Page 31

CHAPTER 31 - TOR

P inch me. I still didn’t believe this was real. Freedom at last. Vindication of my and my brother’s crimes with evidence proving our innocence, releasing us from the prison. A pardon for Supergal for good behavior and an apology for the imprisonment under such a minor crime. Full reinstatement to the Guild of Shadows with very generous ex-gratia payments for our wrongful imprisonment to the five of us and secret ones made to Raze. Ass-kissing in all its full glory. A document that we framed and put on our wall.

We didn’t go out much for the first two weeks, settling into our new home and taking it easy, ordering all the takeout we could fit in our stomachs to splurge and recuperate. Raze stayed with us, and then we camped at his sanctuary, getting lost in nature, hiking, fishing, bonfires, booze, and barbeques.

Lastly, I visited family, where I scored myself some Cold Rock ice cream to fulfill the first thing on my post-prison to-do list. I ate it too fast and too hard, and had the worst brain freeze, but it was worth it after a long stretch without indulging in some. My niece and nephew got a kick out of me groaning, at least.

In a few days, the five of us would jet off to our vacation on a one of the Hawaiian islands to celebrate getting out, our new lives, and new jobs. Knoxe suggested Thailand for his to-do item, but we outvoted him for a trip to the US.

We scheduled Pascal’s celebratory trip to attend the symphony upon our return because Supergal wanted us all there in suits and on our best behavior. Life had never been sweeter or more hopeful.

“What’s next, Tor?” Knoxe asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I took stock of our efforts this far. One last item to cart from the rental hire truck inside to my mom’s new place.

“Grab that end of the sofa, will you?” I instructed him, claiming the foot of it. Knoxe lifted the other side, and I walked it backward down the truck’s ramp.

Pascal and Raze returned from inside Mom’s two-bedroom unit.

“Is that the last of it?” Raze asked, not even breaking a sweat from all the heavy lifting, unlike the rest of the guys.

“That’s it.” I nudged the end of the furniture past his broad body into the entrance. “Thanks for your help today, buddy.”

“No problem.” Raze slapped my back. “I’m here for you, brother.”

Fuck, I loved this guy. Loved them all for pitching in their time to help my mom relocate from a shitty little unit without enough accessible disability features to one with everything kitted out.

The minute we were released and given our belongings and phones back, I got onto Mads, negotiating another favor for him to arrange a suitable new home for my mom and sister that was available to move into right away. And what do you know? The thief avatar came through. And, as a goodwill gesture, he added another zero to my bank balance, encompassing money from contraband sales, former salary from my Guild employment, and ex-gratia payments. The cheeky thief avatar gave me more than enough to cover the purchase of my mother’s unit and a suburban house for my sister with a backyard for my niece and nephew, as well as an investment property to get into the market.

Mads would deny it until he was blue in the face, but I think he had a soft spot for me. He swung me some merch and special edition comics signed by him, Cupid, and her other two husbands for my and Supergal’s collection, Hermes love him.

On our release, Vartros found us temporary accommodations for two days—hello, penthouse at Ridges—until he scored us a Guild-owned apartment in Bathurst, close to the Academy. Supergal was thrilled to be close to her bestie, Luna, and scheduled in summer barbeques and dinner dates with her and her men. Knoxe, Pascal, Raze, and I were thrilled it came rent-free, stocked with all the beer four men could ask for, fully furnished, and five bedrooms... though we mainly slept in Supergal’s on her Alaskan King bed which took up a third of the main bedroom.

We negotiated a stellar deal with the Guardians to continue working for them with incredible perks. Better salary, in the order of half a mil each per year. Eight weeks’ vacation per year. Choice in which missions we wanted, based on the danger of the gantii criminal and the planet we traveled to arrest them, the risk of our harm, length of time away from home, and bonuses. Best of all, we got Raze back where he belonged, and Supergal bargained time in the laboratory to please her chemistry nerd.

