Page 18 of The Cauldronball Run
"It's fine," Farrah interrupted, and J.J.wanted to kiss her for her quick thinking and strangle her for the risk she was taking.She got out of the ambulance and walked to the back doors with the confident stride of someone who definitely wasn't perpetrating fraud."Just keep your voice down.Loud noises can trigger seizures, and if she wails, the vocal cord damage could rupture.The sound could be dangerous for all of us."
J As she spoke, J.J.caught another flicker of magic—nothing flashy, just a gentle push that made the trooper step back instinctively, his hand moving to his weapon not in aggression but in cautious self-preservation.
J.J.almost swore as the trooper blanched and actually put his hand on his weapon.Farrah had just implied that their fake patient was a potential sonic weapon, and between her words and whatever subtle influence she was weaving, the cop was buying it completely.
She was a genius.A beautiful, sexy witch who was saving their asses with the lightest touch of magic he'd ever seen.
Opening the back doors with theatrical caution, she revealed their "patient"—the mannequin positioned on the stretcher, covered with blankets that hid its plastic features.The fake medical monitors beeped in a rhythm that sounded almost convincing.
"Poor thing," Farrah said.Her voice carried just a hint of something—not quite magic, but close enough that the trooper's attention seemed to slide right past the mannequin's obviously artificial arm hanging from beneath the blanket."She's been through hell.The vocal cord damage happened during a particularly intense wail.The trauma to her system has been severe."
The trooper peered into the ambulance but kept his distance, clearly not eager to get close to a potentially dangerous supernatural patient.Whatever Farrah was doing, it was working.The cop's natural investigative instincts were being gently redirected toward self-preservation "Banshee, huh?Can't say I've ever seen one before."
"Most people haven't," J.J.said."They're rare, and they usually keep to themselves.Most humans never encounter them until it's too late."
Farrah checked the fake monitors, making notes on a clipboard with the kind of professional competence that made J.J.want to do things to her that were definitely inappropriate during a traffic stop.Another barely-there pulse of magic, and the trooper's gaze seemed to catch on her credentials clipped to the clipboard rather than the obviously fake readouts on the monitors."Her heart rate's still elevated, but that's normal for her species during transport stress.We really should get moving, officer.Every hour matters with this kind of vocal cord injury."
The trooper studied their setup for another moment, clearly trying to decide whether to dig deeper or get away from the potentially lethal patient.Professional curiosity warred with self-preservation, and self-preservation won.
"All right, folks.Drive safe, and maybe keep it closer to seventy.I know it's an emergency, but the speed limit's still the speed limit."
"Absolutely, officer," J.J.said, relief flooding through him so fast he felt dizzy."We appreciate your understanding."
As the trooper walked back to his car, shaking his head at the weird stuff he had to deal with, J.J.felt Farrah's hand land on his arm again.This time it stayed there, steady through his uniform sleeve, and he could feel her pulse racing against his skin.
"We did it," she breathed, and her voice was bright with exhilaration and disbelief."Holy shit, we actually did it."
Her excitement was intoxicating, making her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed.She looked alive in a way that made his mouth go dry and his hands itch to touch her.The adrenaline rush of successfully lying to law enforcement was apparently a powerful aphrodisiac.
She's never looked more beautiful than she does right now, high on successfully committing fraud.
The trooper gave them a polite wave as they pulled back onto the highway, completely unaware that he'd just been part of the most elaborate con game of his career.
Because he couldn’t help himself, he leaned in and kissed her.
He expected her to flinch a little.
He hadn’t expected her to sigh and wiggle closer.
When her tongue grazed along his, he knew it was the start of something special.
"Green Machine, you are clear for northbound I-80," Bondo's voice over the radio, interrupted them."Secret Agent reporting all clear from surveillance position.My advanced reconnaissance indicates no further law enforcement presence in the immediate area."
They jumped apart.
“That was nice,” she said, her eyes glazed.
He wanted to push the mannequin off the gurney and lay Farrah down on it and lick every inch of her. But they needed to get back on the road and make up for lost time.
“You were amazing back there.”
“The kiss?”she asked, touching her lips.
“That too. I meant with the cop.”
“Right,” she said, ducking her head.“We should get going.”
“Yeah,” he said reluctantly.
