Page 103 of The Rat

Pauly raised his hands. “Okay, okay … Rory,your cellmate, the one you’ve been fucking for the past few months… he’s an undercover police officer.”

Rory couldn’t breathe, hecouldn’t think, all he could do was watch emotions play out onSebastian’s face. He turned to Rory, and Rory saw the disbelief in his eyes,and it made everything worse. He’d wanted anger, fury, betrayal,but not disbelief, disbelief meant he trusted Rory.

“You’re lying…” Sebastiansnapped.

“No, I’m not.” Pauly snorted. “He was here toget information on you, seduced his way into your bed so he couldstab you in the back.”

Rory clutched the railing.Somany eyeswere on them, so many ears were listening. He couldn’t see Captainor Ollie, and prayed they were somewhere else, in the gym oroutside in the yard. This was not the way he wanted them to findout.

Sebastian looked at Rory again,fixed him witha cold stare, the one that could stop Rory’s heart, thenhis expression softened, and he shook his head.

“No.”

“Yes,” Pauly growled.

Sebastian chuckled, then clapped hishands in slow applause. “How long did it take you to come up withthat?”

“What?”

“That bullshit, how long? Rory breaks yourbones, so you make up some stupid story, so I’ll attack him. It’snot gonna work.”

Rory’sweakened heart was being pushed downthe hole of despair once again. He bowed over, and put his hands onhis knees.

“He’s doneyou good.” Paulysmirked.

“Looking at that bandage on yourface, I’d say he’d done you good. The whole wing’s been talking about it, Rorybeating you unconscious. Your little bandana wearing friendsdenying they were behind you … most of them were only pretending inthe first place … for me.”

“You’re lying…”

“We laughed at you, you thinkingyou had some power in the prison, you thinking you might be able to take me on.I’m everywhere in this prison, and you were a fool to forgetit.”

“Fuck you.”

“You’re nothing in here, Pauly, and afterI’m gone, someone else will take over the wing, and you’ll still benothing.”

Pauly roared andlaunched atSebastian. The guards rushed up from the ground floor, shovinginmates aside, trying to get to the two men killing eachother.

“Lock down!”

The siren started blaring, butno one moved. They watched as Sebastian grabbed Pauly by thethroat, pulsedhis fingers around his windpipe like he’d done to Lestersixteen years before. Pauly struggled against the hold and flailedfor breath. His lips turned blue, and his eyes bulged from theirsockets, then Sebastian let him go.

Pauly fell to his knee,splutteringand gasping, and Sebastian raised his hands in the air, ready forthe guards to swoop on him.

“Back to yourcell!”

Rory let himself be manhandled by a guard,and shoved in his cell. They were restraining Sebastian, leadinghim away, and Rory knew him and Pauly were heading forsolitary.

The door slammed on Rory’s face.He pressed his forehead toit and sunk down to the floor.

ChapterNineteen

“This is the first timewe’veactually met…”

He didn’t know why, but he’dexpected the governor to bebigger, taller, wider, but he was a skinny manwith bushy eyebrows, and even bushier hair.

Rory followed him into theoffice and sat down at his desk. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“This whole undercover operation,highly unorthodox. I’ll admit I wasn’t happy with the idea, concerned overyour safety more than anything, and when you were stabbed, I triedto call it off, but Hamish was persistent.”

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