Chapter 14 JC
JC
The blaring alarms cut through the yard, echoing off concrete and steel. I drop the weight I’m lifting, scanning for guards, my gut already tight with worry. Every inmate’s head is up.
Prison is always on a hair trigger, and this is a new level of tense.
I jog across the cracked yard, cutting through the knots of nervous men, ignoring the stares. Nico finds me at the fence, his jaw tight, his gaze fixed on the admin building.
“What the fuck’s going on?” I mutter.
He shakes his head, arms crossed. “No clue.”
I shove through the doors into the hallway, ignoring the barked orders from the guards. One of them, the asshole with the gut and the attitude, blocks my path.
“What the hell’s going on?” I demand.
He just sneers. “Don’t worry about it, Calhoun. None of your business.”
A sick feeling hits my gut. Levi went to the library right before the alarm. I push past the guard, who grabs my arm.
“Hey! I said it’s handled.”
“I was just trying to find out what happened,” I reply calmly.
“Get your ass back, Calhoun, unless you want solitary.”
My fists clench at my sides. “Anyone hurt?”
He just laughs. “If you’re lucky, it’s only a rat.”
I have to force myself not to punch him. I spot Nico across the tier, his face twisted with the same worry I’m feeling. I move over to him, keeping my head down so the guards don’t get any ideas.
“You see Levi?” I mutter.
Nico shakes his head, jaw tight. “He said he had to check something out in the library. That was before the alarms.”
“You think he got caught up in it?” I keep my voice low, but the panic is rising, sharp and cold. “They lock that place down over nothing.”
Nico runs a hand through his hair. “He’s got sense, man. He’ll keep his head down.” He steps closer. “We keep our mouths shut, all right? We don’t know anything. If Levi gets questioned, he’ll handle it.”
I nod, but the nerves won’t let go. “Yeah. I just don’t like not knowing. Not with the way these bastards act when the alarms go.”
Nico’s jaw works.
The sirens keep blaring. We can’t do a damn thing but wait, tension knotted tight between us. My hands clench into fists.
Nico nudges me. “We’ll handle it. Whatever happens, we look out for each other. Like always.”
The alarm is still wailing as the guards start shouting, hustling everyone into formation. I feel the hands of one of them pushing between my shoulder blades, herding us toward our block.
“Move it! Get your asses in line!”
I keep my eyes peeled for Levi, heart pounding. Finally, I spot him coming down the hall, hands in his pockets, looking way too calm for the chaos around us. In fact, he looks…pleased. Bastard.
I step into the main ward—a long, echoing room lined with rows of metal bunks, harsh light buzzing overhead.
The other bunk beds get filled up quickly as more of the prisoners’ shuffle in.
There’s no rhyme or reason why we’re stuck here with them.
From what I’ve heard, this detention center is already at max capacity, so the nonviolent crimes are bunched up together while the violent ones are kept separately in different cells.
I don’t care about the arrangements, or the fact that we have to sleep, breathe, and eat with at least twenty other people. At least this way we’re together.
Though right now, I have a sudden urge to jolt the shit out of Levi. He just leans back against the wall, arms crossed, a small, private smile tugging at his mouth.
“What happened?” I hiss. “Why’d the alarm go off?”
Before Levi can answer, his bunkmate—Skinny Pete, all nerves and twitchy eyes—pipes up from his bunk. “Some dumbass tried to make a run for it in the laundry hall.”
“And?” I press, barely breathing.
Pete shrugs. “Didn’t even make it past the first gate. Guards tackled him, cracked his head on the floor. Show’s over.”
Levi just glances over at me, shrugging like it’s nothing. His eyes meet mine for a split second, and there’s something in them—satisfaction, a secret.
I narrow my eyes. “That all?” I ask, voice low.
It eats at me all afternoon. Levi’s too quiet, too smug. I can’t focus on shit, just keep replaying his face, that little smirk, the way he looked coming back from the library.
By dinner, I can’t take it anymore. Nico joins us in the chow line, his mood just as foul as mine. We grab our trays, sit in the back, out of earshot from guards.
I lean in, voice low. “You gonna tell us what happened earlier, or do we have to drag it out of you?”
Nico stabs at his food, eyes flicking to Levi. “Yeah, man. You look like you won the fucking lottery.”
Levi takes his time with his meal. Finally, he glances up, blue eyes hard. “Carrie’s working in the library.”
Nico’s fork clatters on his tray. “What?”
I nearly choke. “You’re joking.”
“Nope.” Levi’s lips twitch, the smallest hint of a smile. “Walked in, there she was. Real as life. She’s working the stacks.”
