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I scan my eyes all around, seeing man after man occupying hundreds of cells, running their eyes all over my naked body. I try to hug my arms tighter around myself to cover my body, but King grabs an arm, pulls it away, and gives me a warning look.
Fear takes over as I try to make sense of everything.
We go up one flight of cold metal stairs and then I’m pushed into a stone grey cell accommodated with one towel, a dirty charcoal jumpsuit resting on a mattress, and a pair of threadbare socks with black pumps to complete the outfit. Glancing to my right, I see a small metal toilet bowl and sink, both in view of any peeping toms.
I grab the towel quickly and cover myself before turning to King as the cell door slams closed, the keys clanging together as Dax locks me in, a short apologetic look in his eyes that had I blinked, I would’ve missed.
“Sleep well, sweetheart.” King winks before all four men who brought me here disappear.
So they run a prison.Thisis the big District secret my father kept hidden from me. A voice shouts out to shut up the other prisoners from their yells and catcalls, and I’m left alone in my new cell, ready to be their newest prisoner.
5
KING
“Areyou sure you want her in here?” Dax asks, nursing his glass, swirling the ice around the brown liquid.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I respond blandly.
Dax scoffs. “You’re kidding, right? You know those cell doors open in the morning. She’ll be vulnerable to every sick fuck in there,” he spits, using his arm to point dramatically back out to the door from which we just came.
Dax is rarely angry. He seems to be at peace with where he is in life. He’s found his girl, went through hell to get her, but he got her nonetheless. He’s happy being my accomplice, my right-hand man. He doesn’t want the leadership, the responsibility. He never did. He’s content and surviving.
So when he’s angry, you know he’s about to lose his shit.
“You can’t treat women like this, King. They don’t deserve it.”
“Don’t deserve it?” I spit back, turning from the large-scale window I was staring aimlessly through. It’s the only window in the building, and it isn’t visible from the front.
“The bitch shot my father. Your uncle!” I point at him.
Dax stands up from his seating position and strides over to me. “I know, King, but there are other ways we can punish her instead of leaving her unprotected in that shit hole. And don’t act like she didn’t do you a favour either. We all wanted Carlo dead, so stop acting like it’s a big deal just because she got there first. And don’t give me thathe’s my fatherbullshit. Blood means shit and you know that.”
“Blood means shit, does it? So what does that mean for us then,cousin,hmm?”
Dax pauses, realising what he’s said without intending to.
He lets out a low, exasperated sigh and puts his drink down on the glass table. He approaches me, placing both hands on my shoulders.
“You know I didn’t mean it like that, King. Look, I’ve got your back. Ride or die, innocent or guilty. Blood related or not, that wouldn’t change. Do what you have to do, just for the love of God, think about your choices carefully.”
I nod. I know what he says is true?to an extent.
Dax leaves, turning back to nod once more. I face the window of the study, looking out into literally nothing. The dark, thick trees block any kind of view, and the only thing visible is the slight moonlight spying through the branches.
I place my hat back on my head and pocket the cigar I never ended up lighting. Dax has fucked up my thought process. I never thought about her safety. It didn’t even cross my mind. Why would it?
But when those cells unlock in the morning, every prisoner in there knows where she is. It’s no secret that we had brought our new shiny female prisoner in hours ago. And these are prisoners who haven’t set eyes on a female inyears. Hell, some of them indecades.
Without a second thought, I drain the rest of my glass and leave the small study with one location in mind.
I’ll check on her. That’s it.
Making my way through the large steel door, I unlock it and click it back into place as quietly as I can. It was hours ago we came in. Now it’s nearing close to five in the morning, and everyone seems to be back asleep after the drama.
Good. I don’t need any attention on me.
I creep up the stairs and round the railing to her cell. My eyes have adjusted to the dark and I see her small form curled up on top of the mattress.
