Page 193 of Fly's Path

“Good. I’m going back to sleep now. You’ve got to get yourself a wife soon. This is the best part of life.” He clicks off.

An address in Center City pops up.

Sheridan is safe.

I turn to the old woman and Rhys. Both of whom aren’t even pretending not to be eavesdropping. “She’s safe.”

“Heard that.” The old woman’s smile lights up her face, making her look dozens of years younger. “You going to go get her?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And when you’re done, will you be coming to visit my shop?”

Um…“Yes, ma’am.” Not that I have any idea which shop is hers.

“Sheridan seems like the type to like a lot of babies. You’ll bring them here every winter to visit the beach and let us get to know them.”

Um…“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. I’ll call my grandson to keep an eye on her car.”

“Thank you. And ma’am. It was nice to meet you. I want to thank you for all your help. My name is Fly.”

“That’s a peculiar name. It’s nice to meet you. My friends call me Gertie. Now I need to get going before my granddaughters send out a search party. Don’t you forget.”

“I won’t.”

She nods and walks away faster than a woman that age should be able to.

Rhys grins. “Before you ask, yes, she’s always like that. Just be glad she likes you…If she doesn’t, you’re better off just moving.”

I can see that. “Thanks for your help today.”

“Anytime. I really hope you two work out. And let me know if you want a tattoo later. I’ll fit you in.”

Huh?

My phone rings, and the Whiz Kid’s name pops up.

“I found him. And get this. He’s an ally. Well, an ally of a friend. Max said if you have any issues, he’ll make a call for you. But you shouldn’t. This is a stand-up guy. Very trustworthy.”

Vex knows what he’s doing. “Thanks, Kid.”

“I’ll send you the address. If you have any problems, just give us a call.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you going to just ask her?”

Nosy kid. “Yeah, I am.”

“Cool. I think I’m going to try asking Jett out. Maybe we can double-date sometime.”

I groan silently. “We’ll talk. I’ve got to go.” Clean up the mess I made.

Clean up. I dial Havoc’s number.

“What’s up? The crew is leaving in five.”