Page 60 of Dancing with Fire


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“Who do we call?” Wren asks. “Draig Security already knows what’s going on, but we could give them insider info.”

“That’s a good idea,” I say.

“I’d like to speak with my husband,” Sally says, her voice catching. “To let him know I’m okay. He’s probably losing his mind right now.”

There aren’t many people I trust on the island. I decide to call the one I trust the most.

“Can I call Councilor Drake? He’s a friend. He’ll pass on information to the relevant parties.” I turn to Sally. “You can call your husband as soon as I’m done. I promise to keep it brief.”

Both women look at me with wide eyes.

“You know Councilor Drake?” Wren asks. “Personally?”

“Yeah.” I shrug. “We go way back. If anyone can help us, it’s Drake.”

“That’s fantastic. It’s a good idea.” Sally nods. “Yes. You should call him. My husband can wait a few more minutes.”

Wren hands me the phone after swiping to open it.

I navigate to the dial pad with my bound wrists. I punch in Drake’s number and hit call.

It rings twice before he picks up.

“Hello?” He sounds unsure. “Can I help you?” This is a number he doesn’t recognize.

“Drake. It’s Grim.”

“Grim?” He’s shocked. “Is that really you?” Still unsure.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“It sounds like you, but—” He sounds dubious.

“Why would I lie? It is me! My favorite food is rare steak. I love dogs, but won’t get one because I—”

“Holy fuck! Itisyou.”

Why is that so hard for him to believe? Am I missing something here?

“Yes. We don’t have much time to talk,” I say in a rush, my eyes on the door. I’m speaking as softly as I can. “We—”

“What the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your ever-loving mind?” He’s pissed. I guess I can’t blame him.

“I had to shift. You know that, right? I didn’t have a choice.”

“That’s absolute bullshit, and you know it. What were you thinking?” he growls. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? It was stupid and reckless. People could have died.”

“I was trying to protect Wren. I was trying to—”

“Protect Wren. How did you come up with that one? The building is surrounded. You need to give yourself up. I mean it, Grim. I know you’ve had a bad run of it. What happened with Jordyn was terrible. I know you’re still hurting. That your dragon—”

“This has nothing to do with Jordyn or what happened to me. I was trying to protect the clinic. The anti-vaxxers were trying to get into the center. They were going to—”

“What anti-vaxxers?” Drake barks. “What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, what anti-vaxxers? And what do you mean when you say that I need to give myself up? Are you telling me you don’t know what’s going on?”

How can that be? This isn’t making sense.