Chapter 8

“So, it seems we both have stories to tell.” Amy settled into a rocking chair on the wraparound porch of a house that appeared to be vacant at the moment.

“It would seem so.” Jayce sat in the chair next to hers.

She chewed her lip and stared out at the street.

“I’ll go first,” Jayce said. “My story seems a lot shorter than yours.”

“Thank you. I’m afraid my story is a bit long and convoluted. To be honest, I’m not looking forward to explaining everything to Kristine.”

Jayce crossed his feet at the ankles and stretched out. “I think Kristine will be more understanding than you realize.”

Amy looked over at him. He seemed sincere, but how could she trust him? She didn’t know this man, and she thought she knew all about Kristine’s boyfriends. Could this be the guy from the other night?

Jayce steepled his fingers and said, “Kristine and I met a few months ago in Boston. There was an instant attraction, but acting on it at the time wasn’t, well…appreciated.”

“You mean to say that Kristine rejected you?”

Jayce smiled as if he were remembering the scene. “I don’t consider it a rejection so much as just poor timing. You see, we met at my brother’s funeral.”

“Oh! I think I remember her saying something about that.”

He looked hopeful. “Really? She talked about me?”

“In a matter of speaking. I heard her muttering to herself something about the only man to spark her attention recently was a jerk at a funeral. And something about how she had the worst taste in men and should just give up and become a nun.”

Leaning back, Jayce laughed. “She did say something about taking a vow. Fortunately for me it wasn’t a nun’s vow. She had vowed not to sleep with firemen.”

“So, it sounds like you’re saying you’re sleeping together.”

Jayce looked over at her and simply asked, “Is that a problem?”

Amy thought about how this guy had saved her. If Kristine trusted him, knowing she wasn’t all that trusting of men—at least when it came to romantic relationships—he must be a special guy. “No. No problem at all. As long as you treat her right.”

“I’ll let you ask her if she’s being treated well. But to ease your mind, I care about her, maybe more than I should. We’ve only been together for a few days, and I’m already in love with her. I live in Boston, but we’ve agreed that making the effort to overcome the distance and our crazy schedules is worth a try.”

Amy nodded. “So you’re the guy… The one from Boston that she was muttering about.”

Jayce shrugged. “Unless there was some other jerk she was attracted to who frustrated her by hitting on her at a really bad time.”

Amy laughed. “I doubt that very much. Kristine keeps most men at arm’s length. I’m sorry if that’s my fault. I’ve told her nothing about her father for good reason.” She took a deep breath, knowing she was going to launch into the story.

“Kristine’s father was a very dangerous man. I was young and naive. We had a whirlwind romance during which he took me to Paris, gave me beautiful jewelry, and quickly moved me into his mansion in Southampton. He promised he’d help me with my acting ambitions, and he paid for private coaching.” Amy worried her lip and began wringing her hands. “By the time I realized who and what he was, I was already pregnant.”

“I have a sister-in-law who is also a dragon. She mentioned that she can only have children with another dragon. So she and my brother will never have any kids. Is that true?”

Amy nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so. I knew Kristine would be my one and only, and I couldn’t allow her to be in danger all her life. Plus this man had become incredibly possessive, not allowing me to go anywhere without him or one of his most trusted guards. I felt like I was living in a prison. And if I tried to get away, he could shift into dragon form and come after me.”

She looked Jayce in the eye and said, “He wanted me to get an abortion. He wanted me all to himself. I couldn’t let that happen, so the first chance I had, I ran.”

“How far did you get?”

“I managed to hitchhike my way to Hicksville. I found a job waitressing and saved enough money to pay for the delivery with a midwife in my little basement apartment.”

“You must have had to use a fake name—”

“No. Not on the birth certificate. I didn’t want Kristine to have anything that raised red flags hanging over her head. I had planned to tell her that her father died before we got married, so that’s why she has my maiden name. We couldn’t get married anyway. We were…related.” She felt like she was sucking on a lemon. “I’ll elaborate on the bombshell after I talk to Kristine.”

She sighed. “I still wanted to become an actress. I took a stage name and began my career as Amy. By that time we had moved to Hell’s Kitchen. It wasn’t the nicest neighborhood, but it was all I could afford, and it was right in the heart of the off-Broadway theater district. And being stronger than humans, I wasn’t really worried about our safety the way a normal woman might be.

