Page 197 of Fly's Path

“Of course you are, because evil never dies young. Sheri, I’m—”

The phone on his desk chimes. Draven walks over and presses a button. “What?”

“Vex’s representative is here to pick up the girl.”

“Send him up.” Draven walks away from the phone and stands across the coffee table from me. “Talk. We have minutes before this guy gets up here to take you. Am I killing him?”

“What?”

“Is Vex harassing you? Because if he is, I’ll go to war with him. But Sheri, I need to know what is about to walk through my door.”

“I don’t know.”

“This isn’t the time for you to play games with me because you’re irritated with me.”

“I’m not. I don’t know anyone named Vex. I would tell you if I did, but I don’t. Monsters aren’t my thing.” My man makes the hard choices and stands up to protect people when they need it.

“How is that possible? Who have you been hanging around with?

“Just my friends. Oh, and a biker gang?”

“Tell me you’re kidding. You didn’t…You joined a gang?”

Well, a jacket I own technically says I did, but officially I didn’t. “I didn’t. Though my friend married into one. And I…” How do I explain Fly?

“You what?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Sheri, you have about twenty seconds to uncomplicate it for me.”

There’s no way I can even begin to explain Fly and me in twenty seconds. “I don’t know anyone named Vex.”

Draven nods and walks over to his desk.

A gun.

He was serious.

Draven is going to kill the man who walks through that door.

What have I done?

“Draven—”

There’s a knock on the door.

Alive or Dead

Fly

How I didn’t end up being pulled over on my way here, I don’t know. But it turns out this rental car can move.

I stop right in front of the door, not caring if they tow it or not.

A man in a suit stands by the door.

As I reach for the handle, he reaches for a gun.