Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Right now, though, he is over digging some big holes for them to plant trees, and, for now, the guards are focusing their attention over there, no doubt because they’re using shovels.
One good hit with a shovel and I’d be out.
“Don’t want to get your hands dirty, Princess?”
The girl next to me scowls as I hesitate, my eyes swinging back and forth toward Hound’s direction. I wasn’t even paying attention to the task at hand, and clearly, she took that as me trying to get out of it. I glare at her, and she holds my eyes for long moments, challenging me to say something.
“No,” I mutter, then start weeding, shoving my gloved hands into the dirt with no hesitation.
I fucking hate being called Princess.
I weed without any issues for about an hour before a fight breaks out. It starts near where a heap of men are picking up leaves and rubbish from the yard. Fists fly, and in seconds, all the guards are rushing toward them. I watch, like everyone else, not realizing that anything is wrong until I hear a voice behind me, and a cold chill runs down my spine.
Hound is behind me, and he’s still holding the shovel which he is pressing against my legs so I know it’s there.
“You didn’t think I wouldn’t find a way to get to you, did you?”
He set this up to distract the guards, of course he did.
My mind spins as I turn toward him, my fingers trembling, my palms sweating. I have seconds, if that, to make a choice that could possibly save my life.
Hound grins, slow and evil, and pulls a shiv made out of a toothbrush from his shirt. He thrusts it in my direction so quickly it takes me a moment to realize that it has torn through my skin. My mouth opens and a silent scream gets stuck in my throat as the slow, burning pain in my stomach lets me know that he has successfully stabbed me.
He's going to kill me.
He pulls the makeshift knife out, and goes to plunge it back in, and I know this is my only chance for escape.
I inhale, gasping in pain, and I scream.
I scream with everything I have inside, loud and piercing, so intense that the guards are quickly distracted from the fight and begin running toward me. I lash out, kicking Hound in the shins as hard as I can, to try and prevent him from stabbing me again. Blood is soaking my shirt, and the look in his eyes tells me he’s not happy with what I’ve just done.
“Stupid girl,” he barks. “I’ll kill you.”
Xander is the guard to reach me first, and he pulls me back as another guard takes Hound and jerks him away, barking something in his ear that has him smiling in my direction. He’s not scared, why would he be? He knows he rules this place. Xander turns me toward the exits and begins ushering me to walk, heading toward the medical center.
My mind is spinning with every step I take, and I can’t think.
“He set that up,” I whisper to Xander. “He’s going to kill me.”
I don’t even realize I’m pressing a hand to my stomach.
“I won’t let him kill you.”
But really ... is there anything he can do to stop him?
Hound is determined, and smarter than I first thought.
He’s going to find a way to get to me.
I need to get out of here.
Now.
4 – Jackson
“You’re goin’ to need to sit down, Pres,” Cade murmurs, his voice careful. “I got a call from the prison.”
My chest immediately clenches as I hold my breath, terrified the next words that come out of his mouth will be that she’s dead.
Someone got to her.
“Tell me she’s still breathin’,” I rasp, my voice barely audible.
“She’s alive, but Hound stabbed her.”
I see red, and, for a minute, all I can hear is white noise as my world seems to come to a standstill.
Hound stabbed her.
That motherfucker is going to kill her.
He’s going to kill my girl.
“Where is she?” I bark, my fist flying out and sending the contents of my desk off and onto the floor. “Fuck, tell me where she is. How the fuck did he get near her? They’re meant to be separated. What sort of fucking prison is it?”
“He has a hand in every pie. It happened during groundwork. That guard has got her in protection, but they can’t keep her there forever. She’s okay, it’s just superficial, but we need to move this plan forward.”
“Tell me we’ve got somethin’ on that guard?”
My chest is heaving with the complete and utter agony rushing through my veins.
Fuck.
I need to get her out.
“We do. Turns out he owes some money for an old gambling debt. He’s been managing to avoid trouble, but from what I know, they’re closin’ in on him. We can use that to our advantage. He helps us, we make them disappear.”