Maddox
Storming into my cell after my visit with Ollie, I pace around like a caged animal.
To say I’m pissed would be a drastic understatement.
Grabbing the cigarettes from my rack, I head out to the yard, I need to calm down.
I should have stayed in my cell, I’m not fit to be around people with my state of mind.
There’s nothing I can do. I can’t call Kai because just as I know I shouldn’t be around people, I also know that even if I called him right now it would just be ignored. Like every phone call over the weekend has been ignored recently.
‘Workin’ every weekend, my ass,’ I grumble. ‘And now this information comes out and I can’t even reach out to him,’ I think, sitting on the picnic table in the smoking area, foot tapping with how on edge I feel.
I’m just trying to mind my own business when it happens.
I really was trying to keep my nose clean, but with everything I found out and feeling the distance from Kai, I was at my breaking point.
It’s been four months since I held my Kitten in my arms. I went through the whole summer with barely any communication.
He’s pushing me away because of bullshit ideas that I swore we had dealt with and then this?
Mack did this. ‘Mack not only hurt him, he essentially took him from me. And someone’s gonna pay,’ I think, exhaling the smoke and eyeing the jackass that had been a thorn in my side since I got here.
As he waltzed up to me, I recognized him as one of the idiots that hung around my father.
“No protection detail today, Mikhailov?” he asked with disdain in voice. I want to knock him out on principal.
“Not now, dude. Please, just walk away,” I say as I light another cigarette.
“I’m just concerned for your well bein’. You seem to be upset about something, Runt,” he sneered, taunting me. I know what he wants but I clench my jaw, trying not to take the bait.
I get up to walk away, knowing I needed to get away from this guy before I did something stupid. I wasn’t gonna take the bait, Vanya told me to keep my nose clean, but as I went to pass by, he said something that he knew would set me off.
“Now, Maddy, is that anyway to treat one of your Daddy’s friends? You wouldn’t want me to tell him how rude you’re bein’ now, would ya?” he asks with a sinister grin.
There was no thought process involved as I tossed the half-burned cigarette and charged the mother fucker. It didn’t matter how big or tall he was, when you hit them in the middle and bring them down to the ground, well, then we’re all the same size.
I let my fists fly and knew there was no coming back from this.
Vanya was gonna have my ass, but I had reached my breaking point.
Arms wrapped around my middle, pulling me off of him, barely containing me, and the cuffs didn’t stop my mouth from running.
A boot between my shoulder blades and the smooth rich voice of Cas telling me to “shut up” pulled me out of the haze.
He pulled me up and pushed me towards the cell block door as he asks, “You happy now?”
“NO, I’m not happy. I tried! I told him to walk away, he provoked me,” I tried to explain.
“Shut it, not another word here. You have one week in solitary. Move,” Cas explained as he pushed me toward the door leading out of the block.
As I was led toward the solitary block, my shoulders sagged, I couldn’t even try to call Kai, to warn him. No letters. Nothing. The realization set in as Cas pushed me into my new cell for the week, and I felt a hollow fear trickle up my spine.
Cas shut the door of the cell and I pushed my hands through the hole so he can uncuff me as he says, “Your temper? Get you everytime.”
Vanya
The door grinds across the floor as it opens. His shoulders sag when he sees me in his cell door. I know he is feeling defeated, but I cannot let this go unpunished. This will be a big problem for getting him outta here.
“I’m sorry, I just got some shit news,” he starts to explain.
“Quiet. My turn to talk, your turn to listen,” I say, interrupting him as I point to the bed for him to sit.
Like a child about to be scolded, he shuffles over and sits down. I can see now that he is terrified for their safety. I need to find out what that fight was about, because that was not just a brawl, there was emotion behind those punches.
"Let's start with fight I walk out to. What was that?” I ask out of curiosity, needing see if we have a bigger problem than what was just discovered.
I watch the kid slide his fingers into his hair and tug, letting out a sound of frustration before saying, “I let him get under my skin.”
I clamp my hand on his shoulder, crouching so we were eye to eye, “Maddox, don’t lie to me. You knew him, who is that?”
At my perceptive question, Maddox’s eyes went wide, “How d’ya do that?”
I chuckle, moving to sit next to him, “It is gift, now stop changing subject, who?”
He took a few deep breaths before explaining, “That is a friend of Mack’s. Don’t know his name, but I know he was around enough to know Mack called me ‘Maddy’, or ‘runt’, to get me riled up. He used both. I was ready to walk away at runt. But, Maddy? Yeah, no one will ever call me that again.”
