Daring Dragon's Dirty Secret (Shifter Doctor Daddies Instalove Romance 2)

It was the only bar left off I-516 that would serve me.

It was a bit rustic for my tastes and far too full of humans, but generally it was well kept and stocked full of all my favorite classics. I sat at the bar and dropped a gold credit card on the counter that made the bartender spit out his drink. I ordered an entire bottle of whiskey for myself.

I sighed as I welcomed the bottle, trailing my fingers over the cool, slick glass. “My old friend.”

“That to yourself?” the bartender inquired. “Not complaining, but do I need to watch you?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

He snorted with amusement as he grabbed a bar mop and slid it over the counter, creating a shiny trail of water stains over the cured wood. “Alright, mate. Be easy, then.”

“You got it.”

I poured myself a shot and tipped it back, swishing the whiskey in my mouth first to get the full effect of the alcohol. The cereal in my gut churned after I swallowed. I probably should have eaten just a little bit more.

Didn’t matter. I wasn’t here to care for my body—I was here to forget it.

The picture in my pocket called to me, all crumpled up and worn from going through too many washes. I had an awful habit of forgetting it was in there—that she was in there—but then again, that’s sort of how I treated her in reality, wasn’t it?

“Nathaniel.”

I perked up at the sound of my name. I was on the outskirts of town. Nobody would know me here, and that was kind of the point.

I turned my bleary eyes to see a rather frail and thin woman seated on the stool beside me. She plucked a fresh shot glass from behind the counter, poured herself a drink, and sipped it. Cringing, she set the glass down. “Never did quite like whiskey.”

“Never did quite like it when you drank my booze.”

She chuckled. “I see you’re doing well.”

“And you.” I studied her pale skin that was so thin I could nearly see through it. “What the hell got into you? Cocaine?”

“Worse.”

I hummed. “What are you doing here, Elsie?”

My hand instinctively dropped to my pocket, tracing the photograph through the jean’s fabric. I hadn’t expected to see my ex-girlfriend here, but then again, I was drinking. Literally anything could happen when I was drinking.

“Good to see you, too,” she said with a chuckle. “I need your help.”

“Surprise, surprise.”

“Julia needs your help.”

Eyes wide, I turned to my shot glass and poured some extra whiskey. I swallowed it, poured another shot, and swallowed that, too. All the whiskey in the world couldn’t prepare me for Julia.

“How…” I trailed, pursing my lips thoughtfully as I glanced around the bar.

Empty tables stood lifelessly just beyond the bar counter with pool tables swept clean. A dart board was littered with holes, and there was a game in the far corner that I didn’t recognize. Dingy, dilapidated, yet also charming was precisely what it gave me here.

But not with Elsie sitting next to me.

“How is she?” I dared to ask.

Elsie smiled brightly, though the joy of her grin didn’t quite reach her eyes. The once sparkling pools of crystal blue were now as pale as day-old hate. “Your daughter is doing great. She won the spelling bee.”

“How old is she now?”

“Twelve,” she replied softly. Another smile. “If you can believe it.”

“I believe it.”

She chortled. “She has your attitude.”

“Hopefully, not my drinking habit.”

“Julia keeps her nose clean.”

I snorted. “And you?”

“Going on twelve years of recovery.”

“So, why the hell are you here?”

She fingered the shot glass, sighing heavily as she considered her words carefully. That was the look she got when she was thinking hard. I used to tease her about how I could see smoke pouring out of her ears, the gears in her brain grinding so hard that it created debris.

“I need you to take custody of Julia.”

“You’re a fucking joke, Elsie.”

“It’s important, Nathaniel. She needs a stable home.”

I huffed. “What about that recovery?”

“It’s going strong.” A reminiscent smile touched the corners of her lips. “Of course, I never had trouble with alcohol. It was always . . . everything else. Even you.”

“You were addicted to me?”

She nodded. “Very much so. But not today.” Her fingers twined around a gold necklace made of a triangle around her neck. She tapped the tip of the triangle and then dropped the necklace. “She needs a home.”

“So, put her up for adoption.”

“She’s too old for that, Nathaniel. You have an entire estate. She would be safe there. Especially since she’s…”

I grabbed her hand, causing her to squeak. “Don’t call my daughter a freak, Elsie.”

“Mixed,” she said gently. “Especially since she’s mixed.”

“Panthers and dragons never got along,” I snapped in a low voice, hoping the bartender didn’t have excellent hearing. “We should have never hooked up.”

“But we did. We can’t change that.”

I released her hand, noticing her fingers shivering violently. “I wish I could.”

“All the wishing in the world can’t change the past, Nathaniel. I wish I could, too. Maybe this wouldn’t be happening.”

“Don’t be so fucking cryptic.”

She stood up, the legs of the chair squeaking as she pushed it toward the bar. Only someone like Elsie could have manners like that in the middle of a damn bar. “She needs to go with you whether you like it or not.”

“Even if I liked it, you know my family wouldn’t allow such…” I turned away. “My father wouldn’t allow it.”

“Then, talk to him. I’m sure his zealous attitude about reproducing would change his mind on the matter.”

“Nothing can change his mind.”

Another weak smile crossed her lips as she turned toward the door. She paused to place a hand on my shoulder. It was then I noticed how much she was struggling just to stand up.

“Well, do your best to change it soon,” she urged, hurt echoing in her gaze. “Because I’m dying and Julia needs somewhere to go.”