Chapter 4 #2
Adrian heaved a big sigh and stretched out his hand toward Gert for the picture. “Look, it’s fine if you don’t want to help. We knew it was a long shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if the people in Bellcairn lied to us. Bree’s probably dead.”
“Don’t say that!” Haru snapped, and for a heartbeat, Adrian couldn’t tell if Haru was still acting or being serious.
The hand of the woman directly in front of Adrian came up and smacked his. He quickly drew his hand back, leaving the picture with Gert. “We didn’t say we wouldn’t help you.”
“Gail is right,” Gert stated, and Adrian froze.
Had he heard that right? Gladys, Gert, and…
Gail? It sounded like Haru had chosen the G-squad to help point them in the right direction.
There was still one he hadn’t heard the name for yet, and he prayed that it also began with the letter G.
It was taking all of Adrian’s considerable self-control not to giggle. Clearly, he’d not had enough sleep.
A woman in a black uniform holding a half-full pot of coffee walked over, a scowl on her youthful face while her purple hair was twisted on top of her head in a series of complicated braids. “Ladies, are these men bothering you?” she demanded in a threatening tone.
Haru lifted his head, his mouth already seeming to move in a placating smile, but his face froze and he simply blinked at the newcomer. At a guess, Adrian would wager that the dragons of the Isle of Stone didn’t normally color their hair purple.
“It’s fine, Lizzie. These boys are lost and searching for their friend. We’re giving them some directions,” Gert said easily, drawing Adrian’s gaze to her. They had yet to receive anything that resembled directions, but now he had some hope that they would now materialize.
Lizzie gave Adrian and Haru long, threatening glares before retreating into the dark shadows of the coffee shop once again.
When they were alone, Gert glanced at the picture one more time. She nodded and handed it to Adrian. “For your friend’s sake, I hope those Bellcairn bastards lied to you and he’s still there.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. Bellcairn is an awful place,” the woman sitting on Gert’s right mumbled.
Gert’s stern expression softened for the first time, and she lightly gripped her friend’s arm, giving her a supportive squeeze.
“Ginger has a daughter and three grandkids living in Bellcairn right now. Her son-in-law just up and disappeared one day. Six months later, his body was discovered in a patch of woods six miles outside of town,” Gail explained.
Adrian’s inner child cackled to find that all four women had names that started with G, making them a genuine G-Squad, while his brain picked apart the story. “Six miles outside of Bellcairn?”
“No, six miles outside of Voxmore,” Gladys corrected him.
“That’s…” Haru began, but his voice immediately faded.
“He had family here?” Adrian asked sharply.
Gert shook her head. “No, he was from Legton, which was where Ginger’s daughter was working when they met. After they married, he got a job in Bellcairn and they moved to the capital.”
“I’m the only one he knows in Voxmore,” Ginger cut in. Her thin hand balled into a tight, trembling fist. “Why would he come here and not bring my daughter and the kids? Why not come see me if there was a problem?”
“Because maybe he was brought here against his will for a completely different purpose,” Adrian mumbled.
His brain was piecing together slivers of the same information he’d been hearing for a couple of weeks now.
People snatched up with no warning, disappearing off the streets, from their homes, and no one ever sees them again.
That this man’s body was discovered was a surprise.
Maybe he’d escaped but died of injuries he’d sustained before he could reach help.
At the very least, it was a good guess that The Pit was more than six miles outside of Voxmore in a highly wooded area.
“Hey boy,” Gert grunted. Adrian’s head jerked up to see Gert flash him a wicked grin. “Your accent is slipping.”
He could only smirk at her. He usually wasn’t so sloppy in his guises, but this whole mess had caused his brain to overheat. Of course, it didn’t seem as if Gert had believed them.
“Would you be able to give us some directions as to where your son-in-law was found?” Haru inquired, drawing Gert’s narrowed gaze from Adrian.
The women exchanged a look that sent a chill through Adrian. After a heartbeat, Gladys said, “Ginger, show him the map.”
The map?
