Outfoxed (The Fox Witch #1) - R.J. Blain Page 0,23

and wandering off at my whim.

Disgruntled over my predicament, lack of a love life, and unfortunate chain of troubles, I set off at a ground-eating lope in search of ways out of the maintenance tunnel. I struck gold within a few minutes, locating a ladder leading up to a manhole cover with the chained crowbar marking it as an Asylum entry.

Score. My new home was linked to Asylum’s system, and if shit went to hell in a basket, I had an easy way in and out of trouble.

Delighted with my discovery, I shifted and scrambled up the ladder, making use of the crowbar to ease the manhole cover up enough I could peek out. A debris-strewn street put the entrance somewhere in the outskirts, which meant the maintenance workers likely hiked through the safer tunnels to maintain the ventilation fans.

I didn’t dare believe luck smiled on me, but I would take the few offerings tossed my way.

Scrambling out, I returned the cover to its proper place, kicked around some debris to hide its location, and checked the time.

I’d spent over thirty minutes crawling out of my cellar, which put me on a tight schedule to get cleaned up and get to work. While fortune favored the bold, storms ate the stupid, and I’d just have to test my luck while the skies rumbled curses at everyone for daring to exist.

It was just another day in Tulsa, and whistling a merry tune, I jogged to the gym so I could get on with the rest of my day.

Saturday, May 2, 2043.

Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Alley.

* * *

As the sky opted against eating everyone for breakfast, a ridiculous number of Tulsa’s residents converged on one of the few watering holes with the right license to serve the good stuff. I swept in five minutes before my shift, headed for the kitchen, grabbed the required apron, and prepared for the owner and boss to rain hell on my head for skipping out yesterday.

With unerring accuracy, he angled my way. The older man, roughened around the edges from putting up with the worst Tulsa had to offer, wouldn’t take any bullshit from anyone, and I stood my ground prepared to spend the next five minutes verbally sparring with him to salvage my dignity and self-respect.

“Gertrude headed East this morning.”

Good for her. I was glad my money gave her the chance to go somewhere safe and sane. “Okay. What do you want me to do, Brent?”

“I’ll need girls to cover her shifts until we find a replacement. Can you do two extra hours in the morning?”

I wouldn’t like it, especially if we suffered from an early morning blow, but I could make it work. The extra hours would help down the road, too. “I can. Anything I should know about the crowd?”

“There’s trouble.”

When wasn’t there trouble in Tulsa? I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, barely. “What sort of trouble?”

“The mayor’s put out a call for courtesans, and we’ve got a bar full of gossips working the circuit. Keep your ears open and your head down. And, for once in your damned life, put your tail away and cover your ears, would ya?”

Damn. Brent had opened with a soft hit, but he’d swung up for a hard blow with that one. “Where do you suggest I put my tail? It’s attached to my ass, McCoy.”

“I guess cutting it off is asking too much, isn’t it?”

I twitched, turned my ears back, and somehow refrained from growling at the bastard. “Nobody is touching my tail. No petting, no stroking, no tugging, and definitely no cutting it off.” I turned to show him my tail, gesturing to its immaculately groomed perfection, which had cost me twenty frustration-filled minutes at the gym. “This tail is a thing of beauty, and I won’t have you cutting it off.”

Brent grinned, and it dawned on me the bastard had gotten in a few jabs at me. “You’re easily riled up today, Jade. Don’t let the customers get to you. They’re going to make comments. I’ll come bang heads together as needed, but you’re going to have a lot of comments about your tail today because of the search for courtesans.”

“The mayor is really looking for courtesans?”

“Apparently, the residents of Asylum are looking for suitable people to bring into the fold.”

Tulsa would erupt into riots when news spread that some might win an invitation into Asylum. I also worried about the timing. Why would a bounty for me be issued right before the mayor