I Regret Nothing - JB Trepagnier Page 0,59
had to be some sort of shifter sex magic baked into this cupcake. It was fluffy, light, and just the right amounts of strawberry to buttercream.
Faust let out a little growl, and his eyes flashed gold when I let out a huge moan. Was he getting turned on watching me enjoy this delicious birthday cupcake? He set his phone on the desk and turned his back to me.
“I’m going to make a show of locking you in and pretending to go to the shitter. I’ll try to make it last as long as I can, but I can’t be gone long.”
I caught his hand, and I felt those sparks again that I felt every time he touched me. I should have let go, but I liked it. I squeezed his hand.
“Thank you. This means a lot to me.”
I still didn’t know why he had done this for me, and maybe he would eventually tell me. But big, bad Faust, who the entire prison was afraid of, was a bit of a cookie-eating softie, and I dug it. I knew he killed people for money. I was sure the Aether Circle offered him a lot to kill me in here. He didn’t take the job. He brought me cupcakes and offered me his phone to call Hauser instead. Maybe I’d eventually figure him out.
Faust shut the door, and I heard the lock click. I dialed Hauser’s number. Faust and Hauser must have been talking often. Why, though?
“Is this Faust or Rei?” he demanded when he picked up.
“Hi, you mangy old wolf! I miss you!”
“Rei, thank the gods. Ever since Faust called me out the blue, I’ve been worried sick.”
“You seem to talk to my CO a lot.”
“You’re lucky he called me instead of taking the job, Rei. He has his reasons. You stick to him like white on rice. You can trust him.”
I could feel that I could trust Faust in my gut, even if I didn’t entirely know why he was doing all this. If Hauser also said I could trust him, then Faust would be my new best friend in here. Still, I had a plan, and I couldn’t stay here. I needed to be somewhere the Aether Circle couldn’t find me. I couldn’t risk anyone overhearing, and I didn’t know if Faust’s office was bugged. I used our code. We worked this out so we could talk in public or on non-burner phones and still discuss business.
“What do you think about Belize when I get out?”
Belize was our code for running from the po-po or being in a shit situation and needing an extraction. We didn’t exactly have any code language for breaking out of a maximum-security prison, but he would understand.
“I think Belize is going to be fucking impossible, Rei.”
“What if I had help and a plan? I would just need a ride to the airport.”
“I’d give you a ride, Rei, but you should forget about Belize. Going there after prison is going to be impossible. The consequences for breaking parole are pretty severe. You’d be in prison a lot longer.”
“What if the plan is good?”
“I still wouldn’t risk it.”
“I need to be where the Aether Circle can’t find me. Venus is playing some long game. She’s trying to take over the witch gang here. It won’t just be one. It’ll be all of them.”
“I should have taken care of Venus when she betrayed me. Faust has a plan. It’s insane, and it’s just in the first stages of conception, but you might not have to worry about the Aether Circle when he’s done.”
“Just a gang of witches being led by Venus.”
“Faust will take care of them. Trust me.”
“Why is Faust all up in my business? I’m not complaining, and he ended up being cool once he dropped the whole psycho thing, but what does he get out of this?”
“It’s not my place to say. He’ll tell you when he thinks you’re ready. I like him, Rei. I like that he’s in there looking after you where I can’t. You need a wolf in your life.”
“I’ve buddied up with a gargoyle and a sphinx too.”
“No, shit? I’ve never met either, but sphinx are supposed to be very tricky, and gargoyles make excellent protectors. Good job picking your prison gang.”
“We were all planning to make a trip to Belize.”
“Their idea or yours?”
“Theirs, but they know Belize better than I do.”
“Does Faust know?”
“Fuck no.”
“You should bring him in on your little trip to Belize.”
Why would Faust help me break