Raze hated living in town and planned to venture back to the sanctuary to stay in between missions to get his wilderness fix. That was fine with Supergal, as it left her time with the rest of us… although she missed him like crazy when he was away. But he always came back to his pack. And on her off days, she allocated days to stay up there with him, and we scheduled times to visit too, depending on our missions.

Knoxe and I navigated the tight turn in the foyer to get the three-seater into the lounge at the front of the unit.

“Just here, please, Victor.” Mom directed us to set it down by the window where Janet, Molly, and Jack could watch TV whenever they visited.

Astra smiled and came up to me, rubbing my stiff, sore shoulders. Her smiles fueled me, and I could live off just them and air. She and my sister got out of furniture moving duties by volunteering in the kitchen to prepare a meal for us all. A little thank you from me for their effort.

“You’ve got a beautiful home, Mrs. Helms.” Supergal put her arm around my waist and squeezed.

“Please, call me Bev.” Mom wheeled her chair over to Supergal, squeezing her hand, and I knew by her overjoyed smile that she was just as smitten as me.

“Okay, Bev.” Supergal pumped her back.

“I’ll get onto cooking the meat shortly,” I told Mom, and she nodded.

The boys started setting the table, Knoxe showing Jack and Molly how to place the plates, cutlery, and napkins. Raze rumbled at the little ones, his eyes shiny and content, like he wanted a few of his own. Pascal assisted Janet delivering the burger buns, and a basket of bread, setting them next to the condiments.

Mom picked up my hand and rubbed it on her cheek. “Thank you, son. For everything.” The unsure way she looked up at me made my stomach dip. “The unit isn’t going to be confiscated again by your Guild, is it?”

I coughed out a nervous laugh. Damn Vartros. If I wasn’t so grateful for his small act of mercy, I might have punched him in the jaw for sequestrating the home I bought my mom with contraband money.

“This one is all good, Mom.” I raised a scout salute and failed to smile seriously. “Scout’s honor.”

My mom huffed, shook her head, her prominent cheekbones on display with her bright smile. “That’s the kind of promise I worry about, Victor.”

Supergal buried her face in my chest and giggled.

I deserved Mom’s distrust when I lied to her for three years about my whereabouts and pretended I worked overseas on an American sports team. All in the past now. My secret came out, and I was lucky I didn’t have to slog through an extra six-month sentence for it. Everything worked out in the end.

I squeezed her shoulder. “I’m a reformed man, Mom. Just ask Supergal.”

“Uh oh.” Supergal laughed.

“What do you think, Astra? Is my boy a reformed bad boy?” Mom asked with the cheeky smile I inherited.

Supergal grinned in a way that spelled girl power grouping together. “Absolutely not! He’s a bad boy for life, and that’s one reason I love him.” She pinched my chin and twisted my face from side to side.

She once told me that bad boys made the “the best boyfriends,” and I took that as a win. She also loved me the way I was, fuck-ups and all, and that was why she was perfect for me.

The boys got rowdy and cheered at her response. Molly and Jack poked out their tongues, grossed out by the declaration of love.

“Ewww, girl germs!” I gave Supergal a sloppy cheek smooch to tease them, and Janet chuckled and cut up the eggs for the potato salad.

Mom tapped my hand. “I thought so.”

“You two are ganging up on me.” I pretended to be offended and wheeled her to the table, where my brothers, niece, and nephew finished positioning the glassware and plastic cups.

Time to gather more praise from my family on my reformation, while they stood around the table, waiting for lunch to commence.

“What do you think, sis?” I took a seat next to her and messed up her hair like a good brother should.

“I agree with Astra.” Janet grinned and crunched into a slice of cucumber.

I poured Mom a cup of soda. “I’m not liking these odds.”

Supergal pressed her lips together in mock sympathy.

“Uncle Tor’s nice. He bought me these.” Molly flung a leg up to show her rainbow-colored trainers, almost kicking Knoxe in the process.

