Page 35 of Auctioned to the Prisoners

Nothing.

13

LORY

FREE WILL

I want to cry, not for myself, but for Hyde. For all his brokenness and the hurt he carries deep in his soul. For the innocent little boy, he was at some point and the man he could have become.

Life can be so hard. It’s been hard for me, but I’m lucky that I had a grandmother who kept me out of trouble. My past trauma lurks behind me, sometimes creeping closer, but it doesn’t have me hooked in the gut like Hyde’s.

I hate that name. It’s not his real one; it’s just a stupid nickname someone gave him to highlight his volatility. He swings between light and dark so quickly it’s given me whiplash, but now he’s sated as he rests his head on my chest, sucking my nipple softly.

He cried with regret at the way he was with me, but I wasn’t angry with him, not in the way I would have been if Kinkaid or Rock treated me the same. His goodness is bright beneath the pendulum swing of his emotions. He doesn’t always know what he’s doing but has a moral core that will show him the way. He just needs a little nudge in the right direction, and I’m happy to give it to him. I need to keep myself safe in this place.

I thread my fingers through Hyde’s hair, careful not to touch his back or thighs. I have a sense of what’s back there, and it must be bad enough for him to want to hide it. I’d stay this way for as long as he needs me to, but when I hear the code being tapped into the door and voices in the hall, Hyde flinches and raises his head like a meerkat, sensing trouble.

Maybe he recognizes the voice, or maybe he’s just ready to disengage, but he’s up and off the bed, tucking away his dick.“Stay here,” he says gruffly, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

I quickly dress as the rumble of voices gets louder. I’m just adjusting the waistband of my leggings when the door is thrown open.

A man I don’t recognize, wearing a guard uniform, ducks his head in. In his hand, a baton swings menacingly. When he catches sight of me, his eyes bug open, and then a slow, sly grin twists his rat-like features. “What do we have in here?” He bangs the baton against the door, and I flinch.

“Nothing that you need to worry about,” Hyde growls from behind.

“There’s a woman in an all-male prison, a woman in a room that stinks of sex, and you don’t think I should be worried about it?”

“I’m here of my own free will,” I say, desperate to defuse the situation. Behind the man, Kinkaid’s face comes into view, his eyes frantically searching for me.

“Free will or not, you shouldn’t be here.”

“You need to talk to Grady,” Kinkaid says, his expression as flat as it’s ever been. He doesn’t like this man or trust him, and I understand why. There’s a darkness about the guard’s energy, malicious intent that’s oozing from every pore. It’s there in his smirk and the way his smile doesn’t touch his eyes.

“Grady, huh? What’s that old bastard got to do with a woman and three rogue prisoners in a deserted prison wing?”

Kinkaid doesn’t answer, and Rock and Hyde stay quiet behind him, too. I guess they’re stuck, unable to spill the reason I’m here because of the risk to Grady and themselves.

“So, it’s like that.” The man approaches me, reaching out to touch a strand of my hair. His breath is stale and infested with the taint of old cigarette smoke and beer. My stomach roils.

Over his shoulder, Kinkaid fights to keep hold of his restraint. Whoever this man is, he’s in a position of authority, and messing with him isn’t worth it, but as Kinkaid’s fists flex at his sides, I sense he will if I’m threatened.

“Pretty little thing,” the man says. “You fucking these men, sweetheart?” He bends closer to me and inhales. “It smells of pussy in here.”

“Don’t…” It’s Rock’s voice this time, low and calm but laced with threat.

“You know,” the man says, “if you’re offeringservicesdown here, and Grady’s cool with it, maybe I need to get in on the act. Get myself some sweet forbidden cunt.” He circles me and I don’t move.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Wilson?” Hyde says darkly. “Sloppy fourths?” His laugh comes out maniacally, and the man flinches and steps back.

Wilson’s weasel face falls. I guess he’s not so keen to share pussy with the men he’s paid to control.

My limbs are frozen, and my eyes are wide and glued on the men vibrating with tension. When Wilson’s arm goes around my neck, I gasp and grip the flesh of his forearm as he hauls me into his body. “Maybe this bitch could be mine.”

Kinkaid and Hyde are a blur, crossing the room as Wilson tightens his grip. I choke as the bones of his forearm dig into my windpipe, and then I’m suddenly released.

I fall to the floor, my hands and knees hitting at the same time. Kinkaid’s voice behind me is cold as death. “You lay another fucking finger on her, and it won’t just be you we snuff out. It’ll be everyone you share blood and air with outside these walls. Do you understand me?”

I turn in time to watch him release Wilson, who stumbles forward, the baton flailing. I guess having it didn’t help him avoid Kinkaid’s grip.

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