Chapter 5 — This One’s Free, Kitten
The ringing on the line makes my heart jump. Please answer. Please.
“Hello?”
“Hey… it’s me.”
“Amara! Oh my god, girl—I can’t believe you’re calling!”
“Yeah. The Warden let me use his phone.”
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine, but…”
My fingers twist the cord around and around. I turn my back to him, hoping he can’t see the emotions written all over my face.
“But what? What’s going on?”
I draw in a breath and let out the one word that says it all.
“Pickles.”
The line goes quiet. I can feel his eyes on my back.
“He—he didn’t,” she finally says, remembering the word we came up with before I got locked up.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “A nice letter, too.”
“Amara… what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, Phoebe. But it wasn’t processed…”
“The letter didn’t go through the prison?” she asks.
“No.”
“Shit. You’ve got to tell someone.”
“Talking is what landed me here,” I mutter.
“Don’t worry, Amara. Our plan is still golden when you get released, okay?”
Like that helps. He’s here—somewhere. In this prison. Or worse, he has someone on the inside. I might not even make it to my release date. But I don’t tell her that. She doesn’t need one more thing to worry about.
“Yeah,” I say dryly. “That’s good.”
I turn around. He’s watching me, his expression unreadable. He raises a finger, spinning it slowly—his way of saying, wrap it up, Kitten.
“Listen, I’ve gotta go.”
“Okay, Amara. Be safe. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I hang up the phone and slide it back toward him. My pulse won’t settle. He didn’t have to let me make that call. Why was he being so… nice?
What does he want from me?
And why does he keep calling me Kitten?
What’s his deal? Does he do this with all the inmates? Maybe this is his playground—a prison full of desperate women willing to do anything for a “special privilege.”
I don’t know what game he’s playing… but I have a feeling I’m already a piece on the board.
“Um… thanks for letting me make a phone call,” I say quietly.
He leans back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. “No problem, Kitten.”
I huff, irritated. “Could you not call me that?”
He arches a brow. “Was that your lover?”
“What? No! That was my best friend.”
“Ah. So… no lover, then?”
“No,” I reply, dry and sharp.
“Good.”
“Good?” I echo. “What does it matter to you if I have a lover or not?”
“It doesn’t.” His lips curl into something dark, dangerous. “I wouldn’t allow that in my prison anyway.”
I blink. “Allow an inmate to have a lover on the outside? I don’t think that’s something you have a say over.”
“Oh, Kitten.” His smile deepens, that same shadowed grin I’ve seen in my nightmares. “No. No other inmates. Just you. And you’d be surprised what I have a say over.”
My breath catches. That warmth spreads low in my stomach, radiating through me. Stop it, Amara. Stop reacting to him like this. You know what happens if you get tangled up again. You’ll be transferred—or worse, he’ll find out. And murder isn’t something I need added to my record.
I’m so lost in my thoughts I don’t realize how close he’s gotten. My back hits the wall. His eyes lock onto mine—steady, unyielding. Fear and excitement twist together in my chest. My heart pounds so hard it hurts.
He smells like musk, oak… and danger.
His hand comes up, brushing a strand of hair from my face. He leans in, both palms pressed against the wall on either side of me.
“Kitten,” he murmurs, voice low and teasing, “maybe I should show you how far my reach goes.”
“W-what do you mean?”
He chuckles. “Are you under the impression I only run a prison?”
“That… that’s your job, isn’t it?”
He laughs again—deep, rich, unsettling. “Do you know my name, Kitten?”
I shake my head. “No, sir. Everyone here just calls you Warden.”
“My name is Liam. Liam Draeger.”
My heart stops. The world tilts. No. No, no, no. It can’t be him.
Liam Draeger.
Half the city belongs to him. The other half—to Killain.
Killain, the man who swore he’d always find me. His mortal enemy stands inches from me now, close enough that I can feel his breath. They’ve been at war for years, neither willing to bow, their battles spilling blood through every street.
And somehow, I’ve landed dead center—caught between two men who control this city.
If I’m not careful, I won’t make it out alive.
Because if Killain finds out where I am… he’ll burn this place to the ground to get to me.
And Liam—God help me—might just hand him the match.
