Page 23 of I Am Salvation

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.”

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