“I got a waitressing job that paid under the counter. I did some acting in small productions. Meanwhile Kristine grew up to be the most incredibly levelheaded, well-rounded, intelligent girl a mother could ask for. I wish I’d had the money to send her to college. If I had stayed with her father, she could have gone to an Ivy League school.”

“Or not,” Jayce said. “Did he even want her?”

“No. He didn’t want any kids. I always wondered if he’d have gotten past that. I guess I’ll never know.”

“So, is he the one who took you? Did he finally find out where you were?”

“No. He’s dead now. It was his goons. They just picked up where he left off. I guess one of them caught my last show and discovered a lot about my current life—including my pride and joy. My dear daughter, the incredibly brave firefighter.”

“And he knew she had to be a dragon.”

“Yes. My ex made no secret of it among his men. It was one way he ensured their loyalty. One long blast of fire was all the threat he needed.”

At last Kristine’s rented convertible roared up to the house where they were camped out.

Jayce rose. “I’m glad we had the chance to talk alone. Whatever has gone on between you and Kristine, I’m not a part of that…but it’s good to know the background. I’ll wait outside your apartment while you talk. You’ll each need to pack a few things and get out of there as soon as possible. I’ll make sure you get to safety.”

Amy took a deep breath. “Wish me luck, Jayce. I think we’re both going to need it.”

* * *

Amy was relieved when they arrived back at the apartment. She and Kristine sat on their couch. They faced each other, and Amy took her daughter’s hands. “Thank you for everything you did for me, darling.”

“Of course. What choice did I have? I would never leave you in danger.”

Amy glanced up at Jayce, who was standing in the doorway. He smiled, waved, and quietly slipped out the door, closing it behind him.

“So, Mom, you said you were going to tell me everything. Did you mean it?”

Amy took a deep breath. Her thoughts were jumbled, but she had to somehow find the right words to explain to her daughter where she came from and to whom she was related. Through a dragon hookup that turned into a highly dysfunctional relationship, I inadvertently created a daughter with… Oh God, how do I tell her about this? Will she understand the circumstances?

“Mom, you know you can tell me anything. I won’t think less of you. I love you no matter what.”

Amy heaved a sigh. “I know, honey. But this is going to come as a shock either way.” She just had to launch into it and let the chips fall where they may. “Your father was a gangster. I didn’t know this when I met him, and that’s not all I didn’t know—”

“It’s okay, Mom. That’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Tell me everything.”

“Oh, honey. I’ve barely scratched the surface. First of all, he’s dead now—and I’m not sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, he had minions, and they took over his businesses when he died…most of it was illegal and lucrative. I don’t know if staying with him would’ve been better for you or not. I just know I couldn’t live with myself if I did. I could barely look at him anymore by the time I left.”

“When did you leave? Before or after I was born?”

“Before, darling. I couldn’t raise you in that atmosphere. There’s so much I have to tell you, and it’s not going to be pretty.”

Kristine nodded, probably to encourage her.

“As you know, dragons are supposed to be extinct, and in order to maintain that impression, out of necessity, we’re pretty sheltered. I thought that meeting a handsome single dragon was the most incredible thing that could’ve happened to me. A dragon can only have children with another dragon, and I wanted children badly. But I also wanted a career onstage.

“Your father encouraged my acting career. He paid for my coaching. I only did a little acting in summer theater before I left Long Island. After that, the most acting I could do was to act like I hadn’t a care in the world.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Mom. But I sense there’s more.”

“I’m afraid so. Okay, here’s the worst part. Your father was my half-brother.”

Kristine’s eyes flew open wide. Then she purposefully schooled her expression, and Amy heard an audible gulp from her daughter.

“I shocked you.”

“No. I’m okay. Please go on.”

“I didn’t know we were related at all. I grew up in Scotland, as you know. Your grandfather was supposedly the last dragon, and St. George was credited with killing the last dragon in Libya. The few dragons left ran and hid. My mother fled all the way to the Scottish Highlands. She was pregnant with twins at the time. She gave birth to a boy and girl in a cave, and shortly after that, another dragon heard the babies’ cries and sought her out. The cave was high on a rocky face that wouldn’t have been passable by a human. The new male dragon was your grandfather, my father.”

Amy could see the wheels turning in Kristine’s mind. She was putting two and two together, and it looked like she was coming up with four.

“So my father must’ve been one of the twins. You and my father happened to have the same mother but not the same father. Is that right? Did you know?”

