Page 10 of Serving my Dragon (The Dragocracy Chronicles #2)

“No, I’m not…” Her voice trailed off. “The color of my shirt is different, but you’re right, it’s the same clothes, only I don’t own that top in blue or green. Just the pink.” She poked one of the canyon images. “Someone’s making it seem like these were taken on different days, but why?”

“Could your friend Sally be trying to avoid panicking anyone while she searches for you?” I offered the most plausible explanation.

“If she was looking for me, wouldn’t she have gone to the police?”

“You’re assuming she could. Could be she’s in trouble too,” I opined.

“Then who’s the one replying to her emails?” Kayleigh countered. “Let’s look up her profile. Sally Johanson.”

I typed in the name and Kayleigh poked one of the profile pics. “That’s her page.”

Once it loaded, I whistled. “The exact same images were used. And look, just like you, her clothes are the same, just the hues of her top are different.”

“Which I know for a fact Sally would never do because even if she likes something, she will only buy one of it. Dress, shirt, shoes. She’s always been more fashion-conscious than me.

No way she’d wear the same outfit over and over.

” Kayleigh gripped my arm. “Oh my god. Do you think Sally’s in trouble? ”

I wanted to say no just to wipe the anxiety from her expression.

“I don’t know. But this situation is more than weird.

” Surely now the police would listen. Or would they?

While not something openly admitted, trafficking, especially of attractive women, did happen, and I knew some—ahem, Tío Juan—claimed the police enabled it by covering up the crimes.

“What should we do, Matty?” She clutched my arm and leaned close, the scent of her, the heat, the everything overwhelming my senses so much I didn’t protest the ridiculous name she used for me.

“I think we need to talk to my uncle.”

“Can he help us find Sally?”

She would be more worried about her friend than herself. “I don’t know, but Tío Juan has friends in less than savory places. He might be able to find out something.”

“Thank you.” Her warm breath practically kissed my lips, she leaned so close.

I wanted to close that gap. To press my mouth to hers. I wanted her. Ached with it. But it didn’t seem right to seduce her. She had nowhere to go. Might feel obliged to say yes to sex. The man raised by a bevy of woman wouldn’t put her in that position.

Polly stirred and whimpered in my lap and I stroked the scales of her back.

“The poor thing,” Kayleigh murmured. “I wonder if an ice pack would help.”

“Seeing as how she supposedly hatched in a volcano, I’d say she prefers hot to cold.”

“Would a hot soak help then?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

“I should have asked before,” Kayleigh grumbled. “I don’t want to do anything that would harm her.”

I understood that feeling.

“Here, why don’t you give her a cuddle while I give my uncle a call?” I transferred Polly to Kayleigh’s lap and then headed to the yard with my phone.

Juan answered on the second ring. “What is it, pendejo?” My mother’s only brother never coddled me like Papa’s side of the family.

I was a boy, and he’d always been the one to balk most at what he considered my emasculation by my female relatives.

I’d often heard him fighting with Mama about how she was raising me to be soft.

To which Mama would reply that better than a forro .

Basically, an asshole. Which, funny enough, was kind of what pendejo meant as well.

While Juan knew some of the basics of Kayleigh’s rescue, I explained the rest to him. The fact she’d not been declared missing. How her friend insisted they were together. And now the manipulated images of not just her but her friend.

Juan went quiet and listened. At the end of it, he grunted. “Sounds like your lady friend might have gotten embroiled in some trouble.”

“Obviously. The question is, do I need to worry about her safety? And what of her companion, Sally?”

“Did you leave your name and contact info with the police?”

“Yes, and the embassy, too, although that was on a voicemail.”

“Estúpido, giving your location,” he exclaimed.

“At the time, it seemed the smart thing to do.”

“Have you seen any suspicious persons skulking around?”

“No more than usual.” Then again, I didn’t pay much attention to those sauntering the streets.

“You might want to make sure the Americana does not wander around by herself. Harder for someone to nab her if she’s in the company of someone else. For the house, I can get you some cameras.”

“You think it’s necessary?” I grimaced at the thought of losing my privacy.

“They’re for outside. They’ll warn you if anyone gets too close or shows too much interest.”

“What about her friend? How would we go about looking for her?”

“You said they posted a picture of a hotel room and eating at Páprika. That might be enough for me to find where they were staying.”

“Thanks, Tío.”

“Bah. You’re family.”

Yes, but I also paid my debts. “When are you coming to the office for a checkup?”

“My teeth are fine.”

“They’ll be better after a cleaning.”

“Bossy pendejo.” My uncle hung up grumbling, but I knew he’d come because he did pride himself on not only having a full head of hair at almost sixty, but also all his teeth.

I entered the house to find Kayleigh half asleep on the couch, her hand resting on Polly.

“What did your uncle say?” she asked drowsily.

“He’s going to see if he can track down where you and Sally were staying.” I didn’t mention his advice that Kayleigh not go anywhere alone. “Off to bed with you.”

“Mmm. Yes. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

“Oh?” I inquired as I scooped up Polly and held her to my chest.

“Your cousins didn’t want me to be lonely since you’re going back to work, so we’re going shopping.”

Work. Right. I’d forgotten. I didn’t really want to, but my bills wouldn’t care that I wanted to stick close to Kayleigh. With me being gone from the house, her being with my cousins actually would be a good thing. They’d keep her busy and I pitied the moron who tried anything with them around.

“I’ll leave you some money.”

“Oh no, don’t do that. I wasn’t planning to buy anything for myself. More going for the outing and to cuddle the babies, Tito and Jacinta.”

“I insist. You probably still need toiletries and stuff.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t go. I don’t know if we should leave Polly alone.” She reached out to stroke the lizard’s head, and her fingers brushed my chest. The shirt I wore didn’t stop me from feeling it. At least my loose shorts hid my semi-erection.

“Pretty sure sitting and staring at her won’t do much. We’ll leave out some food for her in case she’s hungry and I’ll stop by on my lunch break to check on her.”

“You really want me to go shopping,” she said with a laugh.

“You’ll have fun.” And being with my cousins would be less nerve-wracking than wondering if she’d be fine alone in the house. Blame Juan for planting a worrying bug.

We said goodnight at the bedroom doors across the hall from each other, mere paces separating our beds.

I hated in that moment that my mother raised me to be respectful because I wanted nothing more than to have Kayleigh lying beside me.

Instead, I had a tiny, burning hot dragon—and the bluest balls in existence.