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Chapter 4

The month passed without much cause for concern. Life in prison had proven to be mundane at best; I woke up every morning, carried out my chores; an obligation placed on every inmate, had a crappy breakfast, enjoyed an hour in the yard, worked as the unpaid delivery boy for the crew, had a few minutes of REC period, ate a couple more times, then it was back in the cell with a cellie whose enthusiasm for conversation was just a little bit lacking.

My little jobs were going well at least. The position of glorified delivery boy wasn't anything to sweat over; I was in and out with the packages or notes as the case may be without so much as a hiccup yet Nathan watched every exchange with sharp eyes; focused and unwavering until the very moment I handed him whatever I'd received from the trade.

His watchfulness annoyed me because it was clear that even after a little over a month doing these jobs he still didn't trust me and this particular conclusion wasn't a hard one to come by either considering the fact that he didn't watch the exchange of any of the other members.

Speaking of the other members; other than the boss man himself; the only person who even bothered to acknowledge my presence was Eddie and even then, he was always cautious with whatever he told me; which wasn't much.

Their distrust made for uncomfortable yard time but I tried to shrug it off, telling myself that I hadn't been a part of the crew for very long and trust took time.

I could only be thankful that Nathan-as I now called him- wasn't as closed off as he had been weeks before and while he wasn't exactly a social butterfly; he at least allowed me the opportunity to run my mouth and ramble on about inconsequential things while in his presence. I'd also noticed a change in his attitude toward me; the perfect example being an incident a few weeks back;

...Flashback

I'd just carried out one of his jobs and was lounging on a bench with the others when I spoke without really thinking.

"God what I wouldn't give for a bag of skittles." I sighed, then turned to Nathan and said jokingly; "What kinda information would it take for you to get me some?"

"Nah man, more like burger and fries, chocolate milkshake; the whole shebang." Eddie had said, his expression dreamy, then licked his lips for emphasis and I chuckled.

"You're trapped in this place for the rest of your life with thieves, killers and perverts and all you want is candy? Grow up boy." John; the bald headed douche bag spoke up then and damn if I didn't feel like a fool right then.

"The information it would take isn't something you have even a lick of chance getting your hands on anyway. So keep dreaming." One of the guys laughed and the others joined in.

Only Nathan remained quiet as usual, silently observing everything taking place in the yard, without so much as a glance in our direction. Which was why I was surprised when later that evening while I lay reading on my bunk; he entered the cell after his own visitations and dropped a bag of skittles right on the page I was about to turn before hopping up to his own bunk without uttering so much as a word to me.

I'd lain there for about a minute just staring silently at the bag then when I finally regained my senses, I'd pushed off my bed, climbed up two steps of his ladder and offered him some and just like that whatever shaky relationship I imagined we had moved up a level when he stretched out his hand; I poured out half and he sat up in bed, offering me a seat beside him where we munched on the sugary treats in silence. It had been... nice.

...End Flashback

We certainly weren't the best of friends or anything though considering the only thing I knew about the man was his name but it was still nice to have at least one person I could talk to sometimes.

Even if most of the time I was picturing doing much more than talking with the gorgeous hunk of meat my cellie was, but my fantasies were all I had and possibly all I'd ever have since neither of us had uttered even one word about the kiss since that fateful night and he never made any move towards me to suggest he was even interested in anything but 'talk'.

I was surprised by how much I missed him today. He usually had his visitations in the evenings so this was the first time he'd actually missed yard time. It was strange how much I'd become accustomed to the prison routine and missing him only made me see how much I'd come to appreciate the simplicity of sitting beside him for a few minutes outdoors every day.

I would have been completely content if I'd even been able to carry on my mundane lifestyle but as was always waiting in the wings of every maximum security facility; trouble eventually found me.

I hadn't been assigned any deliveries today since Nathan was the one who usually did that and so I was sitting there with a few of the guys just enjoying the warmth of the sun and wondering when Nathan would be back when John and two of the others stepped up in front of me successfully blocking the rays of the sun from penetrating my pale flesh. I straightened in the seat, tilting my head to appraise them.

"We've got an assignment for you." He said, his tone serious.

"Okay, just give me the package and tell me who you need it delivered to." I said pushing up from my seat.

"This isn't a delivery. If you're going to be a part of this crew then it's about time you start earning your keep." He said and my brows furrowed.

It was no secret that most of the guys didn't like me doing deliveries because they thought it was just a little too easy and in some ways I agreed; it really didn't seem fair that I was getting off with doing such a simple task while the others had to do the tough stuff but it still didn't change the fact that this was Nathan's call and he was the only one I answered to. Well that and the thought of doing the more dangerous tasks didn't entice me in the least.

"Now you're gonna go over there." He pointed to D-Fox's crew, "Find your little friend Ty and make sure you two are the best of friends before the hour's up." He told me.

"What's that gonna prove?"

"We need more guys on the inside and Ty's so slippery something tells me he knows a bit more than anyone would think."