Amy shook her head. “That’s correct, and I didn’t know. I didn’t grow up with the twins. They were both sent to a relative in Canada. Nova Scotia, also known as New Scotland.”

“But why?”

“It wasn’t uncommon to send children to relatives that had better circumstances at that time. The twins were troublesome teenagers, and he said they had to go. He sent the other two to an aunt in Canada shortly after I was born. He wanted to raise his own child—me—in relative peace.”

“That was hundreds of years ago, right?” Kristine asked. “I thought only indigenous people lived in North America then.”

“Yes and no. A few dragons made it to Canada after St. Patrick’s purge and St. George’s supposed victory over the last dragon. The dragons stayed largely hidden. We mature normally and then age slowly. Once we hit our prime, time really slows down.”

“When people think we’re sisters, you can’t help gloating.” Kristine gave her a sly grin.

Amy laughed. It broke the tension, and she was grateful for that. “You know me well. So, do you have any questions about what I’ve told you so far?”

“Yes. How did you both wind up in New York?”

Amy smiled. “New York is the city of dreams. We both had dreams…very different ones, apparently. But they were dreams nonetheless. I wanted to act, and your father wanted to be rich.”

Kristine fidgeted. “I guess he didn’t care how he got rich as long as it happened. What caused him to be like that? There had to be a reason.”

Amy sighed again. “Dragons have traditionally been very fond of hoarding treasures. Our parents were no different. Of course, when he was sent away, your father lost all claim on the treasure in the hollowed-out mountain where your grandparents amassed quite a bit of gold, relics, and rare gems.”

Kristine rested her elbow on the back of the couch and cupped the side of her head “Okay. I get that. So, was his twin sister the same way?”

“No. Not at all. She found someone special, and they stayed in Canada.”

“Was he a dragon too?”

“I’m sure he must have been. By that time rumors of remaining dragons had begun in Scotland. Your grandparents and I had to flee. In order to hide their treasure, they caved in the side of the mountain. Later on, I found out that your father had gone back there briefly. He knew about the valuables and tried to uncover their keep without success. He never told me the details of his participation in that whole debacle. He may have been thinking of going back again someday and may not have wanted anyone else to beat him to the spoils.”

Kristine looked uncomfortable. “Mom, can we give him a name? I know you don’t want me to know who he was, but is there a way we can talk about him without always saying ‘your father’?”

Amy realized now that Kristine might not like the idea of claiming this man as her father, and giving him a name would allow them to talk about him without constantly pointing out the relation. “I don’t feel comfortable giving you his real name or even his alias. So let’s make up a name for him.”

Kristine surprised her by giggling.

“That’s what Jayce and I did for your abductor. The guy had the upper hand and let us know it whenever he called, so we named him something that would take his power away. We called him Donkey Pizzle.”

Amy laughed. “Very apropos. The right-hand man was a donkey way back when I lived there. Now he thinks he owns the place. It was actually left in a trust.” Amy had one more bombshell to deliver, and she didn’t know how Kristine was going to take it. But her daughter deserved to know the truth—all of it.

“I imagine you want to know who the trust fund’s beneficiary is.”

Kristine shrugged. “If you want to tell me.”

Amy didn’t want to tell her daughter that she had struggled for years when she could have laid claim to dirty money. A lot of dirty money. “He put it in my name, Kristine. But I didn’t want it. I didn’t want anything to do with it.”

To her surprise, Kristine sat up straight and leaned forward with her hands on her knees. “Good for you, Mom. I wouldn’t want any of that money either. I’m proud of you for that.”

Amy would have been surprised, except that she knew her daughter. She had raised a highly principled, wonderful girl. She couldn’t be prouder. “I’m so glad you feel that way, honey. I didn’t know if you’d be mad at me for refusing to make our lives a lot easier. We could have coasted if I could have lived with myself. I wrestled with the decision, believe me.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t easy. But you made the right decision. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Amy scooted over until she could wrap her daughter in her arms and give her a long, warm, grateful hug. “I love you so much, Kristine. You’ve been the light of my life.” She felt tears begin to burn behind her eyes. Before she let go, she heard her daughter sniff and knew she was deeply affected too. This bond they had forged was beyond any so-called normal parent-and-child relationship.

When they leaned away from each other, they grasped both hands and smiled despite their tears. Amy couldn’t help being touched by her daughter’s forgiveness.

“I understand now, Mom. I know why you didn’t want to tell me who my father was. I’m not sure I would have been able to confess that to a daughter either. But I want you to know, if anything, I love you more.”

