Captain and Zeke were engaged in intense conversation when they arrived. Zeke looked up, then excused himself.

“We didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Captain shook his head. “Nah, it’s okay. He’s trying to convince me to see the psychiatrist again, says it helped him.”

“And?”

Captain rocked back on his heels. “I can still picture how frightened he looked when I started yelling. Maybe—maybe in a few weeks, I’ll have the guts to apologize.”

“Don’t wait that long,” Rory mumbled.

“Anyway, come on, stretches first…”

****

Ollie was wiping the floor with him, quite literally. Rory panted, and made a time-out sign with his hands.

“You’re getting better.” Captain said.

“Really?”

“Slightly better.”

Rory laughed, and accepted Ollie’s hand. He tugged him off the floor, then patted his back. “That’s six-nil to me.”

“Whatever.”

Rory bowed forward and rested his hands on his knees. His heart thumped heard enough to distort his vision, and Captain held his shoulder to steady him.

“Okay?”

“Yeah, just dizzy.”

“You need some water.”

“In a sec.”

“Hey, Rory.”

He looked up at Damon. “Yeah?”

“You might wanna get back to the wing?”

“Why?”

“The guards are trashing your cell.”

Rory stopped panting and stood upright. “What? Why?”

“No idea, but Sebastian’s fuming.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Captain grunted, then held out a bottle for him to take. “Not before you drink.”

Rory drank the whole bottle, then hurried out of the gym.

Sebastian’s eyes followed him the whole trek up to the cell. The glare was back, more intense than before, and Rory’s gut squished with unease. He stared at the metal walkway as he approached, then leaned on the railing beside Sebastian.

“Can you believe it?” Sebastian hissed.

“What are they looking for?”

“Anything we’re not supposed to have. The question is, who’s trying to piss me off?”

“What?”

“They wouldn’t do this randomly, someone’s tipped them off.” Sebastian pointed his finger at Pauly hovering by the stairs. “And I reckon it’s him.”

Pauly snorted and turned away.

“I’ll get you back for this.” Sebastian warned.

Rory craned his neck to see inside the cell. Their clothes were scattered, and the mattresses were getting vigorously patted down. One of the guards stepped out and held up a small pot.

“What’s this?”

“It says what it is on the tub.”

“Don’t go getting smart with me, Sebastian.”

“Don’t ask dumb questions.”

The guard untwisted the lid and took a sniff.

“It’s Vaseline,” Sebastian mumbled, “For sore lips.”

The guard narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you use it for…”

He gave Rory a pointed look.

“What? We don’t do anything like that.”

Sebastian snorted, then flung his arm around Rory’s shoulder. “No, we go at it raw, like animals.”

The guard shuddered and wrinkled his nose. “I don’t wanna hear it.”