Dow drew in a deep and exaggerated sniff. “Fuuuuck, Marrok. You cornered yourself a prize.” He smirked at Scarlett. “I thought there was something weird about you, honey, but now I can smell it. What’s a Good girl like you, doing in a place like this?”
“I’m not Good.” Letty objected righteously. “Why does everyone keep saying…?”
Marrok cut her off. Wolves could scent the truth, even if she couldn’t. “The Good folk have no idea what she is.” His eyes stayed on Dower. This whole situation had pain-in-the-ass written all over it. “All of them live their lives in the dark, so it’s not surprising they’d occasionally misplace one of their own.”
“Well, do they have any idea what she’s planning?” Dower taunted. “Because, I couldn’t help but overhead Little Miss-Placed mention something about an escape.” He arched a brow at Scarlett. “Doesn’t seem like a Good folk would be plotting something like that, but the hypocrisy of you assholes never ceases to amaze me.”
“I’m. not. Good.” She pointedly spaced each word. “And we’re not planning any escape.” Her voice was too high. “That’s ridiculous. You completely misunderstood our conversation.”
Dower gave a snort. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re in here for the educational opportunities.” He gestured around the dank library with a contemptuous wave of his giant palm. “Oh and for sucking face with Marrok.”
“Yes!” Her expression lit up. “Of course! That’s right. We’re here for sex.” Lying didn’t come easily to Scarlett, but Marrok gave her points for enthusiasm. She beamed, visibly thrilled with how quickly she’d come up with a cover story. “Yes. Obviously. This is where Marrok and I have our assignations.”
She’d just used the word “assignations.” The girl was simply adorable.
Dower fixed Marrok with a skeptical look. “You expect me to buy that you’re only in here to get blowjobs from a fake ugly stepsister?”
“She’s not ugly.” Marrok said mildly.
“I’m not fake!” Scarlet protested at the same time.
“Well, whatever she is, I know she’s plotting an escape. And if she’s getting you out, I’m going, too.” Dower decided. “I’m here for life, because of that fucking championship game.” Popularly known as the “championship massacre.” Even by Wolfball standards it had been a bloodbath. “I got nothing to lose by making a break for it. Either I’m in on the plan or I’ll be telling Dr. White about your little ‘assignation.’” He sneered at Marrok. “And, just so ya know, I think it’s disgusting that you’d ever willingly touch one of them.”
“Oh come on…” Marrok leaned back so his hand was on the chair that Scarlett had been standing on and flashed a man-to-man smile. “You’ve never wanted to dirty-up a Goodie just for fun?”
“No! Because, I’m not a fucking pervert.” Dower declared passionately, although a jury of his peers had disagreed on that score. “Bad enough when they pay the coach and we have to touch them, but to choose one is just twisted.”
“Bullshit. We all have fantasies. Besides, you know that every one of those Goody-Goods is dying for something between her legs more interesting than beige tapioca. Those knight-in-shining-armor pussies probably screw the poor girls with their metal pants on.”
Scarlett whacked his shoulder in annoyance.
Dower couldn’t have been more invested in this philosophical debate. “Look, there’s them and there’s us.” He made an emphatic hand gesture that indicated one side versus another. “Good and Bad shouldn’t mix.” He glanced at Letty. “No matter how many Good broads need to be fucked by real men.”
She made a face at him. “Then, you’ll certainly be out of luck.”
Marrok shrugged. “I don’t ‘mix’ with Letty, so much as I bend her over that table and take her from behind while she begs me to spank her.” He nodded towards the table beside Dower.
Scarlett’s mouth dropped open and Marrok almost smiled. If she was going to invent a torrid affair as their alibi, she really needed to work on not looking so shocked when he added some spicy details. The table thing had just come right off the top of his head, but now he was sort of intrigued by it, if he did say so himself.
Dower was, too. His gaze slid up and down Letty’s body, like he was picturing Marrok’s story playing out and not find the idea “disgusting,” at all.
