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“Alyssa is right,” Ram said. “I don’t care if your conviction was fair. Keep in mind, I command half this prison’s guards and prisoners. I could have strolled up to your little beaver party with enough people to kick your asses so hard they’d fly out of your mouths. Instead, I’m here alone because I want to make a deal.” Ram stared right at me, ignoring Jag, who still had a hand on his collar. “I come in peace,” he added in a robot-like voice. “Take me to your leader.” He chuckled weakly.
When I didn’t play along, his laugh died. He stared at me with an almost pleading look, and I walked right past him into my cell. I wasn’t dealing with his bullshit anymore.
Through the window, the portal still swirled as though mocking my inability to do anything about it, to even find out if the Eclipses were in danger or not.
“The lady is not interested. Move along,” Jag said to Ram, his voice cold.
“Yeah! The beaver doesn’t like you either,” Moe said. “Why is there a beaver, anyway?” he added, a bit softer as though he had meant to whisper it but didn’t know how to lower his voice that far. “Everyone was acting like it’s normal, and I didn’t want to look…” his voice trailed off.
Dumb, I thought, stomach dropping. He didn’t want anyone else to think he was dumb. But he seemed to trust Elliot enough to ask him. The librarian whispered something back, but I couldn’t make out the words.
“I don’t want to do this to you, Alyssa,” Ram said, his voice desperate and a bit quieter as though he had been pushed farther down the corridor. “April is in danger.”
I tensed. April was the fake name Juniper had used when hiding from Ram—and from me. Ram didn’t give a shit if Juniper was in danger, so if he was using her nom du plume, that could only mean he was hiding something about her.
“Fuck.” I marched out of my cell, pausing to step over Beverly’s tail.
Jag was shoving Ram down the hall. Three other prisoners stood at their cell doors, watching, listening. Someone was always listening in here.
Jag’s eyes widened in shock as I stepped past him to grip Ram’s arm, digging my nails in. I hated the feel of his warmth against my palm as I pulled him away from Jag.
“What did you say?” I growled close to his face so no one else would hear.
“Ah, this is much better, much more civilized,” Ram said.
I dug my nails in harder, and he flinched.
“Look, I’ll be honest,” he whispered, turning his face toward me. Our noses almost touched, and I resisted the urge to headbutt him like in a movie. “I need to escape this shit hole here before I lose my fucking mind, and you’re the only one who can break through the ward. In a couple of ways, actually. Let’s make an exchange.”
More of his, “oh you’re so special” manipulative crap. It was how he had gotten dozens of young witches, including Juniper and me, to steal for him.
“If I can escape, what the fuck do I need you for?”
“One, you haven’t figured out how to do it, which surprised me. You’ve always been very clever. Two, the guards can still tase you, cuff you, and lock you up. I can convince them to look the other way for the duration of the escape. I’ll help you, your beaver, and anyone else you want, then you help all of us walk out of here.”
“If you’re so fucking clever and have the guards licking your ass clean, why don’t you just command them to free you?”
He glanced away and spoke through clenched teeth. “Because they’re not corrupt enough for that.”
“Prison guards have morals. Shocking.”
“Even the guards don’t want to be here; I make life a bit easier for everyone with gifts and extra money. But they’re not going to risk being jailed for letting prisoners go. A bathroom break when they should be watching the cameras is the best I can get.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why now? You should be up for parole soon; your sentence is half over.”
He swallowed loud enough for me to hear. “Because they already denied me parole. I’m under investigation for… other things. They’re never going to let me out.”
I laughed. “The law finally caught up to you.”
Ram clenched his jaw. “They could catch up to you too, Alyssa.”
I shrugged. “I deserve to be here, and so do you. Let them discover my other illegal acts. Go on, snitch on me.”
“I never would,” he said, sounding dead serious.
I didn’t believe him for a moment. He’d turn on me like he turned on everyone—like I had, too.
He heaved a sigh as though disappointed, and it reminded me of how he had talked down to me and the rest of our gang when we didn’t follow his orders. It made me tense, made my anger flare like a Roman candle.
