Page 11 of Jackson

“Stupid girl,” he barks. “I’ll kill you.”

Xander is the guard to reach me first, and he pulls me back as another guard takes Hound and jerks him away, barking something in his ear that has him smiling in my direction. He’s not scared, why would he be? He knows he rules this place. Xander turns me toward the exits and begins ushering me to walk, heading toward the medical center.

My mind is spinning with every step I take, and I can’t think.

“He set that up,” I whisper to Xander. “He’s going to kill me.”

I don’t even realize I’m pressing a hand to my stomach.

“I won’t let him kill you.”

But really ... is there anything he can do to stop him?

Hound is determined, and smarter than I first thought.

He’s going to find a way to get to me.

I need to get out of here.

Now.

4 – Jackson

“You’re goin’ to need to sit down, Pres,” Cade murmurs, his voice careful. “I got a call from the prison.”

My chest immediately clenches as I hold my breath, terrified the next words that come out of his mouth will be that she’s dead.

Someone got to her.

“Tell me she’s still breathin’,” I rasp, my voice barely audible.

“She’s alive, but Hound stabbed her.”

I see red, and, for a minute, all I can hear is white noise as my world seems to come to a standstill.

Hound stabbed her.

That motherfucker is going to kill her.

He’s going to kill my girl.

“Where is she?” I bark, my fist flying out and sending the contents of my desk off and onto the floor. “Fuck, tell me where she is. How the fuck did he get near her? They’re meant to be separated. What sort of fucking prison is it?”

“He has a hand in every pie. It happened during groundwork. That guard has got her in protection, but they can’t keep her there forever. She’s okay, it’s just superficial, but we need to move this plan forward.”

“Tell me we’ve got somethin’ on that guard?”

My chest is heaving with the complete and utter agony rushing through my veins.

Fuck.

I need to get her out.

“We do. Turns out he owes some money for an old gambling debt. He’s been managing to avoid trouble, but from what I know, they’re closin’ in on him. We can use that to our advantage. He helps us, we make them disappear.”

It could work.

“How much money?” I growl.

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