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“Lace—”
“Better she does it to me than any of the other women,” says Lace, cutting me off. “If it’s up to them, it’ll be worse.”
“I can protect you.”
“No, you can’t.” Lace smiles, but it’s forced. Sad. Defeated. “The only person who can protect me is Ronnie, and she might be the reason I go down.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Who’s running the drugs,Joey? Is it Ronnie? Who is all involved?”
I shrug. Jaxon is staring at me, biting the inside of his cheek. It’s a few days later and I’m browsing the shelves in the library for something to read. Jaxon has found me, like I knew he would. Lulu, he just told me, has been released from isolation.
“If you cooperate with the warden and give us names, we can throw them all in isolation,” Jaxon continues, following me as I run my fingers over the faded, dusty spines of the books.
I pause briefly to look over my shoulder at him, then shrug again. “I don’t know who it is.”
“Of course you do.”
“So do you, I’m sure.”
“They can’t take my word for it, Joey. We need another witness. Isolating Lulu is just a Band-Aid, a Band-Aid for a larger problem. Now that she’s out, Ronnie has her mule again, and the drugs will continue to come in here.”
“It’s not my problem.” I stop browsing and turn to look at him, resting with my back against the towering shelf. There’s no one else in the library, just us. It has to be that way, because if Ronnie or one of her thugs finds me talking to a screw,I’mscrewed.
“We need your help.”
“My help?” I laugh bitterly and shake my head. “Don’t pretend you don’t know how it works here, Mr. Jaxon. I’m glad that you are all willing to see me taken down to gain control over Ronnie, but none of you mean that much to me.” I take a breath and release a long sigh. “Besides, who cares if drugs are coming in? Let the women do what they want, Mr. Jaxon. Maybe it helps keep them in line better than you know.”
“That’s not how it works, and you know it.”
I pull a large book from the shelf and open it, skimming my fingers over the crisp pages of the old book. I miss being able to read whenever I want, without fear of being caught off guard and shanked.
“I can’t risk it, I’m sorry.” I slip the book back onto the shelf and look at him. I like Nick Jaxon; I like him a lot. He’s the kind of big brother I would have loved to have in some easy, normal life in another world. But he’s not. He’s a prison guard, a screw. And I’m his prisoner.
“What is it?” Jaxon asks. “Are you afraid for yourself?”
My hesitation must give me away, because Jaxon nods again before I can speak.
“Lace,” he says, knowing. “You worry what Ronnie might do to her if you lag.”
I fall silent for a moment, mulling this over. “I know Lace is the snitch,” I say. “She told me that she ratted Lulu out.”
“She went to the warden, yes.”
“And you believe there will be no repercussions for her once Ronnie finds out she did it?”
“So don’t let her find out,” Jaxon says. “Help us take them down first. Make this prison safe for women like you and Lace, Sabine and Camilla. Do they deserve this?”
I shake my head and look away, because I can’t quite meet his eyes. “No. They don’t.”
Jaxon sighs, looking at me. There’s only kindness in his eyes; no hate or belittlement. No judgment.
“I’ve got your back, kid,” he says softly. “We all do.”
At dinner,Lace is unnaturally quiet, but I see her sneaking glances at Lulu, who is sitting with Deadeye and Bull at the table across the cafeteria. Ronnie is nowhere to be seen, but that’s not necessarily good news. Camilla pretends to be oblivious to the tension in the air, but we all know that there’s no avoiding it. Whatever is coming won’t be good for any of us.
“You should eat something,” I murmur to Lace, watching her poke at her food. The stress alone of ratting on Ronnie’s drug crew seems to be taking the toll on her. Dark circles shadow her eyes, and her blonde hair falls limp and flat against her neck. She’s been chewing on her lip, tearing the skin off the flesh. I wish I could take her fear away, because I know firsthand how it feels to be that afraid.