Marrok arched a brow. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it, Dow.” He made it sound like an offer, his tone clearly suggesting that the other man could share Letty’s lush curves. Marrok would see him dead first, but Dower didn’t know that. “You know the Good ones love to be Bad.”
Dower’s puritanical bitching aside, he suddenly wasn’t so outraged over the notion of fraternizing with Good folk outside of work. Not when there was a chance his dick could have an “assignation” right that moment. His eyes drifted over to the table with a speculative expression on his face.
…Which was just what Marrok had been waiting for.
His hand tightened on the back of the chair, his body already in motion. Hefting it up, he slammed it right into the side of Dower’s head. The solid wood legs cracked against the other man’s skull, knocking Dow to the ground. Marrok briefly saw the guy’s enraged expression and then he brought the chair down two more times making sure Dow was unconscious.
Marrok glanced over at Scarlett who was gaping down at Dower. “No killing people, just beating them with chairs.” He reminded her. “See? I paid attention to your rules.”
She slowly raised her eyes to his. “You are an annoying jackass.” She said sincerely. “But, right now, I think you’re awesome.”
Marrok’s mouth curved, happy to have impressed her. “Wanna try out the table for real?”
“No.” Scarlett crouched down next to Dower. “We need to tie him up.” She looked back over at the skein of green yard. “Do you think that would hold him?”
Marrok made a skeptical face. “No.” It wasn’t like they had any better options lying around in the library, though, and Dow was down for the count. “More importantly, we need to stash him somewhere so nobody stumbles across him.”
“Like where?”
“Closet? Bathroom?” He jerked a thumb towards the bookshelves. “Or we could dump him back in the stacks. I doubt anyone’s going to look for him in here.”
Letty debated that. “How long do you think he’ll be out cold?”
Considering the beating Marrok had just given him? “Hours.”
“Alright.” She nodded. “We’ll be out of here tonight. So if we can just keep him out of sight until then, everything will be fine.” She frowned at Dow’s unconscious form. “We have bigger issues to deal with, right now.”
“I agree. We should get back to making out.”
That got her attention. “I told you, that was a mistake!”
“No, it wasn’t. I knew exactly what I was doing.”
“Oh, I’m sure you did.” She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “But whatever it is you’re up to, I’m not falling for it. You’re not tricking me, not distracting me, not pretending to pretend to seduce me…”
“Did it feel like I was pretending to pretend?”
“…It’s not happening, Marrok!” She continued like she didn’t even hear him. “I have no idea what you’d hoped to accomplish…”
“Really? You couldn’t figure it out? Because, I wasn’t being real subtle about my master plan when I had my tongue in your mouth.”
Letty kept going. “…but, I am soooo onto you. I understand that because you’re so,” she hesitated, “incredibly handsome…”
Marrok grinned. He didn’t want her just wanting him for his looks, but --honestly-- what else did he have to offer a woman? Letty finding him attractive was a huge step in the right direction.
Her eyes narrowed. “…that you’re used to women being drawn to you and being blinded by your charm. But, I am not an idiot. Men who look like you do not come on to ugly stepsisters. Not without an agenda.”
“
You’re not ugly.”
“What do you want?” She demanded. “Just tell me why you kissed me.”
“Basically, it seemed like a good first step to getting you naked.”
Letty stared up at him in frustration. “And why do you want that?”
“Why do I want you naked?” He repeated incredulously. Was she kidding?
“Yes. The truth.”
What could he say that wouldn’t make her mad? Now did not seem the ideal time to mention the fact that she was his True Love. Or that he spent every share circle fantasizing about her body tied to his bed. What would Letty want to hear? “Because, I think it would be fun?” He tried.
“Fun?! We have to hide Dower, disable the alarms, hope that Ramona stays locked up in the basement, outsmart all the guards, pray that Benji comes back, and do about a thousand other things or we’re never getting out of here… And you want to have fun?”
