Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
RORY
The morning dragged. I had breakfast, did some school work, and by the time visitation hours started, I was a ball of emotions on the inside.
I was excited, a little nervous, and sad at the same time.
Seeing a familiar face would be great, but knowing they had to leave me here was really fucking hard.
I was escorted to the visitation area, being searched on the way in, and I fought tears so badly when I scanned the room to find Hunter with Marco and Tyler beside him. I’d had no idea I’d be seeing Tyler, and it caught me off guard a little.
I had to keep my shit together though, walking towards them and forcing down the emotion.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” I said brightly, my stupid voice cracking with the emotions I was trying to hide. He scrambled to his feet and hugged me so tightly that I thought my ribs would crack, his entire body shuddering.
“Hey, baby.”
The guard barked at us to step back, apparently limiting how long we could hug, and I fucking hated it. I didn’t want to let him go. I didn’t realize how starved of touch I was until he’d hugged me, and now I wasn’t sure how I’d cope without it.
He stepped back with a scowl, giving me a quick kiss before sitting in his chair, and Hunter grinned as he stood and opened his arms for a hug too.
“Hey, Hot Shot. Been getting into trouble?”
I hugged him too, feeling the nerves fading the longer I was with them.
“Not on purpose. Thanks for bringing him,” I murmured, and he stepped back before we could get in trouble, giving me a wink.
“You’re welcome. To be fair, he’s usually with us all the damn time anyway.”
I frowned, taking my seat and trying to ignore Marco’s foot as it bumped against mine under the table, a sly smile on his face.
“Not going to say hi to me? Rude. I’ve been snuggling your boyfriend at night to keep him happy while you’re gone. You should be more grateful,” he teased, my frown only deepening.
“You’re crashing with him? Why?”
Hunter shot him a dirty look, my chest tightening when he blew out a breath and met my gaze.
“A lot’s going down right now, babe. I don’t really have good news for you, but I need you to not freak out on me and get dragged away. Clear?”
“What does that mean? What happened? Have you and Skeet been struggling to get me out? What’s taking so long?” I demanded, and he winced.
“Be calm,” he said firmly before continuing. “I’ve been trying to get you out of here, but it’s difficult since there’s a witness. I have no idea who, they’re keeping it super quiet.”
“Skeet has contacts. Surely—”
“Babe,” he sighed, pity on his face. “Skeet’s not trying to help you. He thinks you betrayed him.”
“What?” I asked, not sure I heard him correctly. “Skeet knows I wouldn’t do that.”
“The Psychos want you dead, and Skeet’s more than happy for it to happen. He’s being irrational, which makes him dangerous. I’m handling it, but he’s not listening.”
Hurt filled me as I stared back at him, my mind reeling. Skeeter had turned on me?
“Diesel?” I asked desperately, and Hunter reached out to pat my hand.
“Diesel and Brick believe you, but Skeet’s really lost it. Diesel can’t contact you, or Skeet’s going to literally kill him. He wanted you to know he’s trying to get him to change his mind, and he’s on your side. He’s really missing you.”
“What the fuck do I do? I need Skeet’s protection in here,” I said, a flicker of panic hitting me. “Hunter, most of the girls hate me in here. Without Skeet—”
“Fuck Skeet. I’m trying to get something in place, but we don’t have any girls in here right now. Lex is being nice, right?”
“She punched me when I met her, but we agreed to avoid each other.”
“Why did she punch you? I told her not to hurt you.”
“She has her reasons, but we’re over it,” I shrugged, eyeing Tyler. “When are the others coming to visit?”
He looked nervous, flicking his gaze to Hunter before answering me. “Luke and Jense are coming tomorrow with Josie.”
“Caden?”
The pit inside me only got worse when he winced.
“Caden’s been staying with Skeet. He’s kind of snapped too,” he said carefully. “Luke and Jense at least want to hear your side before making a decision.”
“They all think I was sleeping with Hunter?” I asked in disbelief.
“And Marco.”
“Ew, gross,” I huffed, crossing my arms. “And you? What do you think?”
“I don’t think you were, but I wouldn’t give a shit if you were anyway. I love you, and you love me. That’s all I care about,” he replied, and Marco scoffed.
“What do you mean ew? You look at me like I’m a tall glass of cool water on a hot summer’s day the second I take my shirt off. You’d climb me like a tree if you could.”
I laughed, glancing at Hunter. “Is he fucking serious?”
From the way Hunter scrubbed a hand over his face, I knew this was something he’d been hearing a lot of.
“We’re not discussing this.”
“Why not? We’re running around getting shot because of her, which I’m totally okay with if she lets me smash,” Marco said with a grin.
