14. Axel
14
AXEL
I lean against the cold concrete wall outside my cell, waiting for Martinez and Thompson to make their rounds. They appear right on schedule, Thompson’s keys jangling at his belt.
“Got something for you boys.” I slip four folded hundred-dollar bills from my sleeve. “A little advance on our usual arrangement.”
Martinez glances down the corridor. “What’s the catch, Morrison?”
“Tomorrow’s session with Dr. Matthews. I want you to pretend to secure me to the chair. Make it look realistic, but actually loosen my cuffs.”
Thompson’s eyes narrow. “That’s risky. If you hurt the new doctor, it will be our asses.”
“I won’t hurt her. Besides, your cut from the cigarette operation last month should ease your conscience.” I press the folded hundreds into his palm. “Martinez will handle the camera feed loop. We’ve done it before.”
Martinez shifts uncomfortably. “The new IT guy’s been checking timestamps. We can’t do the same trick too often.”
“Then be creative,” I demand. “Your daughter’s college tuition isn’t going to pay itself.”
Martinez pales at the mention of his daughter. “Fine. Forty-five minutes of loop. Not a second more.”
Thompson nods first. “Fine. But if this goes south?—”
“It won’t.” I flash them my most reassuring smile. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“Just keep our names out of your little schemes with Marcus,” Thompson mutters, pocketing his share.
“Speaking of Marcus...” I lower my voice. “Any word on his new shipment?”
Martinez checks his watch. “Coming in through the laundry next week, but you didn’t hear it from me.”
“Naturally.” I straighten up as other inmates shuffle past for lunch. “Pleasure doing business, gentlemen.”
They move on, maintaining their stern expressions. Perfect. Everything’s falling into place. The guards, the drugs, and soon... Willow. I control the strings of every puppet in this prison, even those who don’t know they’re my bitch.
I join the flow of inmates heading to the cafeteria, already planning how to use my freedom in tomorrow’s session. The anticipation makes my skin buzz. Time to see what my little pixie does when she’s alone with the monster… unchained.
I slide into my usual spot in the cafeteria, my crew falling in around me like a well-oiled machine. The noise inside my skull quiets when I plot, focused on the game ahead.
“Marcus’s getting cocky,” Rico mutters, picking at his mystery meat. “His new guys are strutting around like they own the yard.”
“Let them strut.” I lean back, surveying my kingdom of steel and concrete. “Pride comes before the fall.”
Tommy, our baby-faced hacker, fidgets with his plastic fork. “But what if they?—”
“You worried, kid?” Snake cuts in with his trademark smirk. “Thought you said prison was just like your video games.”
“Fuck off, Snake.” Tommy’s ears turn red. “I’m just saying?—”
“You’re just saying nothing.” I fix him with a look that makes him shrink. “Marcus’s shipment is coming through laundry next week. We’ll hit it hard, remind everyone who runs this place.”
Dante cracks his massive knuckles. “About time. Getting bored watching those punks flex.”
The cafeteria buzzes with tension, inmates clustering in their usual groups. The whispers in my skull grow louder.
Kill them all.
Not yet. Timing is everything.
“Speaking of entertainment,” Snake leans in, “heard you got that hot new doctor all twisted up, boss.”
My fingers tighten around my fork. “Watch your mouth.”
“Just saying what everyone’s thinking. Even Marcus’s been?—”
I slam my hand on the table, making our trays rattle. “If Marcus so much as looks at her, I’ll carve out his eyes.”
Silence falls over our table. Rico clears his throat. “We got your back, boss. Always.”
“Good.” I push the rage down where it belongs. “Because tomorrow, things start changing around here.”
Imagining my session tomorrow, the bloodlust gives way to something more carnal. Little Willow won’t expect me to be free. Free to touch her, to watch her squirm, to make her mine.
“You seem happy, boss.” Rico pushes his tray away.
“Just thinking about our good friend Dr. Matthews.”
Snake perks up. “So, what’s your plan for the hot blonde doctor? I bet she?—”
My fork stabs into the table between his fingers. The cafeteria noise drowns out his yelp. “Choose your next words carefully.”
“Sorry, boss.” He pulls his hand back. “Didn’t mean nothing by it.”
Tommy fidgets with his glasses. “But how’re you gonna get past the restraints? They always chain us up tight for sessions.”
I smile, remembering the crisp hundreds in Martinez’s pocket. “Let’s just say I have an understanding with certain parties.”
“The guards?” Dante grunts. “Risky.”
“Everything worth having is risky.” I lean back, imagining Willow’s face when she realizes I’m loose. Will she run? Scream? Or will she stay, trapped by her own longing? “Besides, what’s life without a little danger?”
Rico picks up his apple and tosses it between his hands.
“You hear about Jensen in Block C?” Snake asks, trying to return to my good graces.
“Got himself shanked in the showers,” Dante rumbles. “Guess he forgot to pay his protection money.”
I pick at my food. “Shame. Jensen was a decent card player.”
“Speaking of cards...” Tommy speaks up. “I managed to get my hands on a fresh deck. Could do a poker night?”
“You mean lose all your cigarettes again?” Rico snorts.
“Hey, I’ve been practicing!”
“Yeah, and I’m the King of fucking England.” Snake rolls his eyes.
The familiar rhythm of prison banter washes over me. These idiots are useful tools, nothing more. But they’re my tools.
“Remember when Tommy tried to bluff with a pair of twos?” Rico laughs.
“Man, shut up.” Tommy’s face flushes red. “That was one time.”
“One time too many,” Dante says. “Cost me my dessert for a week backing your dumb ass.”
I tune out their squabbling, scanning the cafeteria. Marcus’s crew huddles in their corner, shooting glances our way. They are pathetic. They think numbers give them power, but real power comes from knowing exactly when and where to strike.
“Boss?” Rico’s voice pulls me back. “We still on for yard time later?”
“Yeah.” I push my tray away. “Make sure everyone knows their positions. Don’t want any surprises when Marcus’s shipment comes in.”
The conversation flows around me like water. These men think they know me, think their loyalty makes them special. But they’re just pawns in a larger game. A game that’s about to get much more interesting.