What the hell had they stumbled upon? Was the G-Squad more than sweet grannies playing games at the local coffee shop? It felt like they were a secret crime-solving vigilante group. Adrian glanced at Haru, who shrugged.
Ginger bent over and picked up a cloth purse that could have doubled as a shopping bag or possibly a duffel bag. Adrian’s eyes grew wider as he watched her digging through the gaping maw. Metallic items clanked, and there was a sound of change rattling.
“Good gods, Ginger, you’ve gotta stop carrying your entire house with you,” Gail complained.
“Yeah, you bitch, but the last time you had hot flashes and indigestion, who was the one with the pills to help you?” Ginger snarled without lifting her head from her purse.
Gail rolled her eyes while Gert and Gladys pushed aside all the white tiles that had littered the tabletop.
A moment later, Ginger pulled a slightly crumpled piece of paper from her purse and unfolded it so that it nearly covered the cleared surface.
It was a black-and-white map of Voxmore and the surrounding area that appeared as if it had been printed out across several pieces of paper and taped together.
There were a few markings scribbled on it, but the eye-catching thing was the big red X that someone had circled.
“They found Isha here,” Ginger stated, pointing at the X.
“It’s all woods in that area for about ten miles in all directions.
Part of a national forest.” Gert leaned forward and motioned toward a thin line that sliced through part of the parkland.
“That’s Holly Canyon Road—the main road that cuts through the park off the highway.
There are a couple of gravel roads that lead to campgrounds and a few fire roads, but they dead-end. No buildings or other structures.”
Adrian lifted an eyebrow, and his smile grew. “You’ve checked them all out?”
“Of course we have,” Gail snapped.
“Ginger and her daughter deserve to know what happened to Isha,” Gladys added.
Haru leaned a little farther over the table, getting a closer look at the map. “Who found your son-in-law?”
“Campers. It was during the spring, during a warm weekend. They had set up a camp here.” Ginger paused and pointed to another star drawn on the map about two miles from the red X. “They’d gone for a hike and found his body.”
“The coroner stated that he’d likely gone for a walk and gotten lost in the woods. Died from exposure.” Disbelief radiated from Gail’s tone until Adrian flinched.
“Bunch of bullshit,” Gert muttered. “Isha didn’t camp. He wasn’t one of those outdoorsy types. He definitely wouldn’t have gone camping on his own. Let alone disappeared for six months without a damn word to his wife and kids.”
“We talked to the hikers. They reported that the body was incredibly thin and his clothes swallowed him up,” Ginger said, her voice trembling.
“Isha was something of a plump man,” Gladys chimed in.
“Plus, black-and-blue marks covered him like someone had beaten him,” Ginger continued.
Adrian grunted. If he’d been told that parts of Isha were missing, it would be understandable that the local wildlife had gotten to him before being discovered.
But most animals didn’t take the time to beat the shit out of their prey.
No, humans liked to do that. And it sounded as if someone had starved Isha while he was a prisoner.
As sad as it sounded, the fact that Isha had been held long enough for him to lose weight gave Adrian some hope that Shey might still be alive. If they could find The Pit quickly, they could still rescue him.
Haru cocked his head at him, the long braid of his black hair sliding off his shoulder as he smirked at Adrian. “It sounds like we are going camping.”
Camping in the national forest sounded like an excellent idea.
Away from the prying eyes of the world, his companion could easily slip into his other form and do some scouting late at night.
Not that Adrian was all that excited about sleeping on the ground in a tent, but it was likely to be better than some places they’d stayed at.
“Thanks so much for your help, ladies,” Adrian said, giving the four seated women a nod.
Ginger pulled her map close, folding it up. “Wait. You’ll need this. I-I can make another.”
“No, that’s okay.” Adrian lifted his hand and tapped his temple with one finger. “I’ve got a photographic memory for maps. Already memorized your map. If we have a chance when we’re done, we’ll try to send word of anything that we learn.”
Gert swallowed hard. “We’d appreciate it.”
Adrian started to leave, but Haru pinched the hem of his T-shirt, pulling him to a stop. He turned to find the dragon focused on Ginger.
