Page 96 of Fierce Monarch

Dread pooled in my stomach, and I thanked every deity I remembered that Mari wasn’t in here. “You have Aces in here?”

“Yes, and they’re insane. Genuinely, certifiably insane. None of them should be in gen pop. I have no clue how they weren’t hospitalized instead of jailed.”

A shitty justice system, probably, but I didn’t say that.

A loud bell preceded a guard’s voice echoing through the cellblock. “Inmates, on your feet. Time for chow.”

Killer walked with me to the now-open door, holding me back before I left the cell. “I’ve got your back out there. The Aces have been out for blood.”

As we stepped into line, I thought about what Mari had said and realized she was right. We needed to remind people that we had power everywhere, even in jail. My job was to take care of problems that didn’t need her attention, so I’d send a few messages while I was inside and get back to the real world before I caught a knife in the back.

Easy.

The mess hall was uncomfortably quiet. There were low conversations, but the tension was thick enough to snap. “Is it usually like this?”

“No.” Even his voice was tense, and I could see his eyes darting everywhere.

That’s comforting…not.

We edged forward a bit more in line, with Killer nearly plastered to my back. It was honestly as safe as possible. Or, I’d thought it was.

I stepped up to get my food, when two big bodies shifted beside me. “What the?—”

They moved quicker than I expected, snatching me away from Killer and shoving me into the kitchen, where another man waited. The move was so smooth and practiced, I wasn’t surprised not a single guard had noticed.

It definitely wasn’t their first time.

“Dominic Marcosa, underboss to that bitch. You’re worth a lot of money.”

My fists clenched at the disrespect, but I held myself back. Taking two of them down wouldn’t normally be a problem, but the third was an added difficulty, especially when my eyes and lungs were still fucked from the fire.

Did I show them any of that? No. I was Mari Marcosa’s underboss, and I didn’t cower for anything. I threw my arms out to the side, cocky as always. “Well, let’s go, then.”

I held my own fine for a while. The first guy went down in a shower of bloody curses and broken teeth. The second went down in silence with a right hook to the eye, but as I went to finish the third, I made a critical error.

Never take your eyes off your opponent.

My focus had shifted to the third asshole, so I didn’t see the first one get back on his feet. Didn’t even know he’d moved until the flash of movement caught my eye. I twisted, avoiding a straight shot to the kidney, but he still stabbed me.

Motherfucker, that hurt.

Grunting, I angled my body so I could see all three of them, berating myself for the mistake. “You think that’s enough to take me out?”

“Maybe not right away, but it’ll get you eventually. Unfortunately, the boss said we had to make it messy.”

Of course he did.

I straightened, ready to take them all on, when the door slammed open to reveal my pissed-off bunkie. He took one look at me, eyes narrowed on where I held my side, and the nice kid from my cell was gone.

Killer charged in, face tight and fists flying. “I told you they were out for blood. If you don’t kill them, they pop back up like roaches.”

Feeling the blood seep through my fingers, I had to agree. “Figured that out, thanks.”

With Montgomery’s help, we quickly killed the three men, not even bothering to drag them farther into the kitchen where they couldn’t be stumbled upon. “Any idea how to get these guys out of here?”

I didn’t know much about prison, but I knew bed check was a thing. If I ever wanted to leave, I had to make sure the bodies couldn’t be traced back to me.

“We’ve got a cleaner in-house.”

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