Page 11 of Delicious Prey

It’s been almost two years since I was brought here, and it’s time for me to get my ass out. The letters from Lydia surround my cell. Some are stacked up on my shelf, some are taped to the walls, and others, my favorites, are on my mattress, nearly split in places because of how many times I’ve read them. She’s opened herself up to me over the last year, and the woman I thought she was pales in comparison to the woman she actually is. I worry about what she’ll do when she sees me in person. I’m fully aware that she’s spilling her most inner thoughts to a man she believes will never be set free, a man she’s convinced she’ll never see again. I expect her to grow distant, to fight me, and to fight her feelings for me, but like I told her before, I’m a patient man, and I’ll wait as long as it takes.

The letters I’ve gotten from Vadim are more disturbing. After holding out as long as he could, Ivan has made peace with Enzo. Vadim thinks Ivan made me the bargaining chip, that he put all the blame on me and convinced Enzo he had no idea I was going to kill Matteo. I wouldn’t put it past Ivan to do something like this. I’m the perfect scapegoat since I’m already in prison. He can claim ignorance, strike a deal with Enzo and end the war. I can’t say I’m shocked by it. I’m going to kill him for it, of course, but I can’t say I’m surprised. I’ve always known what a coward Ivan is. He likes to put on a good show, but he’s always depended on others to do his dirty work. You can’t ever fully trust a man who orders the deaths of others but refuses to get his own hands bloody.

A lot of enemies are going to be waiting for me on the outside, but I can’t keep my little bunny waiting any longer. I need to be with her. Enough time has passed for things to settle down about her dad, and I’ve been a model prisoner since coming into solitary confinement. All eyes are not on me, and I intend to take advantage of that.

Tony is less than thrilled. He leans against the wall while I finish up my weightlifting circuit.

“It’s not a big deal, Tony.”

I almost laugh at how big his eyes get. “Not a big deal? You want me to help you walk right the fuck out of here?”

“I do, and you will.” I meet his eyes, making it very clear that he has no say in this. “You will be paid an additional million dollars for your help. Obviously, you won’t be able to come back here, so you’ll have to run with your family, but you’ll all be alive, and you’ll have money.”

“And if I don’t help you?”

The side of my mouth lifts up in a smirk. “Then you won’t all be alive, and you won’t have money. Your choice, Tony.”

“Not much of a choice,” he mutters.

“Cry me a fucking river,” I tell him, working on my bicep curls. “I’ve been living in a goddamn sardine can for almost two years for a crime that I should never have been convicted of.”

“You’ve killed more people than we even know about, hitman.”

I give him another smirk. “Yes, but you didn’t catch me for any of those. That’s not what I’m serving time for.”

He lets it go, but I can tell he doesn’t agree with my reasoning. After my workout, I take a quick shower before Tony leads me back to my cell. Later that night, he comes back to slip me a package from Vadim and to let me know he’ll do it.

“I never doubted you for a second.” I grab the note and give him a wink that makes him scowl even more than usual. “See you bright and early, Tony.”

After he walks away, I open the package and smile at the maintenance uniform and baseball cap and visitor’s badge. I laugh when I see the ID at the bottom, complete with my face and the name John Smith, because apparently Vadim wanted to make it as boring and inconspicuous as possible. He’s also included a messenger bag because he knows I won’t leave here without my letters and photos.

Everything’s set for tomorrow. Security feed will be set on a loop, and I’ve convinced a couple of the other guards that it’s in their best interest to look the other way. Try not to sound so Russian, John. I’ll be waiting for you outside.

I can’t stop smiling. I’m more than ready to leave this place behind. I’m tired of this tiny cell, I’m tired of having the goddamn toilet less than two feet from my bed, and I’m really tired of fucking my damn hand. Running my finger over my favorite photo of Lydia, I smile and feel my cock start to strain against my pants.

Soon, baby, very soon.

Too excited to sleep, I carefully pack up all my letters and remove all the photos from my cell. I have quite the collection now. Vadim sends me new ones regularly, and there are so many that the white cinderblock walls are almost fully covered. The last thing I add are the pink panties that are, I admit, not looking so great. They’ve been used so much that they’re starting to fall apart. I’m not worried, though, because soon I’m going to have the real thing. By the time I’m done, the bag is filled and my cell looks as empty as it did the first day I arrived.

After managing only a couple hours of sleep, I stand up and peel off the orange pants and shirt that I hope to never fucking see again and step into the maintenance uniform from a company called Smith’s Plumbing. John is stitched onto my shirt pocket. The finishing touch is the baseball cap, and when I look in the small, unbreakable mirror above my sink, I can’t help but smile.

I’m ready when Tony unlocks my door. He takes one look at me and mutters a “Jesus fucking Christ,” while shaking his head and locking my cell back up.

“You don’t like it?” I ask, looking down at my uniform and picking off some imaginary lint while I try not to laugh.

“Try not to look so tall. It’ll be a fucking miracle if we can pull this off.”

“I don’t need a miracle, Tony. I have money.” I don’t mention that I also have threats, because I’m pretty sure Tony is already aware of that. Attachments, like I told Ivan so long ago, will always be weaknesses, and men like me will always find them. I realize Lydia is now my weakness, but I’m not some dumbass who’s going to allow her to be used against me. I’m going to make her untouchable. No one but me will ever be able to get their hands on her.

Tony and I leave the solitary confinement wing and slowly make our way to the front of the prison. I hunch as best I can and try to keep the left side of my face hidden to hide my noticeable scar. My badge gets examined, I try to sound as American as possible, we get buzzed through, and on and on it goes until there’s only a few feet between me and my freedom. The guards in here have all been paid off. I can tell by the look in their eyes. It’s the perfect mix of fear and disgust—fear at being so close to a man who they know is capable of killing them in more ways than they can count, and disgust that they so willingly took my money to look the other way. Ah, the moral dilemma. I smile at them to try and ease their conscience, but that only seems to make it worse, so I just give a small laugh instead. Tony glares at me. I shrug and relinquish my visitor’s badge.

Once I’m outside, I look up at the overcast sky and breathe in a lungful of fresh air. God, I’ve missed this. The prison still hangs on me, making me feel in desperate need of a hot shower. I look over and see Vadim’s black Audi.

“See ya, Tony,” I say, smacking him on the back before I walk to Vadim’s car.

As soon as I sit my ass in that plush passenger seat, I let out a sigh of relief. Vadim grins at me.

“Good to see you, boss.” His eyes run over me. “Goddamn, did you get even bigger in there?”

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