I shot her a thumbs-up for her support. “Just be careful you don’t karate kick Knoxe, okay?”

Molly squeaked out a sorry, and Knoxe gave her a cuddle to show everything was all good.

“Uncle Tor bought me braces.” Jack flashed his metal grill, and I winked at him. The kids were easy to get votes from.

“That’s a fifty percent vote for Team Tor.” I give Supergal and Mom a sarcastic brow before looking at my brothers for backing.

Knoxe shook his head. “Reformed, my behind.” I appreciated him keeping it clean for the family.

“Tor’s a cowboy and always will be,” Raze backed him up, lowering my edge of success.

“Tor doesn’t know how to be good.” Pascal finalized the six-to-two count.

That settled that then. Villains had more fun anyway. I was happy to be a bad boy so long as I didn’t hurt anyone.

“I love you all, too.” I poked out my tongue at them, and my niece and nephew giggled. “Don’t listen to them, Molly and Jack. They’re jealous of how cool I am.” They squealed when I tickled them.

Everyone laughed or snorted out a, “Yeah, right.”

Mom took my hand and squeezed it. “You’ve always been naughty, Victor. But you try to do what’s right, and it’s the sentiment that counts, right?”

I hmphed and laughed, patting her shoulder, appreciating that she acknowledged my efforts despite them not always working out. “Shh, Mom, don’t ruin my bad boy image, or I’ll have to go and commit some villainy to impress my girlfriend.”

The kids pretended to puke again. The rest of us shared a hearty laugh.

Joy and contentment I hadn’t felt in such a long time took hold of me, warming me all over. Life was looking up for me for once and not cloaked in darkness. I had a girlfriend I adored, who adored me back. Three remarkable brothers who never gave up on me despite me dragging the team morale down with my unscrupulous ways. A family well cared for, happy, healthy, and thriving. With everyone settled, I could focus on myself for once, which I rarely did, and that was a strange sensation for me.

Taking that as my cue to leave and fire up the outdoor grill, I grabbed two aluminum pans full of barbeque meat from the kitchen bench. “This won’t cook itself. Excuse me.”

Knoxe came out to join me on the patio, carrying a bottle of olive oil and plate of sliced onions. “You’re trouble with a capital T, Tor, but I love you. You know that?”

Nice of him to say when he hadn’t had many kind words for me the past three years.

I turned the gas bottle on and the grill burner, warming it up. “Getting sentimental and soft now that you’re out of the prison, huh, babe?”

Knoxe poured oil onto the frying plate for the onions. “I was hard on you at times. I blamed you for what happened to Jaz, when I shouldn’t have. That wasn’t fair, and I’m sorry.”

He took a breath as if his next words depended on it.

“Jaz chose to sell secrets to the snakes to pay for his dad’s medical bills.” A fact Knoxe conveniently overlooked because of rose-colored glass syndrome. “That’s on him. None of us are to blame for his death.”

Fuck, I didn’t know what to say. Tor, stunned in silence with no sarcastic quip? Call the police!

Knoxe swallowed like his pride took a hit for admitting it. “I understand why you sold the contraband to help your family. I was an asshole for not supporting you all. An asshole for going hard on all the team. I was too angry to see through my bullshit of having double standards for Jaz’s situation versus yours.”

Yep, Hell came to Earth, brimstone rained down, burning everything for Knoxe to admit he was wrong.

“You tell the others you’re sorry?” I loaded the sausages on the grill, loving the sizzle.

“I will.” Knoxe sprinkled onions on the oil, moving them around with the tongs, coating them.

I clapped my brother on the back and shook him. “It means a lot to hear you say that.”

Knoxe nodded and got back to browning the onions, while I added burger patties, steaks, and meat skewers. An admission and apology were all I needed. I didn’t want any hard feelings to exist between us when I loved him like a brother and friend.

