“Pardon?” Max asked.
“Why are you still here? Dragon. Huge, huge story. Tremendous story.”
Max strode away, his mind working busily. He’d applied for this job after seeing it in the local paper. At the time, a job near home had been a godsend when Noel had needed him. But now, he wondered if his grandmother had manipulated him from behind the scenes.
Max wheeled around and stalked back to his boss’s office. “Which family favor got me this job?”
His boss stilled. “Let me make this clear. If I see you in this office again today, I will fire you, and then what will you do for money?”
Although he hadn’t answered, Max had enough information to make a calculated guess. Manipulated him. No wonder his boss had summoned him back to work early and thank every god for Sasha’s strength and integrity. He couldn’t have a better person to look after Noel when he couldn’t be there to do it himself. If his assumptions were right, then his grandmother had looked at Sasha’s youth and thought to manipulate her. She’d failed once, but his grandmother had another plan up her sleeve if she’d had him recalled to Edinburgh.
Max speared one harsh glare at his boss and turned on his heel. He stopped by his office and cleared his desk. It was time for him to take a stand against the hidden enemy. Actually, not so hidden since his grandmother’s fingers were all over this manipulation. He’d do some other job, and his boss could suck eggs. Ten minutes later, he walked out of the newspaper office, determined never to return.
“Hey, Max. Wait up!”
Max glanced over his shoulder and hid his grimace.
“Wait up! The boss wants me to go with you to take photos. Says it’s the biggest story to hit for months, and we aren’t about to miss out on our big payday,” the paper photographer called. The portion of his face visible above his beard had turned red, and he was breathing hard. Wisps of hair had escaped his ponytail and surrounded his face like a halo.
Max grunted. “I’m going home.”
“Please, Max. I need this job. If I get the sack, I won’t make my mortgage payment for this month. My wife and I are already working every hour we can. Please.”
Max sighed. He couldn’t kick a man who was only trying to do his job and survive. “I’m not coming back to Edinburgh.”
“No problem,” the photographer said. “I’ll email my photos and head home using the train or a bus. Don’t care. Just give me a chance to get this dragon with my camera.”
“You agree a dragon is flying around Bamburgh?” Max asked.
The photographer shrugged. “Truly, I have no clue, but the paper has two credible sources. At least, that’s what the boss told me.”
During the drive to Bamburgh, the photographer prattled on about everything and nothing while Max wondered what the hell he’d do now.
He had to have a job to pay for household expenses. His parents had set up a trust for Noel, and the income from that trust went toward Noel’s upkeep and costs. Max received the quarterly payment as Noel’s current guardian, but only a portion of that went toward the household expenses.
The house cost a lot to maintain. He could downsize, but he hated to tear Noel away from an environment he loved, where he felt settled.
A dilemma.
Max lived to write innovative stories, and he wasn’t doing that in Edinburgh.
“The traffic is heavy,” the photographer pointed out when they came to yet another halt.
“Yes,” Max said in an understatement.
His average drive time of three-quarters of an hour lengthened to over an hour before they’d even arrived at the outskirts of Bamburgh.
“Hell,” the photographer said, tugging his salt-and-pepper beard in agitation. “I recognize some of those vehicles. Every newshound in the country is chasing the dragon. Where was the sighting?”
“At the beach. I’ll park at my place and walk. In this traffic, it’ll be much faster.”
It took them much longer to get to his house than he’d anticipated. When they arrived, vehicles surrounded his home. Two men were hammering on his front door, their determination to gain entrance underlined by the loudness of their thumps.
What the hell?
“Who are you?” Max demanded. “Why are you banging down my front door?”
The men whipped around, and Max recognized them as reporters from larger London newspapers. He’d worked with one during his time in the city.
“Max?” the man said in surprise. “You live here?”
“My parents’ house,” Max said in a stiff voice. “You didn’t answer. Why are you thumping on the door?”
“Witnesses saw the dragon land here and enter your house,” his acquaintance said.
