Page 112 of Rat

He ran to the stairs, tripped and hit his knee, earning him a cheer from the rowdy inmates around the pool table. Rory ignored them, pushed past people on his way up the stairs, all to get to the second floor, to stop Pauly from revealing his secret.

“I know something you don’t know,” Pauly said in a sing-song voice, loud enough that Rory heard it.

Sebastian folded his arms. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah!”

Rory brushed by Pauly and grabbed Sebastian’s arm. His heart drummed so hard he thought he might pass out from the force of it. He swayed on his feet and panted open-mouthed as his eyes stung.

“Easy, Rory,” Sebastian murmured. “What’s happened?”

“I need to talk to you.”

Pauly smirked. He’d stopped two metres away from them. “Don’t you want to know what I do? It’s a one-time offer. Hear it now…”

Sebastian tore his gaze from Rory. “What the hell are you on about?”

“Let’s go in the cell,” Rory begged. He squeezed Sebastian’s arm. “Please. I need…I need to talk to you.”

“In a minute.” Sebastian lifted his chin towards Pauly. “I want to hear what this arsehole’s got to say.”

Other inmates were looking their way, edging closer, eager to hear their conversation. Rory pulled at Sebastian’s arm, but he didn’t move. He had tunnel vision for Pauly. They squared off against each other.

Sebastian brushed Rory’s hand away and closed the gap between himself and Pauly until their chests collided. “Come on, out with it…”

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, he couldn’t think, all he could do was watch emotions play out on Sebastian’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…” Sebastian snapped.

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

Rory clutched the railing. So many eyes were on them, so many ears were listening. He couldn’t see Captain or Ollie and prayed they were somewhere else, in the gym or outside in the yard. That was not the way he wanted them to find out.

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

“No.”

“Yes,” Pauly growled.

Sebastian chuckled, then clapped his hands in slow applause. “How long did it take you to come up with that?”

“What?”

“That bullshit, how long? Rory breaks your bones, so you make up some stupid story, so I’ll attack him. It’s not going to work. You’re not turning me against him.”

Rory’s fractured heart was being pushed down the hole of despair once again. He bowed over, put his hands on his knees and tried to breathe.

“He’s done you good.” Pauly smirked.

“Looking at that bandage on your face, I’d say he’s done youbetter.” Sebastian smiled. “The whole wing’s been talking about it, Rory beating you unconscious. Your little bandana-wearing friends denying they were behind you. Most of them were only pretending in the first place…for me.”

“Bullshit,” Pauly snarled.

“We laughed at you, you thinking you 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 forget it.”

“Fuck you.”

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