Page 31 of Rat

He got to his feet and went to join Einstein and Vince who had retreated to another table with pleased smiles stretching their lips.

“Bastard,” Rory hissed under his breath.

Despite begging and pleading with Captain to change his mind, Captain refused to see the therapist. Rory agreed to meet Captain and Ollie in the gym to watch another of their sessions but needed to take his painkillers first.

Less than five minutes later, with the bitter pills still making their way down Rory’s throat, he found himself in the corridor with Pauly. He caught a glimpse of the officer at the end, but she was distracted, chatting to an inmate, one of Pauly’s friends, who blocked her view.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

“Worse now,” Rory muttered.

Pauly clucked his tongue. “That’s not very nice.”

He pressed his hand on Rory’s bad side, making him whimper and knock his head back to the wall.

“That idiot thinks he can watch you all the time, but throw a damsel in distress in his way and he’s distracted.”

“What?”

“Right now, Captain’s helping one of my buddies in the gym.” Pauly pouted. “Twisted ankle, or pulled hamstring, I can’t remember…”

Pauly ran his fingers up Rory’s neck into his hair. “So soft…”

“Take your hand off me.”

“It’s not hurting, is it?”

“I don’t like it.”

Pauly dug his nails in, and Rory shuddered. “Look at that, I think youdolike it.”

“Get off me.”

Pauly leaned closer. “Have you worked out who stabbed you yet?”

“I have an idea,” Rory said, staring Pauly in the eye.

Pauly chuckled. “If you think I had anything to do with it, you’re sadly mistaken.” His eyes narrowed. “Come on, kid, even though you haven’t been here long, you know who has the biggest influence on the wing.”

Rory swallowed. “Sebastian wasn’t even there.”

“Of course he wouldn’t do it himself.” Pauly pressed the tip of his nose into Rory’s. “But mark my words, it was him.”

One second Pauly had his nose resting on Rory’s, and the next he was gone, wind whooshing past Rory’s face.

Sebastian had Pauly pinned one-handed against the wall. His right hand, his killing hand, tightened, then relaxed around Pauly’s neck.

“Don’t,” Rory said, grabbing his arm.

“Don’t what?”

“You’re out of here in less than nine months, don’t mess it up.”

Sebastian’s snarl lessened, then he smirked. “Relax, I’m not going to kill him. I’m just going to give him a friendly warning to back off.”

“Oh…” Rory let go of Sebastian’s arm.

Sebastian smiled, then his expression soured when he looked at Pauly. The change was terrifying, and Rory took a step back. Sebastian’s nostrils flared, his eyes were unblinking, and his lips curled back into a snarl. Rory imagined it was the same expression he had when he killed Lester Yates.

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