Page 113 of I Am Salvation

“I have to do this.”

“I know. Just be safe.”

“I will.” He looks me up and down. “Because for the first time in my life, I have someone to come back to.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Dragon

I drive to a small rural neighborhood on the outskirts of Taos.

It’s farther outside the city limits than my mother’s trailer park, which is technically still in Taos.

I drive to the address, up a gravel driveway.

The house is a one-story ranch. Painted light green. The paint is peeling, and the garage door is missing.

No cars in the garage. Even without a door, Diana’s BMW is safer inside this garage than just sitting out in this neighborhood. So I pull in.

Then I go to the front of the house and knock on the door.

No response.

“Damn,” I yell.

Then a yelp. A dog.

And then a small voice.

“Who is it?”

It’s a young voice. The voice of a young teenage girl. Surprise jolts through me. Oh my God… Could this be my niece?

“Are your parents home?” I ask.

“Is your name Dragon?”

Well, that confirms it. I am talking to my niece. The daughter of my long-lost sister. A well of emotions builds up in me, but I can’t process them right now. I’ve got to play it cool, make sure I don’t scare this little girl.

“Are you expecting someone named Dragon?” I ask.

“He said you’d come for me.”

“Then yes, I’m Dragon.”

The deadbolt clicks, and the door cracks open just a bit.

The dog—he looks like some kind of pit bull mix—peeks his nose out the door.

So much trust this little girl has. I could just be saying I’m Dragon.

“Bridget?” I ask.

“Yes,” the small voice says.

“Is your mother named Griffin?”

“Yes. My father called her Angel, but she told me her real name is Griffin.” She bites her lip, looks at her feet. “I never told him that I knew.”

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