Page 20 of Flock This

“Okay,” I said, wishing my voice came out a bit stronger. “Is that why you wanted to see me?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The way he spoke was always so controlled that I couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.

I glanced down at my arm, but the meeting time and place had disappeared as though it had never been there from the start.

“We never had a meeting. Meeting with a courier under my command who has been accused of such a crime would be inappropriate. Also, you are on leave until this issue is handled. Your access has been revoked, all future deliveries reassigned.”

So that’s the game we’re playing, huh?

Still, I was grateful to him. He’d given me a way, a chance, and I planned to take it.

Except, one thing still bothered me. Against my better judgment—assuming I had one—I paused before leaving. “How do you know I didn’t do it? How can you be so sure that I didn’t kill him? I mean, given everything I’ve done, most people would doubt me at least a little.”

“Why do you assume I think you’re innocent?” The question took me by such surprise that I couldn’t formulate an answer at first.

“If you don’t think I’m innocent, then why help me?”

“I don’t wish to see you ended. Whether you did what they claim or not is of no concern to me. Now, you should go. You have evidence to find or create or run before the warrant is issued. Either way, that trial occurs, you will not survive it.”

And just like that, Ruben walked out, leaving me there with far more questions than I’d had coming here.

* * * *

I wanted to just go to sleep. Crawling into my own bed and closing my eyes for a few days sounded fan-fucking-tastic. However, since my house’s location wasn’t exactly a well-guarded secret, it was off limits for now.

Even without an official order to pick me up, any vampire who spotted me might try for the clout bringing me in could buy them. It meant I had to avoid places others knew about.

Which left me groaning because sleeping on a park bench in my thirties wasn’t that fun a time anymore. My back objected in a way it hadn’t when I’d been fifteen.

“Hey there, pretty girl,” came the lecherous voice of a man I didn’t even have to turn and look at to guess how he looked.

When I did turn, I saw nothing of surprise. The speaker was in his mid-thirties, wore the sort of white button-up and slacks that middle management preferred, and the shine of silver on his left right finger told me he wasn’t a fan of abiding by vows.

“Nope,” I said as I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them.

His face brightened. Did he get off on my negative response? And just when I thought I’d already seen the bottom of the men barrel, but here he was, outperforming his cohorts. “Come on, sweetheart. Sleeping out in the open like this is pretty dangerous, isn’t it? Aren’t you glad I came along?”

I stood and stretched my arms over my head, arching my back to work out the knots. “Lucky me.”

When I let my arms down, I found him right in front of me like those enemies in old video games that would come closer when not looked at. He set his hand on my side, his smile unnerving.

It wasn’t scary. I didn’t get ‘he might lock me in a dungeon and steal my skin’ vibes. Instead, he was a ‘thinks no means try harder and believes he’s God’s gift to women—the sort of gift no one could refuse.’ One swift kick would knock a man like this off his mission pretty fast.

“You got nowhere to go? Why don’t you come stay with me? I’ve got extra room and you’d be safer there, don’t you think?”

Yeah, I don’t think so, buddy.

“I’m not hard up enough for a place to sleep to fall for that.” I shifted to knock his hand off me, feeling like I needed a shower just for that part of my body.

“I like little girls who play hard to get.” He took another step closer, undeterred by my complete and obvious lack of interest.

“You know, I had a dog like you once. He had no idea when other dogs hated him. I watched him greet a female dog who snarled in his face but he just kept licking her as if he thought she were in love.”

“It takes risk to get what a person wants.”

“Risk didn’t pay off that time—the female dog took a chunk from him and his eye never worked right again.” I paired the threat with a smile. “I bite, too.”

He reached out and caught my chin in his grubby little fingers. “I don’t mind a little hard work and training. Don’t you want to be my good girl?”

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