Page 35 of The Dragon's Surprise
One thing stood out to her immediately—every car was the same white make and model. Almost as if it’d been a requirement to come to wherever the hell she was.
Something about that detail was familiar and tugged at the edges of her memory. Then she remembered how illegal dragon-shifter auctions often required every bidder to follow a strict set of rules, one of which was about the car used to access the event. If everyone drove the same type, it’d be harder to pinpoint anyone who attended the buying and selling of dragon-shifters.
Rather than feeling triumphant at figuring out what was probably happening here, her stomach only churned harder. Because no undercover agent had ever successfully infiltrated one of these events. At least, to her knowledge.
Which meant she would have to find Ethan and try to escape on her own.
And that was going to be near impossible.
Especially since a quick check revealed she had nothing in her pockets. And with no phone or money, escaping and surviving in a desert for long was nearly impossible, especially for someone like her, who’d never even been camping.
Then she noticed a stream of people carrying small, limp forms—a mixture of children and women—and she clenched her fingers into fists. She couldn’t simply abandon them. Ethan might even be among them.
So no matter what, she needed to find a way to contact either her sister or MirrorPeak and let them know where she was. Contacting ADDA or DOCS in general was too risky, given the rumors of spies and double agents everywhere.
Prying her eyes from the window, she searched the room. And while there was a landline jack, there was no physical phone.
Which meant she needed to explore other parts of this building.
After getting to the door, she turned the knob and was surprised it moved. However, she released it without tugging and peeked through the old-fashioned keyhole. No one was on the other side, and she made out a narrow hallway, just as dirty and neglected as her room.
The next step was to escape.
The pounding was mostly gone, and she could walk normally, which was a good sign. Plus, the arrivals should keep most people’s attention in the vicinity. At least, if she were in charge of something like this, she’d make sure all the staff were on the lookout for cops, ADDA, or the FBI, and not on one random human drugged unconscious.
Luckily for her, someone must’ve given her too low of a dose.
Okay, Lexi. Time to be brave and see if we can get help.Slowly, she turned the knob again, opened the door a crack, and listened. However, it was the same hum as before, so she opened the door—grateful it didn’t squeak—and tiptoed down the short hallway. The building was old, and the wooden floors and walls made her think it was from early last century.
Tucking that bit of knowledge away for later, she reached a sort of living room space, but it was devoid of furniture. Well, everything but an old, dirty lawn chair.
Which was empty.
Since there was no phone, she moved to a small room with a sink that looked to be a kitchen. Despite the age of the building, there was a power outlet over the counter in the room.
And attached to it was a phone.
After checking the hallway again, she went to the phone and tried to unlock it. However, it required a pattern. She tried one of the most obvious—an L-shape down the middle—and it worked. Her elation was short-lived since there were zero bars.
Which explained why someone would leave it lying around with her nearby.
Still, she tucked the phone into her pocket. Because at least now, she had a chance to call someone if she could find some service.
Not wasting time, Lexi found the back door and peered out. The coast was clear, so she exited and went to the edge of the building, leaned against it, and peered around the corner. Fewer people were handing cars over to what looked like some sort of valets. However, she took a minute to watch where one man drove to park the car.
The spot was about a quarter of a mile away from the center of activity.
Lexi was torn. She wanted to confirm Ethan was here and see if she could help him. And yet, her chances against all the criminals here, plus their wealthy bidders who wouldn’t want a witness, weren’t good. Her best bet would be to steal a car and drive to find a spot that had cell service so she could get help. Because it would take more than her to rescue anyone and escape.
Silently pleading for Ethan to be okay, she quietly walked toward the back of the yard, hiding as best she could from the obvious security cameras—someone wanted everyone to know they were watching—and from the people filing into the largebuilding in the center of what looked like an abandoned town. A ghost town, maybe?
Lexi kept checking, but the phone had zero bars as she walked. She focused on using the buildings to hide her, getting her ever closer to the parked cars. Every step made her realize just how hot it was outside and how dry her mouth was.
Lexi would never take water for granted again.
Once she was as close to the parked vehicles as she could get without being seen, she suddenly had three bars.
Ha! Of course they’d safeguard the cars.
