Page 129 of Fly's Path

Does this sort of make us friends? Like I’m stupid enough to ask that. “Understood.”

“My wife thinks I need to make more friends.”

Good to know my instincts were spot on.

“You don’t seem stupid. Though I still need to play poker with you to confirm that fact.”

“Um. No.”

Vex stops and stares at me. “You think you’re that good?”

“I know I am. There’s only one person who has ever beaten me.”

His grin gets eerily large. “I’m married to that woman’s daughter.”

Wait. “How did you know it was a woman?”

“I’m not stupid. Now let’s kill some dead men.”

***

“Blue, facility clear.”

Those words ring out in my brain. I wasn’t built to walk through a dark space in night-vision glasses, shooting men where they stand. Though that filth hardly counts as men. There isn’t enough bleach in the world to unsee what I just saw.

Vex didn’t blink. He didn’t hesitate.

Drop a body. Move on. It was like he became a killing machine.

The cages that are now on the ground are going to haunt my dreams. The children we took out of them…Will live.

Remember that. They have a chance at a semi-normal life because of what we just did.

“It doesn’t seem right burning all of this to the ground.” I stare at the video equipment and stages set up on this floor. “We should be turning it over to the cops?”

“The ones who clued in Carves?” Maddox answers from miles away, where he’s doing the same thing.

My head knows that. “But how are they going to get justice?”

“Justice is a dream that is fought for by men who stand up for what is right every day. What do you think this is that you’re doing now? You’re giving them their bit of justice without the pomp and ceremony the government needs.” Taylor’s words feel significant. “Every bit of information you are compiling now gets us closer to finding the head of this beast and destroying him. Don’t let the hard moments stop you from seeing what all of this was about.”

I turn my mic off and get to work.

***

Some guy named Axe carries two suitcases onto the private jet as we help load up the women and children.

Some are so fragile, I’m not sure how they’re going to make it. The others…their dead eyes haven’t seen the reality of the change in their circumstances yet.

One woman, though, is starting to scare me. She hasn’t taken her eyes off my gun since I lifted her out of her cage. She hasn’t cried. She hasn’t thanked us. She hasn’t said a single word…but her eyes watch my gun…

Vex walks up next to me and stops. “Watch out for that one. She’s going to try to kill herself.”

What? “How do you know that?”

He shrugs. “I’ve seen women like her before. Some make it. Others…they’re too far gone. Don’t let her get her hands on your gun.”

What does too far gone mean? I’m about to find out. “Hi. We need you to move onto the plane. Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?”