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Chapter twenty-seven

Kace

I t’s going to be a long fucking day waiting to meet up with Nadia in the rec yard. We definitely need to get things out in the open and have an understanding of what this is and what we both want out of it. If she wants more than just a relationship, of course, I can’t give her that. There isn’t a white picket fence, PTA meetings, and Saturday brunches kind of life for us. Though I don’t think that is her thing anyway. I mean, I never wanted kids but if that is all I can give as a consolation prize, then I will.

Wouldn’t consider children a prize, maybe a want, but nowhere near a need. Yet, if Nada wants that she can have it. Then there is the relationship, is that what we have? She can never leave the prison though, I can’t fathom her not being here, being close to me. This is all we have, the only way we can see one another, be together, and that fills me with sorrow if you can believe it.

Heading back to my cell, there is something I need to do. The AB is still after me and they are gunning for my girl too. I can’t let that happen. If she is going to work here indefinitely, I need to make sure she stays off their radar with her smartass mouth. Selling drugs won’t be enough in the long run, there will always be new guards with new pipelines and cheaper prices. Next thing you know, there is meth, pills, or simple shit like weed coasting through the cell blocks.

Once she no longer has a use, they will hurt her.

Shuffling through my belongings, I dig until I find the burner Matias gave me last week. I have yet to use it, but once I do, I know it will need to be passed on. There’s nothing I want in exchange so whoever asks first can have it. While it is in my possession, though, I need to give the link a call.

Crawling up on my bunk, I face outward giving coverage to the ear furthest from the open cell doors. Tapping through the contact list, I find the one Matias told me to call, and hit dial— lifting it to my ear.

“What do you want?” A gravelly voice grunts on the other end. Turning the phone, I scowl at it before replacing it near my ear.

“I’m calling for Xavier?”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Just putting in a fucking order for macaroons, you dick head.”

There is so much silence following that, I thought he hung up but then I hear what sounds like a door shut on the other side and his voice lightens some.

“What can I do for you?”

“First off, what’s the payment?”

“A favor for a favor.”

“Fine—”

What’s the worst that could happen? I’m in fucking prison.

“There’s a girl that works here and I need her protected inside and outside, indefinitely.”

“You ask a lot.”

“It’s a simple request, just a long tenure. You going to do it or not?”

“You’re a ballsy fuck for calling me and being demanding.”

“And you’re a waste of my time, can you do it?”

“I can. What’s her name?”

“Nadia Pierce, she’s a guard.”

“Done. Anything else you want?”

“If anything happens to me before I can get out of here, get a hold of my mom and give her the update on Nadia.”

“That’s two favors.”

“Then it is two favors owed.”

“What’s your name?”

“Kace Patton.”

“Done.

The phone goes dead.

Rude, he didn’t even say goodbye.

Back outside of my cell, after hiding the burner, I make it to lunch, then my assignment. We are stripping the floors at the end of the corridor on the other side of the library. Not many people come down here, I know I have a couple of times but that was to access the storage room that leads down to the pit. Makes no sense as to why we are stripping and varnishing the floors again, but keeping busy today is the only thing that makes the time go faster.

As I toss down the chemicals and start the machine, its firm wheel grinding through the old lacquer, and I let my mind wander. Trying to think of where other entrances to the pit would exist. She said that they were placed in several areas throughout the prison, and if I had to guess, they were at the end of each corridor.

That only makes sense but where would nonsensical people place them to keep inmates guessing, if they were to find out about them and go looking. The one on this hallway is in an old abandoned office. I bet one is in the warden’s office; he seems like a creepy fuck that would go down there just to text and have his ration of blood like the vampire he is.

The medical wing seems smart too, if the guards needed quick access to bring prisoners up. In the event an inmate was too injured for the officers to tend to. Solitary is just below C Block, I bet you it connects to the rest of the pit or even extends into it.

I definitely don’t want to go back to solitary so I need to keep an eye out for the others.

Engrossed in my thoughts, I don’t hear the sneaky fucker walk up on me, until it’s too late and he is too close for comfort.

“So, you and Nadia, hmm?” Lucien drawls.

Spinning around, I come face-to-face with the freak. My right hand instinctively push's against his chest to get space between the two of us. I don’t understand why he always has to be so damn close to me. It’s one thing that he is everywhere I turn, but for him to be in my bubble, that’s enough.

