Page 6 of Love Fire

“Hi,” I say, glancing down at Erin with a casual grin.

She swallows and takes a moment to school her face into a smile. “Hey, yourself. Are you looking for the bathrooms?”

I shake my head. “Actually…” I pause and reconsider what I was going to say. There are more pressing matters than flirting with this woman, as beautiful and captivating as she is. “What were you doing with that tech?”

“Oh, Remy? I just wanted to thank him for his help when I was here. You know, getting clean. He always looked out for me. He’s like a brother to me.”

I nod and hum in agreement. “What was your drug of choice? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Oh, you know,” she says, blowing a strand of hair out of her face, too casual to be casual. “Pretty much anything.” Even though she smiles, she does not quite meet my gaze. Her hand squeezes around the hold it has on her jacket where the cash is nestled. It could mean nothing, but it most definitely means something. I have been doing my job for long enough that I can spot a clue when I see one.

“You were pretty good out there. I don’t know if I could have handled all that.”

She brushes the compliment aside. “Oh, they’re all sweeties.”

“Did you notice they all seem to be… a little out of it?”

She coughs slightly. “Sorry? What do you mean?”

“Well,” I start, pressing on. I lean further over her, an intimidation tactic I learned on my first day on the job. I have not finished investigating her yet. There is definitely something going on here. “Some of them look like they’re still detoxing. How do you explain that?”

“Well, when people get here, it’s usually because they’ve hit rock bottom or they’ve been dragged here by a relative. They’re usually in the throes of addiction. Some are still high when they sign in.” She smiles nicely, but gone is the attention she gave me at the meeting. I no longer seem special in her eyes.

“Still, it’s a bit weird that patients I’ve seen before seem to be still—well. You know.”

“Do they?” She brushes me off again. She does not seem at all concerned or intimidated by me standing practically on top of her.

I stand firm. “Yes, they do.”

“Huh, I guess that is weird. Anyway, I have to go—job, car, family, you know how it is.”

I nod. “Of course. Don’t let me keep you.”

Pushing her too far will not get me the answers I want, so when she makes the excuse to leave, I stand down and let her go. She saunters away, her stilettos clacking along the linoleum. She seems friendly enough, nice enough, and good at her job, but I am not going to let this slide. Something is going on here—something to do with the patients, Remy and Erin. She is obviously hiding something, what with a wad of cash on her and the shifty way she acted throughout our conversation.

There is something about her though. I cannot deny that I want to get to know her, and would have asked her to dinner if I had not seen her with Remy. She captivated me the moment I caught her gaze and even as I stand in the middle of the hallway, struck with it, the enormity of our interaction and the cosmic balance that brought us together is clear to me. Something is going to happen and I would be a fool to stand in its way.

Still, I am not a stupid enough guy or a bad enough DF agent to ignore the blatant signs of general and vague wrongness that surround this whole situation. It could be connected to my investigation, or it could be something completely random. It could be nothing at all. The only way I will know is by finding out.

7

ERIN

Fuck.

My heart is still racing as I exit the rehab. I just need to get in the car and calm down. That was all too close.

I thought I was just meeting a handsome man but Alessandro’s guest was no man. I didn’t notice at first but up close I could see all the signs. Through my father’s business and making iridescent, I’ve become all too familiar with the signs of a dragon in human form.

Why was he here tonight? Was he really just here to support Alessandro? Or maybe was he following a lead? Is he on to me?

For all I know, he could be a part of Draconis Fire. If that’s the case then I could be in real trouble. Draconis Fire is obviously doing more than any other organization to put a stop to Iridescent. If any one of them catches a whiff of my role in the operation, I’m dead. Either by their hands or my father’s.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” I can’t help but voice my frustration out loud. At the far end of the lot, I spot a black escalade. As soon as I see it, it drives away, the tinted windows hiding its driver.

Not that I needed to see who was driving, that’s obvious. The black escalade is a calling card of my father’s organization. They might as well spray paint “surveillance” on the side. But why has he bothered to get one of his goons to watch me?

I finally get in my car and start the engine. The sooner I get home the better. I just need to put this night behind me.

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