Amy burst into tears. She couldn’t help it. It was a cathartic cry, letting out emotions that had immobilized her and festered for years. She’d had no one to talk to about this. She couldn’t shame the remaining family with this news. So she had disappeared from everyone’s life, legally changing her name from Ainslee to Amy Scott and starting over.

* * *

Jayce was getting antsy standing in the hall, waiting for the women to finish their conversation. He really had to get them moving and take advantage of the short window they had before Amy was discovered missing.

He was just about to knock when the door opened. Kristine poked her head out. “I wasn’t sure you’d still be here.”

“Where else would I be? You two need to get out of here, and I know you’re both badass dragons, but you still need someone to watch your backs. Have you packed yet?”

Kristine opened the door wider. “Almost finished. It’s going to take my mother longer, I guarantee it.”

Jayce stepped inside and pulled Kristine into a hug. “How are you doing, my love?”

She melted into his embrace. “I’m okay. I think my mother is more shaken up than I am. I’m just relieved that you found her—alive.”

Jayce leaned back and gave her a quick kiss. “Okay then, you’d better get a move on. I’ll be right here as your lookout. Yell if you need me.”

“I will.” She jogged down the hall and disappeared into her bedroom.

Amy wheeled out her suitcase. Thank God there was only one. Jayce had dreaded Amy taking an entire matching set of luggage in different sizes. Since the only place he had to take the women to was his minuscule hotel room, he pictured sleeping on top of their suitcases or on the bathroom floor. “I’m glad to see you’re packing light.”

“Oh, this is just the first one. I have a few more things…”

Kristine breezed out of her bedroom carrying a duffel bag over her shoulder.

“Mom, you can leave the rest. Think of it as an excuse to go shopping and replace your whole wardrobe.”

Amy brightened immediately. “I hadn’t thought of that. What a brilliant daughter I have.” She winked at Jayce.

He couldn’t help smiling, even though his anxiety level was rising by the second. “Let’s get going. Hopefully, at some point you can come back. Right now you’re not safe.”

“I dare anyone to mess with the three of us,” Amy said.

Jayce hoped she hadn’t just cursed them. He reached for Amy’s suitcase handle. “I’ll take that.”

“Thank you.”

He gestured toward the door. “Ladies first.”

The women hurried down the stairs. Finally at the bottom, Jayce maneuvered his way around them and opened the outside door, holding it for the ladies.

“What a gentleman you found, Kristine. Does he have any brothers?”

Jayce burst out laughing. The levity was a welcome relief, but he hoped he hadn’t drawn attention to them.

“Only five or six,” Kristine answered her.

Jayce set a quick pace as soon as the suitcase wheels hit the sidewalk. “I’ll tell you all about my family after we get to my hotel. For now, we should just get the hell out of Hell’s Kitchen.”

The place was a good half dozen blocks away. The streets seemed relatively quiet, but appearances could be deceiving. Amy and Kristine chatted casually, as if the group were just out for a walk. All needed to remain vigilant, however.

Jayce wondered how Kristine was going to handle getting a leave of absence from her job. She wouldn’t try to work while Donkey Pizzle was looking for her, would she? No. She had to know how foolish that would be. Still, knowing how she felt about her job…

A chill raced through him. Jayce decided to bide his time and wait until they were safely inside his hotel room before he brought up the issue. The last thing they needed was a loud argument.

At last they reached the hotel without incident. Jayce scanned the small lobby and saw no one about. He took them right to the bank of elevators and up to the seventh floor.

He walked off first, digging his key out of his pocket, and then waited while the women exited the elevator. The breath that whooshed out of his lungs seemed to work in tandem with the elevator doors whooshing closed.

When he got to his room and opened the door, the ladies were talking to each other and not paying attention. Before he could warn them that the bed was in the way, they both walked right into it.

“Oof!” Amy landed on her side with a surprised look. Kristine braced herself before her face hit the mattress.

“I forgot how little this room was,” Kristine said.

“If you’ve been here before, Kristine, I imagine you were distracted,” Amy said with a sly smile.

“Welcome to my suite,” Jayce said, and the ladies laughed. “Allow me to make room.”

The bed was a clever device that, with the push of a button, electronically folded almost in half, creating a couch of sorts.

“There. I’m afraid that’s the best I can do. In bed form there’s no room to walk. As you saw, the mattress almost met the opposite wall.”

