Page 37 of Okay, I Regret a Little
Chapter 26
Faust
I
really just wanted to check on Rei. The witches in the mess hall were too busy trying to fight off the rest of the prison, but one of them could have snuck out in the chaos if they saw her leave. And we really needed to have a conversation about that fucking witch in her bed.
I couldn’t go anywhere. Brody was still out, and now I was in the warden’s office having to answer for the entire riot. I got Brody was her nephew, but there was no way in fuck I was taking responsibility for this riot.
“I’ve told you this a million times. Brody has been propositioning inmates for ages. This is not the first time we’ve had a conversation about that either. One witch took him up on it because they intend to use him to smuggle contraband in. They also killed the witch who just died. They announced this in the mess hall loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
“Maybeyouaren’t aware, but the inmates in here will stab you in the gut just for sucking up to one of the guards. Add the fact that the witches assassinated one of their own and let the eagles go down for it, are you shocked the entire prison came together against them?
“It’s Brody’s fault he’s in a coma. I grabbed what was left of his baton when I was getting him out of there. The safety was off. I saw who he intended to use it on. Public enemy number one to the new leader of the witches. I get he’s family but wake up. He has no business working in this prison.”
Warden Snow glared at me like I was in the wrong. She was one of those snobby witches who enjoyed her position of power. I couldn’t prove she was corrupt like the warden of Scorchwood. Things weren’t horrible at Silverhold like they were at Scorchwood, but things could definitely be better.
“Show some respect!” she hissed. “My nephew is in a coma. One of those criminals could have put him there. He probably panicked and turned the safety off. The batons aren’t designed to explode like that, even with the safety off.”
I was almost certain the baton had a little supernatural help to explode from my mate. I had about a million questions about how she did that, but honestly? It was a massive turn on. I had no idea what she was, but she was undoubtedly powerful.
And I wouldn’t rat her out either.
“The handcuffs are foolproof. The only people in the mess hall with magic were the guards. Inmate 898 wasn’t trying to attack the witches like everyone else. She’s the smallest inmate in this entire prison. She’s weak, and she can’t even shift with those cuffs on. Brody went straight for her. Brody is a warlock. He could have been adding magic to the baton while he was charging it up, and it exploded on him. No one else in the mess hall had the ability.”
“Brody isn’t capable of killing anyone. I will admit to you here, alone in this office, that it’s entirely possible that he’s had carnal relations with an inmate, but he’s not a killer.”
“Then you know what you need to do with that information.”
Warden Snow composed herself and started looking down her nose at me again. Warden Snow and Brody were the type of witches who thought they were superior to all other supernatural races. They thought their magic gave them this edge over the rest of us. There were so many ways I could kill them that didn’t involve my wolf, so there was that. I fucking hated people like that, but they always died the same.
“I can’t do anything with just prison gossip. That kind of thing can ruin a man’s career. I don’t want you breathing a word of this to anyone. I’ll conduct a private investigation. You’ve had it out for my nephew since his first day. I won’t tolerate you spreading malicious gossip about him. I’ll handle this. You may go.”
That was corrupt witch speak for not a damned thing was going to happen to Brody, and if I said anything, I would be the one getting fired.
I didn’t take Warden Snow for being stupid. I had a feeling she was up to some shit, even if I couldn’t prove it, but I’d always thought she was a cunning woman. If Brody woke up, putting him back on the prison floor was going to be a death sentence.
Once the prison had taken care of the witches, they’d be gunning for Brody next. Everyone now knew he was deep with the witches. I wasn’t the only one that saw him try to kill Rei when she wasn’t even fighting anyone.
As far as I knew, no one had really picked sides in the whole Venus and Rei feud except the witches and the foxes. Whisper had to have figured out Rei wasn’t like her. She was still protecting her, which I deeply appreciated. With so many witches wanting Rei dead, and now Brody joining their ranks, I needed as many people protecting her as possible.
I could have shut down the sphinx and gargoyle’s black market so fast. I knew what they were up to now, and technically, Ishouldhave. Newsflash, I wasn’t. I’d seen some contraband that was seized. The weapons we found were all homemade. Those two weren’t sneaking anything terrible in here.
They had standards with their little prison criminal empire, and even I could appreciate they were doing this right under my nose for the longest. I only started sniffing around them because Rei had been hanging out with them.
I wasn’t just not shutting them down because I needed the respect they had to keep Rei safe. I kind of respected them a little for running a criminal business under everyone’s noses here.
And respect had to be earned with me.