Max’s brows rose. “The dragon landed here? And entered my house? How? My home seems to be in one piece, and I doubt a dragon would fit inside without damaging the building. Now stand aside and let me enter.”
The two men exchanged a glance and backed up to let Max past. He plucked his keys from his pocket and entered. The two men attempted to follow him inside, but Max shut the door in their faces and locked the door.
“Sasha! Noel! Where are you?” He turned toward the family room since he could hear low voices.
“Max. Max. Max!” Noel hurtled from the den and flew at him, gripping Max around the knees. “Someone tried to steal me, and Shasha saved me.”
“What? Where’s Sasha?”
“In here, Max.” Her voice sounded subdued and less Sasha than normal.
Concern zapped him. Was Noel telling the truth? Long strides took him into the room where they spent most of their time. “What’s going on? Noel said someone grabbed him?”
Sasha bit her bottom lip, hesitating in a way that had his warning signals blaring.
“Tell me what happened.”
“We visited the beach as we do most afternoons. Instead of swimming today, Noel and I walked and collected shells. The entire time, I suspected someone was watching us. We had almost walked to the car park halfway along the beach when I noticed a runner. Instead of continuing past us, he ran at Noel and seized him. He took off with Noel. I gave chase and caught him before he could stuff Noel in the waiting car and drive off.”
“There was a waiting car?”
“Yes, the driver had the engine going.”
“I don’t understand. How did you grab Noel back when there were two men? Did someone help you?”
“Shasha turned into her dragon and scared the men. She blew fire, and then she picked me up, and we flew back here. It was like a book adventure,” Noel shouted.
Max gaped at his brother, then glanced at Sasha and waited for her to deny everything. She didn’t, merely averting her gaze and continuing to bite her lip.
“Did you call the cops?”
Sasha shook her head. “I tried to ring you, but it kept going to voicemail.”
Max winced. He hadn’t wanted his boss to call him for updates, so he’d turned off his phone. “I’m sorry.”
Someone banged on the front door. “Max Lombardy, please come to the door. It’s the police.”
“At last,” he muttered. “Someone to make sense out of this.”
He strode to the door, unlocked it, and flung it open. Two policemen stood in the doorway. The tallest one—a man with cropped black hair and a close-trimmed black beard—handed him an envelope then paused a beat, his gaze going beyond Max to land on Sasha and Noel. Irritation flooded Max when he noted the appreciation in the policeman’s eyes. The other cop, with red hair and blue eyes, maintained a professional mien. Thankfully.
“Mine,” Max stated and stepped back before slamming the door. Oh, very mature, Max, he mocked himself, but his inner caveman hated the cop’s expression. Anger pulsed through him again. The entire time he’d been away from Sasha and Noel, he’d thought about them, and the highlight of his day was the evening video calls where Noel told him the details of his morning and afternoon. His little brother was thriving under Sasha’s care, de
spite someone trying to kidnap…
“Fuck,” he ground out and flung open the door. “Can you wait?” What the hell was wrong with him? Someone had attempted to grab Noel, and he was letting his drama get in front of his brother’s safety. “I want to report an attempted abduction.”
The policemen paused and exchanged a glance. They retraced their steps.
“An abduction? Is that why the reporters are baying for your blood?” the red-haired cop asked.
“Me?” Max clapped a hand to his chest. “I haven’t been home for long. Someone reported they saw a dragon.”
The taller cop snorted in disbelief. “What have they been drinking?”
Max barked out a laugh. “That’s what I said.”
“You wanted to report an attempted abduction?”
“Yes,” Max said. “My fiancée and my brother were taking a walk on the beach. Someone grabbed Noel and tried to shove him in a car,” Max said. “It was only luck that Sasha rescued Noel.”
“Can we talk to them?” the dark-haired cop asked.
The other answered a ringing mobile and spoke in low tones.
“Come in,” Max said and stood aside to usher them indoors.
“Can I get you a cup of tea?” Sasha asked from the doorway of the family room.
