Page 110 of Son of a Witch

Circumstantial evidence at best but evidence on the USB might tie it all together and confirm Tor’s theory. Still, his words sank like lead in a pool.

Tor threw out his thumb as the fifth finger. “Vancor stripped me of medical insurance and sent me on a mission with an unapproved Guardian device. With me grappling to walk and uneasy on my feet. If someone comes at me, I’m fucked.”

Astra glanced at him as if she were unconvinced. The scientist in her needed absolute proof.

“Come on, Supergal.” Tor groaned. “They’re sending us out weaker. Admit it.”

Doubt wrapped around my chest like ivy squeezing out my hard-won confidence. It reflected in her face, her pinched mouth and forehead.

“Your theory has some merit, Tor. But I need solid proof like Theresa Sanchez owns the company making all the payouts.” She grabbed his arm, squeezing as if she feared losing him. “Now I don’t want you to leave the prison.”

Tor swiped a hand through his hair. “You need my ability to coax and question prisoners.”

Astra pressed a hand on her forehead and turned back to me. “Can you use your powers at all?”

I lifted my wrists and tried. Soft, weak notes surfaced at my call. Not enough to knock a man from his feet. Definitely not enough to deafen or confuse anyone. Enough to tickle them like a lover’s caress.

“Fuck!” The harshness of Tor’s words obliterated my confidence like a piece of driftwood slamming into rock and smashing to smithereens.

Astra thumped him in the arm lightly to avoid making him wobble from the motion. “You’re such an asshole, Tor.”

“I’m only keeping it real, Supergal,” Tor attempted to repair the damage he caused. “Calculating the odds of our success the way you counted cards at the casino with your little odds gift.”

She huffed, shook her head, sidestepped him, and started for the portal.

He blocked her. “Think about it. We’re hunting thirty-nine men, a significant portion of whom are probably sticking together and working in a coordinated attack on the prison. Yet the warden sends one team to collect what is probably a well-guarded portal scattering device. Come on!”

“They’re not all going to be hanging out at the veil distortion device.” Astra attempted to go around him only for him to hinder her. “Most have skipped town. Maybe crossed over into one of the gantii worlds. That’s what I’d do.”

“Really?” Tor stroked the fuzz on his jaw. “Interesting. Clever.”

“I’ve got to go. Stay here where it’s safe, Tor.” Shaking her head, she dragged me through the portal with him teetering behind us.

We emerged half a mile from our target, blinking at the overcast sky, bright in contrast to the prison’s dimness. Cars hummed on the street on the next block over. Trash skittered across the empty parking lot. Garbage bags piled on a dumpster and mice crept around the wheels, hunting for scraps.

Selena and Knoxe finished their discussion and retrieved their binoculars to examine the target building to the west. The rest of us waited for an order to move out and descend on the abandoned massage parlor.

Tor huffed and shook his head. “They’re still going toe to toe, huh?”

Astra craned her neck to look up at him. “He’s a lot better. Respectful and courteous.”

Tor clutched his belt slung low over his hips, where he liked it, and chuckled. “I bet he was a nightmare at first.”

“Stop it.” Astra giggled and punched him, her earlier annoyance fading with one wisecrack. “Thought I told you to stay behind.”

Tor shrugged. “I’m a bad boy through and through.”

“You’re going to be the death of me, my bad boy Superguy.” Astra groaned and pinched his jaw, drawing him down for a sweet kiss. “For what it’s worth though, I’m glad you’re back. We missed you, Superasshole.”

I scrubbed at my stinging wrist. “Yeah, we did, buddy.”

He mock-rubbed his ass cheek. “Aww, I’m feeling the love.” He stretched his arms over our backs and jostled us against him.

“Bottle the love for now, would you?” Loco muttered, hovering behind us, twirling a knife over his forefinger. “Don’t want you to go soppy on these assholes we’re about to apprehend, do we?”

Tor let go of us and unsteadily moved to Loco. “Come here, Dad.” He bear-hugged him and rocked him from side to side. “No need to be jealous. There’s hugs and love for you too.”

Loco lifted his knife, intending to stab Tor’s arm, and Astra dissolved it from his grasp, reshaping it in her palm.

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