Page 34 of Up in Smoke

“I’ll be damned,” I whispered.

In a sea of broken homes and pyres, Carl’s gift still thrived.

“This is off limits,” the Asylum guard announced when we didn’t move on like everyone else.

I glanced at Sandro.

“I’ll handle this,” he said, pulling out his wallet and fetching several cards. “The owner of this property is my uncontested courtesan.”

That caught the Asylum guard’s attention, and the man came over to examine the paperwork. To my surprise, he grinned. “Welcome back, Mr. Moretti. Mr. Mansfield was hoping you would arrive soon, and he asked me to make sure your property remained intact during the cleanup. He wishes to restore the house to begin rebuilding this neighborhood, as there are several cellars with Asylum access here, including this one. I was asked to send you to Asylum, although we were unaware you would be bringing someone with you.”

“She’s my uncontested courtesan and soon to be my wife, and as she was able to travel, I wished for her to accompany me. Vixens become temperamental if contained, and she enjoys traveling. While the East is safer, if I left her at home, I wouldn’t have a home by the time I returned, my entire family would be out for my blood, and I’d have to replace my wardrobe when she finished expressing her dislike of being left behind.” Sandro grinned at me. “I will enjoy having such a vibrant woman as my wife.”

“What is your current status?”

“She is my uncontested courtesan, and she’s enrolled in the Moretti family registrar as my partner. She has already taken the Moretti name as part of her nation-wide contract, although we are waiting to have a formal marriage ceremony.”

My fox wanted to drag him somewhere and rope him into a permanent arrangement, although I liked the idea of making him go through the motions as part of a lifetime long game between us. I grinned at him, careful to keep my ears pricked forward. “Mr. Mansfield really protected my lot?”

“Yes, he did. He had been in contact with your husband, although he was unaware of your broader contract status. Congratulations Mrs. Moretti. We made certain that your cellar was completely emptied and transferred to your home in Asylum. We weren’t certain where to put everything, so we used one of your empty rooms, sir.”

“That’s fine. We’ll go through everything at my home. She inherited the property, and we didn’t have an inventory, so we’ll have to sort the whole lot. May I inquire on what’s going on here?”

“There has been a lull in the storms, and Mr. Mansfield has opted to begin proper cleanup of the area. Buildings that were no longer sound are being demolished, and we’re making sure there are proper burials for the deceased. Burning the debris gives us fuel for pyres, so it’s efficient. Fortunately, thanks to the evacuations, there haven’t been too many new victims.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t change the problem of the choirs assaulting the Alley, but it meant we had time. While smoke and storm clouds choked the sky over Tulsa, hope remained. “And this neighborhood will be rebuilt?”

The guard nodded, gesturing to poles with flag markers following along the street. “Mr. Mansfield has evaluated the original city plans and has decided this neighborhood would be restored first, beginning with your property. The property lines will be redrawn, but that is a matter you will need to discuss with Mr. Mansfield. Your property will be expanded, of course.”

“Of course,” I murmured.

Sandro captured my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Are all of the entry points into Asylum open?”

“Yes. I recommend one of the entrances with an elevator for your wagon.” The guard eyed it with interest. “An excellent solution. It rolls well over uneven ground?”

“It rolls pretty well,” Sandro replied, pointing at the oversized wheels. “My wife acquired it, as she wanted to bring a few creature comforts along for the trip.” The hot ass bounty hunter would pay for rolling his eyes later—and for calling me his wife, although I understood the uncontested courtesan contract essentially meant we were as good as hitched and whipped. “She convinced me when she informed me one of her creature comforts was olive oil.”

The guard chuckled. “That stuff is worth a fortune around here right now. We’re at least two months out from having the next trains able to come back. We lost a lot of the tracks coming into Tulsa. We’ve enough supplies from the evacuations, but we might be isolated for a while. I will be here all day, and your property will be continued to be guarded until you can decide what you want done with the structure. Mr. Mansfield was impressed with its tenacity.”

Sandro, like I had the first time I’d seen the building, admired its ability to withstand Mother Nature at her worst. “I would like to restore it. Let it become a symbol of Tulsa’s indomitable pride and determination to survive.”

Monday, June 22, 2043.

Asylum, Oklahoma.

The Alley.

The wagon created delightful chaos,as the idea of something so mundane and practical being used to cross the quadrant hadn’t occurred to anyone, especially the guards. Sandro toyed with the men and women, but he ultimately told them he had no interest in earning the wrath of his prized uncontested courtesan and wife.

I liked my wagon, and that was that. As I liked my wagon, it came with us—and it carried my bounty of olive oil.

I planned to use some of the olive oil as bribes, as the smaller of my containers of it elicited excitement and awe.

If they spotted the spice stash, they’d probably swoon. I no longer questioned why Sandro had made a point of reorganizing the contents of our wagon and putting everything of value excepting the olive oil under the mat and sleeping bags to protect them from watchful eyes. Even Peace went underneath everything.

Peace would make them ask questions we didn’t want to answer, and Sandro wanted to make sure I had my sword in Asylum just in case I needed it.

After losing half an hour talking with the guards, we got to ride down to Asylum in one of the elevators a decent hike from Sandro’s home. I pulled my wagon along, unable to keep my tail still over having successfully walked into the place without having to make use of subterfuge.