Page 74 of Fly's Path

It’s the kid’s shoes, though, that jump out to me. There are teddy bears drawn on them. Rocker-style teddy bears, but still teddy bears, are weird on a teenager’s shoes.

Without a word, the kid walks over and holds out a hand to shake mine.

He’s too thin.

And not a horrible thief.

I almost missed when he took Vandal’s watch off my wrist. And if I wasn’t as skilled as I am, there’s no way I would have known he took my wallet.

Does Maddox know this kid is a thief?

“Nice to meet you, Jett.”

The boy nods and backs away.

What is the play here? “Maddox. I don’t have time for games.”

He grins. “Jett, introduce yourself properly this time.”

The boy pushes back his hood, revealing long flowing—That’s not a boy! “Maddox said you weren’t stupid.”

The kid has attitude. “I’m not. But you are if you think you can get away with a clumsy grab.” I hold out my hand.

She grins as she sets the watch in my palm. “That’s too nice of a watch for a biker.”

It is. “Who gets to decide that? Bikers live by their own rules. If I want to wear a watch that costs more than most homes, that’s my decision to make.”

Jett whistles. “I would have made a pretty penny fencing that.”

“No, you wouldn’t have.”

She raises an eyebrow at me. “Yes, I would have.”

“Within fifteen minutes of walking out of here, I would have contacted all the fences in town and had you banned.”

Her mouth drops open.

“As you can see, Jett has a unique approach to life,” Maddox jumps into the conversation.

I raise an eyebrow at him.

“She’s in need of a mentor. Someone to help her refine her skills.”

“You want me to teach her to steal.” With a little practice and a few tricks, this kid could do impressive things. They’d be illegal, but still impressive.

“I want you to teach her how to be you.”

Maddox has lost his mind. He’s not mildly confused. He has lost his ever-living mind if he thinks I’m going to teach some teenage punk with teddy bears on her shoes how to be a chameleon. “No.”

The girl’s eyes get big. “I told you this was a dumb idea. Who wants to be an idiot biker, anyway? Don’t they know black leather is ugly?”

She turns towards the door.

“Did you forget something?” Like I’m going to let her walk away with my wallet.

Jett pivots slowly until she’s facing me. “How did you know?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Black leather is cool.”