Page 29 of Judas
Squeezing the sides of her neck, my tongue snakes out and I lick right across her full pout. I hold her glare, not allowing mine to evade her own icy stare—no blinking, no surrender, full of unapologetic challenge. Saliva transfers from my tongue to her lips as I drag it across the flesh, tasting her, breathing our shared air in at the same time. A faint hint of something watermelon-strawberry flavored ignites my tastebuds explosively—gum, or maybe toothpaste.
I almost see the appeal in dominating a woman. She’s smooth against me, fits perfectly in my hand when it tightens around her skinny throat. Warmth radiates from her smaller body, while mine has felt cold since the day I was forced to leave my old life behind. If it wasn’t for the curve of my pregnancy, I would consider feeling more of her against me. Silly, stupid thing may have initiated this little interaction—commendable yet ignorant—but it’s mine to control. I might have just been delivered to this penitentiary but there’s no fucking chance I’ll let anyone punk me or make me their bitch.
Concentrating, I recognize a bit of myself in her. Freshly damaged, ready to destroy, angry.
Misery loves company.
Losing Kace has been one of the worst things to happen to me. Safe to say, my conviction doesn’t compare to the severity of shit that’s taken place in my life. Now I have this… imp.
The cell block grows quiet once they catch on to the power exchange between us. The atmosphere feels foreboding, dicey, and it causes the hairs on the nape of my neck to stand at end. I pick up every new shift in the air like the pectines of a scorpion. They’ve heard of me, they think I killed a man in cold blood after assaulting him, all in the middle of a maximum security prison. So, I’m going to live up to it as long as I am in here—might just be the thing that keeps me alive.
“Use your words or I’ll lay you the fuck out right here and show everyone what good of a bottom you’ll make,” I croon.
“Name’s Fury, and I follow. You’ve got gumption, I like that,” she replies.
Cute little street name, I guess.
“You’re either on the hunt to be initiated, or the ringleader herself. If you think I’m a dumb bitch and don’t know how this shit works, you’re a brainless shitbag. Go ahead and tell me what the fuck you’re after.”
Bracing myself when I sense her move, she then puts up both hands in surrender. Takes me a bit, but I back off, giving her another shove and allow my arms to fold over my chest. They fucking hurt and feel like they’re about to rupture, if not leak through every piece of clothing I’m wearing.
“Friend of yours reached out to a friend of mine few months back. Requesting your protection. Lucky me…“ she purrs with a sly glint in her eye “…I was already here.”
Interesting.
Since, you know, I don’t actually have friends. They all hightailed it, as I assumed they would. And even though he was Kace’s friend, I haven’t seen Matias since I left Darkwater. Was it him? He was the only one around at the time that knew I was likely going to get convicted and tossed into here. Guy has connections, being linked with the Cartel and all, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if he pulled a few strings for me. Out of guilt, I suppose. His best friend did go missing and his woman was arrested. Criminals protect criminals they trust, yeah?
“Go on,” prompting her.
As she speaks, something nags me at the back of my skull. One of those almost spidey-senses, but not quite as dangerous. As if there’s something I’m just not remembering and should. I’m closing in on the end of eight months, don’t ask me the week count—it doesn’t matter—so a few months ago would have been around five or six, right? Unless her interpretation of the word ‘few’ is skewed. But that nagging feeling won’t go away.
“Hold on, how long ago was a ‘few’? Fury, is it?” I ask while she's still in the middle of flapping her gums.
“Don’t take too kindly to being interrupted. I’ll give you this once to make that mistake. Don’t let it happen again. If you’re talking about the call, right after you were taken into custody.”
I stare at her for a second or two, waiting so I don’t interrupt her and ruffle her delicate feathers.
“That was more than a few months ago. It was only around three months when they took me in and I’m about to go into my ninth,” Replying, weighing the information Fury offered and what I feel like I know.
“Time melds in jail, you ought to know that. But, like I was saying, Xavier gave me strict instructions to keep you whole and alive. That said, yes, I’m a so-called ringleader but not the typical kind you find here. You’ve got the sisterhood, offshoot of the AB—your biggest fans.”
Don’t lash out just yet, Nadia, she’s going to fuck with you every day until she leaves or you do.
Unimpressed with her comedy and childishness, I wait for her to go on.
“Eighteen and Sur 13 are our Hispanic groups, then you have the Bloodlettes. None of which have an issue with you since your man was white, and the one that connected you with Xavier is Cartel.”
Darting my eyes across her features, then out into the open space of the cell block, I pull at the thoughts on the edge of my memories. Cartel, Cartel, Cartel… the only one that had that connection was definitely Matias. Friends or not, he wouldn’t stick his neck out for an officer, which can only mean one thing.
“I just want you to know that you will be taken care of… wherever you go, you will be taken care of… your man… he loved you, you know.”
Kace—he did it. Matias connected Kace to whoever the hell this Xavier is, and now he’s arranged for me to have protection.Jesus Christ. I can’t help but wonder if Kace knew Lucien was going to get to him, or that something terrible was on the horizon. Why didn’t he tell me about it? There was that instance where he choked me out, after I refused to take time off, but… fuck, was that IT!?
My thoughts are pouring from every damn angle now, shifting puzzle pieces, things coming to light that I wasn’t fucking aware of. Chunks of information I should have been privy to now linger around like shadows.
Fuck… FUCK FUCKING FUCK!
Fading out for a second, my heart races in the cavity of my chest the longer I over analyze everything. He did it all for me, even in a fucking hole somewhere he had enough power to make sure we’ll be okay… without him.
