Page 2 of Dragon in Boots

Asshole hadn’t given one nut-sack hair about her or those poor creatures. They’d been nothing more than a feather in his cap as an up-and-coming environmental lawyer.

Fraud! He hates animals! And the environment.She, on the other hand, loved and appreciated all life, including the complex and sometimes hunger-driven relationships of the animal kingdom. Everything had to eat something, from the biggest animals to the tiniest of bacteria. It was all about balance. It was about the right to survive.

That said, exploiting living creatures for greed was wrong. Sure, farmers and ranchers needed to make a living—otherwise, why do it at all? But the people who illegally bought white tigers, slaughtered elephants for tusks, or hunted animals for pure sport were evil.

Every creature had a right to live. And if that right was forfeited, it had to be in the name of supporting all life. The fly fed the spider. The spider fed the sparrow. The sparrow fed the owl. The owl…well, she didn’t know what fed on owls, but it had to be something hungry.

Point was, Jac was a realist when it came to how life and death went hand in hand, but she would fight to the bitter end to stop those who took, captured, and exploited animals they had no right to touch.

Like poor Larry. Her three-legged giraffe. Some dumb hunter had shot him in the knee when he was a baby, and left Larry for dead.

“Hi, are you Jac?” said a towering blonde in a black leather catsuit, standing at the end of the long hallway. She had a big bust and wore huge foam unicorn earrings that reminded Jac of Ping-Pong paddles.

“You must be Mink?” Mrs. Peepers had mentioned that her right hand, Mink, would be around to show Jac the ropes before the show.

“Nicetameetcha!” Mink said. “Wow. Peepers was right. You really do have a lot of freckles. It reminds me of that time I ate bad tacos.”

“Sorry?” Jac arched a brow.

“Hours of butt confetti.”

What the…?Had this woman just compared her freckled skin to diarrhea splatter?

Jac pasted on a tight smile, reminding herself of the stakes.

Mink continued, “Peepers also told me ya know your way around a bar, so let me just show you the important stuff you’ll need for tonight. Come this way.”

Mink gestured for Jac to follow her into the theater, which had a tiered amphitheater layout. Each level had pink café tables and chairs facing the big stage below with a hot pink curtain. A raised catwalk covered in glittery paint extended out, dividing the large space in half.

Mink pointed to their right toward a long counter with empty glass shelves behind it. “There’s the bar. On the other side are the restrooms, in case you need to shelter from the heat. Okay. Nice chat. Welcome aboard.” She turned to leave.

Heat?“Wait. Where’s the storeroom to restock the bar? How about a breakroom?” Jac chased behind Mink, who stopped, puckered her red lips, and blinked her long fake eyelashes.

“I don’t know. It’s my first day, like everyone else. New crew! Well, except for the dancers. Most of those guys have been here a while.”

And this just got weirder. Peepers had only mentioned the bartender leaving. She’d said nothing about the rest of the staff.

“What exactly happened to the other employees?” Jac asked.

“They all quit once the new headliner started last week.” Mink chuckled. “Once Dash gets onstage, the audience loses their collective mind.” Mink added under her breath, “Viva la revolution.”

“Revolution?” Everything this woman said sounded like it came from a box of Cracker Jacks. The bottom part.Pure nuts.

“Look at that. I’m being summoned. Gotta jam, chica freaka.” Mink turned to leave again.

Jac just stood there, confused by the welcome. She also hadn’t heard anyone summon Mink. “Um. Okay. Guess I’ll have a look around and find the bar supplies on my own.”

“They’re in the basement next to the breakroom.”

“But you just said you didn’t know…never mind. Thanks.” This woman was batshit crazy.

“No problemo, cowgirl.” Mink paused in the doorway leading to the hall. “Oh, and word of advice: when you get the urge to take off your shirt tonight, don’t.”

Jac frowned, glancing down at her pink T-shirt.Why would I do that?“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

“Let’s hope not.” Mink’s smile melted off her red lips. “Just know I’m bouncing tonight, and I take no prisoners. Wait. Scratch that. I make them all my prisoners. Way more fun.” Mink sauntered away, swinging her ass side to side like she didn’t know how to walk in heels.

All alone, Jac looked around the cavernous room, goosebumps breaking out on her arms. “This place gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

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