With that over with, we chatted about more mundane topics. Plans for our mid-year vacation. Extending the cabin at Raze’s commune to fit all of us, and building more cottages as a thank you for taking in our brother. Dates and vacations to spoil our girl. And most importantly, the special surprise I arranged at the end of lunch.

Molly wandered out onto the patio with a begging puppy face. “I’m hungry, Uncle Tor.”

I turned the meat one last time, admiring the charred edges. I loved the sound of spitting sausages, sizzling meat, and frying onions when it reminded me of my dad grilling all summer long.

I bent down to her level. “Meat is a few minutes away. Tell everyone for me and save me a seat. You’re my hero.”

She threw her arms around me for a quick hug and then raced back inside, shouting at everyone to get seated.

“This is the life, isn’t it?” I asked Knoxe, piling the sausages in the aluminum tray. Friends, family, and food. A triple F combination.

“It sure is.” Knoxe set the steaks on a plate lined with absorbent towels to mop up the excess moisture.

We took them inside, and distributed the aluminum between the guests. Everyone helped themselves to the meat, sides, and salads, except for Molly and Jack, who avoided any vegetables despite Janet piling small portions onto their plates. I plated Mom some steak and vegetable couscous salad since her shaky arms gave her trouble.

I smiled for the entire meal, pleased to be surrounded by my family and extended family. Our time together in the Guardians tore Knoxe, Raze, Pascal and me apart. Supergal came in at a crucial time and saved us from implosion. Sure, we had rough times, thanks to the tension stirred by my contraband sales, Raze’s identity and banishment, Knoxe being an ass, Pascal’s communication issues, and Supergal hiding Raze’s secret. In the end, it brought us all closer, we forgave each other, worked together as the team we were meant to be after we lost Jaz, and earned our freedom.

Honestly, my time in the Guardians, while dark and depressing, ended up being one of my life’s most important lessons. I didn’t give up on my family or friends despite the hardship. Prison taught me resilience, loyalty, and a strength I never knew. It introduced me to the love of my life, and if I had to do it all again to save her or my family, I would.

Raze and Knoxe ate us out of house and home in the meat department, cleaning up the leftovers. My niece and nephew cleaned up when it came to dessert and didn’t stop bouncing around on their sugar highs. Raze rumbled the whole time, getting up several times to play with Molly and Jack, spinning them around and playing flying airplane games, giving me a rest for once.

Mom didn’t stop smiling the whole time, delighted to have all her family with her, and the chaos of the past twelve months finally subsiding.

Supergal kept touching me when she got the chance, and I soaked up all the attention from my girl and the smiles that had my heart soaring.

I checked in with Pascal to see how he was doing with new people in his space, and he coped well with little bursts of music to soothe his senses. I was really proud that he didn’t rely on it as much as he previously did, braving his new surroundings with a determination rivaling the one Supergal brought to the prison.

While my family and guests played a card game after dessert, Janet and I got up to do the dishes, setting the plates and cutlery in the dishwasher and manually cleaning the larger bowls that didn’t fit in.

My sister leaned her hip on the counter to face me. “It’s nice to see you happy, baby brother.”

I glanced at the packed table, overflowing with my biological and extended family. Pascal tapped beats on the table, teaching Jack and Molly how to drum. Astra squished between them, holding onto Raze and Knoxe’s thighs, chatting with my mom about future plans, while they brushed her back or neck. Yeah, life was right again.

“Thanks, sis.” I flicked her with my towel, and she got me back with suds. “How’s your new job?”

She dunked another bowl in the soapy water. “The hours are really good for dropping off and picking up the kids.”

I grabbed the next bowl and towel-dried it. “That’s excellent.”

She deserved a supportive role. Work at the hospital was chaotic, and they put her on at nights and double shifts when she was struggling to raise an infant and two-year-old after her dirtbag husband left her.

“I met someone,” she admitted casually, catching me by surprise.

I flicked her on the arm for withholding that news from me. “Since when? It’s the job of your brother to check out potential suitors and scare them with threats not to hurt you.”