"A bit more what? What does he know?" I asked in exasperation and the big guy growled. Yes growled; it was disconcerting the say the least.

"Don't worry about that now, just go make friends with him, everything else comes later."

"What does Nathan have to say about this?" I questioned, folding my arms before my chest.

John shifted from foot to foot his expression no less threatening than before. "This is how it is boy, the rest of us took a vote; we decided you're not pulling your own weight and if you don't do this then you're out."

The three of them stared at me; menacingly and I swallowed...hard.

"John, this isn't a good idea." Eddie spoke up. He looked slightly pissed off and I hoped he could talk some sense into him.

He ignored him, his eyes boring into mine; "Get over there and do your job...Nathan might be the leader in your eyes but we all get a say in this." And looking around at the others with the exception of Eddie I realized they were all in agreement with John.

"Sending someone as inexperienced as he is over there is too risky, this could all blow up in or faces." Eddie was saying to them but they weren't having it.

"The more men we have working this, the better off we'll be, trust me." John told him.

Eddie looked at me, then back at the crew with a shake of his head before he pushed pass John and made his way across the field; as far away from us as he could get.

'There went my one chance of getting out of this.' I thought as I glanced back at the others who were looking at me expectantly.

I cleared my throat for no other reason than because I was nervous. "So what do you want me to say to him?"

"Just be friendly; the way you were with him that first day. Don't push it just act casual." He advised and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

Yeah act casual when I could hardly stand the guy and I was practically quaking in my boots at the thought of going anywhere near D-fox's crew...act casual...sure.

"You've got forty-five minutes, don't fuck this up." Someone behind me said and I clenched my fists, pushing past them to slowly make my way over to Ty who was thankfully standing on the peripheral by himself.

I took a breath, coughing when it tickled the back of my throat and took another.

I could feel several pairs of eyes on me as I made the trek over there and I thought briefly about just turning around and not going through with this at all. Nathan would fix this when he got back from wherever the hell he was... right?

It was that small niggle of doubt that kept me walking because even after a month I didn't know Nathan well enough to know whether he'd take my side over his crew in this matter.

I swallowed the lump which had formed in my throat and licked my dry lips.

Ty spotted me before I was even halfway there and his eyes narrowed suspiciously so I lengthened my stride so I could catch up with him before he decided I wasn't worth his time.

"Hey Ty." I said when I was within earshot and just as I'd expected he raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth turned up in a sneer.

I was the guy who caused him to fail in his recruiting and I would be lying if I said I hadn't seen the large bruise on the side of his face later that day in REC. He'd failed and they'd punished him for it and of course he'd see it as being all my fault.

"Look...I ah...I wanted to apologize for what happened." Was all I got out before he turned to face his crew and shouted for Beans.

I froze, staring at him with wide eyes, then I backed up a few steps.

"You diss my ass in front of my crew and then come up in here trynna apologize? man you mus be stupider n' I thought." He said, his eyes sweeping over me insolently.

"What's he doing here?" Beans asked when he came over to stand beside Ty, his arms crossed before his chest. "If you think the offer for your ass is still on the table you're sadly mistaken boy." He said and I was quick to lead him away from that frightening topic.

I held my hands up palms first as if to ward off an attack. "No no, of course not, I just wanted to apologize to Ty."

I realized it hadn't been a wise thing to say when Beans' eyes flashed with anger and he took a step toward me. His massive frame towering over me and I shrunk back in trepidation.

"Now this is the second time you've rejected me." He said softly and the coldness in his voice caused me to shiver. "There aint gonna be a third."

I wasn't given the chance to back away, nor was I allowed to apologize or try to make the situation right; his meaty fist was flying toward my face before I could even register what was happening. I felt the pain ricochet down the back of my neck when he slammed his fist into my nose and I fell to the ground gasping through the blood that was gushing into my mouth from what had to be a broken nose.

By now I could hear the shouts of the other inmates around me but I wasn't given the chance to dwell when his fist came again and again. I felt a stab of pain in my side from the kick he lodged there but by the forth punch I could no longer feel anything and by the sixth, darkness closed around me.

....................................................

They told me I'd been in for a week with a severe concussion, cracked ribs and an assortment of bruises in places I didn't even know I'd been hit. I hardly remembered anything about the supposed week I spent in the sick bay except that I hadn't received any visitors and while the doctor had been friendly I'd been alone more times than I'd seen her.

An entire week meant I'd missed Jerry's visit and I wondered if they told him what had happened. It also meant that Beans was already released from solitary confinement. Assault got you three days and I thought of how unfair it was that I was still battered and bruised and he was now roaming free.

I sucked in a breath and groaned from the discomfort in my chest and the prick of pain from my split lip. Just then the doctor walked in and she smiled when she saw that I was awake.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, glancing down to her clip board.

"Been better."

She smiled again and I got the impression she'd only asked to be polite and probably hadn't even heard my response.

