Chapter 11
Eleven
Chloe knew she would have to tell Maddie the truth about her utter failure, and soon.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it immediately.
Instead, she pleaded a headache—a very real one pounded at her temples—and buried herself in the backlog of hats that needed trimming.
Their business was about to fail, leaving both of them in massive debt.
Would Maddie’s suitor disappear when she went from successful businesswoman to destitute and in debt?
Chloe swallowed and refocused on the hat in front of her.
Surely he wouldn’t abandon Maddie so easily.
Maddie would have a way out, even if Chloe didn’t.
She stabbed a needle into the hat. She couldn’t do anything else, but at least she could complete all the promised orders before Gannon demanded complete repayment of the mortgage and evicted them from their store when they failed to pay.
She had been foolish from start to finish.
Her instincts had protested against attempting to deceive the duke, and even against handing an egg to Gannon.
Maddie had been concerned as well. But Chloe had pushed that all aside, convinced that necessity required her to ignore both her friend and her own senses as they warned her she was on the wrong path.
And all it had done was land her in worse trouble.
She should have trusted her own knowledge of what was right instead of focusing only on the fear of what she could lose. She should have known that fear would always steer her wrong.
If she had gone to the Duke openly, she would have soon discovered her mistake.
Lord Crane would have directed her to the true Duke of Everard, and he would have taken action against Gannon.
Now that she knew how diligently the real Duke took care of his responsibilities—and how carefully he guarded his griffins—she couldn’t doubt it.
But instead she had lost his trust. If she tried to tell him all the details about Gannon now, would he even believe her?
She worked for hours without pausing, keeping her hands busy. Even when darkness fell outside and Maddie departed for her accommodation, Chloe remained.
She continued working until a familiar voice made her dart to her feet, ribbons and feathers flying everywhere.
I am here. Sage sounded excited. Please open the door.
Chloe dashed to the back room’s external door and flung it open. “Sage!” she gasped as the griffin pushed past her into the workroom, looking around with interest.
The griffin had grown enough that she barely fit into the crowded space, and when she turned to look at Chloe, she knocked over a chair. The griffin didn’t react, however, apparently unbothered by the chaos she was bringing to the previously ordered workspace.
Your store is interesting. I’m pleased to have left the estate for the first time.
“But how did you get here?” Chloe closed the door, rushing forward to embrace the griffin. “And why have you come?”
I can now fly. Sage sounded smugly self-satisfied.
Chloe gasped and pulled back. “You had your first flight! You’ve grown strong enough?” Her voice fell. “Without me? Why didn’t you tell me you were going to attempt it today?”
You were not needed. Ranger assisted me. It is a griffin matter, and human assistance isn’t required.
Chloe’s chest seized, and she pulled back slightly from Sage. She knew the griffin was merely being honest and matter-of-fact, in the way of her kind. But after everything that had happened, the pain of another rejection, however small, hit her hard.
Sage must have sensed her response, because she lowered her head and butted the top of it gently against Chloe’s arm.
But you are still my chosen heart friend. We will fly together many times.
Chloe smiled, her disappointment forgotten. “Truly? Ranger thinks you will grow big and strong enough to safely carry me?” She had feared Sage might never recover enough to safely bear a human rider.
How many times had she dreamed of the day when Sage would grow large enough and strong enough that Harrison taught them to fly together? Her mood fell again. That would never happen now.
Ranger and Sage would insist she learn, but Harrison would assign one of the other riders to the task of teaching them. Her days of personal training from the captain were over.
“So you flew here?” she asked Sage, trying to redirect her thoughts. “Did you come to tell me the news?”
Ranger sent me. We have a task to complete.
“A task?” Chloe stepped back, noticing for the first time that Sage had a small leather satchel attached to her torso by means of a harness clearly designed for a griffin. “What are you carrying?”
It is a griffin egg.
Chloe backed further away, shaking her head. Wild thoughts filled her mind of Sage stealing a griffin egg for her.