He stumbles back with a laugh, and my scowl deepends, hands releasing the handle on the flooring machine letting it die out and grow still.

“You need to mind your business, Lucien.”

“It’s cute how protective you are of her. Tell me, how long have you been soiling the good officer?”

Soiling? Who the hell talks like that?

“Again, mind your goddamn business, Lucien!”

When he swings at me, I counter it with my own left jab, clocking the fuck in the mouth, his front teeth slicing my knuckles open. Well, guess I have a reason to go back to the medical bay, and maybe explore the observation areas to find another entry to the pit.

“I told you to watch using the Lord's name in vain.”

“And I told you to mind your business, I guess neither one of us know how to listen. Now get lost, I’m not dealing with you today.”

Taking a wide step around the scrawny man, I keep him in my eye sight then I spin and take a few steps before his weight slams into me. Rolling across the floor, I come up on top, if only out of sheer force, but when he flips us over and a shank press against my jugular, I freeze. Barely breathing as not to get cut.

Fuck, not yet. Not till my woman tells me how she feels.

He straddles my hips, one fist clenching onto the front of my jumper where Nadia’s release had left a slight discoloration, the other holding the blade to my neck as he snarls over me.

“Tell me what is going on between you and Nadia.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“I don’t partake in sins of the flesh, but I do cut them out.”

With a bit of pressure, he presses the point of the blade into me. My feet kicking under him as pain throbs in my neck, up my jaw, and down into my chest. The way his eyes widen and pupils dilate, tells me the freak is a fucking liar.

So much for being a man of God, sinner.

I swallow, trying to gage where the blade is in my neck. When I don’t feel the gush of blood, I know he was only fucking with me, instead of wanting to bleed me dry.

When he leans forward and brushes his lips through the blood that did well up there, I come to realize just how deranged he is. And how I need to get him the hell off of me before he goes any further.

“Fine—fine! What do you want to know?”

“When, when did you start being intimate her?”

Being… intimate?

“Month or two ago, maybe three. I don’t remember anymore. She cornered me in an office and I fucked the hell out of her. Just doing my Godly duty.”

“Then?” He sneers.

“She got me thrown into seg, and when she came back around, I took her mouth. Handcuffed her to my bed and punished her by forcing my dick down her throat.”

“That all?”

“N-no.”

“Go on, you don’t stop talking until you tell me everything.”

“We went back to the place we first fooled around and I fingered her, then we made out beyond the fence in the rec yard, and earlier. I devoured her pussy before having sex with her in the medical wing.”

“Did you enjoy our whore, Kace Patton?” His voice is cold and eerily calm.

Wait, did he just say ‘our?’

I stayed quiet for a moment, feeling his erection against my stomach. Doing everything I can not to move or fight against him, not wanting him to dig the shank in deeper.

“Yes, yes. I enjoyed her and I’m going to keep doing it until her delicious fucking cunt pushes out my offspring.”

His jaw twitches at that, but color me shocked, when he pulls the shiv from my neck and swipes his hand through the blood there. Throwing the shank to the side his other hand unbuttons his jumper and reached in, pulling his cock free.

“Wait, the fuck, Lucien!”

I thrash under him, but for a skinny guy, he is stout. His clean hand wraps around the front of my mouth and pushes down, pinning my head against the floor when his bloodied one, my blood, curls around his dick and he started to stroke.

I’m going to be sick.

He is quiet, and it’s disturbing how calm he is. There is no enjoyment, no grunts or panting of pleasure, just the slick sounds of my blood over his penis and his punishingly quick strokes. Does he think only meaningful sex is a sin of the flesh or is this something else?

It looks… looks like is just trying to expel something from his body. Surely, this weirdo doesn’t think arousal is demonic. A few moments later he stills, pouring his cum over the front of my jumper.

“I can smell her on you. You’re not allowed to wear her like a badge of honor. She belongs to me, and I decide who she spreads her legs for. Touch her again, your spine and skull will be displayed in the middle of gen pop.”

Shaking the blood and cum from his hand, he pats my face then shoves away from me, taking off down the hall like nothing happened between the two of us. I thought I was quick to change emotions, but he has me beat by a mile.

Maybe he doesn’t have emotions to begin with.

