THE DOCTOR took one look at Jax’s leg and told him he was good to go.

‘All done?’ Jax asked.

‘Yep,’ he said. ‘Nasty scar but you’ve made a full recovery. I won’t need to see you again.’

The guard escorted Jax back to the wing.

‘Thanks, mate,’ Jax said after the guard cracked the electronic lock and let him back into the block. He was surprised to be back so quick.

Jax headed back to his cell, wondering what he should do next. What information he could get. And then his stomach dropped when he saw his cell door.

He’d left it wide open, but now it was closed. Khalil wouldn’t be back from prayer group yet. And the guards only closed the doors when they wanted to lock someone in. Jax’s stomach dropped even further when he peered through the porthole-sized window in his door.

Someone was lying on his floor. Clad in green, obviously an inmate, the mystery man had his arm stuck under Jax’s shelf unit. The front panel was lying on the floor next to Jax’s torch and the phones. Jax couldn’t see who it was, but it didn’t matter – he was already dead.

He pushed the door open as quietly as he could before creeping into the cell. The intruder had his arm deep in the cavity, fishing for the items at the back. Jax closed the door as quietly as he had opened it. Even though he couldn’t see the intruder’s face, the stocky frame, hairy arms and bald patch identified the man as Halim. That made him feel slightly better about what he had to do, as the cash-man had been a problem even before now.

Jax took a moment to plan Halim’s death. It had to be quick. It had to be quiet. It had to look natural.

He rehearsed it all in his head. He was ready to execute.

Jax flung himself to the floor, flopping on the ground parallel to Halim. He would have dropped an elbow on the way down, but he had to make sure they found Halim’s body unmarked. Jax then hooked his right arm under Halim’s head as the shocked intruder tensed and attempted to turn. He covered Halim’s mouth before he could scream. With Halim’s head locked tightly between his palm and his bicep, Jax rolled him back and, before he even got a chance to squirm, locked him up with his legs. He had spent just as much time on the mat with Ferris learning Brazilian jujitsu wrestling moves as he had on his feet rehearsing Gojo Ryu karate strikes. Jax made sure to apply only enough pressure to hold him. Not enough to bruise him.

‘Shhhh,’ Jax whispered as Halim tried to scream over the top of his hand. ‘Stop fighting. I’ll make sure there is no pain.’