Page 47 of Witches Be Damned

“We don’t know what we’re facing or who might be watching.” Knoxe left it at that and finalized fitting the rest of his weapons.

“Yes, sir.” Pascal nodded and went back to making tunes on his bars.

When Knoxe finished, Serena broke from her conversation with Loco, and scanned the line of us, examining our weapon belts and supplies. “Everyone geared up?”

We all nodded. Knoxe taught us well, and we never forgot an item for a mission. I pressed my lips flat when she adjusted my skewed belt, which sat a little higher, thanks to the exoskeleton.

“Excellent.” Our leader took formation and crossed to the exit. “Move out to the Terra Room for transport to our destination.”

Loco moved out first, primed to take the second-in-command spot, swirling his knives despite the warning from a sentry. Knoxe and I kept tight to Pascal’s side, protecting him.

Missions felt easier with Knoxe’s ego in check and not vying for the top spot. His demotion pried the stick from his ass, chilled his drill-sergeant demeanor, and for the first time in a long time, he behaved like our old friend, joking and serious when necessary.

On the other side of the portal, we encountered the boundary of the trailer park in which James indicated his wife and children resided. Serena waved fingers, giving us directions, and she, Loco and Pascal took the left flank, leaving Knoxe and me to take the right. Maintaining our ruse, she didn’t want two “seemingly” weakened team members positioned together. Like a fan, we closed in on our target.

“James’ wife and children are in the playground,” our fearless leader reported through our comms bracelets.

“Roger that,” Knoxe replied, pushing us forward, checking over our shoulders for witnesses as we crept closer to the door.

The plan was to send us into the caravan in case anyone hid inside, then I could apply my coercive magick and extract confessions if required. Serena, Loco, and Pascal would guard the perimeter and warn us if the family moved from their position or attempted to run.

Knoxe climbed the steps like a force of nature, and I stumbled after him. Inside, we hunted through the meagre belongings for our prize. Tinned food stocked in the pantry. Minimal clothing packed in storage drawers in a cupboard. Toys for kids below the age of five scattered on the seat and floor. Baby wipes, breastfeeding pump, and toiletries in the bathroom.

I felt dirty searching among their private things… until we uncovered valuables hidden in discreet places. Mermaid pearls stashed in biscuit tins. Hydra fangs in the baby formula. Fuck… I hoped James’ wife didn’t feed her infant from that powder when it could be infected with off-world germs.

Temptation urged me to take them and recoup lost earnings that James cost me and make up for theAssassin’s Creedstatue the asshole stole from Supergal over a year back. The old morals kicked back in, and I left them where they were. The family needed them more. They were living in a caravan, for fuck’s sake. No place for a mother and three kids under five. If I had my wallet on me, I would have left them some money. Alas, no wallets allowed on missions.

“Found it,” Knoxe announced, removing the phone from between two cushions on the kitchen bench seat.

I patted him on his sexy, tight ass. “Nice work, babe.”

Knoxe lifted his bracelet to his mouth. “Found it.”

“Good timing,” Serena reported back. “Get out of there. The family is on their way back.”

Knoxe and I quickly set everything back the way it was and exited in time before the mother carried an infant in her arms and a toddler and five-year-old strolled around the corner.

“Good work.” Our leader gave us a stiff nod as we convened with the team.

Knoxe scrolled through the phone’s contents. “They’re meeting tomorrow. There are coordinates listed here.”

Fuckin’ A.This was the jump we needed.

“We need to get this back to the Guardians technicians to track the location the messages are being sent from,” Serena suggested. “Who do we know that we can slip a fifty to fake some texts with the intel from your source to justify investigating them?”

Thank you, Knoxe for revealing that secret. He justified it because Serena and Loco came clean on the reason they were locked in the Guardians, and that secrets between the team had to stop when it eroded team morale and trust. A fair call, and I agreed.

“I know a guy,” I offered.

Serena nodded. “All right, let’s move out, team.”

Pascal lingered behind, tugging at his magick suppression cuffs, trying to remove them. The warden refused to let him out of the things when Pascal’s bloods showed his powers at levels the Guardians weren’t comfortable with. Hence, my buddy was stuck in them for the foreseeable future.

Knoxe stopped and waited for him. “Pascal, are you cool with this direction?” We always double-checked to ensure he was onboard.

“I want out of these Knoxe,” he replied. “Out of the Guardians. I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”

“That’s my man!” I grabbed Pascal by neck, ruffled his hair and kissed his head. “Sometimes superheroes have to break the rules, buddy.”

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