“So you mean to tell me that you two were wandering the dark-as-fuck hallways, and he didn’t try anything after all of your nightly conversations?”
“Yup.”
She looks astonished like genuinely astonished. “Wow.”
I shrug again, thankful she doesn’t seem suspicious. “I mean, I was sick, Lena. I doubt he wants to catch whatever germs I have.”
“Yeah, but…. I don’t know. I guess I just figured he’d make a move. It’s not like you guys didn’t already cross the line.” Leaning forward, she flicks her gaze around us to ensure no one’s listening in before she whispers, “He snuck you in a phone, for fuck’s sake.”
“Shhh!” My eyes widen. “Shut the fuck up. Shit’s getting hot as fuck in here.”
Lena’s face contorts, lips curling and all. Clearly, she’s out of the loop. “What are you talking about?”
My gaze flicks to Franca’s table. Only her twin freaks surround her. Koko’s over at the addict table, shooting up more red flags in the depths of my mind. They’ve been sitting together since Quinn sent her ass to medical, and now, suddenly, they’re not.
Fuck.
“Ryker got caught, and now he’s under investigation,” I explain, taking a sip of my water.
“Whaaaat?” she drawls. “When the fuck did that happen?”
“Like two weeks ago, I think.”
“How did you find out?”
“Bala.” I swallow, bracing myself for a reaction when I dish out the rest. “This is bad, Lena. Really bad. From what it sounds like, he wasn’t just caught. My gut is telling me it’s out of spite, and if that’s the case, I could be going down alongside him, Koko, and Franca. I could lose everything I worked so hard for.”
“Wait...lose everything?” She's confused, all right, staring at me like I’ve grown three more heads.
I nod, glancing around like she did just minutes ago. You can’t just go around telling these bitches you got early release. A lot of them will do anything to fuck it up for you and ensure you don’t get to leave them behind. It’s all out of jealousy, of course. Everyone here wants to leave. “I got my early release.”
Her initial silence is concerning, but when I glance up to gauge her reaction, her face is lit up in what I would consider excitement. “You did? When did you find out?”
Here comes the blow…
“Almost two weeks ago.”
Lena flinches the moment it sinks in. She seems hurt, surprised. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I haven’t even told Noely.” And it’s true, I haven’t. Why get her or Ma’s hopes up if it can get taken away at any moment? “The same day Judge gave me the news is the same day Andrés told me about Ryker over FaceTime. I had to act like nothing was wrong.”
Lena’s lips sympathetically thin as she reaches out for me again with both hands this time. “I hate to tell you this, B, but I fucking told you not to trust that pendeja.”
“I know.” I nod, squeezing the shit out of her fingers. “I fucking know. But this is on me. This is what I get for being greedy, for only worrying about the cash flow.”
“Okay, no, we’re not doing this.” She clears her throat softly, gauging our surroundings again. “Your news is something to be happy about. There isn’t any proof you were involved, even if they open their mouths. That was her connect.”
“But I was helping her get it in,” I argue.
“And there’s zero proof of that. She can talk all she wants. Unless she has concrete, physical evidence, nothing is going to happen. The dude who was dumping the product in the trash bins, doesn’t work here. She probably doesn’t even know who he is.”
She has a point, really. There isn’t any proof, not that I can think of, anyway.
So why do I still have this sick feeling in my stomach?
♫ I’m Upset - Drake
It’s been a few days since returning to my normal first-shift schedule, and I’m still feeling out of whack. Then again, Benni and I haven’t had a moment to spare alone other than our nightly chats, so that could be the primary reason. To say I’m craving another taste would only be putting it lightly, but things have been too crazy for us to risk it. With Ryker under investigation, there’s been a lot of speculation regarding the details, which has Warden Kent out of his office more than usual. Lots of questions are being asked, and while I don’t have anything to do with Ryker or his...indiscretions, I can’t lie and say I’m not a little on edge when, technically, I’ve done the very same thing.
Well, some of it anyway.
That’s the very thought I’m shaking from my mind when I stalk into the box with Rodriguez after our lunch break. Mack, Jordan, Birks, and Delfino are all inside, each of them slipping on a pair of disposable gloves. Their heads snap toward the door as it clicks shut behind Rodriguez.
“Here…” Jordan tosses the box of gloves our way. “Suit up, you two.”
I catch it, but not before my heart catapults up to my throat, lodging within its tight confines. “For what?” I grate, trying to ignore the way the box feels like a ticking time bomb on the verge of detonation.
“Another sweep,” Mack answers sternly. “Seems Ryker wasn’t just fucking prison pussy. He was their drug mule too.”
The world stops.
I swear to God the entire world fucking stops. Forget the fact Mack’s acting like he hasn’t obsessed over “prison pussy,” as he chose to word it. All I can focus on is one little tiny detail.
The phone.
The goddamn phone!
My stomach churns violently as my heart free falls into its depths from my throat. I knew damn well sweeps were possible at any given moment, but I just… I don’t even know.
Please, God,
