Page 12 of Shadowman

My teeth grind together, stifling any potential reaction that will encourage him. “That might be your worst line yet.”

“As much as I know you’d love some of this breakfastsausage, that’s not what I meant,” Ren whispers, smirking as he links his arm with mine.

I scowl at him. “What are you so chipper about?”

“Oh, muffin…” His bright smile widens. “Just you wait.”

He winks at me, and I pretend not to notice the vast dimples, or the way his dark hair is growing out, or just how disgustinglyperfecthis smile is.I mean, who looks like that in prison?? It’s fucking unreasonable.

More to the point, thecharacteristicsof Warren Xavier are needling me in the chest right now. And I hate it.

Ren isalsoone of my best friends—definitely more so than O’Malley. I don’t want to feel resentment when I look at him. But lately, it seems to be popping up more than usual, and it’s aggravating me to no end.

In an effort to ignore it, and him, I focus on the rest of our crew. Luthor and O’Malley are shuffling, lifelessly, side-by-side. And now, when I peek at Ren, his blue gaze is stuck on Luthor, turning more intense than it is when he’s looking at anyone else.

That’s standard. Nothing new here.

Ren’s obsessed with Luthor, and Luthor’s acting like he’s unaffected by it. Of course, I know it won’t last, but I guess I appreciate how fervently my pal Lex is clutching that protective shield to his chest.

Too bad it’ll never work against the emotional warfare of Warren Xavier.

The four of us move through the chow line to grab our food, then meander to our usual table. The moment we sit down, Luthor is slouched forward, practically falling asleep in his stale Eggo waffles.

“Tired?” O’Malley asks with his mouth full, and I smirk when Luthor whips a scathing glare in his direction.

“You could say that,” he seethes.

I can’t help but huff.He’s such a baby when he doesn’t get his rest.

Suddenly, Ren is scooting in way too close to me. He’s practically on my lap. “Byron… check this out.”

Peering right, I give him a bemused look. It’s too early for this kind of enthusiasm. But then I notice him reaching into his pants, and my brows zip.

“Dude, please tell me you’re not about to whip your dick out at the table.” I sigh admonishingly. “We talked about this…”

Ren rolls his eyes. “Just shut up and look.”

Glancing down, I’m fully expecting to see his junk, because this isRenwe’re talking about.Wouldn’t be the first time…

But I’m surprised when, instead, I find a cellphone tucked into the waistband of his fitted black Calvis.

“Where the shit did you get that??” I gasp as quietly as possible, subtly scanning the room to make sure no one’s looking.

“Who cares?” he hums, grinning with pride, but somehow making it look flirtatiously sinister. “Wanna touch it?”

I can’t even make myself scoff at his foolishness right now. I’m too busy lusting.

Cellphones in Alabaster Pen are like Bigfoot. You figure they could be around,maybe, but you never see them. I’ve been here for years, and I’ve never come across one myself. It’s one thing that even the most skilledcanoodlercan’t usually weasel out of the guards.

But then we all know Warren Xavier lives for a challenge.

“What’re you two nellies whispering about over there?” O’Malley leans over the table to sneak a peek. “Comparing yer flutes again?”

Luthor perks up, though he’s clearly trying to downplay his interest as he peeks under the table. Both his and O’Malley’s eyes go wide when they see what Ren has.

“Yo, put that away!” Luthor whispers nervously. “If Velle finds out, you’re fucking toast. Automatic trip to solitary…”

“He’s right,” I mumble, then bite my lip.