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“You can have half of mine and we can share yours tomorrow,” I hear the other man say to Brutus. I watch the three laughing fuckers while listening to these words and fury builds inside me. I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, even if they are seven feet tall.
“I think you owe buddy here breakfast.” I smirk, pressing off from the edge until I’m standing close to ol’ Brutus. I cross my arms keeping my legs wide, like Josh taught me. Apple eater is staring at me with his mouth open, which is seriously gross. The other two are a bit slower but what starts as confused quickly turns to anger on their faces.
“We appreciate it, sir, but you’d best take off now,” the man who helped Brutus says to me. I don’t take my eyes off the three.
“Do you know these assholes?” I ask loudly. “Because Brutus here’s a big boy, I imagine he needs his meal a day to keep strong.”
The man’s eyes shoot up in surprise. “Brutus…”
“Did you fucking say something to me, boy?” Asshole one steps forward. I grin.
“Well, I was speaking to a couple of assholes. You look like an asshole so hey, it musta been you!” I hear a few chuckles from the growing crowd in the yard. I shift slightly without making it obvious, but I’mreallystarting to regret this decision.
Man one comes at me with a growl.
And all the grace of a drunken hippo.
All thoughts of regret flee as adrenaline courses through me and I duck, bringing out my leg to trip him. Falling on his back with a thud the man curses and I turn my attention to idiot two and three who are now coming at me as well. Heart racing, my eyes take in the next challenge. My confidence falters a bit, I don’t know what I was thinking taking on three inmates over a fucking bowl of stew. I raise my fists planting one foot a bit behind me, ready to get my ass kicked, but not to go down without a fight.
“I’d be careful, Tito,” a voice rings out behind me. “This one is apparently Ax’s favorite. Wouldn’t want to get into trouble with the big man over a little boy.”
An unbidden chill crawls up my spine and I’m not surprised to see Cole stroll out. Today he isn’t wearing a shirt either and I can see the tattoos on his face trail down to the rest of his body. If not for the psychotic look in his eyes, he might actually be handsome. The manic leer pretty much kills that, though.
“What’re you talkin’ about?” Idiot one, or Tito, replies.
Cole smirks and walks up and around me, watching closely. He stops inches in front of me and it takes everything in me not to run the opposite direction. I am not ashamed to say this man scares the shit out of me. My body is tense as I narrow my eyes at him, daring him to touch me.
Be brave,I tell myself.
“Run along to daddy, little boy,” he says softly. For a minute I stand rooted in my place, too stubborn to know what’s good for me. I feel a touch on my arm and spin around to hit the offending toucher, stopping as I realize it’s Theo.
“Come on, Josh,” he says, not taking his eyes off Cole. I flick my eyes back one more time before turning on my heel and walking out of the yard.
“Goodbye, Josh,” a voice calls after me mockingly, and my face burns.
But as much as I hate to walk away from a fight, I value my life more. Theo keeps his hand on my back and ushers me out of the yard. Equal parts rage and fear course through me and I realize I’ve been clenching and unclenching my fists in an obsessive sort of way.
“That’s who you got in a fight with?” Theo hisses at me and I nod. He mutters something else under his breath I don’t hear. Honestly, it’s probably a good thing.
Nineteen
Axle
“What else is happening?” I finally ask Ethan as we do our usual rounds. Ethan sighs, bringing a hand to the back of his neck in a nervous tick he’s been doing since we were kids. Guys too damn good for this place. Not like me. Somehow, I think the darkness was inside me well before these walls.
“Two of the new fish died last night,” he informs me. “Less than usual.”
“Why haven’t they been put out yet?” I ask. I looked at the inner gates earlier and didn’t see any corpses.
“Chip got his hands on one of them,” Ethan replies with a grimace and I resist the urge to shudder. Fucking cannibal psycho.
“And the other?”
“Gutted and in pieces, if you saw a garbage bag by the gate, well…” I raise my hand, indicating he’s said enough. We’re on the edge of the ground floor and make our way to the yard when I see Cole striding toward us, a grin on his face that makes me twitch. Ethan darts a glance at me, but I keep my eyes on the snake approaching.
“What do you want?” I grit out, my hands clenched at my side. I feel Ethan cross his arms behind me.
“Why the angry face, prez?” Cole grins cockily, setting my skin on edge when he comes up close.
