Page 70 of Shattered Pieces

“No offense, but no thank you. Prison tats are a stupid idea and not at all hygienic,” I said with a shudder, pulling my arm away.

“Usually, yes, but I bribed a guard to bring in the right gear, and I’m really good at what I do. Ask Kat to show you hers, I did it. I do a lot of the Reapers’ tats too.”

“Why didn’t you pursue tattooing? Wouldn’t you like your own studio?”

Her face fell slightly, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “I make a lot more stripping, and I don’t have the startup costs for a studio. Especially since I want to move into my own place when I get out. I live at Archer’s, and I just think having my own place is a good idea. Maybe one day I can have a studio.”

“You will. I’d bet money on it,” I encouraged, a huff of amusement leaving her.

“You don’t have any money.”

“Don’t rub salt into the wound,” I said dryly, taking a piece of candy and unwrapping it. “Were you dating Faith?” Her face tightened, and I saw a flicker of guilt. Whatever had been going on between them was obviously something Lexi didn’t want to discuss. “Hey, don’t tell me. I was just asking because I’m nosy. You don’t actually have to⁠—”

“She was one of the Demons’ girls,” she said like that was a solid answer, her eyes hardening. “She worked with them to traffic women and kids.”

“So what were you doing hooking up with her?” I asked slowly as she picked at the chips in front of me.

“Archer told me to.”

I frowned, not really understanding why he’d want his girl to fuck other inmates from rival crews, especially if they were pieces of shit, but then it hit me.

“You lured her in and set up her murder?”

She blew out a breath, raking her fingers through her hair.

“I was supposed to handle it myself, which was why I seduced her in the first place, but one of the lifers had a sister that was trafficked, so I manipulated the situation by dropping little bits of information. The girl lost her mind, I pretended to give a shit, and she promised none of my girls would get caught up in it if I let her handle it. So, she gave me a heads-up to keep my girls inside.”

She didn’t look at me as I let that sink in, and I reached out to give her knee a gentle squeeze.

“You caught feelings, didn’t you?”

“Does that make me a bad person? She was a monster,” she whispered, her broken blue eyes lifting to mine.

“Hey, I’m into murderous psychopaths, so I can’t exactly judge you,” I murmured, pushing the snacks out of the way and crawling closer to give her a hug.

Her body shook as she clung to me, and I wasn’t sure what to do. It was rare to see the women in here showing emotion like this, but having someone cry on me was a whole new ballpark. I never expected it from Lexi either, she was so strong all the damn time.

Pulling back, I gave her a disgusted look. “Ugh, of course you still look hot when you cry. I hate you.”

Surprised laughter left her as she wiped at her cheeks, giving me a shaky smile.

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Crying girls really do it for me,” I deadpanned, moving the snacks onto the small table so I could lie down, motioning for her to join me. I wasn’t good at cryers, but I also understood what it was like to contain my emotions until I broke. Marco had been there for me, so I’d just hold her until she was done crying too.

I woke up at some point through the night to someone sliding into my bed. Lexi’s familiar scent hit me as she snuggled into me, spooning me as she got comfortable.

“Can’t sleep?” I mumbled, hearing her sigh.

“No. Can I stay in here? I’ll sneak out before morning.”

“Sure, as long as I can go back to sleep,” I chuckled, taking her hand and tucking it against my chest. It was a familiar hold that the guys always did, and I was close to falling asleep when she spoke again.

“How do you sleep alone at night after having so many people around you?”

It was obvious she wanted to talk, so I rolled over to face her, ignoring the pulling on my wounds. The low light from the common area gave me enough light to see her face, and she didn’t hide how much she was hurting.

“It was hard the first week, but I started sleeping better after that. You still struggle?”