It’s been three damn days. Seventy-two hours they’ve held her words from me. They’ve tried to make me surrender. The letter is a reward only a trained puppet shall receive. But those pages belong to me. Sutton is mine, dammit.
I’m almost convinced my ears are playing tricks when a low whistle kicks up beyond my walls. The shallow clip of steel-toed boots soon follows. In the next instant, I’m at the door with my palms pressed flat against the metal. My desperation is pitiful, but I could give half a shit. Let them laugh at my barking demands. It won’t change the outcome. That doesn’t stop me from trying.
When Matthews comes into view, I almost crash to my knees. He’s my best chance. “Hey, Lush.”
His feet stumble to a halt. He pins me with a glare. “You know better than to use that nickname.”
I swallow a humble dose of defeat and try again. “Sorry, C.O. My bad.”
Matthews turns to face me straight on. “That’s more like it. How's the afternoon treating you?”
Good to know it’s past lunch. They haven’t given me anything to eat since that moldy bagel earlier. “Like shit. Haven’t seen the sun in over a week.”
His expression remains flat. “Should’ve thought things through before breaking the law.”
I snap my fingers. “Aww, shucks. Guess it sucks to be me since I’m innocent.”
Matthews cocks his head back and belts out a hoot. “Yeah, heard that a time or two. Oh, wait. I have. You and every other con on this block babble the same bullshit. Save it, Bowen.”
“I don’t fucking belong here,” I spit against the scratched window between us.
“You think being holed up at county is bad? Just wait until you’re shipped off to state. Then you’ll be wishing things were different.”
Was he for real right now? None of this was okay. I’m falsely accused of bogus charges. “They have no evidence,” I argue.
He salutes at me. “Keep telling yourself that. There’s no disputing your crime. Take a plea. Serve your time. Walk away a free man.”
As if it’s that easy. I grunt, done with this pointless conversation. “You have something for me?”
He makes a show of patting his pockets. “Nope. Grousse is still whacking off to your girl’s dirty mouth. She’s a keeper, Bowen.”
A prisoner isn’t afforded privacy. There’s no such thing as violating my rights because I don’t have any. Even the most basic and bare have been stripped from me. I didn’t do a damn thing wrong. There was no crime committed to land my ass in here. Not by my hand, at least. It would be easy to lose my shit and go nuclear. But it won’t change my fate. I won’t stoop to their level.
I grind my molars until a filling threatens to crack. “Give me my damn letter.”
He chokes out a laugh. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Wanna spend a night in solitary, inmate?”
His threat of the SHU doesn’t scare me. Anyone else touching Sutton’s words is enough to release a savage beast inside of me. But ripping his throat out won’t grant me any favors. I choose to stay silent.
He raises a brow at me. “Good choice. Being a nasty fuck to the guards in this joint won’t grant you any favors.”
I sneer at him. “What the fuck does it matter? I’m already considered guilty before my trial has been set.”
“You wanna be locked up longer? Fine, be my guest. Cock off to whoever the hell you want.”
Was he helping me? Or setting a trap? I couldn’t be too sure anymore. My head has been in a fog since Lance cornered me and punched himself. I’m snapped out of it by the sweetest sound this place offers.
That creaking slide of metal usually signals chow time. I couldn’t care less about food. Pavlov and his dog would be salivating. He tosses my lifeline through the narrow slot. “It’s your lucky day, inmate. Turns out someone on the outside is pulling strings for your ass. The warden gave us strict instructions to quit dicking you around.”
I snag the envelope before it drops to the filthy floor. The seal has been torn open, but that doesn’t surprise me. I doubt any mail passes through here without a thorough inspection.
“You’re welcome,” he mutters.
All I offer him is a flick of my injured wrist. His poison can’t touch me now. It’s not like he gained a sudden soft spot and decided to throw me a bone. He can piss off. After a couple of colorful curses, Matthews leaves me alone.
