Page 74 of The Accidental Dragon Baby

Raptor dropped to the ground next to Ace, spitting a fireball at a guard rounding a corner. “Guards have been cleared.”

“Proceed,” Duke said through the wire.

Ace and Raptor moved like two parts of a whole. Ace poked his head through the door of the holding shack, only for a bullet to whizz by his ear. He yanked his head back; Raptor tore open a different door, taking out the gunman with a well-placed fireball.

The prisoners had heard the commotion. They were making anxious sounds, but that only made it harder for Ace to pick out the important noises.

He nodded at Raptor; they made their way deeper into the building in search of the larger threat.

Except iron shutters rattled and slammed over the exits, locking them in.

18

A MEATY WAY TO DEFEAT YOUR ENEMY

Ivo jumpedat the metallic rattling, pressing his good eye to the basket’s eye-hole. Out there, the room was partially lit, and eerily still.

“Figures,” Ace muttered. “Of course this has to play out like a horror movie.”

“Don’t pretend. You’re enjoying this,” Raptor drawled.

Ace snorted. “I’ll enjoy disemboweling the person behind all of this.”

Scarcely had he said that when someone laughed, oily and familiar. Ivo’s fur crawled. He squeaked a warning; Ace must’ve understood, because he patted Ivo’s basket.

“I’ve got this, sweetheart,” Ace murmured.

“Aww, my teeth are rotting,” Raptor said.

Something shot out from the corner of Ivo’s eye—a crackle of electricity. Ace and Raptor leaped apart to avoid it; Ivo tumbled back and forth in his basket.

“I had heard that electricity was a dragon’s weakness, but I’d never seen it with my own eyes.” Watsonator stepped out of the shadows like a movie villain, his expression crazed. He was wearing a dirty lab coat, his hair standing on end. Nothing seemed to have changed about him over the years; Ivo shuddered against the chill in his bones. “What is that around your neck?”

“None of your business,” Ace snarled.

Ivo shrunk back; the doctor’s cruel gaze seemed to pierce through the basket.

“Is it a little creature?” Watsonator asked curiously, tossing his long-distance taser between his hands. “Would it like to be mine?”

Phantom pain slid into Ivo’s body, the invasive cold of a scalpel slicing through his fur. He huddled into himself and whimpered.

“That’s Watsonator, isn’t it?” Ace growled.

“What a stupid name,” Raptor said. “Like the name of a burger, except no one wants to eathim.”

The doctor scoffed and pulled out another taser. “Uncultured swines say that before they learn my full name.”

“Which would be...?” Ace trailed off.

“Tygibble Watsonator,” the doctor said pompously. “No one else in the world has a name like mine.”

Ace coughed, but it sounded suspiciously like, “No shit.”

Raptor was biting down a smirk; he shot a meaningful look in Ace’s direction.

“Enough talking,” Ace said. “How about you cease this operation and turn yourself in to the police?”

Watsonator scoffed. “Why would I do that?”

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