She chuckled and flicked me again with water and suds. “You and your friends are not scaring him away.”

“You sure?” I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder. “Raze is a terrifying guy and he’ll sort him out.”

“Are you saying you’re not scary and don’t have big enough balls to?” Janet teased.

I never tired of our little game.

“Oh, I have the balls, sis.” I draped the towel over my shoulder and brought her in for a hug. “I’m happy for you and hope he’s as nice as you say, so I don’t have to get Supergal to dissolve his balls.”

It felt just as freeing to laugh about the team’s magick since my family knew about my sentence in a magical prison because little old me let out the secret on a phone conversation that saw me punished by the warden.

“No baby brother threats are needed just yet!” She slammed my chest with a wet hand, leaving a palm mark on my shirt.

We laughed and finished the job, teasing each other for the remainder of the task as brother and sister should.

A Helms’ family dinner wasn’t complete without a Tor finale.

I clapped my hands together and announced to the table, “Excuse me everyone, can I have your attention?”

The room died down and they gave me their undivided attention, and my inner attention whore preened.

I pulled out the velvet box I’d been holding onto for a long time and dropped to one knee beside Supergal, making her shift in her seat and frown. Time to pull out the big guns and deliver on the promise I made to her over a year ago.

“Supergal, I once gave you a candy ring with the promise of my commitment,” I started, shaking with equal nerves and excitement. “You wore it every day until it was sticky, dirty, melting, and growing something green, and in the best interests of your health, you sadly had to take it off.”

Molly and Jack giggled.

Mom covered her mouth.

Janet looked a little green.

The rest of the team chuckled.

“Oh, Superguy, you’re so sweet.” Supergal cupped my jaw and stroked my chin with her thumb. I loved seeing her surprised face morphing into joy after a long stretch of tension.

Eager for her answer, I flipped open the box’s lid, exposing the mermaid pearl encased in a rose gold band. “I want you to be mine, forever, Supergal. I want this ring to serve as a reminder of everything we’ve been through. Tests of our endurance and resilience and the strength our love surpassing it all.”

She gasped and rocked backward.

I knew she was the woman for me when she freed the team and me from The Hole. Merciful, loyal, forgiving, kind-hearted, and that damn sassy mouth and fierce determination won my heart.

“Oh, Victor.” My mother’s shaky hand rose to her mouth.

“Uncle Tor loves Astra.” Molly made kissy faces, and Janet chuckled.

My three brothers grinned, in on the whole thing and supportive of the proposal, even though Knoxe and Pascal weren’t hearing wedding bells yet, and Raze was ready to fill her belly with pups.

Supergal’s hand reached out to stroke the stone, then recoiled. “Wait. Is this legitimately obtained? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a yes. A thousand percent I want a forever with you.” My heart swelled with more love for my romance queen’s answer. “But…” She worked her bottom lip between her teeth.

I took her meaning. She didn’t want threatening visits from people who seized her goodies when I owed them money. I was grateful for her not voicing that in front of my family. They didn’t need to know about the lengths I went to for all of them.

I let out a chuckle and repeated the hand sign. “Scout’s honor.”

She snorted at that and let me slip the ring onto her finger. I got the exact measurements by using a thread from my shirt and winding it over her finger while she slept.

My future wife lifted her hand to examine the jewel. “It’s beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful you, Mrs. Helms.” I kissed her cheek, keeping it PG for the family.

“I love you, Mr. Helms,” she whispered, and I loved the sound of my surname on her lips, and the idea of her signing off as my wife.

“Ewww!” Jack pretended to vomit, and we broke away.

“No, it’s not, it’s romantic,” Mom corrected him. “Janet, do we have any wine to celebrate?”

“We brought a little something.” Knoxe got up and went to his bag and removed two bottles of champagne.

Yep. Life couldn’t get any more perfect. I got my happy ending and more, and more importantly, so did my Romance Queen.