Page 34 of Drop His Mask

The Prisoner

Four Years Ago

The Prisoner’s roommate stumbled back into their cell as the door slammed shut behind him.

“It’s getting worse.” The Prisoner stood up. He wanted to help, but he was still chained to the wall. Just as he had been since he arrived.

He hadn’t been tortured,physicallyat least, not since Nightingale had come, but in some ways this cruelty was worse.

His Griffin gang roommate sat up unsteadily. Before falling to the concrete again, he turned his head to face him. A ruthless smirk forming. “It won’t be much longer now. My brother will be here within the month. I can make it until then.”

“How can you be so certain? How can your brother even help you here?” The Prisoner rolled his head, stretching it. Nightingale still hadn’t returned…but maybe… “I told you. When I get out of here I’ll be thrown in the fuckingmurder game,and I will win it and then I will come back here and save you.”

The Griffin gang member laughed, a full belly noise, before he broke into a spluttering cough. He groaned. “You’re either delusional or an idiot. Have you seen the winner of the last game anywhere? Heard about him?”

“No, but that doesn’t—”

“You won’t ‘win’ anything special in that fucking game. The prize is yourlife. Nothing more. Nothing less.” The Griffin gang member finally managed to sit up. He brought up a hand wiping the blood from his nose. “You don't want to leave with me when my brother comes? Fine. I'll still come find and save youifyou win the game.”

“You have to save my daughter, too.” The words left The Prisoner’s lips before he could pull them back.

In the last few months with his newfound cell mate, they had spoken of many things, but never anything too deep, and he had neverevermentioned Sparrow before.

“You…you have adaughter? A natural born? Where is her mother?” The Griffin gang member stood up on shaky legs, stomping until he was right in The Prisoner’s face. “You need to tell me! Is it Raven?”

Dread pooled in The Prisoner’s gut.

Had this all been a farce? Someone sent to find Raven?

“You’ll never find her!” Julian snarled, leaning back before swinging his head forward and headbutting the man with all his strength.

The man fell back onto the ground with anoomph.

Before The Prisoner could do anything else, their door swung open.

Nightingale stepped into the room, sweeping a haughty glance around the space. “You have a friend?” She swung her leg back, kicking the man with her boot.

The Griffin gang member didn’t react. Instead, he focused his attention on The Prisoner. “Keep Sparrow safe. I will come for you. For both of you,” he whispered.

Uncertainty crept through The Prisoner, but he didn’t have time to process it.

Nightingale swept her hands towards the guards behind her. “Take this asshole out of here! Put him across from his othermen. The ones who betrayed him.”

“But—” one of the guards began to argue, but before he could say anything more, Nightingale was spinning around.

A gunshot echoed painfully loud around the space, followed by a thud as the guard dropped to the ground.

The other hurriedly jumped forward, grabbing hold of the Griffin gang member and dragging him away.

Except…

Realization shot through The Prisoner. He tried to jolt forward but the restraints held him in place.

Betrayed by his men?

He wasn’t just amemberof the Griffin gang.

“TheGriffin?”

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