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“So…what did you think about the newcomers?” Marcus nudged Nik in the side with his elbow.
“What do you mean?”
“You know…did you check any of the women out? God, I love my job.” He chuckled, and it grossed Nik out.
“Some of those were literal child—”
“Not those! God, Nik. I might be a pervert, but I’m not a sick fuck. No, the older ones. Don’t tell me you didn’t take a mental picture of Blondie.”
He lowered his mug from his lips. “No. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Marcus’s face flushed. “What the fuck is wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with you? You can’t tell me a bunch of naked ladies were in front of you and you didn’t take notice of any of them.”
“Yes, I can.” Nik stood, feeling a bit lightheaded. He’d had enough to drink and enough of Marcus’s chitchat.
“Aw, come on, Nik.”
Nik walked through the crowded pub and to the door before Marcus could stop him. The cool air on his cheeks was refreshing after sitting in the stuffy room for so long. His balance was off as he tried to walk home and when he reached into his pocket, he realized he’d made an unfortunate mistake. He had left his key at the office in the prison.
Shit.
He took a deep breath and tried to settle his queasy stomach. He hadn’t intended to drink so much, but the only thing waiting for him at home was a cold, dark, lonely bedroom. The ale had sounded so much more enticing and the bartender had kept them coming. The ground spun, but he did his best to pick one spot and focus. He was tired and drunk and all he wanted to do now was go home and pass out. This was super inconvenient for him.
Nik inhaled one more deep breath and then shuffled toward the prison. The streets were quiet tonight. It was cold and most respectable folks were safe and warm at home. Only the scoundrels like Nik stayed out this late.
He was thankful that he didn’t pass anyone on the way to the prison. He had no desire to chat after Marcus had left him in such a foul mood. In fact, he only had to interact with one person.
Tonight was Sam’s shift to watch the prisoners. When Nik stumbled in through the door of the office, Sam jumped out of his seat in alarm and dropped a tattered book.
“Holy shit, Nik. You scared me half to death. I thought you were a prisoner that somehow escaped.” His face was white, like he’d seen a ghost. “I would’ve either died in an ambush or died for failure to control the prison.” He sank back in his chair and dragged his hands along his face.
“Sorry, man. Left my house key here by accident.” Nik slurred his words.
Sam watched with a raised brow as he stumbled around like a toddler learning how to walk. The desk was full of clutter, and he had to shift a few things before he spotted them. “Got ‘em.”
He started toward the door and a noise that sounded like a woman’s screaming reached the office. He paused in his tracks. “What was that?”
Sam didn’t even look at him. He bent down to grab his book. “Hmm? Oh, it’s one of the prisoners, I think. Nightmares or something. They were all still in their cells when I checked a while ago.” His dark eyes peeked over the top of his book. “No point in investigating every squeak.”
“Do you mind if I—” Nik pointed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the cells.
He waited patiently for Sam’s approval. He was clearly drunk and unsteady on his feet. Sam had every reason to deny him, but without any keys to the cells he was completely harmless.
“Knock yourself out, man.” Sam gestured toward the darkened halls.
Nik wandered the prison, following the panicked shouts as they got louder and louder. It was dark except for the beams of moonlight coming through the small windows, but he’d walked the halls many times and was familiar with the layout. At last, he came to the cell in the far corner. The woman inside was thrashing about in her sleep. Nik remembered her. A small, fragile-looking thing with long blonde hair and hypnotizing brown eyes.
He had tried his best to be respectful of the women in the showers, but he was still a man, after all. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t glimpsed her body; thin, but soft and enticing. Something about the way the water had glistened on her skin had made him salivate. He’d looked away before he had gotten a boner from her naked body. There was no way one of these pathetic prisoners could have that power over him.
He watched her for a few moments. Her tiny hands gripped the blanket as sweat appeared on her brow. Between the shouting and whimpering, her breathing was heavy and strained.
He gripped the bars of the cell door and leaned forward as much as he could. “Hey.”
She didn’t hear.
“Hey!” he yelled a little bit louder, rattling the bars.
Her eyes popped open, and she gasped. Then she blinked and slowly looked around, as if remembering where she was. Nik watched her grip on the blanket relax as reality sank in. She looked over at him, confused by his presence. She looked pitiful to Nik. Pitiful, but beautiful.
