Page 14 of White Rabbit

I rub my head awkwardly. “Oh, I’m not…I’m not sad. Just a little drunk.”

“Is that your boyfriend?” Her glacial blue eyes narrow as she looks out to the dance floor below. Chad is dancing with Tiffany and Jeremy, with Tiff sandwiched between the two as they laugh. Has he even realized that I’ve gone or is he too out of it?

“Hmmm, yeah.”

“Do you love him?”

I blink. “What? That’s a strange thing to ask…”

“It is easy question.” She blows more smoke rings, the little clouds evaporating into the air.

Did I love him? He was good to me. Had a good job, was responsible, and wanted to settle down. Loved me. Wasn’t that enough?

Anoushka clearly doesn’t think so, her expression unimpressed. A bodyguard I hadn't noticed earlier steps forward from the shadows to whisper something in her ear and offer her an ashtray. She nods, and he melts away into the darkness once again.

“Hmmm, I think it is time to eat the bullet, no?” She clicks her tongue and waves her hand again, looking oddly terrifying, like a ruthless queen overseeing her court. “If my boyfriend did not notice I was gone, did not care and I could not say if I loved him easily—I would end it.”

It seemed so simple when she said it like that, but it wasn’t that cut and dry. We had four years of history together and I owed it to him to keep trying. I was the one holding us back with my wavering.

I offer her a weak smile. “I think you mean bite the bullet…”

“Perhaps.” She shrugs, looking unbothered as her cigarette rests between her red lips. “But I could make him eat it. If you wanted.”

“Do it with your whole heart, or not at all. Da?” She gets to her feet and I realize just how tall she is, and how perfect her skin is up close as she hands me a back business card embossed in gold. “Call me. I will shoot the shit.”

As she walks away, I flip the card over, moving my fingers over the raised texture as I let her words sink in. “Wait! You…you mean chat, don’t you? Just chat, right?”

She looks back over her shoulder as the corner of her mouth lifts into a smirk.

Chapter Nine

ELIJAH

Iignore the two men fucking in the next shower as I lather up my hair and rinse, watching the soap suds swirling down the drain. I’d gotten a glimpse of Officer Bishop at breakfast this morning, but something had been different about her. She looked tired and worn down as she’d supervised inmate duties, and I didn't like it.

I’d been allowed a shower earlier today since I was meeting with my lawyer, and they obviously wanted it to look like I was well cared for. As I finished rinsing out my hair, I realized I was well overdue for a cut. Long hair behind bars was asking for trouble in a fight, and besides, I’d look good bald, so I wasn’t vain about my hair. It would always grow back. I make a mental note to ask Beans about who the barber in this place was as I dry off.

Once I’m dressed and the two fuckers in the next cubicle have finally come with loud grunts, I’m cuffed and led into one of the interview rooms. They’re not anything special, just like the rest of Ogmore Grange, plain gray walls with a two-way mirror and a camera in the corner of the room. The furniture is simple, a table with two chairs positioned opposite one another.

The officers escorting me unlock my cuffs once I’m seated, and I raise a brow. It was unusual to be out of restraints when meeting with people from outside the prison. My suspicions are further piqued when they take up positions outside the door, rather than inside.

A few moments later, a tall blond man with sharp green eyes enters, wearing a navy suit and a crisp white shirt. He’s carrying a briefcase, which he places on the table before grabbing my arm and pulling me into a hug.

“It took you long enough, fucker.” I mumble into Julian’s ear as I slap him on the back. A quick glance at the camera shows me the little red light has gone out—the power of having an Asaro for legal representation. The fact he’s head of a mafia organization is just a bonus.

“I was tied up in a ridiculous amount of red tape, Eli.”

He sighs, and we finally pull apart. “I mean, an insane amount. Your case was practically mummified in the fucking stuff.”

“Well, what were you expecting? The whole thing has been suspicious since the day I was arrested. And that joke of a trial?” I scoff, taking my seat again.

“I can get you out tomorrow?—”

“No.”

Jules’ brows rise in surprise as I hold up my hand, motioning for him to slow down. “I’m not done here. Someone knows something. Too many pieces on the board revolve around this shitty prison.”

Why was I sent here? Why was I placed near Cartel members? And Officer Bishop, if she really was Judge Walters daughter, what was her role in all of this?

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