Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
The number of strangers wandering in and out Apollo’s property put me on edge. I understood the necessity—after all, they were hired to improve security. However, every time one came near the house, I tensed. Please don’t let Tigger decide to pop out for a chat.
To my relief, Tigger chose to go down for a nap after lunch. Tutu joined him, claiming he’d watch over the dragon. In reality, all the excitement had likely tuckered out my grandfather.
With them out of the way, it eased my worry about letting the security guys hit the utility room on the main floor so that they could run some wires from the electrical panel to the new cameras.
I hovered nearby, sticking close to ensure they didn’t wander anywhere else in the house.
I must have come across as paranoid and controlling, but who cared what they thought—or called me behind my back—so long as it kept my dragon safe.
While I shadowed the security installers, Apollo kept busy as well.
Between communicating with his hacker friend—who’d been trying to locate Malone—he also interviewed potential security guards.
Big and burly men for the most part, who, by appearance alone, would deter intruders.
But size and skill weren’t the only thing Apollo vetted.
He planned to run extensive background checks, and those hired would be signing some very strict non-disclosures.
Midafternoon, we had a surprise visit from the generator company.
Apparently, the part they’d been waiting for had arrived.
Since I still had the security system team to monitor, I snuck into Tigger’s room to commandeer Keanu to keep an eye on the newest work crew.
An easy task since the repair didn’t require them going inside the house.
Removing Keanu left my sleeping dragon alone, but with the door shut, he couldn’t exactly go wandering once he did wake from his nap.
The security system crew didn’t manage to finish before dinner and advised they’d have to return in the morning. That said, they’d at least hooked up the cameras watching the beach and house. They left only minutes before Apollo’s last interview.
We stood in the entrance, and I sighed. “Busy day.”
“No shit. I’ve got one more phone call to make. Then meet me on the patio for a drink?”
“Best thing I’ve heard all day. I’m going to let Tigger and Keanu know it’s safe to come out.” I headed upstairs to wake my orange menace, who would likely complain about how long he’d been cooped up in his room, and ran into Tutu in the hall.
“How did it go with the generator guys?” I asked.
“The idiots were here less than an hour. Turns out they showed up with the wrong part.”
“Morons,” I huffed. “Here’s to hoping we don’t lose power tonight.” The darkening sky and increasingly strong winds indicated another storm brewing.
“Better not. I planned to watch a college football game tonight with Tigger.”
“Speaking of whom, is he still sleeping?”
“I assume so.”
The reply brought a crease to my brow. “Didn’t you rejoin him after the generator guys left?”
My grandfather frowned. “Didn’t realize I was supposed to and didn’t want to disturb him. I’ve been sticking my ear to his door every so often to see if I hear him.”
No way my dragon still slept. He’d usually have demanded a snack—or two—by now given the hours since lunch. “I’m going to check on him.”
“I’m sure he’s fine…” Even Tutu couldn’t hide a doubtful note.
With hurried steps, I made my way to Tigger’s room and entered without knocking. It took a second for my eyes to adjust. Light barely filtered through the curtains, the thick clouds outside bringing an early gloom.
“Tigger?” I headed for the bed and the lump under the covers.
The lack of response worried. Please let him be okay. A sick dragon might be difficult to explain to a veterinarian.
Fear had my fingers trembling as I grabbed the edge of the blanket. I yanked it back to see the hump was a decorative pillow and not an orange dragon.
Did the brat play a prank? “I know you’re hiding here somewhere,” I growled as I checked the entire room, bathroom, closet, balcony, only I didn’t find him. Tutu entered as I searched.
“What’s wrong?”
“Tigger’s missing.”
“Likely went looking for food.”
“How? He can’t open the door,” I reminded.
“Don’t be so sure of that. He’s smart,” my grandfather stated.
Indeed, he was. “I swear I’m going to kill him,” I grumbled as I headed to the main floor to search the kitchen.
Francine, who was putting the finishing touches on dinner, hadn’t seen him. The rooftop deck showed no signs he’d been by either, the fridge still fully stocked. As I rushed downstairs, trying to stem my panic, Apollo emerged from his office.
“What’s going on?”
“I can’t find Tigger,” I blurted out. “Which makes no sense. He’s still too short to open doors.”
Apollo’s jaw tightened. “Given all the people we had on the property today, it’s possible one of them snatched Tigger.”
I waved my hands. “How, though? We were watching everyone that came near the house. The guys who had to come in to do the electrical for the security system must have thought me some kind of control freak since I didn’t let them out of my sight.”
“And I walked my interviewees to and from the house. Even watched to make sure they left.” As Tutu neared, Apollo glanced at him. “What about those fellows who came to fix the generator?”
“They weren’t here for long since they brought the wrong part.”
“And you watched the pair the entire time they were here?”
Tutu’s quick nod turned to a frown. “Mostly. One guy did pop off to the truck to see if there was another box with the right piece in it. He was only gone for about twenty minutes. When he came back, he said he couldn’t find what they needed and would have to return another day.”
I clasped my hands so tight it hurt. “Twenty minutes is more than enough time for someone to have snatched Tigger.”
“That would be pretty ballsy of them to walk into the house and steal our dragon,” Tutu exclaimed.
“More like well planned. Excuse me for a second while I make a call.” Apollo pulled out his phone and dialed someone. When they answered, he explained who he was and asked if a crew had been sent out to fix his generator. At his grim expression, I knew the reply.
Apollo hung up his phone. “The company says not only did they not dispatch anyone, but one of their work trucks was stolen this morning. Police recovered it an hour ago by a coffee shop in town.”
“Oh my god, Tigger’s been kidnapped.” Cold dread filled me. My poor baby. He must be so scared.
“We’ll get him back,” Apollo promised.
“How? I doubt Malone, or whoever took him, will keep him on the island for long. Chances are he’s already on a boat or flight leaving Big Island.”
“Doubtful. Those wicked gusts of wind will have halted all travel, meaning we have time to rescue him still.”
“But how will we find him? You said it yourself, there’s too many hotels and rentals Malone could be hiding out at. And what if it’s not him but someone else? We could be wasting our time chasing Malone while the real culprit escapes.”
“I think the chances of there being two dragon-napping villains are small. Malone is our best bet.” Ding.
Apollo glanced at his phone, and his brows lifted.
“I’ll be damned, speaking of the devil, my buddy Jerome just got a notification from the facial recognition program he’s been running.
We got a hit on Malone. Seems he’s staying at a hotel by the airport. ”
“Your friend hacked a hotel’s security feed? Isn’t that illegal?”
“Very, but I won’t tell if you don’t.” A joke paired with a wan smile.
Did the how matter? We knew where to find Malone.
And I wasn’t alone in saying, “Let’s rescue our dragon.”