As I was checking out, Enzo saw me and came over with a smile.
“That picture of you is famous,” he declared which made me grimace.
“And here I’d hoped you’d taken it down,” I grumbled. Stupid thing started all this trouble.
“Oh, I had Sonya remove it, but people had already copied it. You know what they say, once on the internet, it is eterno!”
Great. I could only hope I wouldn’t end up as a meme.
“How is your famiglia?” Enzo asked.
“Family is great,” I stated, recalling my previous fib.
Enzo insisted I take a cupcake for Zaza decorated with eyes and a silly smile.
Once I got in my car, curiosity had me go looking for the image of me and Percy. I lucked out and found it quickly as posters had tagged the grocery store, which explained how those strangers easily found my location. The picture showed my profile clearly even though I was half turned from the camera.
What chilled my blood, though, wasn’t the gray-hued lizard perched on my shoulder, looking nothing like a dragon. Nope, what had me suddenly feeling lightheaded? The fact they’d snapped the pic while I was talking to Nicky when we first met in the checkout line.
In that moment, paranoia hit me. Could it be this wasn’t about Percy but?—
Dring. Dring.
The old-school ringer went off on my phone, and I felt a deep cold settle in me before I even looked at the number.
It was Nicky and the dread in my belly predicted her panicked words.
“Zaza’s been kidnapped.”
Chapter Seventeen
All I wanted to do was sleep, but I couldn’t. The tiny human had been taken.
My tiny human. The affront had me livid and I wasn’t alone. My female servant alternated between hysterics and rage while she related what happened to Bruce as he drove, not in the direction of the chalet, I noticed.
“Apparently Joseph showed up at the church with a court order giving him custody of Zaza. That bastard!” Nicky cried, her voice choked with emotion.
“The staff just let him take her without contacting you?”
“Joseph didn’t really give them a chance. He walked out with Zaza as they were calling. According to Mona, who runs the daycare, he didn’t show up alone. His people didn’t directly threaten, but they made it clear they would act if anyone interfered.”
“This is my fault,” Bruce stated. “I never realized the pic of me and Percy circulating included you and Zaza.”
“Turns out they were after Zaza all along,” whispered Nicky.
“I’m sorry.” Bruce’s apology emerged on a gravelly note. “I fucked up. I should have never left either of you alone.”
“This isn’t your fault. We both knew Joseph was looking for us. I just never expected he’d find us so quick.” Nicky began sobbing. “My poor baby. What if he hurts her? She must be so frightened.” The tears transitioned to a growl. “That bastard. How dare he pretend to show an interest in Zaza when he could never be bothered before.”
“He won’t have her for long. I will find Zaza and bring her back to you. And once she’s safe, I’m going to make sure that fucker never comes near either of you again.”
I loved the deadly promise in that claim. I totally approved, although this couldn’t have occurred at a worse time. I was on the cusp of molting and wanted nothing more than to nap, however, the tiny human had to be saved.
As Bruce peppered Nicky with questions— “What does Joseph drive? Where would he stay if he wasn’t heading home right away? Does he own any properties nearby? When you visited the chalet, did you go anywhere else?”—I wanted to tell them to both calm down. They kept forgetting the obvious. Something so basic even a dragon could see it.
Apparently, their panic blinded them so I ended up blurting, “You do realize the miscreant is going to use Zaza as leverage to get Nicky back in his clutches?”
Silence descended in the front seat.
