Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 78142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
But damn…
The top of a mountain is not the place to take shortcuts.
But what if…?
A single failure in the pipeline could disrupt the entire water supply to the resort, jeopardizing the safety and comfort of its visitors.
Are these plans final? I shuffle through everything. Nothing notes that they’re final, but they don’t say draft either.
With a sense of urgency, I sketch out alternative routes for the pipeline, mapping out a path that avoids the unstable terrain and minimizes the risk of catastrophic failure. It’s a challenging task, requiring careful consideration of topography, geology, and environmental impact, but I’m determined to find a solution that ensures the long-term sustainability and safety of the resort.
The problem?
It will cost more money.
A lot more money.
I gather my notes, rise, and walk to Rod’s office, knocking on the door. When there’s no answer, I open the door. His lights are out. I look across to his assistant’s desk. She’s gone as well.
What time is it, anyway?
I look down at my watch. Seven p.m. I’ve put in a full day, but I hate leaving without talking to Rod about my findings.
A few offices are still occupied, but I don’t know any of my colleagues well enough yet to bring this to their attention.
I sigh.
I’ll go home. Run a hot bath.
And deal with this tomorrow.
Chapter Thirty
Dragon
I don’t hear from Alayna all day, and Diana doesn’t come home in the evening. Worry grabs the back of my neck.
But why worry? It’s a new job, and she already told me she’d be working late and would hardly be home.
I make myself a sandwich and decide to settle in for the night. Not like I have anything better to do anyway.
Until my phone rings. I don’t know the number, and my heart starts to hammer. Maybe it’s the person who called about Griffin.
“Yeah?” I say into the phone.
“Is this Dragon Locke?” It’s a different voice from before.
“It is.”
“Hey, Dragon, I don’t know if you remember me, but we met… Never mind.”
My heart is still pounding. I will it to slow.
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
“I’m Antonio Carbone.”
“Ah…” I take a deep breath. “We met the night I…got arrested.”
“We did.” He laughs—sort of. “Sorry. Didn’t want to bring that up.”
“Not a problem. What can I help you with?”
“I don’t know if Diana mentioned it to you, but I run the music store on the edge of town. I’m the owner.”
“Oh.”
“You made quite an impression on my cashier, and we do need percussion instructors. I was wondering when you could start.”
“Now?”
He chuckles into the phone. “I have about ten students on a waiting list for percussion instruction. The pay is forty dollars an hour.”
“Yeah? And what’s your cut?”
“My cut is fifty percent. But you get forty an hour. I collect eighty from the student and pay you half.”
“Is this on a contract basis or an employment basis?”
“Contract. It won’t include any benefits, and no taxes will be withheld from your income.”
Damn. I can’t live on forty bucks an hour if it’s only part-time.
“Fifty percent is a pretty steep cut,” I say.
“It’s what I charge, Dragon. You’re using my instruments and my studios. You’re certainly welcome to try to get students on your own if you’d rather.”
He makes a good point. Man, I don’t like this guy. But I need the income. Something is better than nothing. And word travels fast among parents looking for music lessons for their kids. Maybe I can find some extra students that I can teach privately for full price.
“Good enough. I’ll take it. Let me know when I can start.”
“I’ll get in touch with the people on my waiting list, and I’ll give you a call tomorrow. I imagine some of them will want to get started right away.”
“So I’ll have ten students. Is that weekly?”
“Yeah, and they have to sign up for ten lessons at once, so that’ll give you four hundred dollars a week for at least ten weeks.”
Who the hell can live on that? At least Diana’s not making me pay rent, and so far she hasn’t kicked me out.
“Great. I’ll look forward to your call,” I say.
“Glad to have you on board, Dragon.”
The call ends, and I think about those words.
Glad to have you on board.
He just hired a man who, for all he knows, solicited a prostitute two nights ago.
He also didn’t ask about my education. Would he be surprised to know I don’t have a degree in music?
There’s only one reason for any of this.
He wants to get into Diana’s pants.
Fuck.
I wish that didn’t bother me as much as it does.
I’m still holding my phone when it rings again.
Another number I don’t recognize…
My heartbeat starts to accelerate once again.
“Yeah?”
“Call off your dog.”
An icy chill runs up and down my spine when I realize it’s the same voice from last night.
“Excuse me?”
“You want to find your sister? Call off your dog.”