“We’ll find you another,” Prescott chuckles. “But hey, not to worry: there’s still weeks before the election. You can enjoy her all you want until then, and then she won’t be your problem anymore.”
“Sounds good,” I say, getting up to leave.
I won’t press him again about Byron — I definitely won’t raise my concerns about him personally. There’s no point. Quinn was right about Prescott — he hasn’t gone astray because of Lance, this is who he is.
I’ve never had to struggle so hard to keep a shit-eating grin on my face. Part of me wants to throttle Prescott right now. He wouldn’t see it coming. If I kept it quiet, I could get away from the mansion before anyone found out. But could I get back to the prison before Byron got word? It’s a two-hour drive.
Too risky.
“Hold on a second, Reed,” he says.
My feet feel like lead as I stop. “Yeah?”
Prescott gets up and laces his fingers together in front of his waist. “I appreciate that you’ve worked for me a long time and that you were Lance’s only true friend. I want to make you a promise. Byron is the warden at Walker and always will be. You can’t have his job. But, I understand that you need to be able to advance and realize your full potential.”
“Okay,” I say, not sure where he’s going with this.
“So, I’m going to pull some strings with Jonah. Between the two of us, we’ll get your criminal record expunged. Combine that with your lengthy work experience in… corrections and a glowing recommendation from a sitting U.S. congressman, and you’ll be able to get a job anywhere. We’d miss you at Walker, and I’m not saying you should go, but I owe you the option.”
Wow.
Is this for real?
“Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”
Prescott smiles. “It’s nothing. Don’t mention it. Now, I’ve got a party to get back to.”
He wraps his arm around me to lead me out. I take one more glance back at the unconscious woman on the couch as we leave. After saying my goodbyes, I practically sprint to my car.
I have to get back to Walker. I have to tell Quinn she was right and figure out how we’re going to take down Prescott, once and for all.
Chapter 29
I barely sleep after Jacqueline’s visit. Excitement and hope keep me wired. I smile into my pillow for at least an hour. Though I’m still miserable about Reed, winning over the other prisoners makes me happy enough to forget about him for a while. I could be wallowing in the depths of darkness right now but I’m not — the other women are finally on my side. Together we’re going to get out of this place.
Of course, I have no illusion that they’ll stop earning me punishments — they have to keep up appearances. That’s fine — I can take it. Knowing that we’re going to work together when it matters — that far outweighs the pain of getting whipped.
As we march to the showers together and eat breakfast I feel there’s an energy between us. I could be imagining it, but I feel when I look at each prisoner, she looks back at me with understanding. Our nods to each other are subtle but I see them. We’re like a nest of vipers, coiled and ready to strike. How many of them saw what I did to Corbin and wished they were the one to drive in the knife? How many of them have their sights set on Hunter, Edwin and Byron?
And Reed.
I hope that if he helps us they’ll forgive him, but I have to accept that they may not — especially Amber.
He’s there when we get to the workshop, looking exhausted. He keeps his face blank and unreadable like usual, so I have no idea what he’s thinking.
Today Jacqueline waits until we’re half an hour into our sewing before she slouches in her seat and cradles her head in her arms.
“Taking a break?” Reed asks, kicking her seat.
“You know I’d kill for a pumpkin spice latte,” she says. “If you get me one, I promise to work very, very hard.”
He grins, then walks away from her, toward me. Pulling my collar, he lifts me to my feet, then uses his other hand to spank my ass a half dozen times. He puts plenty of force into each swing, but my clothes soften each slap. After what I’ve endured in the past week, he may as well be brushing my backside with a feather. Once he finishes, he sets me back down.
“That’s it?” says Jacqueline.
My thoughts exactly.
“She’ll get her lashes later, now get to work,” Reed growls, eyeing her. “No fucking around today, I mean it. There’s too much to do.”