After the hottest shower known to prison-kind, I redressed in another jumper, letting the orange fabric hang down at my hips, tying the sleeves around them to keep it in place. Chow is nothing, I can’t eat, even if I want to. His threat doesn’t mean much to me, but the shit he said keeps running through my head.

If I think about it, it only pisses me off more, but surely, she hasn’t let him touch her. Not in a way where he would be led to believe he has a claim on her. I can’t stomach the idea of her being with anyone but me and I swear if she has been…

Sliding both hands into my hair, I squeeze the strands, pulling at the roots enough to create the ache I need to focus on something other than the thoughts that are plaguing my mind. If this is any indication how our relationship may go, I’m going to go bald and I don’t know if I can pull that off.

I need to fucking see her, immediately.

Standing up, I yank my full tray off the table and throw the whole damn thing in the trash on my way out of the cafeteria. We are supposed to be meeting in the rec yard any moment, what better time to get there than right now.

I walk by a new group of inmates that are lining the wall again, what’s one more batch of the state’s worst, right? Keep adding more to this shit hole, and we’re going to start picking each other off faster than we have been.

At the door to the yard, I grip the door bar that reaches from one side to the other, both hands holding the door release. I lean over, letting my head fall between my arms. Exhaling then inhaling a breath that fills my lungs nearly beyond capacity. I can’t, can’t, can’t picture Nadia with anyone else, and the longer I do, the crazier it makes me.

Giving the door a controlled push, I step through into the dark of night, a cool breeze slaps me in the face. A stark contrast to the stuffy-warmth of the prison. Not bothering looking around, I squeeze between the busted chain link fence and the wall, slipping into the unsupervised area to wait for her.

Leaning back against the stone work, I place both of my hands on the top of my head and look up at the sky— watching the pulsar stars twinkle in the dark of night. An airplane off in the distance, then the low hanging clouds rolling through at random. It’s peaceful out here and a piece of me thinks that this may be one of the last glimpses of space before winter hits and the snow clouds mask the beauty of the universe.

Hearing a rustling to my right, I look over and see Nadia squeeze through the same space I just snuck through. One of her gear pieces snags on a rogue wire from the fence, making her to cuss under her breath.

Walking over, I curl my hand around her ponytail and wrench her head back. Wild silver eyes staring up at me as I peer down at her.

Fuck my life, she’s stunning.

“Before I let you go, your reply determines if I walk away or not.”

“Uh—okay,” she stutters.

“Have you been with any of the other inmates?”

“What? What kinda stupid fucking question is that, Kace? Of course I haven’t. Have you seen most of them?”

I didn’t wait, I help her out of the fence and yank her up to me by the grip in her hair. Crushing my mouth to hers, hastily invading it with my tongue and swallowing her cries.

Pulling away, our foreheads press together, my eyes remain shut as I just bask in the feel of her in my hands. One embraces her face, gliding against her soft skin, the other releasing her hair and cradling her at the nape.

If I could touch her all the time, I’d never stop.

“I’m sorry, baby girl, forgive me.”

“What happened?” she asks, her voice soft though curious.

“I had one hell of a day without you. Someone filled my head full of doubts. I—I just needed to make sure.”

“You were afraid I was with someone other than you? Kace, there’s not even another person in my life outside of Darkwater. There’s just you.”

My heart races at that notion. I am so in love with her.

“I believe you, that’s why I am apologizing for manhandling you when you first got here. I thought the worst and that’s not fair. Please, tell me you forgive me.”

I tilt in, barely grazing my lips against her again, silently pleading for her to provide that simple comfort.

“I accept your apology, Kace.”

When she push's up to meet my lips, I gave her what she came for. A slow, languid kiss that screams how much I am hers.

“Now, can we talk about what you really wanted me out here for?”

“Mhm,” I reply, draping one arm over her shoulder, holding her close to me.

“Getting all the bullshit out of the way, I want to be yours. I know there are roadblocks and limitations but you own me, Nadia.”

She stands there quiet now.

While waiting for her response, I pull her with me back to the wall, turning her around to face outward. Guiding her till she is flush against me, I tilt her chin until she looks up at the night sky with me. The crescent moon framing the trees with an ethereal glow. And I patiently wait for her to speak.

Whatever she chooses, I will respect. A life with an inmate is hard, especially one who will never parole out and return to society. No long nights curled up in bed, no breakfast for dinner, no road trips, nothing. Just day in, and day out, visits to a cell.

