Prisoner and Together: All of You series complete set by Melissa Silvey

on my cot, grinning, when I hear the hatch open.  “Great fight last night, Roman.” 
    “Thanks,” I say through a yawn. 
    “You’re going to need this,” he says, and sends two breakfasts and a six pack of water through the hatch.  “Congrats, from the warden.  You made her a lot of money.”
    “Thanks,” I reply, as I grab up my food and water. 
    “Start training.  My money’s on you next week.” 
    A few days ago I was contemplating losing on purpose.  Now I have something to win for.  I have something to live for.  And her name is Lani.
     
    Lani
     
    “Vaden, turn around, put your hands behind your back, and walk toward me.”  It doesn’t sound like Hughes.  I feel like I just went to sleep.  I thought they would at least let me fucking sleep, after what they put me through last night. 
    “What the fuck?”  I call out, from my cot. 
    “Yea, she’s tired.  She got the fucking of her life last night,” Sammy jokes from her bed above mine.  But the truth is, I did. 
    “Shut it, Smith,” the guard replies, harshly.
    “Hey, is Lucius really dead?”  Sammy continues.  I roll over then, and stand.  I’ll leave, if for no other reason than to shut my cellmate up.
    “I said shut your fucking mouth, Smith,” the guard says.  I get a good look at her.  It’s not Hughes.  She’s a short, black woman, much darker than Sammy.  Her hair is slicked back in severe bun.  Her eyes are darker than her skin.  “Turn around, Vaden.”
    I do, and walk toward her.  She clicks the cuffs into place tightly, too tight.  She opens the door, and jerks me out before closing it.  I don’t complain.
    “Listen here, Vaden.  You keep your mouth shut about what you saw last night, you hear?  You keep your mouth shut about what you saw, and what you did, and you and your fancy doctor will both leave here breathin’.  You hear?”
    “I hear,” I reply.  She’s not wearing a name tag.  Shit, that’s bad.  She doesn’t want me to know who she is. 
    “Good,” she says, and opens a door that says Medical.  She unlocks my cuffs.  Doctor Dad is waiting inside.  For the first time since I was old enough to know what sex was, I don’t think about fucking him.  He looks bland, and kinda like a pansy.  Jesus, what the fuck?  One night with a bronzed Roman god and I think my hot step-dad is… just average?  Damn.
    The guard stays in the room with us.  I can’t say anything about my adventures.  “How are you, Lani?”  He asks when he sees me.  He gazes long and hard into my eyes.  Does he know?  Can he see something’s different about me?  “Your cheeks look flushed, and your eyes are sparkling.  Have you eaten today?”  He touches my forehead, and frowns.
    “Yes, Doctor…”  I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from adding dad .  “Foster.  I had a good breakfast of eggs, toast, and oj.”  I say it with a firm nod.
    He stares at me for several moments longer, trying to gauge my level of honesty.  Then he looks over at the guard, who is watching him like a hawk.  Not only does she not want me to know who she is, she doesn’t want Doctor Dad to know either.  Hell.
    “Let’s test your blood sugar.”  He opens his doctor’s bag, and pulls out one of the monitors.  He warned me he’d probably have to use it, but I told him to do it.  It stings when he pricks my finger, and I gasp loudly.  “It’s good.  It’s ninety-nine.  It’s on the high side, but you probably won’t need the insulin today.”  I wish I could tell him to give me a sedative, so I can sleep through Sammy’s chattering.  “Make sure she gets some extra bottled water,” he says to the guard, and she nods. 
    “Thanks, Doctor Foster.  Tell my dad I’m fine.”  I know he won’t.  He won’t tell my mom anything either.  This is our little secret.
    “Okay, Lani.  Will do.  I’ll be back in three days, okay?”  I nod.  The guard slaps the cuffs on my wrists