by Starla Night
“That depends.” He focused on her. “How fast can you eat eighty pounds of cheese?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rose’s sleepy head tipped sideways and rested on the window just as the bus went over a bump.
Bam.
She jerked awake and rubbed her forehead.
Luckily, no one had noticed, and even more luckily, she’d awakened before the bus closed on her stop instead of after it had passed. She pulled the line, heaved to her feet, and staggered to the exit, holding poles to stop her feet from slipping. The bus screeched to a stop, and the driver opened the door.
Heat blasted her in the face.
She hit the sidewalk, waited until the bus had zoomed on to cross the street, and dragged into work.
Since Jasper had been abducted a week ago, Rose hadn’t been sleeping well. Her worries battled one another, each as large and terrifying as his dragon captor she wasn’t supposed to fight. Grandma’s unpaid debt could lead to an eviction, Briar threated to take Liam, and Jasper was missing. She was sleeping at her apartment, on the back-straining couch, during the summer heatwave.
Rose entered the air-conditioned corporate building.
Kyan greeted her in the lobby. “Status?”
“Same as yesterday,” she replied, leading him past the reception desk with a wave to Jeanine, who was growling into the phone, and through the staff entrance to the environmental center. “How’s Jasper?”
“Whole.”
Well, that was good, then.
The large male stepped in front of her. “Do you require care?”
“No, I’m fine. Thanks anyway.” She put her head down to hurry past him.
“Rose.”
She stopped, one hand on the handle to the environmental tech closet. So close. “Yes?”
“Do you have any training?”
She straightened. “Training? You mean, to do my job? You guys said I didn’t need training when I was hired. I would—”
He made a cutting gesture to stop her. “Military. Black ops. Weapons?”
Oh. “No.”
“Nothing?”
“I barely graduated high school, so no.”
His lips folded. He looked in what she assumed was the direction of Sweden.
She checked her watch. Two minutes to be on time. “Anything else?”
He shook his head and marched to the shipping bay, rose into the air, and disappeared.
She hurried to her locker to store her things and checked the rota. Even though it was a new week, the rota remained unchanged. She grabbed her cart, stocked it, and headed to the elevator.
Ever since she’d won the cleaning contest with Peridot, he’d left her alone. But she couldn’t afford to lose this job, and without Jasper to fall back on as a security pillar, she’d felt too vulnerable to continue arguing.
She had always thought she kept her head down and did her work, but now that she was actually doing that, she realized she’d enjoyed a fun, friendly working relationship with people who cared. And her friendly, although distant, relationship with Kyan only highlighted how much had changed.
On the first day after Jasper’s kidnapping, Kyan had offered to fly her home. She’d declined, deeply unhappy. “Can’t you rescue him? You rescued everyone else.”
“Jasper won’t leave until he satisfies Larimar and Adviser Wrathmoda.” Kyan’s dark gaze glinted. “Unless you rescue him.”
“Me? What can I do?”
“You are his female. A dragon female would challenge Larimar.”
She’d been bathed in fear. “You want me to challenge the dragon that demolished your conference table?”
“Larimar did not demolish the conference table.”
“Oh.” She’d hugged her elbows despite the sweaty heat. “Then who broke it?”
“My brothers and I argued about how to rescue him.” Kyan’s gaze had grown troubled. “Jasper’s calming voice is missed.”
That was touching and understandable, and she’d refocused on the plan to rescue him. “So, you want me to challenge Larimar to, like, a duel?”
“No, that would be suicide for you.”
Okay, so they’d agreed. “Then what do you want me to do?”
“Nothing.”
“There’s nothing I can do?”
“Correct.” He’d frowned and flown away.
She’d wanted to disagree but how? Saving Jasper was another thing she couldn’t control.
Two days ago, Kyan had asked if she’d earned any belts in martial arts, and yesterday he’d wanted to know if she had a ranking in Krav Maga—which, she’d told him, counted as a martial art, and so the answer was still no.
Now, while Rose waited for the elevator, Peridot glided to her. “Rose. How long do the top floor bathrooms take you to clean?”
She raised her guard. “I don’t know.”
“Seventeen minutes on average. Do you know how long you spent yesterday?”
She held up a hand. “Okay. I can explain.”
“Don’t explain. Just exceed my expectations without me having to say a thing like you did for Jasper.”
Irritation fought with her commitment to keeping her job. She contained herself until he turned away. “I explained things to Jasper all the time.”
He turned back. “No, you didn’t.”
Anger rocketed. She put her hands on her hips. “Yes, I did.”
“You didn’t. Jasper told me.”
“I was there! And I don’t know what he told you, but you misunderstood, or he said the wrong thing, because we argued all. The. Time.” The elevator opened and closed, but she couldn’t stop the cavalcade pouring out her mouth. “I had to clean the bathrooms longer because of the problem with the pipes! They’re starting to bubble, which means—”
“Stop.” Peridot held up his finger. “I saw you on the security cameras. You will not explain.”
