Page 22 of Carler

“It's a secret, but you'll know once I've taken you there.”

He led her to the elevator, and they went to the steak restaurant. Viv probably thought it only served lunch and dinner, but it had a special breakfast that only certain people were invited to. Those were dragons and certain guests, like whalers from the casino. Once they made it, she would be able to go there alone if she chose to. The breakfast was buffet-style, but many of the hot items, including the omelets, were made to order.

Carler already knew that his mate loved omelets. First, she went to the omelet station, put in her order, and left a plate. Then she went around the buffet, filling another plate with everything she wanted. Lastly, she returned, picked up her omelet, and went to the table. Her coffee and OJ were waiting for her, and she was ready to eat a spectacular meal. The steak and omelets were wonderful, and it was also one of his favorite breakfasts.

“Today, we will work together on the list to get a smaller list for those working on it. If we can get rid of everyone on the inside that Joe has sent here, we will move forward at a much more rapid pace.” He observed.

“You think we'll actually be able to find them all?”

“I have no doubt that we will, and we will need to find them fast. You seem to do an especially good job of picking out those needing a closer look. If you don't mind, you can continue to do that and get me lists when you have five names. I will narrow down those names before I send any of them to the group working on questioning people.”

“I'm fine with that. I'm already in the middle of gathering a list, and I would rather complete that.” Viv agreed.

He was pleased that she was going along with his plan because sometimes she could be stubborn and fight anything he came up with. They finished their breakfast with some fruit and then took coffee with them. Humans were very attached to their coffee, and he was also beginning to like some of it. They believed the caffeine in it kept them energized, but he wasn't so sure. As his mate had told him, if she believed it, it was so. If she drank a lot of it, it did seem to wake her up, so who was he to deny her coffee?

They settled into work and were moving through the lists rather quickly. It bothered Carler how many suspicious people were working among them. He sent off a list of five that he had narrowed down from ten. He wasn't happy about them but didn't think they were here to cause trouble. They just weren't very good workers and eventually would be let go. Viv was right; not everyone was a traitor, but even an assistant in training should have picked some of these people out and kicked them off the list for potential employment.

Some of their problems were probably simply due to poor workers and not even caused by sabotage. All morning, they worked through the lists and sent them on to those who would question the ones that he found suspicious. His stomach growled, alerting him that it was time to feed the beast. They've been quiet since they removed those in charge of security and replaced them with someone better. Carler knew that it was too early to relax.

Why did thinking of trouble seem to bring it? Someone was yelling, and the peace was shattered. He jumped out of his chair and headed out of the office, and he shouldn't be surprised that she followed him. Whatever the issue was, they were on the same floor. People were running away, and here he was, leading his mate to what could only be big trouble.

The boy or girl, because it was hard to tell, was strapped with a device that might or might not be a working bomb. He stepped back and let his mate take the initiative. What did he know about what to say to a teenager who was clearly crazy?

“Hey there. What's that you're wearing?” Viv asked.

The kid was crying, and it was obvious that she felt she had nowhere else to go. “A bomb.”

“Do you know those are dangerous and can kill you and everyone else around you?”

“Yes, it's the only way I can save my family.”

“What's your name?”

“Darla.”

“Darla, what happened to your family?” Viv asked.

“My mom's real sick. Old Joe said that if she dies, they'll take me and my sister away and put us in an orphanage.”

“Is your mother in the hospital?”

“No, she's at her home, and Joe is keeping an eye on her for me. He says if I do this, he will get her a doctor, and my sister will be able to stay with her.” Darla admitted.

“Do you know who Joe is?”

“He's a rich guy, and he hates dragons. I think dragons would be cool, but now I have to kill them all. I want my sister to be able to stay with my mom, and I want my mom to live.”

“What do you think your mom will say if something happens to you?”

“She'll be sad, but she'll know I loved her.”

“She will feel guilty that you did this for her. Why don't you tell us where she is, and we'll go get her and take her to the hospital here. We'll bring your sister along, too. Joe Senior is a little crazy, and he's not always honest. Do you see any dragons here?” Viv asked.

“No, but he says they hide really well.”

“If they're hidden, how will you know if you got any of them? He'll think you didn’t, and he doesn't always keep his word anyway. Do you know what a mob boss is? That's what Joe was until he made the mob bad, and they kicked him out. Now, he blames other people because he messed up, and he tries to kill them. He uses people, and he never gives them what he promises.”

“How do I know you're being honest?” Darla asked.

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