Page 70 of Son of a Witch

I hit his shoulder and he leaned away. “What’s this? This looks like you’re planning a costume party.”

“Because I am.” I twisted my hands, not sure if he was about to scold me for interfering. Fuck. I couldn’t stop thinking about Knoxe’s warning.

“Wanna see me dressed up as a cowboy? A firefighter?” He flashed his biceps, then pretended to hose a fire down, mimicking Tor with his model poses.

Hell, yes!I giggled and replied, “I want you dressed in firefighter turnouts and nothing else.”

“Really?” He quirked a lone brow. “I think a hot harem of firies can be arranged.”

He used the Australian slang for firefighters.

I clasped his bicep and squeezed. Time to let him down gently. “This party is exclusive. Tor and me only. I want him to have some fun. Uplift him. Maybe we can have another party later?”

Knoxe leaned in and slanted his lips over mine, sweeping his tongue along my mouth. “You’re sweet, sexy, and surprising.” My body went limp at his sensual groan.

“Three ses.” I smiled at him, running my hands along his neck, loving the thickness and strength of it. “I like it.”

“Get your sexy ass up, then.” Knoxe lifted me from my seat. “Let’s go get permission from the warden. Otherwise, you won’t get half of the items on that list.”

Ten minutes later, we sat in front of the warden’s desk, Knoxe keeping his usual cool mask on, me fretting and twisting my palms. Vancor shuffled my list for the third time. This OCD girl noticed things like that. I held my breath, waiting for him to make his decision. By the stern frown and tight mouth, I prepped for a no and the rubbing of my palms worsened.

“I’m inclined to say no after a recent incident with Mr. Helms.” The warden moved aside my list.

Wait for it. Three, two, one until the bomb detonated. Cracks widened in my heart, and it began to shatter a second time.

“What incident?” Knoxe sat up straighter. After his demotion, he wasn’t kept in the loop of our team’s affairs. Old habits died hard.

The warden looked disinclined to inform us but delivered somewhat of an explanation to rationalize his decision. “Mr. Helms breached protocol and told his mother he was being held in a prison facility.”

Fuck. That was a certainno,then.

I rubbed my blistered hands on my orange prison uniform and climbed to my feet. “Thanks for your time, Warden.”

I would still hold the party, only smaller scale and less elaborate. Food from the general store. Canned goods, candy, packets of chips, beef jerky. That kind of thing. Tor would still love the sentiment.

“But.” The warden left me hanging on the word. “I agree with your analysis. Tor’s mental health has declined. He’s restricted to the prison when he’s inclined to outdoor activities, exercise, and missions. I think this could boost his morale.”

Air rushed out my mouth in a gushed, “Thank you.”

Vancor raised a finger. “Don’t get any ideas, Miss. Nomical. This is a one-time deal only. Special circumstances.”

I nodded profusely. “Got it. Thank you, Warden.”

Vancor’s keen eye slid down my inventory. “Two plastic swords? Eye masks?”

My cheeks heated. “Tor likes comic books. It’s just a little make-believe fun.”

Tor once told me a childhood story about how he broke his back from a severe motorbike accident. He spent months in the hospital and the doctors told him he would never walk again. One doctor delivered him a comic book and Tor got lost in the pages, inspired by the heroes overcoming all odds to defeat the bad guys. That day he decided he would walk again. Prove every doctor wrong. Boy, did he.

I wanted for him to remember that passion, that intent to defy the odds, and get out of his bed and walk again.

I recollected this story to the warden. “I want to inspire Tor to remember his incredible will and perseverance.”

These lips were zipped when it came to me discussing the part about finding a cure or testing samples of spinal cord fluid. One step at a time. See what I could and couldn’t get away with under the new warden’s leadership.

Vancor relented and pocketed my list in his breast pocket on the inside of his suit jacket. “I’ll see what my men can do. We’re stretched thin, as you know. Tomorrow, we expect reinforcements from another Guardians facility. I’m not making promises, but we might be able to gather everything by then.”

Anticipation hummed in my chest. The new warden had a heart.

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