Page 114 of Rat

“I lied before I went into prison, and I lied while I was here, but I don’t want to lie now that I’m leaving.”

The governor frowned. “What do you mean?”

“My time here is over. Sebastian’s in solitary, but his release, as far as I know, is still going ahead on Friday.”

“The officers saw Pauly attack first. Sebastian will still be released as planned.”

“I want to talk to him before I go.”

The governor sighed, then shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“It was all I could think about when we were locked down. I wrote him a letter that explains who I am and what I was doing here.” He lifted the folded piece of paper up for the governor to see. “Please let me give it to him.”

“He’s in solitary.”

“I know, but I need to do this.”

The governor looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. “I’ll go down there with you and open the hatch so you can give it to him.”

“Thank you.”

The governor squeezed his eyes shut. His shoulders dropped, then he whispered, “Your sister.”

Rory shook his head. He couldn’t think about Erica.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” the governor asked.

Rory hesitated before slowly nodding. “I’d like to see Ollie and Captain. I came in with them. They were supposed to just be my cover, but they became a lot more than that. I owe them an explanation.”

“Okay,” the governor said softly. “I can do that.”

He picked up the phone on his desk, and it connected immediately. “Can you send Oliver Linton and Benjamin Tracy to my office?”

Rory closed his eyes and heard the governor putting the phone back in the holder. They waited in silence for a few minutes, then Rory asked with a croak in his voice, “Can I speak to them alone?”

The governor sighed. “I’ll wait outside.”

Rory listened to the governor getting to his feet, walking to the door, then passing through it. He released a slow breath and flexed his aching hands. It didn’t seem like much time had passed before the door opened again, and he looked over.

“What the hell is going on?” Ollie blurted, rushing into the room. Captain came in after him and stopped Ollie from coming any closer to Rory by gripping his shoulder.

“There’s…something I need to tell you,” Rory whispered.

“As long as it’s not about you being a police officer.” Ollie snorted.

Rory didn’t answer.

Ollie continued. “We heard Pauly tried to wind up Sebastian. He wanted him to attack you, but Sebastian saw through it.”

Rory got to his feet. “What Pauly said was true.”

“What?” Ollie snorted. “No, it isn’t.”

“It is, Ollie. I’m undercover. I was sent here to gather information on Sebastian. To unearth his plans for when he was released.”

Captain closed his eyes as he exhaled. Ollie pushed Captain’s hand from his shoulder and took a step closer. His skin paled, and he shook his head. “No.”

“I’m sorry.”

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