“Is your daughter still living in Bellcairn with her children?” Haru asked in a low, gentle voice.
Ginger gave a shaky nod. “Moving house with three young kids from Bellcairn to here is very expensive. I send money to help her buy food and other necessities, but we’re still trying to scrape together the money she’d need for all of them to move here.”
Without another word, Haru pulled off his backpack and shoved it at Adrian with a grin.
He rolled his eyes and bit his tongue as he held it for Haru.
They weren’t the only ones doling out sob stories, and if he’d learned anything from Haru in the past several weeks, it was that he was not one to allow an innocent person to suffer if he could help it.
The dragon dug through the pockets until he finally located a leather pouch. He pulled out a shiny item and tucked the pouch away again.
Haru kneeled beside Ginger and took her hand. He pressed a heavy, solid gold ring into her hand, drawing a gasp of surprise from the old woman as he closed her fingers around it.
“When you go to sell it, be sure to tell them it is a very old family heirloom that a distant relative sent you from Erya long ago. And go to a reputable jeweler for a fair valuation. It should more than cover the return of your family and help them set up a new household close to you,” he instructed.
“But-but I couldn’t possibly…” Ginger stammered.
“Trust me, he’s more stubborn than you could ever be. Just take it,” Adrian muttered, but he topped it with a smile.
“Family must always watch out for each other. Bring yours to you.”
Ginger stopped trying to argue with Haru and placed a trembling kiss on his cheek.
Adrian grabbed Haru’s arm and pulled the dragon to his feet.
He shoved the backpack at his companion, and they headed down the street.
Adrian might not have wanted to admit it, but he felt lighter than he had for several days now.
Haru’s generosity meant that at least one good thing would come out of this trip.
Ginger might have lost her son-in-law, but now she had a way of getting her daughter and grandkids out of Bellcairn.
“Can’t help yourself sometimes, can you?” Adrian teased after they were more than a block away from the coffee shop.
“In my home, things like that don’t happen. At least, not often.” A wrinkle formed on Haru’s smooth brow, and he shook his head. “All drag—”
Adrian poked his elbow into Haru’s ribs, catching himself before he could say the D-word.
Haru cleared his throat. “All my people live in clans. Even if you’re not related by blood, your clan is your family, and you watch out for each other.”
“Except for those in the Chasm, right?”
Haru’s frown deepened. “That is true.”
“Sorry,” Adrian mumbled, regretting his question and stealing away the bit of joy Haru had felt at helping Ginger and her family.
“No, you’re right. Nori wishes to change things and help them,” he admitted, mentioning the head of the Omari dragon clan and King Caelan’s grandfather. “It’s just…it will be a slow process. My people do not acclimate to new ideas quickly.”
Adrian snorted. He could easily imagine.
Humans hated change and fought new things that required them to shift their way of thinking about others.
For dragons who lived hundreds of years longer, it was easy to believe that they were much more reluctant to embrace new ideas.
While the people living in the Chasm might not be pure-blooded dragons, they still deserved to have all the rights and clan support that full-blooded dragons enjoyed.
“I’m sure Ginger and her friends will do a lot of good with your donation.”
Haru’s expression turned a little sly as he glanced over at Adrian. “Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t do it for Ginger or her daughter? That my goal was purely to impress you.”
Heat scorched Adrian’s cheeks, and he jerked his head down so that his eyes were locked on the sidewalk under his feet.
But it did nothing to get rid of the burning feeling spreading to his throat and across his chest. Yeah, he could believe that Haru would do something just to impress him. It was how he thought.
Knowing that didn’t change the pride Adrian felt in being with Haru. The dragon didn’t hesitate to help people in need, and of course Adrian loved that about him.
But only as friends. There was nothing else.
Adrian cleared his throat a couple of times and narrowed his gaze as he stared straight ahead. “Guess we should look into getting some camping gear and a car.”
“I’ll get to use my wings, correct?” So much hope bounced in Haru’s words that a laugh jumped from Adrian’s throat.
“Yeah, I think you will.”
This job was going to require a dragon.