Page 4 of Shattered Pieces

“Bryant would rather you saw her coming. I don’t think she’s got it out for you, she was just making a point that she’s not your friend. I need to go and see the warden, you’ll be alright with Tilly. She’s in our pod,” she said with a nod, nerves filling me as she walked off.

“I don’t bite unless asked,” Tilly snickered, linking her arm with mine. “C’mon, you can hang out in my room until lights out. They’ll do a head count before locking our common area gate for the night, so as long as you’re standing outside your bedroom door for that, you’re fine. Don’t go into anyone’s rooms without asking though. A girl did that six months ago and got her head stomped in. It wasn’t pretty.”

She pulled me along happily, and as much as she was a little pushy, she seemed harmless enough.

“Can I ask how long you’ve been here for? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” I said quickly, but she smiled.

“Eight months so far. About two years left. Carjacking. In my defense, the guy tried to kidnap me. He kept following me around the grocery store parking lot and tried to force me into the back of his car. I bashed him over the head with a can of beans and dove into the driver’s seat of his car, locked the door, and floored it. He got away with it, while I got punished, thanks to the cameras not reaching that end,” she said like it was funny. “I heard you’re in here for murder.”

“Allegedly,” I pointed out, making her laugh.

“Of course. We’re all innocent in here, babe.”

The common area was quiet when we arrived, other than the distinct sounds of moaning coming from one of the back rooms.

“You get used to that shit in here,” Tilly said casually as she ushered me into her room that was opposite mine, closing the door behind her. We sat on her bed with our backs to the wall, and she gave me the rundown on a bunch of inmates.

The more I knew about people, the better. She also said the girls snuck plastic piercing jewelry in and she’d get me some before bed. Apparently, most of the women put them in at night then took them out through the day to go unnoticed.

We were laughing as she told me a story about her and Zeena getting drunk at school, when the door opened and Lexi leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, eyeing me with annoyance before looking at Tilly.

“Just telling her a story about a mutual friend of ours. What’s up?” she asked, and Lexi turned her attention back to me.

“You fucking Rivera?”

I frowned, having no idea where she got that idea from. “No, why?”

“He’s got a major hard-on for you.”

“You spoke to him?” I asked hopefully, and she scoffed.

“Yeah, I did. If you’re not fucking him, then why were you dragged out of his bed by the cops? There’s no way Skeeter allows you to hang out with his enemy, so are you a snake?”

“Hey, I’m not the one fucking Hunter, you are. Does your husband know you’re in here fucking all the girls?” I demanded, her eyes narrowing.

“What the fuck has Hunter been telling you?”

“You’re his hot bestie and you guys fuck. I know Skeet hates you, but I have no idea why. I know you’re a stripper and you married Archer, but that’s about it. That shit at the club between the Reapers and Demons was over you, right?”

Her face hardened, and she stalked towards us, grabbing the front of my shirt to haul me closer until she was almost nose-to-nose with me.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glanced at Tilly, who was trying to look like she wasn’t listening, and then Lexi hauled me to my feet and dragged me into my room, shutting the door behind us. She shoved me back against the wall, getting in my face again. “What the hell do you know about the Demons?”

I shoved her back, wanting distance between us. “Hunter showed up on my doorstep that night, bleeding and needing help. Justin was obsessed with you, and he lost it when you married Archer, right?”

“That asshole talks too much.”

“I won’t argue with you on that. He’s like a nosy cockroach. He grows on you though,” I grumbled, sitting on my bed. “He was helping me the night I was arrested, that’s all.”

She studied me for a moment before giving me a single nod.

“He’s got a hero complex. I don’t fucking like you, but I owe him a lot, and he’s my best friend. You can thank him for only getting one punch earlier. He visited me this morning to ask me to play nice. For the record, I’m not babying you, and I’m not helping you, but I didn’t beat the shit out of you.”

“Kind of you,” I replied dryly, resting my forearms on my knees. “I’ll stay out of your way and you stay out of mine.”

“Deal,” she muttered before leaving, and relief hit me at knowing Hunter had been here to help me already. Hopefully, he was working with Skeeter to get me the fuck out of here.