The red-haired cop shoved his phone into his pocket. “I wish we could, but our station needs us for crowd control. We’ll take your report and head back to the station.”
The black-haired cop studied Sasha again, and this time Max kept his jealousy at bay. Max ushered them to the kitchen table and pulled out a seat. He gestured for the cops to take a chair. “This is my fiancée, Sasha.”
“Sasha, can you tell us what happened?” the dark-haired cop asked.
“It is as Max said. Noel and I go to the beach in the afternoons. Most days, we swim, but today was a bit cooler, so we collected shells instead. We’d almost walked along as far as the car park. It’s around halfway along the beach. A jogger came toward us, and I thought he was out for a run. We see runners every day. But this man veered straight for us and grabbed Noel. I raced after him shouting, but I didn’t catch him until the car park. He had a friend waiting in a vehicle. The engine was running for a quick getaway. I was desperate because I knew the moment they stuffed Noel inside, they’d be off. Somehow, I grabbed the man, and Noel fell out of the car. The guy jumped into the car with his friend, and they drove off.”
Noel had wandered into the kitchen and leaned against Sasha as she spoke.
“Can you give me a description of the men?” the tall cop asked.
“The one that grabbed Noel was taller than Max and skinny. He wore sunglasses and a cap. I couldn’t see his hair, so it must’ve been short. He was wearing a faded blue T-shirt with a shape or design on the front. I don’t know what it was, only that it was red lettering. He had on black shorts and running shoes.”
“What about the man in the car?”
“I couldn’t see much of him. He wore sunglasses too, and I got the impression he was overweight.”
“Excellent,” the cop said. “What about the car they were driving?”
“It was brown.” She pulled a face. “I’m not good with car models. I looked at the number plate, but the numbers and letters were unreadable. Someone had covered them with mud.”
“What time did this happen?”
“Around two hours ago,” Sasha said.
“Why didn’t you call us immediately?” the red-haired cop demanded, his eyes narrowing.
“They terrified Noel. I wasn’t much better,” Sasha said firmly. “It’s taken us a while to calm down.”
“You—” The cop broke off and took a visible breath. “Where were you when this happened?” he asked Max.
“Edinburgh.”
“Is that why you’ve come home?” the dark-haired cop asked.
“No, although I would’ve returned immediately once I’d heard about the abduction. My brother is my priority. My boss wanted me to investigate the rumors of a dragon sighting.”
“I see,” the red-haired cop said.
Max’s mouth tightened. Hell, they both knew the dragon sighting was a load of rubbish.
The taller cop glanced at Noel and back at Max. “Can I ask Noel a few questions?”
Max shared a glance with Sasha, took in her frown but decided a few questions wouldn’t hurt.
“Hello.” The cop gentled his voice and smiled at Noel. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“A man picked me up,” Noel said. “He ran away with me. But Shasha came. She turned into a dragon and rescued me.”
A nervous giggle emerged from Sasha, one Max had never heard before from the confident woman. “I did turn into a bit of a dragon,” she confessed. “I was desperate to save you.”
“You breathed fire.” Noel’s grin was broad.
“I did,” Sasha said. “I didn’t want the men to steal you.”
“Right.” The dark-haired cop shut his notebook and rose as did his partner. “We’ll file the statement and start our investigation. Hopefully, there is a CCTV in the car park, which will help us with our inquiries.”
Max stood too. “Thank you. I’ll see you out and make sure the gate is closed.”
Max escorted the cops to the gate, and immediately, the reporters burst into a hubbub of questions.
“Is it true you have a pet dragon?”
“Where do you keep a creature that large?”
“Is there a fire danger?”
Those were the questions he registered through the white noise. He gaped at the men and women, some of whom he knew through work and his contacts.
“Can we come inside and see the dragon?”
The cops exchanged a glance then focused on Max as they passed through the gateway to get to their vehicle.