“But—”
“You will do your job according to your role so I can concentrate on shipping.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.” She laid out her palm to illustrate. “Okay, look, there are certain areas where if we skip a few weeks, nobody will notice, but other areas if you miss a single day, people will notice. And regardless of species or culture, let me tell you, the bathroom is one of those places!”
“You’re wrong.”
Disbelief smacked her. She threw up her hands. “How can I be wrong?”
“I make the rules. I am right. You are wrong.”
She shook her head. A hundred thoughts occurred to her, most of which would lead to her firing.
Down the hall, Elle and Patty peeked around the staff room door.
Peridot had his back to them so he didn’t see. “Listen and obey.”
“I never listened that much to Jasper! And I never blindly obeyed him, believe me. We were friends.”
Peridot narrowed his green eyes. “I already have a girlfriend.”
“Good for you. I can hardly believe it, but good for you. So?”
“You and I will not have the same relationship you have with Jasper.”
Her stomach dropped. “That’s not—”
“We will maintain a boss-employee relationship and there will be no friendship.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Fraternization may be common in human workplaces, but it is not common with dragons.”
“I didn’t mean romance! I meant just normal workplace friends.”
“Dragons do not have workplace friends.”
“Yeah, but—”
“And even if we did, there is no need for a friendship with you.” He eyed her like slime. “You are my employee yet you do not respect your role or mine. Therefore, do as you’re told until you are fired.”
Until. Until.
Her coworkers disappeared back into the staff room.
She hugged her elbows, the throb of pain surprising her. She’d never say she hated Peridot, but he had no problem basically saying it to h
er face. Bitter pain twisted her lips. “Hey, why don’t you just hire our replacements already? If it’s so easy to replace everyone. I’ll even train them.”
“Your suggestion is fiscally irresponsible. Hiring workers before I need them? No, I will hire them when they are required.” He stalked down the hall.
Her mouth moved even though she knew she should keep quiet. “You don’t even know how the waste system works. How can you train anybody new if we’re all gone away?”
He turned on his heel and eyed her like she was an idiot. “I can read.”
“You have a manual? Does it tell you about the moss parasites? How come you’re not worried?”
He turned fully around. “Are you questioning my judgment again?”
“No.”
Which was actually a yes, but she didn’t want to get fired.
She crossed her arms tighter. “I just want to know. Why are you riding me? Why are you timing how long I take to clean a bathroom and whether I’m at the right spot, and you aren’t doing that to any of your other so-called employees?”
“You are my only employee who oversteps her role.”
“I’m the only one trying to do my role!”
He shook his head with mild sadness. “Jasper said I could leave everyone alone and the work would get carried out. I have taken him at his word.”
“But—”
“You are the only one who cannot be left alone.”
“Except everyone’s in the staff room, and you need to apologize.”
“Apologize? For what?”
“For saying you’re going to fire us all!”
He flattened his lips. “No, I don’t think so.”
“But you—”
“Rose.” He floated closer. “Are you trying to order me, your boss, to obey you?”
She shut down. “No.”
“Good.” He left.
Waves of anger crashed over her with cutting lines she could say. Would he listen? No, and this company—Jasper’s company—would suffer. But arguing was useless, and she knew it. She’d be fired.
Rose passed the elevator and stopped in the staff room doorway. Everyone looked away and acted busy except Shawn.
He stared at her. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She walked in and flopped on the last couch. “I’m sorry, guys. I owe you an apology.”
The room dropped silent.
“I said we weren’t friends, but that was a lie. You are my friends. I didn’t want you to hate me, and then you did. I’m sorry I was too scared before. I’ll do better now.”
Patty gave her a hug.
Shawn drank his diet cola, then belched. “We were always cool.”
“I’ll forgive you.” Elle held up an index finger. “If…”
Patty thumped Elle on the shoulder. “Oh, you.”
Rose tensed. “If?”
“You tell us what Jasper’s place is like.”
“Oh. You mean, Jasper’s space yacht?”
The trio nodded eagerly, and she described it from her week-old memories. “His old friends built it for him. There are seven bedrooms. He would probably invite you to spend the night when he gets back. We just have to ask.”
“He owes us,” Shawn said. “He better not say no after he left and threw us under the bus.”
“It wasn’t his fault.” Rose interrupted their tender reunion to defend their former boss. “It’s dragon politics. I didn’t understand either. I still don’t understand. But he’s loyalty to us. He would never have left if it was up to him.”
The others weren’t convinced.
“Like he still has no sway in his family’s company?” Shawn asked.
“He could check on us, but he doesn’t,” Patty said.
“And you could say something,” Elle added, resting her chin on her folded hands.
“He was kidnapped to Sweden for, like, a week. Even I haven’t seen him.”
Elle grimaced. “So how do you know he still cares about us?”
“I don’t know, I just do.” Rose stood and stretched.
“Are you seriously going back to work? Why?”
“I don’t know, I just have to.” Rose pulled at her sticky top. “Is it me, or is it hotter than usual?”
