Finding The Red Dragon

Finland it is.

"Ella." "Don't Ella me! You are...God...I can't even with you." Ella stuffed her clothes into her suitcase with a new fury as she glared at Todd. "Don't be like this." "Like what? Pissed off? I am so beyond angry right now. How could you do this to me? Me? After all I have done, you just toss me off like nothing?" Her chest hurt with anger and betrayal.

"Ella, I didn't have a choice." "You always have a choice. Last I checked, this was your company." "And I still have a board of investors to answer too. We still have to make those people happy to get the funds we need." Todd was clearly trying not to lose his temper with her, but his fuse was just as short as hers.

"We had an agreement. You said if I finished out this project, you would send me to Germany for the rest of the dig. You shook my hand damnit. That means something to me." She was shaking as so many emotions ran through her body. Betrayal being the hardest to swallow.

"Ella, listen to me, please." Tood took her arm to stop her from packing. "What?" "This is an amazing opportunity for you. This guy, Fuithlug, he has money, and he has a project that he is looking for the best of the best for. He came to me and wanted you. He asked for you by name. All the other people in the world, and he wanted you for this dig. You. I checked out his references, and the guy's got money and a fortress in Finland too. Ella, you need this. I don't want you stuck in small town USA for the rest of your life."

She could hear the softness to his voice, but she was not budging on this, she was angry, and nothing he said was going to stop that. He took back a promise, and there was nothing worse in this world than that.

"No, I could be stuck in Germany though." She pulled her arm away and started stuffing things into the suitcase again. "Give it a chance. If it isn't all it's cracked up to be, I will personally fly you from there to Germany and put you as second in charge." Todd exhaled, which stopped Ella in her tracks.

"Really?" "Really." Todd ran his hand through his hair as he looked at her. "Listen Ella, this guy, he gave me $200,000 in cash to cover the loss of you on our team. 200K. That is a hell of a lot of money. He just funded the entire Peru project for the year." "He did?" Now her curiosity was peaked. Who was this guy, and what did he want with her?

 "Yeah, I'm serious. I would never send you off for no reason. This project, it might give you the chance at putting your name on something. Get you out of your Dad's shadow. Out of my shadow. You need this." Todd smiled at her and she closed her eyes trying to reign in her temper.

"You think it's that big?" "I do." "I trust you then." She opened her eyes and gave him a smile, which he returned. "That's my Ella. I know this is not your two-year plan but give this a chance. Besides, you've never been to Finland." "There's a reason for that. It's cold as fuck." "Yeah, and beautiful from what I hear. I looked it up." He winked at her.

"Promise me that you will give this your all. At least go and see what they have. There is nothing keeping you there, if you hate it, come home. I am a phone call away." She had to give him credit, he was the only man on the planet that could talk her into something, and she cherished that.

'You've seen Jurassic Park. Anything weird and I'm out." She tried to keep the smile off her face. "Hell, if it's anything like that, call me, I'm flying in." He laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Ella, you are the toughest cookie there is. I know you can do this." He was right, she was.

"Thanks." "Forgive me?" "I guess so, but you better be serious about getting me out if it's all weird." "One phone call." "OK." She hugged him tightly and then went back to packing after Todd left her room.