“Well, the less said about that, the better,” the senator said hastily. “For both our goods.”

“Excuse me?” Griffen said, now totally confused.

“Nothing, nothing.” Langley smiled, regaining his composure. “So, you turned Mal down, eh?”

“Well, actually I told him I’d think about it,” Griffen said, “but I’ll admit I just can’t see us working together.”

“Only one to a hill, eh?” the senator said. “I guess that’s wise. Courageous to the point of being foolhardy, perhaps, but wise nonetheless. Well, I guess that answers my questions. Don’t want to take up any more of your time. I believe this is your hotel.”

The limo pulled smoothly over to the curb in front of Griffen’s hotel.

Griffen was starting to have a few questions of his own, but it was clear the discussion was at an end.

“Right. Well, it was great meeting you, sir,” he said, reaching for the door handle.

“Just one thing, Griffen…if I can call you that,” Langley said. “A friendly word of advice. Get used to hearing about dragons. They aren’t going to go away just because you don’t believe in them.”

It wasn’t until Griffen had almost reached the entrance of the hotel that it occurred to him that the senator had never asked where he was staying. He had already known.

Pausing, he glanced down the street in the direction the limo had gone.

It had stopped a half block away. The door opened and one of the “bodyguards” emerged to stand beside the vehicle. Though he carefully did not look at Griffen, his posture was unmistakable to one who knew how to read people. His pose was calculated, threatening, and quite possibly lethal. He held the pose for a moment, then stuck his head back into the limo, apparently conferring with someone inside. He straightened and stared directly at Griffen for a long moment, then reentered the vehicle, which then moved off.