Rune System: The Crimson Knight

CHAPTER SIX

“Oh, damn. Dominic? Is that you?”

Pausing at the broad steps to the entrance of the Grand Palace, Dominic raised an eyebrow at the surprised faces of Lucas and Finn, who stood in their full valet uniforms, posted at the revolving doors like the day before.

“Do you know anyone else who looks like shit?” he asked grimly.

“No, no. That’s not what I meant,” Finn explained apologetically with raised hands. “It’s just that…” His voice tuned out as he looked to Lucas for support.

“What he means to say,” he continued coolly, “is that we’re both surprised to see you here and on your feet. Especially after… you know… what happened yesterday.”

Dominic snorted as he continued ascending the steps. “It’s not like I was shot in the face or took a missile to the chest. Besides, I’ve survived a beat down before.”

He stood before his colleagues, bearing their stares of scrutiny as their eyes ran over his dirty T-shirt, torn jeans, and soiled sneakers.

“Bro,” Finn remarked, taking a step back. “What in the world happened, man? You look like you’ve been run over by a train.”

“Oh, this?” Dominic asked, looking down at his muddy outfit with mock innocence. “I assure you, it’s much worse. Now, I’ve got to see Mr. Hobblestone. Is he in the lobby?”

The way Lucas and Finn glanced at each other caused Dominic’s face to fall instantly.

“What?” he demanded.

Finn looked like he was about to stutter, but it was Lucas who spoke up. “I told you what would happen if Mr. Hobblestone found out about your other job.”

Dominic’s stomach sank. “You… told him?”

“Hell, no. I’m not a snitch, and you know that. I don’t know how he found out, but when Finn was cleaning out his office this morning, he said the boss was talking to the receptionist about something, and he sounded quite upset about whatever it was.”

“It’s true,” Finn confirmed solemnly, like he was accused of lying. “He told Miss Jessica about a phone call he’d received early this morning, claiming it was from someone high up the food chain, whatever that meant. When she asked about it, he said that it was mostly an instruction to cut off a specific employee of the hotel, nothing more. Then they started making out and—”

“Okay, no,” Lucas interrupted with a grimace. “No one needs to hear that part. And how come you were still in there when they started smooching?”

“I’m quite small,” Finn quipped with a shrug. “I easily squeezed into one of the cabinets and stayed there for about half an hour, so they didn’t see me.”

“Unbelievable,” Lucas muttered, his expression a mix of shock and disgust.

“Uh, guys,” Dominic waved a hand, his eyes darting between the two. “Can we get back to the part where a specific employee is being cut off? And who it might be?”

“Well,” Finn swallowed audibly. “It’s you, bro. Mr. Hobblestone was told to fire you.”

“Why?” Dominic’s voice hung in anger and frustration. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would someone want me gone? Who could possibly—?”

He abruptly cut his sentence short, his face losing color as realization slowly dawned on him.

“As I said, man,” Lucas said, rubbing his forehead. “I’m sure he must’ve found out about your other job. ‘Cause why else would he want you out?”

“He’s not the one who wants me gone,” Dominic muttered, the look in his light-brown eyes distant. “Finn, you’re usually the brainy one with the trivia facts. Do you know the names of the board members of this hotel?”

Flattered, Finn put a finger on his chin as he thought deeply. “I think I can recall a few. It’ll be difficult to mention them all, though.”

“I only need to know about one name,” Dominic said, his voice quiet but trembling. “Gregory Embers. Is he on the board?”

“Yeah, I think there’s a name like that,” Finn answered slowly, then with more conviction. “Yes, I’m sure of it. And, if I’m correct, he should be the one with the highest percentage of shares among the board members. So he can call some shots without having to consult the others.”

Dominic’s backpack slipped from his shoulders and dropped to the ground with a thud. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What’s come over you now?” Lucas questioned with a frown. “And who the hell is Gregory Embers?”

“Don’t you know?” Finn appeared astounded. “I mean, I really haven’t seen him before, but I do know that he’s the only son of that dead billionaire guy, Gerald Embers. But, boy does he have a lot of his own money, too. You know that massive shopping mall on Tourney Avenue, a couple of blocks south of here? I heard Gregory bought it for hundreds of millions of dollars and is now running equally expensive renovations to make some sort of super mall. It’s gonna have all kinds of cutting-edge technology, and artificial intelligence services, and…” Finn went on and on as his excitement took hold of him.