“Wait, who got shot?” I asked, ignoring Marco’s bullshit.
“I did,” he answered, lifting his shirt slightly to show me a bandage. “I’ll have to fill you in when you get out. They got Hunter’s bike though and it went down.”
My eyes frantically ran over both of them, and Hunter put his hand up to calm me.
“We’re fine. You focus on being in here. You really need a prison wife or something.”
I laughed, thinking he was joking, but all three of them watched me with serious expressions.
“You’re not joking?” I asked, and Tyler shook his head.
“You need to buddy up with someone tough. Get in with a crew,” he stated like it made perfect sense.
“I’m not into girls, and I’m with you. I don’t—”
“Listen to me,” he said in a low voice, leaning closer. “You need protection, and we all agree that getting close to someone in here is a good idea.”
“I’m not fucking girls for protection,” I whisper-yelled, and Hunter chuckled.
“You just pick one. Most of the girls Lexi fucks are straight, they just get lonely. Find someone.”
“If you go to prison, will you let random guys bend you over to keep you safe?” I deadpanned, and Marco smirked.
“I absolutely will.”
“Not you, you freaky asshole,” I growled, and he motioned to Tyler.
“Hey, I’m not that bad. I’ve had your man in my bed the whole time you’ve been gone, but I’m a gentleman with him.”
I looked at Tyler, who shrugged. “I don’t like sleeping alone. With Caden gone, Luke and Jensen at Jensen’s house, and Josie off at work a lot, I didn’t really have another option. Besides, I’m trying to help get you out of here too.”
“I’m really glad you’ve got a new bestie, but that doesn’t mean I need to start snuggling the girls in here,” I said dryly, a little relieved to know they were looking out for Tyler, especially if Caden had turned on him too.
“Tell me about what you’ve been up to. I want to know everything,” Tyler insisted, and I chuckled before filling them in, being quiet so the guards couldn’t use any of it if they listened on the cameras.
We got a five minute warning, my chest tightening at knowing they were about to leave. It must have shown on my face because Hunter gave my hand a squeeze.
“We’ll keep looking for a way to get you out. Hold on for me, okay? Josie loves you, and she’ll be here tomorrow. Focus on making friends, doing your school work, and staying out of trouble. You’ll be okay.”
“You’ll come back soon, right?” I asked, hating to sound needy, but I hated being cut off from everyone.
“Promise. We’ll come back next week. We’re keeping your commissary topped up, courtesy of Josie, so you can make calls and buy stuff.
If you get low, let us know.” I nodded, getting to my feet when he did so I could give him a hug.
It was a firm hug, his hand going to the back of my head to keep me close.
“I’ll get you out of here as soon as I can. ”
He stepped back so Tyler could hug me, and I gave him a kiss and took his face in my hands.
“You stick with them. You can visit whenever you want, okay? Don’t drive up alone though, it’s not safe,” I warned, and he gave me a kiss back.
“I’ll be careful. Be safe. Fuck some girls, okay?”
“No,” I growled, making him grin.
“I’m teasing. But seriously, find someone for protection. If they snuggle or fuck good, that’s just a bonus.”
I didn’t swat him and risk getting tackled by the guards, but I really fucking wanted to.
Marco stood, not hiding his wince too well as his bullet wound must have hurt. I hesitated before stepping towards him, and he smirked as he brought me closer for a hug.
“That’s better. Stop getting in trouble, Hunter lost his mind when he couldn’t come and visit.” He went to step back but I held on a little tighter, not wanting this to be over. Once I let him go, they’d leave. “Hey. You’ll be fine, Princess. We’ve got your guys and Josie, don’t worry.”
“This sucks,” I said tightly as I let go, blinking away tears and making him chuckle.
“It does. Get your shit together. You can cry about it when you get out.”
I nodded, giving Tyler one last kiss before forcing myself to walk towards the door, glancing over my shoulder one last time before the guard let me out to strip search me, the hallway feeling so damn long when I started walking back to my cell.
The walk back gave me time to force the emotions back down, and I found Tilly and Jamie waiting for me when I arrived.
“How was it?” Tilly asked with a grin, taking my arm.
“Really good,” I said before blowing out a breath. “Although, it really fucking sucks when they leave without you.”
“I’d say you get used to it, but you don’t,” Jamie replied.
“What are you girls doing in here, anyway? Where’s everyone else?” I asked, glancing around to notice it was empty.
“The yard. We figured we’d wait for you,” Tilly smiled, hooking her arm with mine and tugging me towards the door.
“I bought cigarettes this morning, so I’ll grab them first,” I huffed, grateful this prison allowed smoking. Products were limited, but I was fine with that. I usually bought the cheap shit anyway.