Max shrugged. Hell, if he understood what they meant. The only thing their crazy questions did was confirm that he didn’t want to work for the Edinburgh paper with its increasing tabloid stories. He wanted to do serious reporting on politics and break scandals to improve people’s lives, not to increase the popularity of local celebrities. He glanced along the boundary that surrounded his property and noticed several reporters climbing the wall.
“Hey! This is private property. You can’t enter without my permission.”
The dark-haired cop was already behind the wheel of the police vehicle, but his red-haired buddy let out a shout. “You! Stop right there. The owner told you to leave. If you don’t comply, I will issue you with a fine.”
The trespassers climbed back to the public side of the fence with bad grace.
“We should be able to go after a story,” one of the nearby reporters grumbled. “You can’t stop us from writing about the dragon.”
“Are you listening to yourself?” Max demanded. “You’re all crazy. Dragons are fictional creatures. Storybook characters. Go home and give it a rest.” With that, Max strode back to the house. He let himself inside and hesitated a beat before he locked the door.
“What’s going on out there?” Sasha asked. “Why are there so many people?”
“They’re convinced I’m harboring a dragon, keeping it hidden for my amusement. Idiots,” Max snarled.
Noel appeared behind Sasha. “Shasha is a dragon.”
“Yeah.” Max dragged a tired hand through his hair. “I’ll check the windows before I take a shower. My head is aching.” He pressed his thumbs against his temples. “If you discover anyone peering through the windows, pull the curtains. And above all, don’t talk to them. All right?”
“Yes, Max,” Sasha said.
“Max sounds cranky,” her dragon observed.
“He has a headache. We’ll make him a tonic while he’s taking a shower.” She held out her hand to Noel. “Let’s make some cookies. I have some dough in the fridge.”
While she made her headache potion, Noel busily cut out shapes with the cookie cutters Sasha had found in the cupboard. Luckily, she had everything she
needed in the kitchen. Everything except one ingredient. Fresh chamomile. She hesitated before deciding. “You wait here, Noel, and don’t move. I need to collect fresh herbs from the garden. If anyone knocks at the door, please ignore it.”
He didn’t look up, happy to play with the tiny bits of dough.
Sasha padded to the kitchen door and cocked her head. The babble of voices came from the reporters standing at the gate, but no other sounds reached her. At least, nothing to alarm her. She slid back the lock and opened the door. Seconds later, she slipped outside and headed for the vegetable patch. While she was out there, she plucked basil leaves, mint, and parsley along with the chamomile. She was halfway back to the house when two men confronted her. One snapped a photo, the bright light making her blink and her dragon complain. While she was recovering, the other man thrust a fluffy blue thing at her.
“What is that?” her dragon asked with mild curiosity. “Touch the fluffy thing. It doesn’t look edible.”
“What can you tell us about Max’s pet dragon?” a man with a brown mustache and freckles asked.
“We’re not a pet,” her dragon said with disdain. “Tell him.”
Mustache Man tried to push past her, but Sasha stood her ground. “Out. I believe Max told you this was personal property, and you have no right to enter.”
“Push past,” the man’s companion said without a care for any laws. “She’s a girl.”
Anger built in Sasha, part of it fueled by her dragon. Impatient with the pesky men, Sasha gave one a forceful shove. He sailed through the air and hit with a thump.
Mustache Man didn’t even bother looking to his friend’s health and safety. Taller than her, he obviously fancied his chances of getting past her.
“Blow warning fire,” her dragon snapped. “This man is not getting to Max and Noel.”
Sasha gave her back garden a rapid scan and let her control cede toward her dragon. Her sight became sharper, and she knew Mustache Man would see her otherness in her eyes.
“Don’t hurt him. Just frighten him,” she warned.
“Yes. Yes,” her dragon said, and her voice held glee.
When Mustache Man placed his hand on her shoulder, Sasha pushed him. He, too, went flying. Before he’d even landed, her dragon took more control and blew out a gust of fire. It landed right near Mustache Man’s leg. His panicked yelp rippled through the air as she slammed the door.
Sasha (Dragon Isles Book 4) Page 11