Page 110 of Shattered Pieces

“Your mutual ex-boyfriend showed up drunk last night at his house and Mark had to babysit him. No idea how he got there, the McLaren wasn’t around,” Hunter replied. The wording of ex-boyfriend made her flinch slightly, and I reached out to take her hand to reassure her.

“We’ll fix things with him once you come home. It’s just hard while you’re in here.”

“Don’t promise her things like that,” Hunter warned. “Skeet’s complicated, and he won’t welcome you home with open arms when you’re released. It’ll take some time.”

“What are you saying to him? Are you sure you’re not playing along with his delusion that we’re fucking? I know that’s your usual go-to to start a fight with him,” she said tensely, and he shook his head.

“I like riling him up, but continuing a joke like that and making it seem serious could get you killed. I can’t fuck you if you’re dead, babe.”

Her eyes narrowed, and I sighed. “All of that aside, I’ve been there when they talk, and no one’s saying you did anything wrong. Skeet’s just made up his mind out of fear of looking like an idiot again. Hopefully, you two can talk once you’re home and smooth it all over.”

“The good news is if I end up stuck in here, I have a crew now,” she grumbled, and the thought made me want to throw up. I couldn’t handle this for years, I’d barely lasted a little over a month with her on the inside.

“You’re getting out,” Hunter said firmly, leaning forward on the table. “Is Lex doing alright?”

“I don’t think anyone’s topping up her commissary regularly. I used some of mine for a favor recently because Lexi couldn’t. I know some of the girls top it up for her, but⁠—”

“I’ll top up her account when I do yours. I’ll do it on my phone when I get out to the car,” Hunter said instantly, and I nodded.

“I’ll pay. What good is my money if I can’t give it to people?”

“You can give me some. You still owe me an oxygen tank, pyro,” he muttered, and I winced.

“On it.”

Rory looked relieved at knowing Lexi was being looked after, and it made me wonder what people did that had no one on the outside. We always made sure Rory’s account was loaded so she never had to worry.

“Are you struggling with Calculus? It’s killing me,” she huffed, and we spent the rest of our time complaining about the new subjects we had. We were all in the same classes again, so at least once she was out we could study together again.

She didn’t seem to struggle so badly when she went back to her block, and as much as I was glad she wasn’t so anxious now, I hated that she was getting used to it at the same time.

That meant she’d been here too long.

“You want lunch?” Hunter asked as we headed out to the car, and I shrugged.

“I could eat.”

“Rosevale has good food. We’ll head there.”

“I think that’s where Rory’s mom was before disappearing. The boyfriend she had at the time runs Burgers and Beats,” I said, and Hunter nodded slowly.

“Want to check it out?”

“Might as well. Skeet and Rory talked to him, and he said Marla went back to Ashburn to be with Max. We probably can’t find out any other information, but⁠—”

“We can still be nosy. If Skeet’s not going to dig into it anymore for her, I’ll do it. I can hack better than Skeet anyway, so hopefully, I can find some answers,” he replied as we climbed into the car and headed to Rosevale.

It was only a town over, so the drive was fast, and since it was a little early for lunch, we easily found a table at Burgers and Beats. It definitely looked like a cool place to hang out, and I’d bet money on it being where the locals went.

The waitress came over to take our order, flirting with me and completely ignoring Hunter. Hunter was a good looking guy, so I felt like she knew who I was and she either wanted a good tip, or a free ride through life.

It had never really bothered me over the years when people wanted me for my money, but now I’d had Rory, who didn’t give a single fuck about my bank account, it irked me. People could be so shallow.

“Sorry, just passing through. Was just visiting my girlfriend at the prison,” I said brightly when she invited me to a party.

Her face dropped a fraction as she frowned. “You’re still with her?”

There was my answer about if she knew who I was or not.