I won’t blame her if she decides this isn’t for her but my heart, already aching for the woman before me, screams for her. Not a single person on God's green Earth has entered my life and turned it in a million different directions like Nadia has. From our first run in, to each bruise she has left on my body through the years, seeing her smile, smelling her unique scent, feeling her take and grip me while we were together, then the look in her wide grey eyes when I told her to let me love her.

I have this belief that we are all made of the same stuff, stardust if you think about it. The same molecules, the same chemicals, the same atoms that have existed for billions of years. Then what draws us together is the polarization of my atoms to hers. Every one of hers, attracts every one of mine.

I accidentally killed that girl, but she led me to this one and I am forever indebted to her.

“I want to be yours too, Kace.”

The warmth that explodes in my chest nearly brings tears to my eyes but when I look down at her, I can’t stop the shit-eating grin that spreads across my face.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, it will be a challenge, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m yours.”

“That’s what I like to hear, snitch.”

Brushing my lips against hers once more, I savor the feel and taste of my— yeah, MY — woman.

“Remember when I told you about my dad and a little about my childhood, a while back?”

“I do.”

“I kinda burned the house down the other day, when I was off work, and Detective Whitlock showed up to work an arson case.”

Fucking whiplash. We go from relationships to crime.

“What? Hold up, backtrack a bit. One, you burnt the house down?”

“Sure did. Dad hasn’t been to his cancer treatments in the past month or what not, so when I went to check on him, he was passed out in a chair. The house was disgusting and we got into an altercation.”

“Baby, you’re going to have to stop with all the bombs. What altercation?”

“He tried to hit me and I beat him to the punch, countered and had him disengaged pretty quick. He said some shady shit that I wasn’t going to allow. After that I went to my room and saw that he had destroyed it. I—”

She stalls for a second, which I’ve learned is her way of gathering her words without being emotional. So, instead of rushing her, because my body was already humming for movement, I wait till she continues.

“I found my best friend’s lighter in the night stand. He was killed in a car accident right after I graduated high school. We made promises to one another that we would get out of Hazelwood for good, but when he died, I stayed behind. That’s when some of the things happened that I told you about.”

Is there anything this girl hasn’t gone through? Fucks sake.

“Anyway, when I walked back into the living room, he pissed me off so I started lighting everything on fire. It felt… freeing. The weight of my past lifted and I decided that I could let go and move on, whatever that looks like.”

“And where does Whitlock come in?”

“He showed up after the fire department finished putting the fire out. Said he was called for arson, but when I didn’t give him anything, he said he would come back with a warrant. I offered for him to take me then, arrest me and cart me off, but he follows the rules to the T and wouldn’t do that without having the correct paperwork.”

“Wait, that now means you’re a participant in two ongoing investigations.”

“Yeah, I know.” Nadia replies with a sigh.

“What are you going to do?”

“Fly by the seat of my pants, what else is there?”

“I think it’s cool as shit you burnt the house down but now I’m going to have to worry about you getting locked up.”

“I figured you’d be proud of the house. The rest I can figure out in time.”

“What did your dad say?”

“Nothing of importance. He is dying. That’s all that matters.”

I sure fucking hope her life clears up after this. Good Lord, she needs a break. After all of that, she comes here to deal with us like we are her vacation.

“What do you want out of life, Nadia?”

“You’re the only person who has asked me that, outside of Kaleb, my friend that was killed. I just want to live, Kace. I don’t want anything special or dreamy. I want someone who will love me and just be comfortable. Maybe take a trip on occasion but just be; you know?”

“You know what’s sad?” I ask. “That’s what I want too, but now that I have you, it’s not good enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want those things too, but now they don’t seem as achievable now that prison keeps me from enjoying them with you. That and I want you to have more.”

I can see her lips pursing below me, chewing on the inside of them like she does when she over thinks.

“Guess we'll just have to bust you out of here.”

I chuckle, tightening my arms around her, then press a kiss to her temple.

This woman, my heart.

“I think I will settle for nights like these, until the end at least.”

I wasn’t expecting things to get as heavy as they have, but then again, do we ever expect the love of our lives to walk into our cell block and take over every aspect of our life??

I sure as hell didn’t but I’m glad that she did.