CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Edriq tailgated the ambulance, zooming past red lights together with the ambulance. Traffic rules didn't apply to emergency vehicles when they had the siren on, and Edriq had no intention of letting the ambulance out of his sight.
He stuck closely to the speeding ambulance, too aware that Nora was in there with another male who was shamelessly showering her with all sorts of flattering and flirtatious remarks.
Omar Faye was an incorrigible flirt. He was a valued customer of FabFit but Edriq had seen the guy hitting on almost every lady in the gym. He was largely harmless and the ladies found him more amusing than annoying.
Edriq knew he could have sent one of his administrative staff to accompany Omar to the hospital. They had insurance, so even if Omar sued the company, they would be covered. But Edriq wasn't doing this for Omar or the company.
He was doing this for...himself.
His dragon pounded him on the back to egg him on. At last, his dragon cheered. Go get her!
This was the first time he was throwing everything aside and putting himself first. His wants, his needs, his...mate.
For him, duty came first. Duty to his king, his people, his job.
Edriq scowled when his phone rang shrilly. He snapped on the earpiece and snarled, “Yes.”
“Where are you, man?” Zul asked. “I called your office...”
“I'm on my way to the hospital,” Edriq said tersely.
“Ah, I heard. But the guy just fell on his ass, right? Nothing major.”
Edriq grunted. Zul already knew the situation. He'd probably learned everything from their very chatty receptionist. Edriq drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. There was another reason his busybody brother was calling. He could already guess what that was, and he considered hanging up before Zul could start his prolonged and painful interrogation.
But that wouldn't deter Zul. One way or other, he would wheedle the truth out of Edriq.
“My staff saw you at a Blazing Beans outlet last night,” Zul said and lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper. “Who is she?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Aww, don't be like that. She's a special someone, ain't she? Everyone saw how you looked at her.”
Edriq groaned. Zul had a very good relationship with all his staff, and he always visited every outlet and gathered feedback from his staff and customers. It seemed that feedback wasn't the only thing Zul gathered. He gathered a fair amount of gossip as well.
“How long have you been seeing her? What's her name? Are you going to bring her home to meet the family?” Zul asked eagerly.
The interrogation had begun.
“Zul, dammit!” Edriq swore and stomped on the brakes just in time as the ambulance slowed down suddenly.
“Tsk, tsk. You don't have to yell at me. Everyone's looking forward to meeting your lady friend. Mrs Vomae said she'll whip up her special dessert...”
“Mrs Vomae!” Edriq spluttered. “You told Mrs Vomae?”
“Yeah,” Zul deadpanned. “Mmm, I might have mentioned it to Rohan. And you know he never keeps anything from Amelia, so Amelia knows too. And Amelia and Tessa talk about everything, so...”
“So the whole family knows,” Edriq finished with a long sigh.
“Uh-huh. Five o'clock,” Zul said cheerfully. “Dinner.”
“What!”
“We're all coming home early. Dinner will be at five, or maybe five-thirty, so we can spend more time with your special friend.” Before Edriq could say anything, Zul went on happily, “What time does she finish work? Pick her up and come straight home.”
“I don't...”
“Tessa is so excited! She wants to know your friend's name. I think she wants to make her a bookmark or something.”
Edriq closed his eyes briefly. He knew when he was beaten. He could never say no to the little princess. And Zul, that sneaky bastard, knew it.
“Nora.”
Zul's laughter was an evil-sounding cackle. “I'll let Tessa know that Aunt Nora is coming to dinner tonight.” He made a kissy sound. “Toodle-oo!”
Edriq swore at the dial tone.