Page 4 of Rat

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Why you find it hard to look at me.”

He left the cell. Rory slumped forward and pressed his forehead into the mattress.

He had to befriend Sebastian, not get on his bad side. The assignment relied on him striking up a bond with the criminal, but their first exchange had been anything but friendly.

Rory looked up at the sound of a knock.

Ollie stepped into the cell, then checked over his shoulder. “Glad I’m not the only one.”

“What?”

“Your cellmate, the silver fox, looks like a psycho too.”

“Who are you sharing with?”

Ollie scrunched his face. “Teddy Saul.”

Rory frowned. As a name went, it seemed friendly enough. “How long’s he in for?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t speak.”

“Doesn’t speak?”

“I asked the officer about him; Teddy’s not said a word since he arrived here ten years ago. The officer doesn’t think he can speak.”

Rory widened his eyes at the ten years—Teddy’s crime must’ve been severe for him to still be inside after ten.

“He grunted at me when he saw me, and I said hello in reply. That’s as far as our conversation has gone.”

“Me and Sebastian haven’t exactly hit it off either.”

Rory opened the small closet and shoved his clothes in the spare space. Sebastian might have looked at him like he wanted him dead, but he at least had the manners to clear him a space.

“Breakfast’s happening below.”

Rory nodded. “Then we’d better get to it.”

They walked back out on to the landing, and most of the curious faces were distracted by food. Rory wrinkled his nose at the smell of burned toast and watery egg. There was a line, but many inmates walked in front of them and got served first. They didn’t protest but lowered their gazes and waited for their turn.

The toast was black, and no amount of scraping the charred bread could revive it. The eggs were at least edible, and the coffee, although weak, was soothing to Rory’s taste buds.

Ollie pointed out Teddy. “That’s my cellmate.”

Teddy sat at a table by himself and scooped eggs into his mouth like he was pressed for time. Bald head, but he made up for it with a dark beard. He wore a tank top, and although less muscular than Sebastian and Captain, he was still pretty defined.

Ollie leaned closer. “Looks crazy, don’t he?”

“He might be all right.”

“What about your cellmate?”

Sebastian was engaged in intense conversation with two other inmates. His lips stopped moving, he frowned, and then he looked at Rory. Rory spluttered his coffee, drawing the unwanted attention of the table behind them. The inmates laughed, and one of the group sat up straight to speak to them.

“Can’t handle your drink, sweetheart?”

Rory didn’t reply to the man. He wiped the coffee off the table with his sleeve and didn’t glance back.

“Didn’t you hear me,sweetheart?”

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