Page 90 of I Am Salvation

We get to the door, and he does indeed put me down. I’m a little sad that I’m no longer in his arms, but now is not the time. I lean against the wall while he opens the door.

I expect the worst, but I’m pleasantly surprised. Teddy rushes toward us, whimpering but not barking.

I look around the room. The bed is a bit rumpled, but I don’t see any accidents on the carpet.

“Good boy,” I say, petting his head.

“I’ll take him down in a minute.” Dragon walks me toward the bed. “You lie down.” He props a firm pillow under my right leg. “Keep it elevated. I’ll be back in a moment. Then I’ll send the money through the cash app.”

He grabs the leash, hooks it to Teddy’s collar, and then he’s gone.

I lean against the fluffy pillow. I don’t even care about the ten grand. I’m worried only about Dragon, his sister, and his niece.

A few moments later, Dragon returns, and Teddy, once he’s unleashed, runs to me and joins me on the bed.

“Hey,” Dragon admonishes. “You go easy on her. She’s hurt.”

Teddy seems to understand, and he curls up next to me, his head on my chest.

I stroke his soft, clean head. “What a good boy,” I say. “Animals are amazing, Dragon. They know when you need them. Especially dogs. They have a sixth sense.”

He doesn’t answer, but there’s a far-off look in his eyes.

“Did you ever have a dog?” I ask.

He nods. “A long time ago. Her name was Cinnamon. She was my best friend. But she died before…”

Before his parents gave him away.

At least he didn’t have to leave his dog. Only his mother, father, and sister.

I ache for him. Physically ache, and I’m not talking about the residual pain in my ankle.

Teddy makes a sound kind of like a purr against me, and it vibrates through me, filling me with peace.

But Dragon is not at peace.

And I’m not either.

I won’t be until he is.

He grabs his phone. “I guess there’s no time like now.” He taps on it, and a minute later— “It’s done.”

“Good. Now what?”

“I’ll call Alayna. Tell her the cash has been sent, and she’ll hack into the app to find the address and name attached to the account.”

“So that was why you wanted the money.”

“Yeah, of course. You think I was just going to send that guy ten grand of your money on the fucking honor system? When he doesn’t even have my sister?”

“But he has your niece. Or does he? What if he was lying?”

“He may have been lying about her being my niece, but I talked to a little girl. Her name is Bridget. And she misses her mother. Her mother who told her, by the way, that she has an uncle named Dragon.”

“Oh my God.” I rub my forehead. “I feel like I’m trapped in a made-for-TV movie. Can this get any worse?”

“Oh, Diana,” he says, shaking his head. “Things can always get worse.”

---