“Expecting company?” I asked, even as excitement stirred within.
“No.” Malone pulled out a gun, likely the same one he’d shot my kidnappers with.
Another rap at the portal had the doctor moving for it and putting his eye to the peephole just as someone said, “John, you in there? I lost my keycard.”
“You’ve got the wrong room,” Malone barked.
“Sorry,” someone replied and then giggled. “Guess it might help if I got off on the right floor.”
“Fucking drunk tourists.” Malone relaxed as the person left, but the drama didn’t end there.
An alarm began to ring, strident and irritating to the ears.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Malone muttered.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, noticing the man tossing things into his briefcase and snapping it shut.
“Fire alarm. Most likely someone who pulled it as a prank, but all the guests will be expected to evacuate. Good thing I was ready to leave anyhow. I want to be at the airport so that, when the storm eases, we’re ready to go.”
“No.”
“As if you have a choice.”
“I don’t want to go with you. I want Iolana.” A plaintive plea met with derision.
“Could you be any more pathetic and weak?”
It wasn’t weak to want the person who cared for me. Before I could retort, the doctor aimed a spray at my face and coated my snout in a fine mist. The stink identified it as the same substance that put me to sleep before.
Next time I woke, I couldn’t see a thing because of the blanket draped over my cage, but I could hear. The noises around me might be unfamiliar, yet given Malone announced his intention, I suspected we were at the airport, soon to leave Hawaii.
And Iolana.
And Apollo.
And Keanu.
And Francine.
But worse than losing all my servants was the dying of all hope.
Chapter Twenty-One
The trip to the hotel proved quiet and tense, and not just because of the pounding rain and whipping winds. What if Malone hadn’t been the one behind Tigger’s kidnapping? What if we were too late? What if I never saw my little orange dragon again because I’d failed him?
I blamed myself. I should have had him in a locked room. Should have stayed with him the entire time and let the workers wander at will.
Apollo reached over to grab my hand and squeeze it. “We’ll find him.”
“I don’t understand why I care so much. I’ve only had him in my life a week, and he’s been nothing but bossy and expensive and…” My voice hitched.
“There is no reason or timeframe for falling in love.”
A statement that startled. He had to be talking about my strong and quick attachment to Tigger, but a part of me wondered if he implied something else. A glance over at Apollo showed his gaze on the road.
“The moment I met Lulu, I knew I’d marry her,” Tutu stated from the back, showing he’d been listening.
“From what she told me, it took months before she’d agree to go on a date.”
