Page 25 of On Your Life

Hopefully she won’t notice the irritation in my voice. The stress of the night already rears its ugly head before I’ve even stepped through the doors.

“I was going to invite you over for dinner but never mind. Have a good night at work,” she says quickly before ending the call.

I stare at my phone for a second after the line goes dead. The more I’m around her the more it seems like she is living with a mountain of guilt. I’ve caught her on numerous occasions almost slipping up and calling me by his name. Sometimes I see the sadness flash across her face before she corrects herself.

My heart hurts for her, it does, but she was a piece of shit mother while he was alive. No amount of phone calls or meals will redeem her transgressions. She’ll see that soon enough and go right back to her old habits. I’ll just make sure she doesn’t prematurely put herself in the ground first.

Speaking of putting people in the ground, it’s time for work. I exit my truck and hurry toward the prison, the duffel bag slapping against my thigh.

I covered everything with towels and gym clothes, hoping that if anyone decides to check my bag at the door, they’ll see nothing worth a second glance.

The metal detector beeps as I walk through but it always does. No one actually checks because all of our belts set it off.

The kid fumbles with my bag. He must be new because I don’t recognize him.

“Careful with that man! Don’t spill preworkout all over my gym clothes,” I snap at him.

I feel bad but I really don’t want him opening that zipper.

“S-sorry,” he stutters before pushing the bag across the wooden table.

I let out a long breath and continue toward the employee lounge before briefing. Tonight is finally here. I can’t decide if I’m more excited or terrified.

***

B pod is alive and well when I walk in. Women are scattered about, socializing without a care in the world. Giggles echo off of the concrete walls as the door slams closed behind me.

The second I walk in they stop what they’re doing and line up for count. One day off and it’s total anarchy. This isn’t some fun staycation for painting fingernails and braiding each other's hair. This is court issued punishment.

My gaze drifts up to the top row of cells and lands on those familiar green eyes. A smirk fights to break free from my lips. If only she knew what I had in store for her.

She stands with her chin held high as I walk past, but she isn’t fooling me.

I can feel the discomfort radiating from her body as I pass. It’s not good enough.

I want her to look how I feel on the inside. I want so much emotion trapped that it has nowhere else to go except into every little thing that she does. Every glance, every breath, every nervous movement she thinks no one notices.

I want her on her knees begging me for peace. Begging me to leave her alone. Begging for her life like he probably did. And even then, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop.

I’ve never fantasized about tormenting anyone. Hell, I didn’t think I had it in me. I guess that’s what happens when you’re pushed past the point of taking. Something inside you eventually breaks.

Everyone returns to their cells and I lock the doors one by one. My bag sits beneath the desk, the movement from it so slight that no one would notice unless they knew to look. I glance down at it and then back toward her cell. Tonight is going to be a long night.

Soon, it will be the beginning of her undoing and damn does it make my cock hard to think about her falling apart.

Chapter 14

Kira

It took everything I had to maintain my composure. Most of my day has been spent trying to figure out what I could use as a shiv.

Asking someone about it seems like a stupid thing to do and it’s not exactly something I researched before coming here.

My small collection of personal products sits on the window sill. The only thing that could even be fashioned to a point is my toothbrush, like the woman had during that fight, but I’m not desperate enough to stop brushing my fucking teeth.

My eyes keep the door in view at all times. I was hoping he would take several days off of work or be reassigned. I haven’t tried reporting him for being a fucking sociopath yet. The last thing I need is for the target on my back to get bigger.

If he wasn’t here my stay would be almost tolerable with Maxie to keep me company.