It was when the big burly construction workers came in that she realized something was up. They were normally nice, maybe a little flirtatious. This time, though, they were beyond polite.
“If you wouldn’t mind, ma’am, we’d like the usual order,” the tall blond she thought might be Morris said.
“No problem,” Jess said.
The brunette beside him said, “I know we come in here and kid around sometimes, but we meant no disrespect. Wrath is a good guy…”
“The best,” Morris interjected.
“Right, the best guy. And we wouldn’t ever behave inappropriately with a woman he’s…”
“Friendly with,” Morris offered.
“Right,” the brunette said.
Neither of the big men were making eye contact with her. They both had their heads down. It was...submissive.
“It’s no problem, guys. I like talking to you,” Jess said.
“Oh God,” the brunette said. “Don’t tell him that. I mean, I wouldn’t want him to have the impression that... Just, as a favor, maybe don’t mention us at all. We’re not important.”
“Okay. I think you guys are overreacting. I had coffee with him and sat on his lap for a selfie. When I see him later…” Jess began.
“It’s none of our business,” Morris said. “You have a good day now.”
Then they were heading out the door. He’d left a twenty on the counter for their order.
“Your money!” Jess called to them.
“Keep it,” Morris said.
Jess couldn’t understand their reaction. Was Wrath their boss? No, the fear level there was well beyond the fear of losing a job. Was he some kind of crime boss hiding away in Ashland, Virginia? Seemed unlikely. Then again, he had problems with his “family”, and he had a lot of money. Nah.
There were a lot of reasons they might fear him. She could see how he could appear threatening, and he reeked of power. He also had money, apparently. He had offered to pay her off. Maybe the money and powerful presence were enough reason for them to be afraid. Why he’d bother with a couple of random construction workers, she didn’t know. She suspected he wouldn’t.
The bigger question was how they knew she’d been around Wrath. They would have been working while she had coffee with him. How fast did gossip travel in this town? If she went by Leering Larry’s reaction, it was her scent. Maybe she smelled like his cologne and had gone noseblind to it.
She put the twenty-dollar bill in the tip jar and helped the next customer. All the while, she wondered about Mr. Drake’s fascinating brother.
Chapter 6
Down a long gravel driveway shrouded by maple and pine trees was Wrath’s two-story country home. Pine needles blanketed the ground around the house prohibiting the growth of a lawn of any sort. That was fine with Wrath. Less maintenance. He never understood the fixation some humans had with covering the ground in a monoculture of turf grass that needed continual care.
Farther down the road was a large metal barn that served as a parking garage for his people. They parked there to hide their numbers. They didn’t live with him in the house, they had their own accommodations below ground.
Wrath knew his many times great granddaughter Lily was inside the house before he opened the door. His sweet girl smelled like cedar and strawberries now that she was a teenager. A few years ago, she always smelled like dirt, old leaves, and stolen candy.
Lily was spoiled rotten, but well loved. It would be easy to get the impression that she was favored over her older sister, Iris, but that wasn’t the case. The truth was, Iris was the one who insisted her baby sister be spoiled. She doted on the girl and everyone else followed suit to please Iris.
The girls were adopted, sharing the same birth parents, but they’d won the hearts of the whole family.
When he walked into his house, the teenager came bounding into the entryway. He had just enough time to put down the groceries before she jumped into his arms and attempted to squeeze the life out of him. She might have broken a rib if he wasn’t a dragon.
“You find anything, sweetheart?” Wrath asked.
She released him from the hug and gave him her best angry look, which wasn’t all that convincing.
“I was worried about you, Poppy. Have the dragons found you?” she asked.
“I think so, but I can handle myself. What do you have?”
She turned on her heel and headed for the dining room, her blond ponytail bouncing along with her. “A lot. Since she has magic, I looked for her family to find a clue on what she is and that’s where it gets interesting.”
Wrath followed her to the dining table where she’d set up a laptop.
“First off, she’s an orphan,” Lily said. “I may know why. There was a restraining order against her mother filed by one Aegidius Calvin III.”
“My brother,” Wrath said.
“Right. A week later, there’s a gas explosion at her house. Only Jess survived. The news stories said she was unharmed. An infant found in smoldering rubble like it was a miracle or something. It must be her magic. She was then raised by her paternal grandparents who were as boring as humans can be. Her maternal grandmother is more interesting, though.”
Lily brought up an old government document. “She was convicted of harassment of guess who?”
“Aegidius?”
“That’s the one. Only it was Aegidius Calvin II. Same dragon, though. I think she comes from a line of dragon hunters, Poppy. That’s why I had every right to be worried. I know you’re a big strong dragon, but if she had set a trap…”
“Is there any evidence that she’s even aware of dragons?”
“She went to work for Kurtis Drake. I didn’t even have to look up that guy to know he was a dragon. The name is a little on the nose.”
“The explosion, is there anything to suggest it wasn’t an accident?”
“It was ruled an accident. I think it was, but I think her mother caused it. I think she was building
