What Fire Dragons Treasure - Cristina Rayne Page 0,59

me, his proof would show that I helped the Draknos kidnap numerous women and children as the ringleader of a human-to-dragon trafficking ring. Agreeing to call your husband and stall you long enough for him to fly out here was the only way I could protect myself.”

“That dragon didn’t have to help me,” Amber said quietly, “but he did. Without hesitation despite knowing it could potentially cause a diplomatic incident between our two peoples. His only thought was to save a mother and child from being murdered right before his very eyes.”

Then without another word or backward glance, Amber walked out of Taylor Madden’s office.

She half expected to run into at least Raphek on the way out. There was no way his super hearing didn’t catch that conversation, but the hallway outside Madden’s office was empty and quiet. Although she would like nothing more in the world than for Garrett to disappear off the face of the earth, she really hoped that Raphek didn’t catch the bastard on the way out. Murdering a human in cold blood would be the worst thing that could possibly happen after this already godawful day.

However, after what had just happened, Amber knew that she couldn’t meet Raphek at the street corner around the block as they had planned. She couldn’t allow Senator Johnson to release that doctored video. Despair crashed through her like a cloud of poisonous gas ready to steal the life from her lungs. There was only one way to stop the coming madness she had unwittingly unleashed on the Draknos.

The lobby was conspicuously empty of both the receptionist and clients. Amber’s jaw tightened. Likely Ms. Madden had expected shit to hit the fan once Garrett arrived and had instructed one of her employees to clear the building.

Still no dragons. She couldn’t believe that Airon and Otaron were still at the coffee shop silently watching. Not after Garrett had almost murdered her so nearby. Had one of them gone after Garrett to possibly learn more about how he planned to carry out his ultimatum to her? They had to have heard the time and meeting place. Was one of them still in the coffeeshop watching to make sure she safely left the building right now?

It would be all over if any of the three followed her now, especially Raph.

Amber put on her sunglasses, took a deep breath, and dashed out the front through the virtually empty parking lot. She then took off running as fast as her swollen and abused throat would allow down the sidewalk in the opposite direction she was supposed to go. As she rounded the corner, she saw a woman exiting one of Austin’s yellow cabs in front of a group of office buildings halfway up the street. She increased her speed and managed to catch her just before she closed the cab door.

“Excuse me,” Amber gasped, holding her hand across her neck in hopes of hiding any obvious damage, “but is this cab open now?”

“I suppose it is, yes,” she replied, looking startled.

“Thanks!”

Amber popped her head into the back and asked the driver, “You accepting new fares?”

“Yeah. Hop in.”

After climbing into the back seat, Amber made sure a thick lock of her hair looped across her neck. Her voice already sounded as though she had swallowed a bucketful of glass shards. She didn’t want the driver to start asking uncomfortable questions.

“Where to?”

“Can you just drive around downtown for a few minutes? I’m waiting for my friend to text me which bank I’m supposed to go to in that general area.”

The man didn’t even bat an eye at her unusual request. “No problem.”

Amber clutched her phone tighter, trying to stop her hands from shaking. It really was a minor miracle that neither her phone nor sunglasses had been damaged during Garrett’s assault.

By now, Raphek was probably beside himself because she never showed to meet him. She desperately wanted to call him to alleviate his worry, but now wasn’t the time. His search for her had already likely begun. There were three dragon-men with noses better than a bloodhound’s and ears that could hear a pin drop a mile away. Raphek had told her that it was harder to parse out individual voices depending on crowd size. Going to the heart of a city of nearly a million people should buy her a lot of time.

Thank God Otaron had given her a few twenties just in case she ran into any unforeseen snags while alone. He had given the