“Well, I guess we’re staying up all night and talking.” Amy collapsed on one end of the folded mattress/couch.

“Fine with me,” Kristine said. “My nerves are too frayed to sleep now anyway.” She glanced around and tossed her duffel bag into a tiny space between the couch and the wall that separated it from the bathroom. “I’m supposed to go in to work tomorrow.”

Jayce leaned against the wall. “I was afraid of that.”

“Afraid of what? That I’d have to go do my job eventually?” Kristine asked. “I don’t have much of a choice.”

Jayce gestured toward the couch for the ladies to sit while he parked the suitcase next to the door and slid down the wall to sit beside it. “I’m afraid this is where my plan ended. To get you both to safety was my whole goal. Now we need to talk about the next step. I don’t want to have gone through all that just so they can grab Kristine next.”

Kristine sighed. “I know you’re worried, but I’ll be ready for them. And it’s not like I’m alone. I’ll be surrounded by big, strong guys every minute I’m on the job.”

Jayce folded his arms. “One of us is going to lose a job. I’m not leaving New York with you here. It makes more sense for you to come to Boston. My vacation is almost over.”

“Some vacation,” Amy mumbled.

Kristine gazed at him but remained silent.

He stared back at her.

Amy glanced back and forth between them, and then as if she couldn’t take the silence anymore, she said, “Jayce is right, Kristine. We’re not safe here. They know where we live. They know where we work…and they know what we are.”

“But now that we know who they are, shouldn’t they be just as worried about us going to the cops? Maybe they’re the ones who should be on the run.”

Amy shook her head. “Ah, my darling daughter. How naive you are. Why do you think they’ve never been caught despite breaking the law for decades?”

“Are you saying the cops know about them but are turning a blind eye? Or that maybe dirty cops are protecting them?”

“Both,” Amy said. “They have guns, tranquilizer darts, plenty of people in their debt to do their bidding, and coldhearted, unforgiving natures. You’d be putting your fellow firefighters in harm’s way if you expected them to protect you.”

“I don’t want that, and I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder constantly, but I don’t want to lose my job. Are you sure there’s nothing we can do about these jerks?”

“Not without someone getting killed.”

Jayce felt it was in his best interest to let Amy do the talking. She knew these guys were not to be trifled with. Kristine would have to come to the logical conclusion eventually. If he kept pushing for her to go to Boston, it would look like he was being selfish.

Kristine just stared out the window, worrying her lip. Jayce could practically see the wheels turning in her mind.

Amy reached over and took her daughter’s hand. “And another thing, darling. I really don’t want you anywhere near them because I gather there’s some monstrous new project they’re going to begin soon.”

“New project?” Kristine prompted.

“Yes. Human trafficking. I saw them moving a giant cage in through the back doors and down to the basement.”

“Are you sure? Maybe they’re just getting a large pet.”

Amy leveled an unbelieving look at her daughter. “Really?”

“Okay, okay. I give up. I guess I don’t know what they’re capable of because I don’t think like a sociopath.”

“I like that about you,” Jayce said. He had hoped to lighten the mood, but it didn’t seem to work very well. He cleared his throat. “I think your mother and I are both worried about the same thing. You could underestimate these guys and wind up dead.”

“Or worse.” Amy shuddered.

At last Jayce had to voice his opinion bluntly. “Something’s gotta give, and if you’re stubborn about staying, that something could be your freedom or your life.”

“So, what are we going to do about not working but not getting fired?” Kristine asked.

Amy tapped her bottom lip. “I’ve been thinking about that. Perhaps I could fake an illness, use up my sick time, and figure out something from there. You could say you need a leave of absence to take care of me.”

“But then people would expect us to be in our apartment. It’s not like we can afford to move, especially if we’re not working.”

“Better yet,” Jayce interjected, “you could take her to get medical treatment by specialists. Boston is famous for medical excellence.”

“So, not just beans then?”

He smirked. “I think you’d like my fair city, hon. There’s a lot I could show you there.” He rose, crossed the two steps to reach her, settled in next to her, and framed her face with his hands. “The most important thing I can show you is how much I love you.” He kissed her tenderly.

“Hmm, if you’re expecting me to choose between gangsters and death on one hand or my boyfriend’s affection, my mother’s safety, and my life on the other hand, I have to admit you’re making a compelling argument.”

Jayce finally smiled for real. They could spend the rest of the night hammering out the details, but at least they were all on the same page at last.