But Dominic was barely listening—everything was beginning to make sense now, and it wasn’t looking good for him. “I don’t know how, but he must’ve gotten me fired from the renovation site. And now he’s ordered Mr. Hobblestone to get rid of me.”

“Wait, what?” Lucas raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Why would he want you gone? It’s not like he knows who you are or sees you as some sort of threat. This makes no sense.”

“You’re right,” Dominic agreed stiffly. “It makes absolutely no sense, ‘cause Gregory doesn’t see me as a threat. He hates me only because I’m poor and wretched and he thinks I’m like a parasite in his perfect world. He said so himself yesterday.”

“Wait. Yesterday?” Finn looked confused for a moment. Then his eyes widened. “Holy cow! The guy with the blue Porsche… that was Gregory Embers?”

“Oh, man,” Lucas put both hands on his head. “This is not good. This is not good at all.”

Just then, a tall, lanky man in a dark, striped suit and a blue tie emerged from the revolving doors. His stern gray eyes, which matched his silver-white hair and pale complexion, flew from Lucas to Finn, with the corners of his thin lips shaping into a disapproving frown.

“What are you two doing, talking and frolicking instead of working?” he demanded harshly, his English accent adding to his biting tone. “Do you think I’m paying you both to keep each other company? How many times do I have to—?”

He stopped himself when he spotted Dominic, and his scowl worsened considerably.

“Aren’t you that Heathley boy who caused some trouble here yesterday?”

Dominic suddenly noticed how dry his mouth was when he spoke. “No, Mr. Hobblestone. I didn’t… it wasn’t me who started—”

The manager waved his hands frantically. “Save it, young man. I don’t wish to know and I don’t give a flying fig about who started what. What I do know is that the Grand Palace Hotel will no longer need your services. So you can leave now,” he added with a flick of his wrist, like he was chasing off an insect.

Purely on impulse, Dominic fell to his knees, scarcely feeling the pain of his kneecaps colliding audibly with the hard marble floor.

“There’s probably nothing I can say to change your mind,” he said with pleading, desperate eyes. “And I promise you—I won’t fight, I won’t argue. I’ll be out of here in seconds. But, that paycheck… please, Mr. Hobblestone. I can’t leave here without my pay. That’s the only thing I’m asking for. Please.”

Mr. Gordon Hobblestone simply stared at the kneeling young man, regarding him like a pet begging to be let into the house during a storm. Without remorse, or a word, he turned around and began heading back into the building. And that’s when something inside Dominic snapped.

“Wait!” he shrieked as he lunged forward, grabbing onto the man’s long leg. “Please! I beg of you! I really need the money, it’s a matter of life and dea—”

Again, Dominic’s words were cut short after Gordon swung his arm as he twisted his upper body. The back of his elongated hand connected squarely with Dominic’s cheek, swatting him away like a troublesome fly.

“How… dare you?!” the manager thundered, his face reddened with rage. “You greasy, pathetic little rodent! You have the nerve to attack me?!”

Before Dominic could respond, or even get up, Gordon slammed his foot into his chest, causing him to roll painfully down the steps.

Still seething, Gordon pointed dramatically at Finn. “You! Get me a hand sanitizer, quickly! Before I’d catch an infection from that… parasite!” He proceeded to yell at the top of his lungs, “Security! Get this thing out of here! IMMEDIATELY!”

Dominic was still reeling from aches all over his body when, for the second time today, rough hands picked him up and hauled him towards the gates like a trash bag. And, for the second day in a row, he was dumped in the same alleyway—right next to a large trash bin oozing a rotting odor. He lay there, unmoving for a few minutes, too scared to look at his watch again.

“What do I do now?” he questioned himself as he choked back tears. “If Gregory is indeed responsible for this, then I’m already doomed if I go to the restaurant. How am I supposed to raise the money I need before noon?”

Mr. Fredrick! He remembered how nice and understanding the restaurant manager was to him, even when Gregory sought to accuse him falsely. If he could meet him in his office and explain the situation, he could probably provide a solution. It was the only chance Dominic had at the moment, the only shot he could take.

“Oh, man,” he whispered, finally looking at his watch. The damn thing was broken. He glanced upwards—the sun, merciless in its shine, wasn’t directly overhead, nor was his shadow directly underneath him.

“Not noon yet,” he figured. “But I don’t have a lot of time left. Probably an hour or even less.”

Again, he checked his wallet. And again, he decided to risk another taxi ride.

“If Mr. Bowers helps me out, I’d have enough to go home with,” he reckoned. “Mom, Anya… there’s still hope. I’ll be there soon.”