“Mates.” O’Malley nodded happily. “That’s beautiful.”
Kelos shook the bartender’s hand and then let it drop. “We shouldn’t keep you away from the bar any longer.”
“Oh, sure.” O’Malley nodded and backed out of the room. “Anything you want, just help yourself. There’s a small kitchen in the next room, along with coffee and tea, plus some food. Or I could send one of my staff out for some takeout. There’s a great pizza place just down the street.”
“No, that’s fine. We can rustle something up here if that’s okay.” Amber put her hands up to reassure O’Malley. “You’ve done enough already. Thank you for the drinks and for letting us sit back here.”
“No problem.” O’Malley glanced at his watch. “Joanna should be along in an hour or so. She usually pokes her head in to say hello after her shift.”
“Thanks.” Amber sipped her drink and half turned away from O’Malley.
“I’d love to ask you questions sometime.” O’Malley paused in the doorway, his hand on the door handle.
“Questions?” Kelos asked dubiously.
“Yeah.” O’Malley ducked his head and his cheeks flushed pink. “I’m a history buff. I’m guessing you’ve been around for a long while. You’ve lived through some of the events I’ve read about… Sorry.”
“Oh.” Kelos nodded, his forehead creased. “Sure. Questions. I will return and answer your questions.” O’Malley looked unsure and Kelos added, “I give you my word.”
“Okay. The word of a dragon, you can’t get better than that.” O’Malley took one last look at his guests and then left the room, pulling the door closed behind him. The noise of the bar rose briefly as he entered the bar but then faded again, leaving Amber and Kelos alone.
“Never a dull moment when you are traveling with a dragon.” Amber sipped her rum and Coke before slumping down on the gray sofa. “I just need to rest for a moment then I’m going to go see what food there is.” She looked up at Kelos. “I was going to leave some cash for O’Malley. I don’t like taking things without paying.”
“Take what you need,” Kelos told her.
“Isn’t that taking advantage of your position or something?” Amber asked.
He came to sit next to her and took a slug of his beer. “I am a dragon shifter. Rare these days, it’s true. But even when there were many of us, people still held us in awe.”
“Wow. Really?” Amber had never bought into the rock star or movie star adulation thing. She certainly wasn’t inclined to see Kelos as a shifter star. No wonder he thought a lot of himself.
“Yes. O’Malley is happy to give us drinks and food. If you pay him, he’ll feel insulted.” Kelos half turned to look at her. “Believe me, I have learned many times from experience. Even the poorest of people like to be generous. It makes them feel good. It allows them to feel benevolent.”
“And you just take it?” Amber asked.
Kelos sighed and looked down at his bottle of beer. “This is a secret I will share with you because you are my mate and I trust you.”
“Okay.” Her eyes narrowed. “You are a complicated beast, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea.” He leaned closer to her. “After I have accepted what people have offered me, I leave. But at some point in the future, be it near or far, I will repay the favor. A few coins dropped here, a dam unblocked there.”
“You go back and do something for them. You’re like a lucky talisman.” Amber nodded in approval. “Who would have thought?”
“That is between you and me.” He took another gulp of beer. “I can’t have everyone thinking I am going soft.”
Amber pretended to zip her mouth shut. “Your secret is safe with me.”
She leaned her head back on the sofa and stared at the TV although it was not switched on. This was all so surreal.
“I hope Fabian is okay.” She sighed and took a drink. “I should call Margie.”
“Not yet,” Kelos advised. “She won’t be happy that we left Fabian behind and you will find it a distraction if she’s angry with you.”
“You’re right. I’ll call her when we’ve heard what Joanna has to say.” Amber got up, needing something to do to take her mind off Margie and the kids. They would love to see Fabian again. How could she explain to them that they had managed to get Fabian safely out of the house only to send him right back in again? “I’ll go grab something to eat.”
Kelos watched her go, concern on his face, which she ignored. She was totally committed to the plan. If they could help strengthen the case against Roman Ostabell, in any way, it would make things easier for Fabian.
However, Amber could not figure out why Joanna hadn’t acted on her information already. She worked for the police force, so why not just deal with it through official channels?
An hour later, after demolishing a packet of chips and a couple of cups of coffee, she hoped to get her answers as the door opened and Joanna walked in.
“You’re here.” She looked a little surprised. “I thought you might have flown away.”
“We are committed to helping Fabian,” Kelos told her. “So, what do you have to tell us?”
“Dragons are always so direct.” Joanna slumped down on the second sofa, a glass of neat whiskey in her hand which she sipped slowly, savoring the taste. “Okay. I have information. But I have to stay out of it.”
“Stay out of what?” Amber asked.
“The information I have is that there is a file hidden in an office downtown. It contains incriminating evidence against Ostabell.” She looked from Kelos to Amber, as if trying to communicate the importance of the information. “I can tell you exactly where it is.”
“How do you know all this?” Kelos asked. Did he sense a trap? Because Amber sure did.
“I got the information from a source I’m not willing to name.
