Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
There’s no reason to feel guilty.
I don’t need the job. Even if they blacklist me.
I’ll start my own architecture firm. One built on Steel values.
I’ll leave the state of Colorado if I have to.
But I won’t let the snakes here beat me.
The elevator dings, and the doors open on the first floor.
I’m still sitting on the floor and the two people waiting for the elevator eye me suspiciously.
My cheeks are hot, probably as red as a candy apple, but I don’t give a shit. I silently get to my feet and walk out, my head held high.
I may have just doomed my career, but at least I’ll never go hungry.
And I’ll make sure that if Marcus needs anything, an anonymous donation will be sent to his family.
As for Rod and Lund and Lopez?
They can all kiss my ass.
Chapter Seven
Dragon
“Of course, Dragon. What do you need?”
I pause a moment. The generosity of this man never ceases to amaze me. I nearly ruined the concert tour in the UK and Europe, yet he forgave me. Even when I admitted I had taken the drugs, which I lied about in the beginning, he forgave me enough to allow me to stand next to him at his wedding to Brianna, Diana’s sister.
“I need to borrow some money. Not a lot, and I’ll be able to pay you back soon.”
“Fuck, man. Did you fall off the wagon?”
Anger curls at my neck, but I breathe through it. He has every right to ask me that. And if I had? He’d support me every step of the way.
“No.”
“Thank God. What do you need?”
“I have to drive to Taos, New Mexico. I don’t have a car with me here in Denver, and I need to get there right away.”
“What’s in Taos?”
“My parents… I think.”
“Seriously? You said you never wanted to see those fuckers again.”
“I don’t, but they’re the only link I have.”
“To your past life?”
“No. To my sister and what happened to her.”
Silence for a moment. Is he going to interrogate me? Because I’ll tell him everything. He’s the only one, besides my therapist, who knows about my past with my parents, with Griffin.
Finally, “All right. Whatever you need.”
“You don’t want to know the details?”
“If you want to tell me, I’m happy to listen. But if you don’t, that’s okay too. We’re brothers, man.”
That’s not the first time Jesse has said that about us and our friendship. Neither of us have any brothers. Jesse has three sisters, and I… Well, until recently, I thought I only had myself.
But if Griffin is still alive… Jesse deserves to know.
“I can only tell you this, Jess. I have reason to believe my sister may be alive.”
“Oh my God. And she might be in Taos?”
“I don’t know where she is. Someone might be pulling my leg. But my PI located two people in Taos who may be my parents. That’s where I’m going to start.”
“Oh, man…”
“I’ll be okay. I just need to rent a car and get down there as soon as I can.”
“Yeah, absolutely. I’ll wire you some cash.”
“You’re the best. I’ve got to go right away because Thursday evening I start a new job giving percussion lessons at a local music store.”
“Hey, that’s great. And in a couple of months, the band will be back in business.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to that.”
But am I? That means leaving Denver—and Diana’s penthouse.
I can’t think about that now. I have to go. I have to get to Taos and check out these two people.
If they’re my parents, I have no idea how I’ll react or what I’ll say to them.
I have to stay laser focused on the goal.
Find out everything that happened the night Griffin disappeared and then find her…if she’s still alive.
“No problem. Keep me posted, will you?”
“Yeah, I will.”
“You going to tell Diana?”
“About Griffin? Hell no, Jess. You’re the only one I’ve trusted with that information. Well, you and my most recent therapist.”
“I don’t know Diana very well, but of course Brianna speaks highly of her. They have their sibling rivalry, of course, but I’ve learned a lot about the Steel family since I got involved with Brianna. They’re good people, Dragon. Really good people.”
“I’m beginning to see that,” I say. “Thanks again, buddy. I promise I will make it all good between us.”
“Dragon, it’s all good between us. No worries about that.”
I end the call, and within a few minutes, five grand comes through on my cash app from Jesse.
I was expecting a couple hundred. Jesse’s more than generous with me. I’d like to think I deserve it, but I don’t. I’ll have to earn that.
Of course, now that he’s married into the Steel family, five thousand dollars is a drop in the bucket to him.
Doesn’t make me feel any less weird about taking money from him, though.
But my pride isn’t important right now. Finding Griffin is.