Free Locked Together (In Chains) by Michelle Abbott Page A

hesitate to follow him. He leads me to an area outside the canteen. We’re still within the compound and surrounded by razor wire but this area is fenced off, it’s obviously just for staff. He hands me a cigarette and holds out his lighter. I take a long drag and immediately feel dizzy; I lean back against the wall for support. I’ve missed smoking, I take another drag.
    “I don’t understand what you’re doing here,” he says.
    “I asked to come here.”
    He frowns at me. “Now why would you do a silly thing like that?”
    “Because I wanted to be with Kayden.”
    “Who’s Kayden?” he asks.
    “The slave,” I reply, “the one you told not to touch me.”
    He stares at me. “How do you know the slave?”
    I take another long drag of my smoke. “My brother owned him.”
    He throws his cigarette to the floor and grinds it out. “You were lonely I suppose.”
    After being without a cigarette for so long I intend smoking mine right down to the filter. “Not lonely but I’d left an abusive boyfriend. Kayden showed me what love really is.” I take one last drag before putting out my cigarette.
    “Hmm, you were vulnerable and it took advantage of you, manipulated you into having feelings for it. They’re good at that.” He opens the door to the canteen. “It wasn’t worth your time yet you followed it here, that’s tragic. The piece of filth probably doesn’t even feel any remorse.”
    I follow him through the door. “He didn’t even know I was coming here. He was willing to die to protect me, he’s a good person.”
    Jack shakes his head. “You can’t trust them. I’ve been working with them for over twenty-five years and I’ve seen it all. They’re masters at manipulation. I’m sad that a nice girl like you got sucked in.”
    I don’t say anything else, his mind is set and I’m not going to be able to change it. I know I can trust Kayden, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER TEN
    Kayden
     
    “They’ve been gone a long time,” Reece says. I turn around to see him smirking at me. “I bet they’re having hot, sweaty sex in the store cupboard.”
    I force a smile to my face. “Jealous much, Reece. Wish it was you do you?”
    “Once she’s had a taste of him, she won’t want you no more,” he says.
    “She won’t want you either. Bailey says you ain’t too hot in the sack,” I snap back at him.
    “Stop being such an asshole.” We both turn to stare at the silent guy, who just spoke.
    “Have you got a name?” I ask him.
    “Dean,” he replies.
    Reece goes back to scrubbing the laundry. “Lucky me, stuck in level three with you two retards,” he says.
    I smile at Dean and flick my gaze across to Reece, silently mouthing, “Let’s get him.” Dean jumps up and gets behind Reece, holding his arms behind his back. I grab a fistful of Reece’s hair and shove his face into the soapy water in the tub, I hold him under. Dean is fast, he moves out of the way just in time to avoid getting kicked by Reece as he struggles to get out of our grip. I pull his head out of the water and let him draw in a few deep breaths before shoving his head back down again. I hold him under for as long as I dare, I don’t wanna kill him…well that’s not true, I couldn’t care less if I killed him but I don’t wanna get in trouble for it. I finally let him up and he crawls away, coughing and gasping for breath.
    Ignoring Reece, I speak to Dean. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you speak since I’ve been here. I thought you couldn’t talk.”
    Dean shrugs. “They think I can’t, I never speak in front of them.”
    “Aww.” I glance over at Reece; he’s kneeling on the floor with his hands over his eyes, dripping water everywhere. “You sons of bitches, I’ve got soap in my eyes, it stings,” he yells.
    Laughing, I turn back to Dean. “Why don’t you want them to know you can speak?”
    “They will know because I’m gonna tell them,”