A Pound of Flesh (A Pound of Flesh #1)(23)

For a moment, Ward was utterly perplexed. “You did,” he countered, “and he’s been removed because it’s apparent to everyone that the two of you don’t get along.”

Kat ignored the sting in his words. “That may be so, but maybe I wasn’t as patient as I should have been with him.” Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. “I want to help him in any way I can.” Her face warmed under Ward’s scrutiny. “I also know he’s banned from all other subjects, too, so his options are minimal. I think that if I can get Carter on a one-to-one, the chances of him losing his temper will significantly reduce.”

Kat had considered this particular point in detail before she entered Ward’s office. The fact that Carter intimidated her students was one of the reasons she had lost her shit with him. If it were just the two of them, it would surely make things better, right?

Ward sat back in his chair, seeming totally mystified. “Miss Lane,” he muttered. “Just to clarify here, you want to tutor Carter … one-to-one … because you want to help him with his application for early parole?”

She smiled widely.

Ward stared at her incredulously. He shook his head. “I can’t allow it.”

“Hmm,” she mused, chewing on the inside of her mouth in annoyance. “Can I ask why?”

He smirked derisively and straightened his shoulders. “I cannot authorize you to be put in a room with Carter alone—”

“There would be a guard,” she interrupted.

[page]Ward exhaled heavily. “Splitting hairs aside, Miss Lane, you’ve been hired by the facility to teach a group of inmates during an allotted time. On a timetable. Not to work as a one-to-one tutor.” He lifted his hands to the heavens in mock sympathy. “It’s not in your contract, and the facility can’t afford to pay you extra for this.”


Kat smiled at Ward, but it was in no way pleasant. She knew he’d take this angle and knew without doubt that it made no difference to her whether she was paid to do the job or not. As a rule, she never spoke about her family’s wealth, as in the past it had made people uncomfortable, but with Anthony Ward, it wouldn’t trouble her one iota. Being the daughter of a successful senator and the granddaughter of another ensured her bank account was always comfortable.

“Mr. Ward,” she began with a wry tone and an unwavering stare that made him shift uneasily in his seat, “I’m not doing this for the money,” she spat at him from behind a tight-lipped smile.

Ward sat back in his seat. “I have to admit I’m puzzled here, Miss Lane,” he said after a tense moment of silence. “You seemed to detest each other on sight. What exactly would you be doing this for? What would you be getting out of it?”

“I am a teacher, so by definition my job is to teach. That’s what I want to do. Carter obviously finds it difficult to be in a classroom environment with other students, so the only solution is to take him out of it.” Her glare became fierce. “I believe I can help him, and his learning will be all I will get out of it. Besides,” Kat continued, deciding to hit his pride, “if he gets granted his early parole, won’t that make your life easier?”

She knew there was definitely no love lost between Ward and Carter.

The side of Ward’s mouth twitched. “I still have to say no, Miss Lane. It raises too many questions, and the extra guard time—”

“Yes, talking of guards, has the guard who assaulted Carter been reprimanded in any way?”

“Assaulted?”

“Yes,” Kat replied. “He twisted Carter’s wrist. It was unnecessary and utterly antagonistic. I was shocked.”