Free The Flash of a Firefly by Amber Riley

for Phoenix, then he was a really good actor.
    “Reece is on his way,” I said. “I need to talk to both of you.”
    “Uh-oh,” he groaned.
    Normally I wouldn’t have called Reece. Sid could have relayed a message as easily as the next guy, and he was head of the pack. But if I was going to be questioned, then I’d rather it all be done at once.
    Then I realized that I didn’t know how I was going to explain anything. I would have to tell them everything, including why I was visiting Lyn, or tell them nothing at all. They had to know. If they weren’t involved in any of it, then I was hoping they would have some idea of who was.
    Sid moved his blankets to one end of the couch and sat down. He leaned back and stuck his hands under his thighs. There were a few lines around his eyes, aging him to around ninety. They aged a lot slower than humans but were far from immortal. That was enough time to have Phoenix snatch you up and mold you into the perfect spy.
    “What?” Sid asked when he caught me staring at him.
    I shook my head. I would play along like nothing was different until I had time to make a decision. Everyone was a suspect now. Phoenix might have even been controlling Flo.
    Speak of the devil, I thought as she flew through the door.
    She clicked the deadbolt into place and slid the chain into the lock. When she was done, she turned around, hands on her hips, and nodded once. “Don’t open the door.”
    Sid and I both hovered between sitting and standing, confused. If there was someone after her, then she would have faced them. There was a small, triumphant smile on her face as she walked across the room in her stilettos.
    “Um—” Sid started.
    “What?” she snapped. “Are you expecting someone?”
    “Actually, yes,” I said, enunciating carefully.
    She shrugged indifferently and sat down. A few seconds later there was a knock on the door. Flo examined her fingernails and pretended not to hear it. The knocking grew louder and louder, and eventually started creating a rhythm. Flo pursed her lips but remained in the chair.
    I raised one eyebrow at her and stood up. She was being ridiculous. We weren’t going to sit there and listen to it any longer than we already had. I crossed the room, but before I could open the door, Flo rushed in front of me, grabbing the knob. “Flo,” I sighed. “Come on.”
    “Yeah, come on,” a man’s voice said through the door.
    I scowled at her until she grudgingly moved out of the way. Her foot immediately started tapping as I unlocked the door and pulled it open. If she was acting that way, then it was obvious who was waiting on the other side.
    I leaned my head against the dark wooden door. “Hi, Stu.”
    He smiled brightly and saluted me. He was wearing black pants and a silk blouse that he had unbuttoned enough to expose his muscular stomach. With his hair spiked and his rings, he looked like a cheap, cliché gigolo.
    “Long time, no see,” he said. “Want to ask me in?”
    “You were already invited inside a long time ago,” I told him.
    “I was just being polite.” He stepped over the threshold and winked at Flo. “You’re getting fast in your old age. You almost lost me there for a minute.”
    She glared at him and crossed her arms. “Too bad.”
    I shook my head and went back to the couch. The two of them were always at each other’s throats. It was a never-ending cycle. Stu would antagonize Flo, and Flo would always give him the reaction he was looking for. It might have been a fun game for them, but it never was for anyone else in their general vicinity.
    “You’re crushing my heart,” Stu said with a fang-baring grin.
    “You have no heart,” she spat. She spun around, shot me a nasty look, and stormed up the stairs.
    Stu laughed. “She loves me.”
    An ankle-high boot flew over the banister, heading straight for his head. He reached out and grabbed it before it could leave an indent in his forehead. He examined the shoe carefully and