Chapter Eleven

After a quick flight, and only my third time in an aircraft—still unsettling—I took a cab to TC Holdings' address.

Los Angeles was nothing like the tropical paradise I recalled from my fake memories. Where were the endless beaches and palm trees? Where were the expensive shops and women in red bathing suits? Not that those things interested me, but like so many details I'd been spoon-fed, reality did not stack up. This city was filthy and angry with dangers lurking around every corner.

I paid my driver and got out of the cab, immediately feeling eyes on me. It was midafternoon, and the air smelled like burning garbage, pollution, and the scent of modern life filled with manmade structures.

I walked up to the two-story glass building with a camera next to the front door and pushed the white button.

"Yes?" said a female voice over the tiny speaker.

"I am looking for the owners of TC Holdings. They are listed on several properties in San Francisco. I have some questions I would like to ask."

"And you are?"

I debated giving my real name. But if this was my only lead aside from the house, I did not want to lie and risk being dismissed. I could not waste the opportunity to come face-to-face with someone who might have answers.

"Draco. My name is Draco Minos."

There was a long pause, and then the door buzzed. I surmised I was supposed to enter, so I did.

I walked up a short flight of stairs and was greeted by a young blonde in a red suit with a plastic smile.

"Hello, Draco. I'm Lori." Her youthful fa?ade flickered as I shook her hand. Beneath the smooth, buttery skin of a twenty-year-old was someone much, much older. Someone who should have died long ago.

What was she?

She stared hungrily, eyeing me like a piece of candy. "Please, tell me how Ten Club can be of service."

Ten Club?"I am looking for information about my family. They may be connected to the two properties your company owns in San Francisco." Also, I'd like to know who the fuck I am.

"I'd be happy to help. This way." I followed her down a long hallway into a small office with a desk, a wobbling ceiling fan, and one lonely-looking filing cabinet. Aside from those, there were two leather chairs. She took the one behind the desk and pulled out a black binder from a drawer. She slid the binder toward me.

I eyed it but didn't move. This was all very odd, as if she'd been expecting me.

"Draco, it won't bite, sweetheart. Just take a seat, and I'll be sure to answer all your questions." She cracked a sinister smile. "Even the questions you didn't know you had."

I slowly sat, trying to dive into her head so I could dig around. My effort was met with a cold, hard, impenetrable wall.

"Oh, sweetie," she chuckled, "you're not strong enough yet to overcome my defenses. But I assure you, there's no need for all that. I am here to serve you with utter obedience and loyalty." She bowed her head. "So tell me, what would you like to know?"

I stared, not trusting her one bit, but she obviously knew who I was. "Lori, I have lost thirty years of my life to bullshit, so why don't you start with who you are? And while you're at it, tell me what you know about me and my family." Why was I locked up in a basement my entire life?

"Fair enough." She smiled. "Do you like fairy tales, Draco?"

"No. Fuck no."

"Good. Because this story isn't one." She drew a breath. "Once upon a time, there was a king…"