I stare at him, trying to process it. “Our Carrie? Jinn’s Carrie?”
Nico’s jaw clenches. “She talk to you?”
Levi shrugs, but there’s something dangerous in his eyes. “Yeah. Said she wants to help. I still don’t trust her completely, though…” He trails off, stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork, eyes on his plate.
I narrow my gaze. “Though? Don’t hold out on us, man. I know there’s more.”
He lets out a slow breath, glancing between me and Nico. “Let’s just say…we had a moment. Alone. She’s got a way of getting under your skin.”
Nico’s eyebrows shoot up. “A moment?”
Levi’s mouth quirks. “Not in the middle of the damn library, but…private enough. She’s still got that hold, you know? Messes with your head.” He looks down, shoulders tense. “Doesn’t change anything. I still don’t trust her. Not after everything.”
Nico shakes his head, jaw working. “Fuck. I knew it. She gets inside your head and suddenly you want to believe her.”
Levi lifts his chin, meets Nico’s stare head-on. “Doesn’t mean I’m not watching her. You both should too.”
I nod, but something ugly twists in my gut.
I’m quiet, fork unmoving in my hand. The thought of Levi and Carrie, alone, is a shot to the chest. I shove it down, try to focus on the facts, but it’s no use. She’s always been in my head. Even before Jinn.
They don’t know this part. First time I saw her, she wasn’t Jinn’s girl.
She was just the new face at Mackey’s—jeans tight, sweater hugging every curve, hair pulled back like she didn’t want attention, but she had mine the second she walked in.
She fidgeted at the bar, eyes darting, clutching her purse like a lifeline.
I wanted to go over, say something. Anything. Buy her a drink, make her smile. My hands itched to touch her, to find out if her skin was as soft as it looked.
Jinn noticed me looking. He glanced over, then snorted, said she was too big for him, not his type. “Not worth your time, bro,” he said, flagging down the bartender for another round.
He never looked at her twice. But I couldn’t look away.
We had to leave before I worked up the nerve to say anything.
But she stayed on my mind for days. The next week, Jinn showed up at the clubhouse, grinning, arm around her shoulders.
“Meet my new girl,” he said, like he’d found a prize.
Her face was flushed, eyes bright, and my stomach dropped.
That was the first time I felt real, cold anger at Jinn. I never let it show.
I’ve been carrying it ever since.
Now, sitting here, hearing Levi talk about being alone with her, that same old anger flares up. I look up at him, jaw clenched.
Nico watches me for a second, then asks, “Everything okay? You look pissed.”
I push my tray away, barely touching my food. “Yeah, fine.” It comes out flat, but I don’t bother to hide it.
He narrows his eyes, not buying it. “You sure? You got that look like you’re ready to hit something.”
Levi just sits back, arms crossed, watching both of us. The air feels tight.
I glance over at Nico, force my voice steady. “It’s nothing. Just tired of surprises.”
Nico snorts. “You mean surprises like finding out Carrie’s working in the damn library, or surprises like Levi getting handsy with her?”
I don’t answer. I just stare at my hands, knuckles white, jaw locked.
Nico leans in. “You ever gonna tell her how you feel, or just keep stewing every time someone else touches her?”
That hits hard. I look up, eyes meeting his. “Drop it, Nico.”
He shrugs, but his look says he won’t. Levi says nothing, but I can tell he’s paying attention.
I don’t sleep much that night. Every time I close my eyes, I see Levi’s smirk, Carrie’s face, the way she looked that first night at Mackey’s when she thought no one was watching. That old anger, the bitterness, it just keeps building. By morning, I’m done waiting.
After count, I head for the law library. The guards barely glance at me.
I spot her at a back table, sorting a stack of battered law books. She looks smaller here, out of place, her hair pulled up and dark circles under her eyes. She’s pretending to focus, but I can see the way her hands shake.
I step up behind her, voice low. “We need to talk.”
She startles, dropping a book. “JC. I—” She won’t look at me, fiddling with a pen, staring at the floor. “Is everything okay?”
I lean over, arms braced on the table, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Don’t play dumb. Why are you really here, Carrie?”
She swallows, finally raising her eyes to mine. I see guilt, nerves, and something else flickering in her stare. “I told you. It’s a job. After everything that happened, I needed work. The ATF helped me get in. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” I press. “You expect me to believe you just walked into a federal prison for a paycheck, no questions asked?”
She flinches, but her voice stays steady. “I didn’t have a choice. You know what it’s like out there for me right now? No one wants to hire the ex-girlfriend of a biker club president under federal investigation. This was the only thing on offer.”