His granddaughter’s gaze narrowed. “And?”
“Our young friend took offense, so I might have replied only an idiot would mix up a dragon and a dinosaur.”
“Even if they didn’t mask their IP with a VPN, it doesn’t sound like they revealed anything that would lead to this,” Apollo murmured.
Keanu hung his head. “I might have gone on to mention that dinosaurs were dumb beasts who weren’t born talking like a dragon.”
Iolana groaned. “You idiot.”
“I’m sorry.”
Apollo tried to soothe things over. “Let’s be honest, most people would have ignored what Keanu claimed. I mean the internet is, after all, full of wild and unsubstantiated claims.”
“Does this look like someone ignored him?” She waved her hand.
“Good thing we weren’t home.” Keanu tried to offer a positive, but Iolana scowled.
“What about tomorrow, though, or the next day? Obviously, there’s someone nearby who suspects we’ve got a dragon. They’ll be back.”
“We can put a proper lock on the doors.” Keanu’s weak rebuttal.
“A good start, but it’s not enough,” Apollo said in a take-charge voice. “Here’s what I propose: you spend the next few days at my place. I’ve already got security cameras and motion sensors, but I’ll add a few guards to patrol the property as well. During that time, we’ll get this place secured.”
“At what cost?” Keanu visibly bristled at the thought of spending.
“None to you. I’ll cover it. And before you say anything, it’s not charity. Tigger did name me one of his servants, and as such, it’s my duty to protect him.”
“Indeed it is,” I agreed with a solemn nod, leading to Iolana snorting, but she didn’t refuse the offer.
“I’m also going to see if I can find out who broke into your place,” Apollo added.
“How?” Iolana canted her head. “Going to dust the place for fingerprints?”
“No. I’m going to contact a hacker friend of mine to trace the IP addresses of everyone who participated or viewed the thread Keanu responded to. I’m also going to get him to see which local bio labs might have received the sheets and other things stolen for analysis.”
“Assuming they didn’t send it off to a private lab,” she pointed out.
“I don’t get the impression whoever did the grab-and-run was sophisticated enough to own the necessary equipment. If I had to guess, they were hired by someone who saw the thread.”
“This hacker friend of yours?—”
“Is discreet. We go back a long time and do business often. Now, rather than keep discussing this here, I think we should head back to my place, crack open some hot chocolate and marshmallows, maybe the whiskey, and call it a night.”
It turned out upon our return to my home—the one more befitting me—that the whiskey didn’t appeal. The fumes of it made my eyes water. Although I almost insisted on my own glass when Iolana shook her head and said, “No booze for the baby dragon.”
I would drink if I wanted to!
But I preferred the cocoa and quite enjoyed toasting the puffy sugar clouds on the fire outside. Delicious.
Despite how much I’d eaten that day, I didn’t molt that night. Nor did I fall easily asleep. Iolana tossed and turned. And flipped. And flopped.
I finally grumbled, “Would you go see Apollo already?”
“What? No. Why would I do that?”
Humans could be so dumb. “Because your sexual pheromones are keeping us both awake.”
“Oh.” A slight pause, then, “Sorry.”
