Page 9 of Fragments

But that’s just because of Ren.

Ihateaccepting gifts from him, because I know exactly what he does to earn all the excessive crap that litters his cell. Something he enjoys doing way too much as it is.

Still, when temperatures drop on this island, you feel it in every breath you take. It aches your bones, dwindling what little energy you already have.

I can swallow just a spoonful of my pride if it means survival.

Anyway, the frigid cold has slowly been melting away. And though I have no idea what the weather is like outside, my calendar tells me spring is upon us.

Our group is in the showers. Kang, O’Malley, and I are lathering up, side by side, and I’m trying not to focus on how much smaller my Dove For Men soap bar is getting when Ren swings around the corner, padding over to us. Completely naked, and no fucks given.

Warren Xavier has no humility to be found. I’m convinced there are a lot of emotions he’s lacking, but shame is certainly a big one. Where other people’s brains ping those pesky insecurities around, Ren’s just thumps all things sexuality, like the nonstop bass of endless techno music.

I swear, the dude’s frontal lobe is like a club in Ibiza.

“I just heard something,” he says, easing up close to me.

Kang and O’Malley turn to face him while I back up, because he’s crowding me again.

“Ooh,goody,” I mutter sarcastically, rinsing off. “Gossip.”

“A new inmate is coming in,” Ren goes on, ignoring my admonishing tone. “He’s a bank robber from Brooklyn.Dascha Reznikov.I guess he’s been, like… crazy successful robbing all these banks all over the place for years, rocking machine guns and rubber masks.”

Ren’s eyes are lit up. He clearly loves the tea, and I can’t say I don’t get it. Talking shit is a great way to pass the time in here. It’s pretty much our television.

“Can’t be that good,” O’Malley grumbles, running fingers over his head of short black hair. “If he got scooped up.”

“He killed the governor’s niece,” Ren says.

My eyes widen.Shit… That kid is fucked.

Governor Russo is a top source of funding for Alabaster Pen, and a close, personal friend of the Warden, Manuel Blanco. If thisDaschaperson really killed his niece, then he can damn-well expect never to see the light of day again.

“He justkilledher?” I ask Ren, becoming immediately more invested. “Like, for no reason?”

“During a robbery,” he replies.

My eyes flit to Kang, who’s giving me a familiar look adorned with unspoken words.

He might be lying.

Turning back to Ren, I give him a once-over, eyes narrowing. “Where’d you hear all this?”

“I overheard Kemper talking to Peters,” he says casually.

His pupils look normal, and he’s not fidgeting at all.

Could be true…

“Kemper? The guard from solitary?” I raise my brow skeptically. “Why would he have been up here?”

Ren shrugs. “Not sure. But he was. He said this Dascha guy was just picked up, and the way they were talking, it seemed like he was on his way.”

I peek at Kang again, and he purses his lips, head bobbing in a quick nod.

Alright… Maybe this is legit.

Still, with Ren, you can never be sure. I’ve known him longer than the rest of them, so I’ve picked up on a lot of the subtle cues he gives away when he’s lying. But he’s pathological, so sometimes, it’s still nearly impossible to tell.