AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Those who come in walking upright, a slow even gait, and they look everyone—everyone—in the eye.
The kind that assesses everyone with a single glance. Separating the strong from the weak. Ready to assert dominance over the situation, whatever it may be.
That was Zion.
He walked past Bruno, eyeing him. And then past Fletcher, who is bigger than I am.
Until he got to me.
He looks me up and down, his gaze taking in everything about me. Judging me. Sizing me up as a competitor. I curl my hands into fists, my gaze never wavering from his.
I look him in the eye. Always in the eye. These criminals only take about a millisecond to respond to that split-second you take your attention away from them.
I don’t speak to him.
I don’t speak to anyone until they speak to me. It’s kind of my calling card.
But he sizes me up, cocking his head.
He’s waiting for me to say something.
He’ll be waiting a long time.
Finally, he speaks. “How’s the fucking food here?”
“We just hired a new gourmet chef. He used to work at a Michelin three-star place,” I say with sarcasm.
He raises an eyebrow. Interesting. Not everyone can do that. But I can. However, I keep my eyebrows right where they are.
“What are you in for?”
“Killed a motherfucker.”
The lie I’ve learned to tell. I’m innocent, but innocence on the inside is a sign of weakness. Plus I don’t mention that it was manslaughter. I let them think it was fucking murder.
He waits for me to ask why he’s here.
I don’t.
Larkin stands on one side of me, Tommy Ortiz on the other.
Zion gestures to Tommy. “He yours?”
“He is. Hands off.”
Tommy suffers from the same problem that Zion himself does. Pretty features. The kind that make prison hell.
But Tommy is under my protection now. And Zion won’t get anywhere near him.
He gestures to Larkin on my other side. Larkin isn’t pretty. He’s rough, with a crooked nose that’s been broken so many times it no longer looks normal. He has a scar slashed across his face. He looks mean enough, but he’s a softy on the inside. The man’s all beta, which is why he hangs with me.
“What about this one?”
“I’m nobody’s bitch,” Larkin says gruffly.
“Did I ask you?” Zion closes the distance between himself and Larkin.
Do not step back, I say to Larkin subliminally, hoping he gets the message.
