The Wolves and the Vipers

Chapter 63 - All Hell

Rhys's cluelessness seemed genuine. I eyed him over my coffee mug and tried to decide if he knew about his father's visit here. Probably not. The man wouldn't have needed to ask whether his son was still alive if he had just mind-linked him.

He ate three pieces of toast in the time it took me to finish half of one. He had almost cleared his plate when Jace came into the kitchen and put a sheath of papers in front of him. "These are your release conditions. Read it and sign it. Once I get the elder's approval, you'll be free to go."

Rhys took a mouthful of orange juice and then stared down at the papers for a long moment. There was half a grin on his face. "I'll need to check this with my lawyer."

The looks on our faces must have said it all, because he explained without any prompting. "One of the rogues in your prison. Doesn't matter which one. It won't take long."

"No," Jace said without any hesitation. "No, you may not talk to the prisoners. Read it. Sign it."

Rhys scowled at him. "There's no need to be a hardass. A five minute conversation is all I want."

"No," Jace repeated. And then he went back into the office, ensuring there could be no further arguments.

Rhys watched him go, the muscles in his jaw writhing. Then he went back to staring at the papers with a strangely intense look of concentration.

I stayed to drink my coffee. Five minutes passed, and his eyes hadn't moved from the top of the page. I thought about why he would be difficult when it came to the release papers. He wanted to leave. But he'd done the same thing when he had been in the prison.

"Are you struggling to read it?" I asked him. I was careful to keep my tone even, without any trace of pity or scorn.

Rhys looked up at me, and then at the two men looming over us. "No."

It was casual enough. But he hadn't made very much effort to sound convincing. Most people would have been offended by a question like that, and yet ... nothing.

"You two can wait outside," I told the guards.

They glanced at each other, visibly uncertain, but Jace wasn't here to contradict me. So they disappeared through the front door, leaving me alone with the rogue.

"I could read it out loud," I offered. My mum had been dyslexic, and I'd helped her out from time to time, when she'd been worn out or in a rush. "That is, if you would trust me to..."

He took another bite of toast. He eyed me the whole time he was chewing it. And then he pushed the papers towards me. "I trust you."

"No one ever taught you to read?" I asked. I was already thinking about the implications for Aria — how could she go to school with the other kids if she couldn't do the basics? Maybe we would need a tutor for her.

He shrugged at me. "They tried. I was never very good at it."

I picked up the paper and took a long drink of juice before I started reading it.

"In exchange for services rendered to the pack, a pardon will be issued for all crimes committed prior to the twenty-ninth of November. These crimes will not be struck from the pack records, and the pardon is conditional. In the event that further crimes (or misdemeanour offences) are committed against New Dawn, the original charges will stand."

"The pardon is inclusive of the following charges: criminal damage, civil disorder, breaking and entering, theft of a vehicle, theft of goods, obstruction of justice, unauthorised use of a credit card, attempted bribery, assault in the first degree, aggravated trespass, grievous bodily harm, handling stolen goods, possession of an offensive weapon, manslaughter in the first degree, and conspiracy to commit murder."