Page 47 of Finch

are sealed.”

“Well…” Finch tilted his head back and took a grounding breath before he continued. “As I was

saying, ‘superin’ is a… turn of phrase. Yes, of course. A turn of phrase meaning… uh… are

you familiar with… um… with…”

God, it had to be scandalous if Finch couldn’t come right out and say it. Hugh held his breath,

rapt with anticipation. What was his secretary hiding from him?

After what felt like an eternity, Finch’s shoulders slumped and he leaned forward, bringing

himself right next to Hugh’s ear so he could whisper, “Marijuana?”

Hugh gasped and took a startled step back. “Finch!”

Finch offered him a pained smile and shrugged, but it lacked the energy he’d had just moments

before. If anything, he looked a bit hollow. “What can I say? My past is a secretive and sordid

thing.”

“What else don’t I know about you, Finch?”

The hollow look only grew. “If only you knew, sir. If only you knew.”

Finch

There had been times in the past that Finch had ruminated on the relationship between cats

and dragons. They had many similar traits. They were beautiful and devious and selfish and

generally owned whatever space they occupied. Dragons, it seemed, also left presents like

cats sometimes did. The trouble was, unlike with cats, Finch couldn’t figure out what prompted

Hugh to leave them.

At first, it was a few gold coins, and they’d baffled him, but in the end he’d decided that they

had to have fallen from Hugh’s pockets by accident. But then one morning he found a gold

chest the size of a shoebox encrusted with cabochon rubies outside the door to his suite and

realized the coins hadn’t simply been lost.

After checking to make sure Hugh wasn’t peeping on him from a nearby doorway, Finch picked

up the chest. It was quite heavy. With a grunt he carried it into his suite and closed the door

with his foot, then laid it on the nearby table. The latch on the front was uncomplicated and

lacked a lock, so he opened it. Inside was a strange figurine of some type. Finch took it from

its velvet resting place and gave it a look. It was a dragon made from silver and gold with

gemstone scales. With a soft tap of the ruby button on the dragon’s back, its wings unfurled. It

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