‘Cas has to move him off this cellblock after I pay him a visit tonight,’ I think as I squeeze Dax’s knee in reassurance. “Okay, we will deal with him. This still does not excuse what happened.”
Dax blows out a breath, “I know, but after findin’ out that Mack was behind what happened to Kai and was braggin’ about it? I needed to just…” he trails off, putting his head in his hands.
I stand, “Mikhailov, look at me,” I say, adding bass to my voice. Paired with my piercing ice-gray eyes and arms crossed over my chest, I knew I looked scary, but I need him to understand how serious I am about this.
He looks up and when I know I have his full attention, “You spend the week here. Then you will enroll in GED classes and anger management. They were suggested previously. Now is an order. You keep your nose clean. I cannot do what I need to, if you doing this shit. Ponyatno?” I ask.
I watch his nostrils flare as he stands to move towards me, “What?! Kai’s out there, he’s in danger and I can’t tell him. I’ve barely talked to him in weeks, haven’t seen him in months. Someone…”
“TISHINA!!” I yell, pushing him onto the bed.
He looks up at me as I glare at him. Leaning in, now nose to nose with him, I bark out, “You will do as told! I will handle rest. Behave and do as told. I will get Kai here next weekend, step out of line and you will not like the outcome, PONYATNO?”
Maddox
I scramble back, wiping the spittle off my nose, “Da, da. I got it. I’ll do as I am told,” I say and watch him back off.
Adjusting the sleeves of his jumpsuit he smirks, “Glad we have understanding. Leave everything to me, including Kai. You two are duraks but I will fix. Behave and see you soon,” he says. As he steps through the door I spot Cas standing just outside of the cell.
‘When did he get here?’ I think as the door slams shut, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I have no idea how he plans on fixing it, but sure, why the hell not. Maybe someone else can talk some sense into him. I sure as hell couldn’t get him to listen to me, let someone else try.
Curling up on the plastic thing they call a mattress, I pull the sheet over me.
I would give anything to have one of Kai’s hoodies right now.
The cell is cold from the chill in the air and I miss his scent.
As I try to get comfortable, my sinuses burn as my eyes fill with tears and I think, ‘Great more fuckin’ tears.
With all the cryin’ I’ve done over the last four months, you’d think I was all cried out, but nope. ’
I spend the next week doing push-ups and sit-ups in the cell. When I’m not working out, I pace and do something dangerous. I think.
I go back and forth between being here for Kai and making him understand, to being pissed off at him, being done with him. I hate begging, unless it’s for his cock. I love him, but I won’t beg for him to be in my life.
‘Fuck, I hate this,’ I think as I reach one wall of my cage and pivot walking back the other way.
Friday morning comes and Cas opens the door to take me back my cellblock. “Wait, before we leave here, I want you to know Vanya was serious. The enrollment packs are in your cell. You are to fill them out and get them to me today,” he tells me.
“I know. You’ll have them within an hour. I need to find somethin’ to do with my time,” I tell him.
“Also, that tupitsa has been moved off the cellblock. You may run into him during yard time, but he has been warned to stay far from you,” Cas continues as he cuffs me for the walk back to my cell.
“Tell Vanya I said thank you,” I say, humbled that they are doing all of this for me, but I have to know, “Kai?” I ask, trying to keep the hope from my voice.
Cas sighs, “Zak is handling that. We will see. We are trying,” he says as we reach my cell and he uncuffs me. He stands in the doorway, looking at me for a moment before continuing, “Listen, I get it, Mylo fill me in on you, Tiger. You let Vanya do what needs be done, okay?”
I scratch my head, “How do you know about Tiger? And Mylo, as in, juvie Mylo?” I cock my eyebrow at him.
Cas smiles, shooting me a wink, “No secrets between me and my spouse, Kid.”
My mouth drops open, floored, I ask, "Seriously? Wait, does that mean?”
He shakes his head, “Leave it alone. Just know Vanya has this. Paperwork. Now.”
I sit down and fill out the paperwork, mind still reeling. ‘What is it with these guys? Conversations with them just leave me with more questions,’ I think with a disbelieving smile.
Zakhary
It’s too early to be awake on a Sunday morning. I don’t want to be here, but I have to do this. Seb didn’t want to let me in, not that I left the topic up for discussion. The kid is going to the prison today. Even if I have to drag him there myself.