Page 17 of I Am Sin
That was a decision I would regret.
Not because of the alcohol in the punch—and it was a lot.
But mine was spiked with something else. I didn’t find out what until I woke up in the hospital, lucky to be alive.
So I don’t drink. I don’t keep alcohol at my place.
And of course I don’t do drugs.
Maybe that’s why Brianna and Jesse were so adamant that Dragon stay with me.
Maybe they think I’ll be a good influence on him.
But Dragon had maintained his sobriety for a while. In fact, according to Brianna, he even allowed himself to drink beer and smoke pot but stayed away from the hard stuff.
Until London, the night after the band’s first performance…
He blew it all.
Frankly, he shouldn’t have been smoking pot or drinking beer. From what I understand about addicts, they have to stay away from all of it.
But Dragon thought he could handle it, and according to Jesse, hedidhandle it for many years.
What happened in London?
Was it simple fear of success? The band was finally making it big, so he tried to sabotage it?
None of my business. I can’t concern myself with him. I’ve already made him feel weird about staying in my place now that he knows about the lock I’m installing.
No. He’s lucky to be staying with me, and if he feels weird about the lock, that’s not my problem. I need my head in the game with this new job. I’m so psyched about the project, and if I want to have my hands in it, I need to show the bosses right away that I’m serious about architecture and serious about their firm. Dragon’s feelings are the least of my worries.
I make it down to security. “Hey,” I say to Steve, the guard on duty.
“Ms. Steel. How can I help you?”
“I’m going to have someone staying at my place for a while, so I need to get him a couple of keys.”
Steve nods. “Ronnie is in today. She can help you in the office.”
“Thanks, Steve.”
He smiles. “Not a problem.”
I walk behind the counter where Steve is sitting and then to the office where I knock on the open door, waving to Ronnie.
“Diana, can I help you?” Ronnie asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “I have a…friend staying with me for a while. I need to get a couple of keys for him.”
“Okay,” she says. “I’m just going to need his name. I can give you a key for now, but have him stop by so I can get his ID.”
“Absolutely. Sorry, I would’ve done that. I guess I didn’t realize you needed it.”
“We take security very seriously here. But don’t worry. Just make sure he stops by in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I just need his name.”
“It’s Dragon. Dragon Locke. Lock with ane.”
She raises her eyebrows. “You’re kidding, right?”