Finding The Red Dragon

Finland?

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" "Ella, please, it's not that hard to understand." Todd ran his hand over his face for the second time. "It is for me!" Ella snapped back.

"I have no choice. It is out of my hands. You are going to Finland. Period. You leave tomorrow and I expect you to be there for a few months." Ella burned with anger at Todd's words. How dare he make this decision without her.

"Todd, you promised me I could join the dig in Germany. You promised me! I worked my ass off for the last four years to prove I was worth taking seriously. And here we stand, AGAIN, and I am not going to Germany! You promised me!" Her vision blurred with anger and she knew she was  about to punch something, hard.

She looked between Todd and the strange man standing behind him. Fruitface, fruithead, whatever the hell his name was. She didn't care. She was so angry she wanted to punch the grin right off his stupid face too. Who the hell did he think he was? Screw this!

"I swear to you, I will haunt your dreams for the rest of your pathetic life." Ella walked out and slammed the door hard enough to shake the framed picture from the wall. She was not going to Finland! This was not even an option! She stomped down the hall and through another door, slamming that one as well.

"Well, that went pleasantly." Mr. Fuithlug nodded. "Told you, Ella is a handful. Are you sure she is the one you want?" "Positive." "With all due respect, I have known Ella for most of her life and that..." Todd waived to the door. "...was calm. She is hardheaded, spiteful, and down right mean. Don't get me wrong, she's the best researcher I have ever seen, don't tell her that I said that, but she is difficult. She is not going to just take the job and follow you with a smile. Nope, she is going to go kicking and screaming." Todd rubbed his forehead to ward off the coming headache. 

"She is absolutely what I need. I need fire and fearlessness." "Oh, she will give that too you. Trust me." Todd laughed as he picked up the folder on his desk. It had very little information in it, but enough to know Ella was not going to go quietly.

"I can see that she will. And I promise you, after she has had a few weeks in the field with my team, she will be thrilled. This will be beneficial to all of us." Mr. Fuithlug nodded, then pulled an envelope from his pocket.

"For the inconvenience of losing your best." Mr. Fuithlug laid down the envelope in front of Todd, holding a finger on it. "Again, this is a secret project. No one is to know where she has gone to, or how to reach her as she is off the grid. You have my personal cell and I will give you the number to reach her, once we arrive. All Ms. Harding's expenses will be paid, along with her salary, so she will have no burden to your payroll going forward." Mr. Fuithlug pushed the envelope closer to Todd.

"Understood?" The man raised an eyebrow, as Todd took the envelope. Inside were more 100's than he had ever seen. "Perfectly." Todd was slightly worried, but not for Ella, no, it was all for this Mr. Fuithlug. The man had no idea what he was getting into with Ella.

"Well, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. I do hope we can do business again in the future." Todd held out his hand. "Mr. Wilson, if Ella works out as I expect, I will keep you in mind for all my future projects. And please, do not worry, I will protect her and return her safely to you when this project is over."

"I hope that you do. Ella is like a daughter to me." Todd squeezed his hand tightly, giving him a warning. "Warning taken." Mr. Fuithlug stepped back and nodded. "I will be in touch later today to arrange pickup for Ms. Harding. I thank you again for your time." Mr. Fruithlug walked towards the door, stopping to pick up the framed picture. It was a younger version of Ella and Todd, holding a large bone that she was clearly proud of it. Mr. Fuithlug smiled to himself. She was exactly what he wanted. He hung the photo back on the wall and swiftly moved down the hall and back to the safety of his car.

"How did it go?" Sal asked from the front seat. "Perfect. She is one of the fiercest women I have ever met. And that is saying a lot." "Think she can handle it?" "I do." "Think he will take to her?" "No, but it's worth a chance. Anything is worth a chance at this point." Ascophf sat back and closed his eyes as Sal drove him back to the hotel. He was exhausted, but nothing a few shots of brandy wouldn't help.