"You'll be escorted back here every day so I can administer your meds. I've notified the guards that you aren't to carry out any strenuous activities so you'll be placed on kitchen duty until you're fully healed." She explained while she jotted down something on her board.

"Okay...when do I leave?" I asked with furrowed brows.

"As soon as your escort gets here." She said then looked up from her board briefly to lay on another practiced smile before she exited the room. A second later a nurse came in and dropped my 'prison clothes' onto the bed beside me, then I was left alone and to my own devices; well that is if you could count me being left with the sickbay guard standing by the door as being 'alone'

I was fully dressed by the time my escorts arrived and I hobbled over to them, my entire body sore and throbbing. I was cuffed and not long after we were making our way down the corridor of shame.

I hadn't realized it was nighttime when I'd been in the sick bay and I was slightly disappointed that I hadn't gotten the chance to see the sky earlier. It wasn't lights out yet so I took some joy in the fact that I'd at least get the chance to read a bit of my novel before I fell asleep at least.

When we stopped in front my cell Nathan jumped down from his bunk to stand beside mine as they hustled me in and removed the handcuffs. The moment the doors closed he moved.

He took hold of my chin gently turning my face this way and that so he could inspect the damage. I watched him; his mouth was tight with barely concealed anger and his eyes intent upon my face.

Then his gaze travelled to the parts of my body that he could see; my arms; which were wrapped around my chest. He was silent in his perusal and when he reached a hand up to unbutton my shirt to do more inspection I batted it away and slowly lowered myself onto my bunk. I felt achy and weak and I instantly missed the softness of the sick bay bed.

"How're you feeling?" he finally spoke. His voice sounded harsh and gravelly in the silence of the cell and I looked up at him, noticing for the first time that his eyes looked troubled.

"Like Beans beat the hell out of me." I answered and I watched as his fists clenched by his side.

I felt the warmth pool through me at the thought that maybe he was just a bit worried about me and I offered him a tentative smile. He didn't return it.

Instead he stepped back until his back hit the wall and he slid to the floor, his legs bent and his hand resting on his knee as he looked at me. Now I was the one staring down at him.

"I could kill them for sending you out there like that." he said this time and I shrugged; or at least tried to until the pain in my chest stopped me.

"They don't think I'm contributing too much to the crew...and really who can blame them; all I do is deliver shit." And I wasn't being melodramatic nor was I feeling angry or particularly sorry for myself; I was simply stating a fact.

"That wasn't their call to make." He gritted out; eyes flashing. I snagged my pillow from the head of the bunk and slowly placed it behind me to support my back.

"Yeah well..."

"Don't you fucking pick up for them Riley. You could have been killed for what they did and now you're in even more danger than before. Beans isn't going to let up after being thrown in solitary." He said harshly; as if I was a child who had done something wrong and he was disappointed in me and wanted me to see the error of my ways. I would have rolled my eyes if my face didn't hurt so much.

"I'm not picking up for them, I'm just telling you like I see it and besides what do you want me to do? Rant and rage and scream about how unfair it all is?" I asked and he glared my way. "What's the point? This is prison, this is how it is and there's nothing I can do about it." I told him and darn if it didn't sound just a bit like I'd given up.

"I'm taking you off deliveries." He said after a minute of silence and I looked at him surprised.

"What? Why? What will I do then?"I questioned and I rubbed my sweaty palms against my pants nervously.

"Nothing. You're' done, it's too risky." He said looking directly into my eyes and I flinched.

"You're kicking me out of the crew?"

He stared at me in confusion for half a second then his eyes flattened in annoyance; "Don't be ridiculous."

I was almost afraid to breathe. "So...you're allowing me to stay and do nothing? Just like that?"

"Yes." He said simply and I shook my head.

"What about the others? They'll be pissed. What if they vote for a new leader?" I said it quickly, my words mashing together.

"They can't overthrow me Riley. Stop worrying about it."

"But how do you know?"

"Just trust me on this." He said and my eyes followed him as he pushed up from the floor. "Get some rest." He said and I grabbed his hand before he could climb onto his bunk.

The instant he looked down at me in surprise I dropped it and lowered my gaze. "I don't mind doing deliveries and if it will prevent problems with the guys I'll do the other stuff too." I told him softly.

I'd do whatever it took because if I was kicked out of the crew for not pulling my weight I was as good as dead and even more than that; I couldn't bear the thought of Nathan losing his position with the others; he deserved to lead.

He did something that surprised me right then; he stooped beside my bed and ran his hand gently though my hair and when he moved it to cup my cheek I looked up at him in shock; my eyes meeting his. His expression was surprisingly gentle as he watched me and when he spoke his voice was soft and warm as the sound bounced off my ears.

"Everything will be fine. Get some rest." He said then straightened up and climbed onto his own bunk.

Silence filled the room and I stroked my cheek which was still tingling from his touch thinking that this was probably the longest conversation we'd had to date.

Author's Notes

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-DoUbLe.A