“I know something, you don’t know.” Pauly said in a sing song voice.

Sebastian folded his arms. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah!”

Rory ran at Sebastian and grabbed his arm. His heart pounding and he thought might pass out. He swayed on his feet, and open-mouth panted.

“Easy, Rory…”

“I need to talk to you.”

Pauly smirked. “Don’t you wanna know what I do? It’s a one-time offer, hear it now…”

Sebastian tore his gaze from Rory. “What the hell are you on about?”

“Let’s go in the cell.” Rory begged. “Please.”

“In a minute, I wanna hear what this asshole’s got to say.”

Pauly tipped his head back and laughed.

“No, now.” Rory hissed.

Other inmates were looking their way, edging closer, eager to hear their conversation. Rory pulled at Sebastian’s arm, but he didn’t move, he had tunnel vision for Pauly, and his gloating face.

Sebastian brushed Rory’s hand away and took a step closer to Pauly. “Come on, out with it…”

Pauly raised his hands. “Okay, okay … Rory, your cellmate, the one you’ve been fucking for the past few months … he’s an undercover police officer.”

Rory couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think, all he could do was watch emotions play out on Sebastian’s face. He turned to Rory, and Rory saw the disbelief in his eyes, and it made everything worse. He’d wanted anger, fury, betrayal, but not disbelief, disbelief meant he trusted Rory.

“You’re lying…” Sebastian snapped.

“No, I’m not.” Pauly snorted. “He was here to get information on you, seduced his way into your bed so he could stab you in the back.”

Rory clutched the railing. So many eyes were on them, so many ears were listening. He couldn’t see Captain or Ollie, and prayed they were somewhere else, in the gym or outside in the yard. This was not the way he wanted them to find out.

Sebastian looked at Rory again, fixed him with a cold stare, the one that could stop Rory’s heart, then his expression softened, and he shook his head.

“No.”

“Yes,” Pauly growled.

Sebastian chuckled, then clapped his hands in slow applause. “How long did it take you to come up with that?”

“What?”

“That bullshit, how long? Rory breaks your bones, so you make up some stupid story, so I’ll attack him. It’s not gonna work.”

Rory’s weakened heart was being pushed down the hole of despair once again. He bowed over, and put his hands on his knees.

“He’s done you good.” Pauly smirked.

“Looking at that bandage on your face, I’d say he’d done you good. The whole wing’s been talking about it, Rory beating you unconscious. Your little bandana wearing friends denying they were behind you … most of them were only pretending in the first place … for me.”

“You’re lying…”