Elle jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Patty hasn’t charged the AC scrubbers in a week.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“They’re over-compensating,” Patty explained. “Like when your new boss tried to vacuum up the fluff and—”
“He’s your new boss, too.”
“Oh, he’s not my new boss,” Patty corrected, and the rest agreed. “After he clogged the vacuum even though you warned him not to, he dumped the fluff into the regular garbage instead of the mobile dumpster. That loose fluff, combined with the external vents blocked by overgrown weeds, is causing a bottleneck that should kill the whole system in…well, I don’t know which will go first, us or the HVAC.”
“I’m hoping us,” Elle said.
“Didn’t you have ‘one more write-up’ days ago?” Rose asked.
“He stopped looking in on us,” Patty said. “He said so to you out there. I think he’d rather be ‘right’ than get anything accomplished.”
“He’s an idiot,” Shawn said.
“He’s not an idiot, he just won’t listen,” Rose said.
“That’s why he’s an idiot.” Shawn shook his shaggy head. “He won’t listen to the expert who’s been here forever, fixes everything, and knows it all.”
Patty and Elle nodded.
“He listened to Jasper,” Rose said. “He just misinterpreted.”
Shawn eyed her. “I meant you.”
Her heart about stopped. “Me?”
The trio nodded.
Her heart sped again, and her chest kind of ached. Liquid prickled in her eyes, and she sniffed and dabbed at her nose with her finger because she was not going to cry. “I don’t know everything.”
“You know enough,” Shawn replied.
“You know to ask questions and listen,” Patty added. “And weren’t you the first employee?”
“That’s Jeanine.” Rose forced her throat clear. “They hired me second.”
“That makes this like your company, too. We get why you don’t want it to blow up, even if it’s not up to you.”
Again, her heart clenched. Her coworkers really were her friends. She headed to the doorway. “Well, I’ve got to get back to trying to work, so…”
“Hey, if Peridot will never fire us, maybe we should stage a walk-out,” Elle said.
“See if he notices?” Patty asked.
“It would make him hire new employees. He’ll see how important Rose is.”
Patty pursed her lips.
Shawn muttered, “He’s an idiot, so I doubt it.”
Rose went to the doorway. “Um, well, when you all get fired, did you want to see each other outside of work? I could give you my number…”
Elle raised her dark brows. “Oh, like how you dated Jasper after he stopped working here? You’ll be real friends after we stop working here too?”
“That’s enough.” Patty gave Elle a glare and Rose her number. “Let me know if you ever need another coffee table.”
“Will do.”
“And will you pick up the phone if I call you?”
“I’ll try. No one ever calls me, so half the time I don’t realize it’s on silent.”
Rose’s phone rang.
“Hey, who’s calling? Is it a joke?” she demanded.
Everyone shook their heads, and the caller ID showed the local police department.
Nerves twinged in her belly. The police? She gulped and answered. “This is Rose.”
“Hi Rose, this is Officer Hitchens calling about a vehicle registered to you.” The voice was efficient yet friendly.
“You found my car?”
“We sure did, and we’d like to have a quick chat. Can you come in now?”
“Sure. Well, actually, I’m at work.”
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“It’ll be harder to get out of the impound without these answers.”
She checked her watch. Her break had ended long ago. “Can we do it over the phone?”
“No.”
She rested her wrist against her forehead. “Okay. I don’t have my car, obviously, so I’ll be getting the bus. I’ll be there in…”
Shawn closed his laptop. “I’ll take you.”
“Are you sure?”
“What, you think I’m afraid to get in trouble?” He shouldered his bag.
“We could come by and pick you up,” Officer Hitchens offered.
“Oh, my coworker’s giving me a ride, so I’ll be there in a few.” They exchanged more details and hung up. She patted her pockets on instinct. Of course, she had to run back to her locker. “I should tell Peridot…”
“Forget that guy,” Shawn said.
“He’ll only write you up,” Patty pointed out, and Elle nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, okay. I guess I’m ready.”
“What happened to your car?” Elle asked.
“I don’t know.” She patted her pockets again. Wasn’t she forgetting something? “It’s nothing. I’m sure it’s fine.”
Patty cleared her throat.
Rose glanced up.
Everyone was staring at her.
“What?” Rose asked, startled.
Elle rested her chin on her hand. “You got a call from the police about your car and it’s nothing?”
Patty shook her head sadly. “I just gave you my number, too.”
Even Shawn looked mildly irritated. Or maybe he was just hot. It was hard to tell.
“Well, I just…It could be nothing. I don’t want you to…I let my grandma borrow my car. She gave it to my sister, and my sister hasn’t brought it back. I assumed she wrecked it somewhere or lent it to someone else because other people have been driving her around and she hasn’t given it back.”
“Did you report it stolen?” Shawn asked.
“Of course not. I know who had it. It was my sister.”
“But if she wrecked it, then you’re liable. If the police want to interview you, it could have been used in a crime.”