He glanced at me, and I could see he didn’t believe that for one second. Me neither, as it had never happened before.
Apollo didn’t speak as he strode for the house, his shoes crunching the gravel. Not that the noise of his steps mattered, since an intruder would have heard the SUV.
A glance at the warehouse showed it remained shut tight. I followed Apollo into the house and gasped because even I couldn’t blame the wind or even a straying mongoose for the mess inside.
Chapter Twelve
My home—as shabby as it was—had been invaded!
The nerve of the thief, but the indignation soon turned to concern because, as we moved from room to room, one thing became quickly obvious.
Apollo murmured it first. “I think this was targeted. They took things Tigger might have come in contact with.”
My prison, AKA the aquarium, and all its contents, gone, as were Iolana’s sheets and pillow. Bath towels. Even the sofa cushions.
“How can you be so sure this is about the dragon? They also took the television and my record collection,” Keanu exclaimed.
“Probably to camouflage their actions.” Iolana pursed her lips. “Let’s be honest here, there’s no value in the other stuff they stole.”
“My shop!” A suddenly panicked Keanu heavy-footed it to the workshop, with Iolana following close behind, scooping me up on her way.
Apollo followed, still holding his gun. A true protector—with wealth. I’d chosen well. But he worried needlessly. The scent of the intruders, distinct and pungent from a lack of bathing, along with the fresher remains of a vehicle’s exhaust, indicated they’d departed. However, they could be watching.
I eyed the sky, aware that drones existed, flying machines that could watch from above. I didn’t spot any lights nor hear any hum of their whirring blades; however, there were more silent methods of spying. Someone with binoculars, for example.
“The shop is untouched!” Keanu declared with relief.
“A good thing, since he won’t pay for insurance,” Iolana murmured to Apollo.
As my servants congregated in the living room, with its sad sofa showing the diestrus once hidden by its missing cushions, a discussion occurred, more like an argument, about where they’d be sleeping that night.
“You can’t stay here,” Apollo insisted.
“I am not paying for a motel when I have a perfectly fine bed here,” Keanu huffed. “We have more bedding in the closet.”
“Listen, your cheapness,” Iolana snapped. “We might not be safe. Whoever broke into our house could return.”
“Hardly breaking in since we don’t lock the doors,” stated the old man.
“Because that makes it so much better,” Iolana drawled, pointing out the ridiculousness of his statement.
“You can stay with me,” Apollo tried to offer, only to have Keanu stiffen.
“I do not need your charity.” Humans and their pride.
“I’ve got a lot of empty rooms, so it’s not like I’d notice you staying there. It would only be for a few days until we can sort out what happened.”
Iolana pursed her lips. “What happened seems obvious. Someone came looking for Tigger, but who? It’s not as if anyone outside this room is aware of how special he is. So how did they know where to find him?”
“You didn’t send any messages to anyone about him? Post any pictures?” Apollo questioned.
Iolana started to shake her head but then blurted out, “These idiots were posting online on some forums.”
“Is that true?” a stern Apollo asked.
I cleared my throat. “We simply corrected some misassumptions.”
“There was a thread talking about how dragons couldn’t have existed and were most likely dinosaurs. But we didn’t give out our address or nothing,” Keanu hastened to add.
