“Did she say why she was here?” the warden said, and I gave him a stupid smile and little wave when he stopped eight feet back and stared at me.
The guard shifted uneasily. “She said she was bringing Ralph Laron a hamburger.”
“Her cell was next to his, right?” The warden’s gaze went to our pile of stuff.
“I’m here by accident,” I said, then frowned when a guard gave me a smart smack on the leg with her wand. I’d had enough, and my eyes narrowed. “I may be dripping wet and blue, but I am not an inmate,” I said to the guard, my jaw clenching when she dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder. “And if you keep treating me like one, I’m going to stop being nice. Got it?”
No one was impressed, and Pike chuckled. “Small bite,” he said, and I felt myself burn.
“Hand. Off,” I muttered. “Or I take it with me when I leave. You know who I am,” I added, and the woman cleared her throat and stepped back.
Brow furrowed in concern, the warden went to our soggy pile of things. “No, you’re not an inmate,” he said, holding an amulet over our stuff before peering into the flattened takeout bag and wincing. “Which leaves you here to break someone out and it went bad, or . . . you got lost in a ley line? I’m not buying that.” He put the bag down, and my pulse quickened.
“What’s this?” he said, ignoring Pike’s pistol and going right to the amulet. “A finding charm? Who were you trying to break out?”
“No one,” I said, and Pike chuckled, his expression smug.
“Her demon teacher got pissed and dropped her here,” Pike said. “I’m along for the ride. If I could make a call, I can clear this up.”
“Pike!” I exclaimed, embarrassed until he mockingly licked his lips, and then I was just mad. Small bite.
But the warden was nodding. “That, I might believe,” he said, then grimaced when his phone hummed. “Excuse me. That’s probably about you.” Dropping the defunct finding amulet back on the pile, he turned away, phone to his ear.
“You are amazing, Pike,” I almost growled as everyone but me tried to listen in. “I’m not a small bite. I’m a full-course meal that Constance is going to choke on. I’m trying to get us out of here, so shut up and let me talk.”
“Yeah. Okay. Have fun with that.” Pike confidently shifted on the bench, but discomfort was beginning to show in his scarred face again as the balance of adrenaline and pain turned.
“You need to listen and watch how grown-ups play,” I muttered. But this was really bad.
“Wow, that hurts.” Pike pressed a hand dramatically to his chest. “If I’ve learned one thing surviving Constance, it’s that crazy only works when your hold on them is based in fear, and if you think you can talk your way out of breaking into Alcatraz on your own merits, you are certifiable—Sunshine.”
My lip curled, but the warden had ended the call, his head shaking in disbelief. With a curt gesture, he told the guards to release us, and a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding slowly slipped out. He was letting us go?
“Your story checks out,” he said, and Pike blinked in shock, a stunned silence gripping him as he rolled his shoulders after they opened his cuffs. Mine were next, and I scrambled for my ring when a guard dropped our stuff on the table. Well, most of it. They kept Pike’s knife and pistol, which didn’t sit well with the man. Small bite, eh? I thought as I slipped the cool ring back on my finger, worried when the pearl remained that ugly black. I’d been banned from San Francisco for a reason, and it had everything to do with the unexpected rebuild of downtown.
“Who vouched for me?” I asked, wanting to know who to add to my Christmas card list.
“Vivian Smith,” the warden said, and I couldn’t help my smile. All but one guard had filed out, taking Pike’s weapons with them and leaving the promise he’d get them back. I knew from experience that the entire prison would know what had happened in three minutes, bare minimum. “Head of the coven of moral and ethical standards, and hence, my boss,” the warden continued. “She said, and I quote, ‘That sounds like Rachel,’ and then advised me to let anyone with you go as well, as a courtesy to you.”
Pike’s head snapped up from where he’d been prodding his stab wound. “Didn’t the coven banish you to the ever-after?”
“Yep.” I beamed at him, the need to call Trent rising as I tucked my phone in a damp pocket. Not here where everyone can hear.
The warden wore a faint smile as he stood at the end of the table and waited for us. “Sorry about the salt bath,” he said. “We had to be sure someone hadn’t smuggled in a doppelganger charm. Would you like to shower? The next boat isn’t due until midnight.”
God. Midnight. At least I had my phone.
“That would be great, thank you,” Pike said, but thoughts of that communal shower room were thick in my mind, and I stifled a shudder. I was free, but it was still Alcatraz.
“No, thanks,” I said, and Pike stared at me, his gaze running down my wet, dripping hair to my blue-tinted skirt and my soggy boots rubbing a hole in my heel.
“You can use the guard showers,” the warden said, seeming to understand. “Do either of you need medical assistance? A meal?” He looked at the takeout bag, thoroughly flattened.
“I could do with something to eat,” Pike said as he stood. “Aspirin . . .”
He just ate! “Nothing for me, thanks,” I said, fidgety. All I wanted was a quiet moment to call Trent and assure him I wasn’t dead. Not to mention the food here was laced with magic-ending amino acids.
But again, the warden seemed to understand, and he turned to the remaining guard. “Round up some quarters for the vending machine,” he said softly as he beckoned for us to follow, and then louder, to us, “I’ll get you to the guard lounge. Showers are off it if you change your mind. I’m sure we can find you something that isn’t orange to fit you. But as I recall, you made Rock-orange look good, Ms. Morgan.”
He was playing with me, but there was no background threat lacing it, and I managed a smile. “Thanks.” I looked at my ring. “I need a quiet place to make a few calls is all.”
“Right this way,” he said, and I hustled to follow.
Pike already had his cracked phone to his ear, distracted as he walked beside me smelling of vampire incense and salt water. Vamps at the beach. Go figure.
“No, not yet,” he said slyly to whoever he was talking to, making me think it was about me. “Ran into a little snag.” He looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Nothing that won’t heal. Rachel took me somewhere to get cleaned up.” He hesitated, then added, “I have no idea. Perhaps she didn’t like our meeting being crashed.” His eyes fixed on mine, he said, “No. I’m free to go. I’m waiting a couple of hours until it’s easier to move.”