“I’m always having fun when you’re around, Red.” The girl was a constant source of new and surprising ideas. “We’d just be having more fun if we were having sex.”
“You’re unbelievable. You could have any woman in here and you turn them all down, but you’re flirting with me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“You’re the one I want.”
“Why?”
God, that was just her favorite word. He hadn’t faced an interrogation like this since his last arrest. Marrok tried to come up with an explanation that she’d believe, but that wouldn’t scare her away. No Good girl would be thrilled to be bound to a wolf. What could he tell her? The very first thing that came to mind made him sound like a pansy, but it was completely true.
“Because, you reached out and held my hand.”
She looked mystified by that response. “No one’s ever held your hand before?”
“No. That’s not what they want from me.”
“I don’t want anything from you, besides your help.” She said it like she had a pretty good idea what was usually demanded of him. “I promise I’ll get you out of here, no matter what. You don’t have to sleep with me.”
“I want to sleep with you.” He’d never had to actually seduce a woman before, but it was coming naturally. “There’s something real between us, baby. A connection. It’s been there from the beginning. Can you feel it, too?”
Blue eye met his and she gave a hesitant nod.
Marrok’s mouth curved.
She quickly rallied. “But, that doesn’t mean I’m going to fall into bed with you. I know that something else is going on here, so you might as well just tell me what it is and…” Before Letty could continue her newest argument as to why everything he said was a lie, the room went dark. One of the light bulbs overhead blew out, plunging the library into deeper gloom.
Marrok and Scarlett both looked up.
“Great.” He muttered, although, on the plus side, it did abruptly stop Letty’s questions. She fell totally silent. He glanced over at his contrary little True Love, surprised that she’d given up her inquisition before beating him with a phonebook. “You okay?”
Letty was staring at up at the ceiling with the same faraway expression that she always got when she’d been struck by a new and surprising idea. “I know how to disable the alarms.” She whispered.
Chapter Eight
Rumpelstiltskin is tedious to listen to, be around, and write about.
But, for a few extra food rations, he’ll make amazing jewelry out of straw.
I’ve already finished my holiday shopping!
Psychiatric case notes of Dr. Ramona Fae
“So we have two choices.” Scarlett leaned across the table, her eyes intent. She’d corralled Avenant, Ez,, Marrok, and Rumpelstiltskin in the dining hall and was doing her best to appear inconspicuous. All around them, motley groups of inmates ate the same small portions of porridge they were given for every meal. “Listen to both options before you start yelling, alright?”
“I don’t make any promises.” Avenant informed her seriously. From the careful way he was speaking, it was clear that he’d been given his nightly dosage of meds and trying to fight through them.
Esmeralda rolled her eyes at him and finished off her runny gruel. “I think I’m even hungrier in this body.” She patted her stomach, which was still disguised as Benji’s stomach. Given the paltry food rations in the WUB Club, everyone was usually starving. It was another way to keep the patients weak and demoralized.
“We’ll eat when we get out of here.” Scarlett assured her. “Anyway, I used Ramona’s keys to steal her tablet and did a little bit of internet research on how this place was constructed.”
“I helped.” Marrok put in.
“You played solitaire.” Scarlett corrected.
“They have the plans for this place online?” Avenant rolled his eyes. “Typical. Crimes only happen because the Good folk make it so damn easy.”
“Yeah, the WUB Club homepage helpfully explained how secure everything is and the details were a good starting point for my research.” Even then, it had taken Scarlett the better part of the afternoon to find out what she needed to know.
Things would’ve no doubt gone faster if not for Marrok being there. It was hard to concentrate on anything when he was lounging a few feet away, looking beautiful and wild and perfect. He was deliberately trying to be appealing and it worked, damn him. As if he wasn’t distracting enough before, now he had to go and prove that he was the best kisser in the world. It just wasn’t fair.