But Sage would never do that. And she had mentioned Ranger. Ranger meant Harrison.
“Why would you bring a griffin egg here? It needs to be safe with the flock so the griffin inside can grow strong.”
It is our oldest egg. The chick inside is already strong. And for now it is still in my presence. It can even endure a few hours away from all griffins without weakening.
“But why take the risk?”
Although my egg was recovered, the squad was not able to uncover the whole of the operation behind its theft. We believe those who remain have continued to abduct and misuse creatures of intelligence. They must be discovered and stopped.
“You want me to help with that?” Chloe’s voice came out as a squeak. Not because she didn’t want to help—she just had no idea how.
It is the only way. Sage sounded a little too eager, as if she hadn’t sought hard for another alternative.
Chloe looked at her warily as the griffin continued to outline her plan.
The squad has concluded that someone must have asked you for the egg. They cannot believe that you came up with the scheme on your own.
Chloe’s heart lifted. Had it been the griffins who insisted as much, or did Harrison still retain some belief in her?
You will hand over the egg to this person. Then you and I will follow and see where the egg is taken. She shook herself, feathers rustling, a clear look of pride on her face. Ranger said I am best for the task since I am the smallest.
Chloe nodded eagerly, no thought of caution in her mind. Harrison believed in her enough to set her this task. He was giving her a chance to prove that she didn’t mean any harm to the griffins—to take back the mistake she had nearly made.
“Let me get my hat,” she said, whirling to retrieve both a hat and a light cloak. It was dark out, and the spring nights had started to grow cool.
Sage managed to back out of the workroom without causing too much more chaos, and Chloe locked the door behind them with eager hands.
They should be able to reach Gannon’s office through backstreets, hopefully avoiding too much attention along the way.
Sage might have been the smallest of the griffins, but she was still a beautiful and unusual creature—at least in the streets of Everard.
The cobblestones disappeared beneath their feet, and before Chloe could believe they were there, they were ducking into a side alley two buildings down from Gannon’s office. If he had already departed for his home, she would have to think of a way to discover his address.
Her nose wrinkled at the idea of approaching him in his home. But she wasn’t alone. Sage’s sturdy, intimidating presence lent her strength.
When she approached his office door, however, a light burned behind his window despite the lateness of the hour. She cradled the satchel carefully in one hand as she knocked on the door.
The seconds ticked away, and she started to wonder if Gannon had left a lamp burning when he left. But at last the door was pulled open, and Gannon glared down at her from inside the room.
His face transformed as he took in her identity, his gaze focusing on the satchel in her arms.
“You’ve got it?” he breathed, naked greed in his eyes.
Chloe swallowed and nodded, the arm around the satchel tightening. She knew she was acting on the griffins’ instructions, but reluctance lingered now that the moment had actually come to hand it over.
“I’ve been hearing some rumors about you.” Gannon’s eyes didn’t leave the satchel. “You turned out to be far more effective at gaining access to the griffins than I hoped.”
“Don’t think I’ll help you again,” Chloe snapped. “I want your signature and our mortgage in my pocket before I hand this over.”
His eyes finally moved to her face, and she tried to look fierce and strong. He merely smiled in amusement.
“Of course. Wait here.” He stepped back inside, and she waited with rising impatience as he rummaged around inside the room.
She had made the demand in an attempt to sell the performance—if she handed the egg over too easily, Gannon might grow suspicious.
But as he leaned over a desk to sign a piece of paper, she was hit by a startling thought.
He was about to hand over their mortgage—fully signed off and paid.
She had been so focused on averting catastrophe that she hadn’t stopped to consider the result of success.
The two girls had expected to spend years paying off the mortgage from their profits, but now the entire debt would be wiped clean.
And Gannon couldn’t take back the signed mortgage once the night was over.
Chloe had done what he had demanded. She had given him a griffin egg.
What happened after that had nothing to do with her debt.
If he was running an illegal operation to capture and abuse griffins and other creatures of intelligence, then the egg would be confiscated.
But that was quite separate from their deal.