Raphael asked softly. I blinked as I felt one of his large warm hands touch my shoulder.
“I’m fine. Just got lost in thought.”
“You looked like you were about to be sick.” The concern in his voice was touching. “Do we need to stop?”
“Nope.”
“Kaliya—”
“You aren’t the only person who’s lived through some bad shit,” I finally hissed. “And…yeah, the conversation…Sorry, you’re not…I’m not angry with you.” I shook my head, unable to continue.
“Shit…I had no idea…” I felt him retreat. He was a smart man. He could put two plus two together. The awkward silence that followed was weighted with painful implications. Part of me felt like I owed him just a little more, but deciding what to say was hard.
“I made mistakes and paid for them. Hisao got me out, and for that, I’ll never be able to repay him. Let’s just…focus on the prison,” I finally whispered, looking ahead and keeping my eyes there, trying to ignore the taste of bile in the back of my throat. It had been a long time since I had such a reaction to my old traumas, but it didn’t surprise me. They liked to raise their ugly heads whenever I was least expecting them to.
An hour later, I was feeling better, and it was perfect timing.
“We’re here,” I announced, speeding through the barrier. It didn’t bother either of us this time, and there was no one waiting. The security system was going to need repair in the coming weeks. Thinking about the current problem again was enough to focus me as I parked. When I got out of the BMW, I saw Korey was already waiting at the prison’s entrance.
She straightened as Raphael and I walked closer. I could see she was riding the edge of a Change, her eyes not a human brown but a light brown that seemed to glow. Her wolf eyes were watching me carefully.
“Executioner, as I told the Tribunal, we have everything under control here and can perform our own—”
“You’ll tell me what I want to fucking know, or I’ll give the pack here their third Alpha in twenty-four hours,” I snapped.
16
Chapter Sixteen
The way her face paled told me my hostility hit home. I was agitated because I wasn’t feeling well. I could have written it off as stress, but in reality, thinking of my past and my problems had put me in a worse mood than was really called for. Luckily, I could use it as a weapon.
“Excuse me, but—”
“No buts this morning, Korey. I did as you asked. I left the prison to get word out to the Tribunal about the breakout. A defensive plan has been enacted. I’ve been asked to gather information for whichever Investigator they choose to pursue this issue. I’m their eyes and ears right now. I’m also going to be out killing later in the day once they find Levi and whoever else may decide to cause mayhem in my region. This is a shit show, and you’ll bow your fucking head to the power you serve. Let me do my job, and you might get to keep yours for longer than a day.” I didn’t have the time or patience for stonewalling. Knowing my luck, Eliphas was probably arguing with the Tribunal at this exact moment, saying my visit was unnecessary. The prison liked to run itself with little oversight other than occasional reviews.
I was about to get all up in their shit.
“Fine. Come inside, and I’ll get our records and whatever else you want,” the wolf finally acquiesced.
I let her go in, waiting a moment to finally look at Raphael.
“Don’t trust anyone,” I whispered.
“Do you really think it was an inside job?”
“You don’t?” I raised my eyebrows, surprised he hadn’t already considered it. I had assumed it was since the moment it happened. “They don’t allow visitors here, and anyone working from the outside would have been noticed coming in the magical barrier, if not stopped by it. It had to be someone on the inside.”
He nodded before he stepped ahead of me, grabbed the door, held it open, then stepped in behind me. We practically marched through the torn-up prison. There were scorch marks on the walls in some areas, blood splattered on others.
“It must have got worse after we got out,” he mumbled.
“Yeah…” A lot worse, by the look of things. The fighting had gotten further inside after we had left. I was curious if the bloodstains were mostly inmates or guards. Did the guards come