Page 19 of Villainous Mind
“A regibus intus potential jacet,” I repeated.
A King’s power lies within.
We will see. As for the red dragon. He would not be suppressed. Nor would he wait around quietly.
* * *
I wasn’t usedto waiting for people, so when I found myself outside Sam Atterbury’s office being told it would be a few minutes, I was less than enthusiastic. If the boy overheard our conversation at the funeral, I needed to know what else he knew and what he planned to do. I adjusted the sleeves on my three-piece suit as I leaned against the wall, thinking about what Keir had said.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Bardot, Mr. Atterbury is in an important meeting right now.”
I looked up quickly when I heard the name.
“Oh, okay, I’ll try back later,” Navy said, biting the skin near her thumbnail as she turned to walk away.
I should have let her go, but Keir’s warning rang through my mind. “Navy,” I said. She did a double-take before realizing it was me.
“Rhys? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to talk to Sam Atterbury.”
She looked back at the secretary, who was clearly listening, and lowered her voice. “Are you here to tell him how I messed up the story because I’m sure he already knows.”
“Is there somewhere we could go and talk?” I asked, not wanting the sticky beak at the desk to revel in our gossip.
Navy looked around, then grabbed my sleeve, leading me to a lift and pressing the button for the fourteenth floor. “You look different,” she said.
“How so?’
“Like a billionaire, I suppose. You know, the expensive suit and all.”
The corner of my mouth turned up, and I tried to hide my smile. “Do you like it?”
“No, I hate it.” The lift chimed as it came to a stop, and the doors opened. She got out and led me to an outdoor rooftop terrace, sitting down on a bench. “So why do you need to see Sam?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to discuss you.”
“Then why are you here?” she asked, picking at a snag on her sheer black tights.
“I wanted to know what he heard at the funeral.”
“I haven’t told him or my boss there is no story. Please let me talk to him first.” She stood up, walking to the edge of the terrace and the plexiglass wall surrounding it. The heel of her boot caught in a slat on the decking, and she pitched forward. I jumped up, catching her in the nick of time, and held her to me. “Bloody fucking hell, Navy,” I said harsher than intended. “Watch out.”
She pushed herself out of my arms. “Why are you here? You told me to leave and never return.”
“I know I did, and I meant it. You need to stay away from St. Ishmaels.”
“You took something from me, and now something is missing, and I don’t know how to get it back,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. “And I don’t even know what it is.”
“Is this about us doing the deed because we had a deal?”
“This has nothing to do with us fucking. It wasn’t even that good,” she spat.
I scoffed at her remark. “You’re right. I did take something from you. I’m surprised you even noticed. Most people don’t. I told you I would break you. I took a piece of your soul. Well, not me, but the dragon did. He likes trinkets. Materialistic fool.”
“You’re fucking mad. I wish I had never met you.”
“Trust me, the feeling is mutual,” I said. “You know, if you spent as much time watching and listening as you did assuming things, I think you would actually be a good journalist. You’re very intuitive.”