That jackass was up to something. Kissing her like that made no sense. Why would he want her when he could have anyone? He had to have some ulterior motive, but Scarlett couldn’t figure out what it was. Marrok seemed committed to the escape, so she doubted that he was trying to undermine her plans. And, since he was obviously planning to leave the WUB Club with the rest of the group, it also didn’t seem likely that he was playing along with Dr. White’s plan to seduce Scarlett out of the glass slipper.
So what was his game?
Aside from making her insane with desire and general irritation.
He caught her frowning at him and shined a typically stellar grin.
Scarlett made a face at him and refocused on the group. They were all there except for Benji, who’d already escaped, and Dru. Cindy made sure Letty and Dru were kept on separate schedules as much as possible, so Drusilla ate at the second dining time. Given how drugged her sister was, poor Dru wouldn’t have much to contribute to the discussion, anyway.
“So, I’ve come up with a plan.” Letty lowered her voice. “We have to cut the power.”
Rumpelstiltskin swallowed. “To… the building?”
“Yep.” She didn’t see a way around it. “And, like I said, there are two ways to do that. Option one: Someone’s got to stay behind.”
Instantly, there was an outcry around the cafeteria table.
“Fuck that.” Rumpelstiltskin and Avenant chorused.
“I’m not staying here!” Esmeralda yelped.
“I vote we leave Avenant.” Marrok said at the same time.
Scarlett made an irritated “Shh!” sound at all of them. “I said no yelling until you hear me out.” She reiterated. God, they just could not follow directions. “We’re not getting out of here if the power is on, so we have to disable it. Period. Now, we can sabotage the system in the utility room, without too much trouble.” Scarlett had total confidence her crew’s abilities to destroy. “The problem is there’s a backup system. Fifteen seconds after we lose the primary power, the backup will kick-in and lock everything down. All the doors will seal tight.”
“So?” Rumpelstiltskin demanded.
“So, no way will the person who cuts the power be able to make to the library. They will be trapped behind all the automatically locked doors.”
Silence.
“What’s the other option?” Esmeralda finally asked.
“We take out the backup power, too. If it can’t come on, none of the doors
will be able to electronically lock. Ten minutes to midnight, we blow everything and all six of us escape through the library window in the confusion.”
“I like this plan better.” Avenant decided. “Let’s go with option B.”
“Just wait.” Scarlett held up a hand. “If we cut the backup power, none of the doors will lock. Think about that. We will have literally opened up the cells of everyone in the WUB Club. We will be escaping at the same time that everyone else is suddenly running around here free. Some of them will probably escape, too.”
“I can live with that.” Esmeralda shrugged and pushed away her tray. “A lot of people in here are political prisoners, just like us.” She’d obviously been thinking about Scarlett’s speech about justice for Bad folk. She tapped an agitated blue finger against the tabletop. “We all deserve to go free.”
Scarlett wasn’t willing to go that far. “I wouldn’t say all, but…”
Avenant cut her off. “I’m still liking the plan.” He opened his cardboard carton of milk. “Granted, the others will be benefiting from our hard work, but, if anyone else gets away, the flying monkeys will have to split their resources to follow them. It’ll give us more time.”
“Whose hard work?” Marrok challenged. “Certainly not yours. What have you contributed?”
“I add much needed class to this consortium.”
Scarlett ignored that, too. “Alright, so even if we’re okay with the freeing everybody aspect of things, there’s a bigger problem.” She continued. “The backup system is in the boiler room and the boiler room is in the basement.”
“The dungeon?!” Rumpelstiltskin paled. “No way! No way am I going down there.”
Esmeralda looked over at Avenant’s tray. “Are you going to eat your porridge?”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “The first thing I’m doing when we get out of here is have a big spicy taco.”
“We’re not getting out of here.” Rumpelstiltskin sounded frantic. “Not if we have to go down in the dungeon!”
“You’d rather one of us stay locked in here?” Marrok retorted. “You volunteering?”
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