combination of exposed wood and leather was soothing to some deep-seated part of himself, and another part was tickled at the gold trim which lay ingrained along much of the furniture and decorations.

  Liam looked around, nodding. “This is…both what I would have expected and a little surprising as well.”

  Sebastian laughed. “What does that mean?”

  Liam peered at the oak table with its golden inlay in front of the couch. “I wouldn’t have been surprised if the place was a little flashier. But, somehow, this elegant but still beautiful décor fits you so much better.”

  “Somehow?”

  Liam shrugged. “Just a gut feeling, I suppose.”

  “Is this a psych eval, or an assessment of my design choices?”

  “An observation.”

  Sebastian wasn’t sure how he felt about that answer, but he let it go, chalking it up as just one more piece of who Liam was. He let Liam wander off into the kitchen area as he walked across the living room to make sure the windows were closed tight. He knew the windows in both bedrooms and the bathroom were closed as he never opened them, but he was fond of fresh air, even when it was cold out, while he lounged in the sitting areas.

  “So, what’s the story between you and this Tyler?” Liam asked as he joined Sebastian.

  Sebastian sighed. “We went to the same school, same class and everything. I don’t know why, but he didn’t like me from the start, yet we’d barely spoken. He was always trying to do better than me, whether it was grades, awards, or even running against me for the student body. It was completely ridiculous, and he even went so far as to try to get me kicked out of school, framing me for cheating.”

  There had been no real evidence, and what little there had been hadn’t been reliable enough. Sebastian had never been able to prove Tyler had falsified the small amount of evidence that was damning. The incident was investigated, and thankfully, the stain on Sebastian’s name had been small. It was enough for Sebastian however, and he’d never quite forgiven Tyler for that bit of underhanded trickery.

  Sebastian retreated to the kitchen, retrieving a couple of beers from the fridge as he spoke. “It didn’t stop once we graduated either. He was intent on bringing me down, in whatever way he could. I didn’t know it at the time, but he had some friends in high places, namely in the banks. I’m still not sure how he managed it, and I can never prove it officially, but he pulled some strings and managed to get me stonewalled from several business loans.”

  Liam took the offered bottle. “I never knew you had trouble getting started. Or at least, I never read anything about it.”

  Sebastian shrugged. “There was no point in crying about it, especially after I got my loan and started succeeding. Something was always going to get in my way, Tyler was just one more roadblock in my path, albeit one with a grudge.”

  Liam frowned thoughtfully. “That’s one hell of a grudge, to try to get you kicked out and then actively work to keep you from getting into business.”

  Sebastian snorted. “Oh, it was more than just that. Once I had my loan and was moving up in the world, he found other ways to attempt to bring me down. At one point we had a dispute over land, we both wanted it, but he was willing to actively sabotage the area so it would be useless to me. I caught the group responsible, but there was no paper trail to follow, so only the saboteurs were punished. There was the patent dispute he pushed, which set production of a new product I had back several months, costing me a lot. Honestly, over the past few years, the number of things he’s attempted, both above and under the table to try to bring me down is a long one.”

  Liam clicked his tongue. “A rival businessman b
earing a personal grudge, and now he’s got his eyes set on me.”

  Sebastian sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Liam. I know we can’t prove it, but this whole thing stinks of him, especially since he’s after the Zhao account as well. I didn’t think he’d stoop to hurting someone else.”

  “He seems intent on bringing you down by any means necessary, even illegal ones. I suppose once he became desperate enough, what’s a little murder?” Liam asked wryly.

  Sebastian set his beer down, leveling his gaze with Liam’s. “I still say I should drop my offer to Zhao.”

  Liam rolled his eyes. “Absolutely not.”

  “Your life is not worth this account.”

  “I’m not exactly thrilled about the idea of being under literal crosshairs for the sake of a job. But I would rather be shot or bashed over the head again, than allow someone to bully me out of the way. I spent years being bullied and cowed by someone I cared about, and I’m not letting some asshole I don’t even know do the same. You keep that offer up Sebastian Carlton, don’t you dare let this Tyler get what he wants,” Liam said, voice calm even as his eyes blazed.

  “Liam,” Sebastian began weakly.

  Liam thumped his empty bottle down. “No. I’ll stay here if it makes you feel better, but I’m not backing down from this. Now, where’s your bathroom?”

  Sebastian blinked, pointing down the hall without a word. He watched Liam go, a little shocked at the flagrant display of will on Liam’s part. There were few people in the world who would willingly stand up to Sebastian, or refuse to go along with what he wanted. Liam had no fear in that department, standing his ground and leaving Sebastian dumbfounded.

  “Kind of hot actually,” Sebastian muttered to himself as he grabbed more beer.

  HIS GOOD FEELING dwindled away by the time night began to set in. Liam had mostly kept to himself through the rest of the evening, existing quietly in the living room with Sebastian while they mindlessly watched TV. Sebastian hadn’t minded the quiet at first, finding Liam’s calm presence soothing and comfortable. After Liam went to bed, however, Sebastian was left to sit and stew in his own thoughts.