Chapter 10

Jude leaned against the wall inside the servery, watching the queue of prisoners. Newt met his eyes for a second, but the giddiness at seeing his brother still hadn't worn off and he had to grin down at his trainers.

"I hate the way he looks at you," Leo muttered. "Ever since he's arrived, he's looked at you this way that makes my skin crawl."

"He doesn't look at me a certain way."

"He does, Newt."

"And he's okay?—"

Leo looked sternly at Newt. "He's not. He's the reason I'm"—he bypassed the grey mashed potato—"eating this gruel."

"Hey," Bull snapped from behind the counter. "The mash is fine."

"Are you colour-blind?"

"No."

"It's grey, Bull."

Bull folded his arms beneath his drawn-on breasts. "As they should be. These potatoes are grown on the ash-field plains in Iceland."

Leo groaned and moved on.

"You did steal a load of diamonds," Newt whispered.

"Only because your brother told me to."

Newt lifted his eyebrow. "Stone told you to steal them?"

"No, he said find something to live for."

"So you stole a load of diamonds?"

Leo shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Stone told me you locked your keys in your car."

"Look, I'll be the first to admit it wasn't my finest hour…or idea."

"Why diamonds?"

"Diamonds are nice, right? Girl's best friend and all that."

Newt bit his lip. "Were you stealing them to impress a girl?"

"No. I don't know why I said that."

Newt picked two shrivelled vegan sausages from the pot, then held his tray up for Bull to slap down a spoonful of slimy cabbage.

Leo went for the pork sausages but had to pry them apart. "They're burnt."

Bull poked his head out. "What are you talking about? They've got the perfect amount of crunch."

Leo picked one up. "It's charcoal. You could draw with it."

"You're supposed to eat it, not make art, and I told you before, I don't make the food. I only serve it. Go mouth off to Riley, not me."

"Is there a problem?"

Newt cringed at Jude's voice.

Leo stood ramrod straight. "There was a minor one." He looked at Jude. "Now there's a major one."

Jude lifted an eyebrow. "Can I help at all?"

"Yes, you can. You can transfer off this wing or better yet, quit."

"That isn't going to happen."

Leo took a step closer to Jude, dropping his voice lower. "I know your secret."

Jude glanced at Newt, who shook his head. Of course, Leo noticed the exchange.

"You stay the hell away from Newt, or I'll have to hurt you."

"Threatening a prison officer," Jude replied. "I could send you to seg for that."

"If you even try it, I promise you'll not be?—"

"Enough," Newt said. "Let's just get our dinner and go."

Jude distanced himself, gave Leo a polite yet forced smile, then returned to his spot by the wall.

Newt exhaled as he turned back to the food.

Thomas leaned his head over Newt's shoulder. Newt failed to stop himself from jumping at the sudden appearance of a giant snake by his cheek.

"That looked tense," he hissed.

"Aster should mind his own business," Leo growled.

Thomas snorted. "Scott has a story about Aster."

"I do not," Scott said, appearing on Newt's other side.

Thomas smirked. "That's not what you told me in our cell."

Scott pushed in front of Thomas. "I don't kiss and tell."

"You've kissed Jude?" Newt asked.

"Officer. Aster," Leo said.

Newt received another stern glare for his slip-up.

"With Scott's job, I think it would be easier for him to list who he hasn't kissed." Thomas smiled and swiped his forked tongue over his bottom lip.

Scott glared. "Your name is in block capitals, circled and underlined on that list."

"Spill," Leo said, but it sounded like an order.

"There's nothing to spill."

"Scott…"

Scott shrugged. "I hooked up with him in the nightclub, Diablo. Ages ago now."

Newt's eyes sprung wide open. He glanced at Jude, who observed the four of them from a distance.

"No fucking way," Leo said. "You and him… But he's…him and you're you."

Other prisoners tended to double-take around Scott. His smile put deep dimples in his cheeks, his lips were full and pale pink, and his mane of brown curls fell perfectly around his face. The man was a triple threat before you even got to his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with the way Jude looks," Newt mumbled.

"Office Aster," Leo growled.

Newt rolled his eyes.

"How was the hook-up?" Thomas asked.

Scott zipped his mouth shut.

Newt screwed up his face, not wanting to think of Jude and Scott's pouty mouth getting acquainted. He wondered whether Luck knew—no, he couldn't have. There was no way Scott would still be breathing if Luck knew.

"He likes them younger than him then?" Leo rumbled.

"I'm one guy. I don't think we're that different in age." Scott shrugged. "And Newt is right. There's nothing wrong with him. He's handsome in an awkward but sweet kind of way." He balanced his tray on one hand. "I got the impression he's quite self-conscious about himself, but he really shouldn't be."

Thomas stuck his tongues out. "Yeah, he should be. I'll tell you what's wrong with him…"

Newt bristled, biting his cheek not to jump to Jude's defence. Leo's eyes burnt into him as Thomas listed on his fingers what was wrong with Jude.

"No visible tattoos, no piercings, no body modifications… I do like his hair, though."

"His hair?" Newt asked before immediately regretting it.

"Yeah, good length to the front. It would look better if it was soaked in sweat though, among other fluids."

Newt grimaced, stepping back.

"What's that look for?" Thomas asked. "There was me thinking you were thirsting over the new prison officer."

"No, I'm not," Newt said with a shudder.

"It's obvious you're a bottom."

Scott sighed. "You can't tell someone is a bottom by looking at them. What a ridiculous thing to say."

"There's one way to prove it. Are you a bottom, Newt?"

"A what?"

Thomas huffed. "Do you prefer the train entering the station? Or do you like to be the one driving it into the tunnel?"

Newt looked at Leo for help, but he was distracted, evil-eyeing Jude across the room.

"I still don't?—"

"Take me, for example." Thomas smiled wide. His gums shone. "I like to be doing the driving, but I prefer to take other vehicles into the tunnel."

"Like what?"

Thomas blinked. "Like…vibrating cars, and big butt plug buses, and maybe a prodding plane."

"I don't know what's going on right now." Newt flashed Bambi eyes at Scott. "Help me."

Scott snorted softly. "Newt avoids tunnel usage, Thomas."

"What? No tunnels?"

"No tunnels," Scott confirmed.

"Oh."

Scott glided away with poise and balance. Thomas wasn't the only one staring at his arse in his tight black jeans.

"I thought he was too pretty for you?" Newt asked.

Thomas's nostrils opened wide. "He is."

"But you look at him like you wanna eat him."

"Is that so? I look at you the same way."

Newt squeaked.

Thomas laughed as he walked away.

Leo shook his head, still staring across the room at Jude.

"I can't believe Scott has been intimate with him over there."

Newt pressed his lips together. He grabbed an apple for dessert. "You missed that whole conversation about tunnels, cars, buses and planes, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

"Do you reckon Scott lost a bet?"

"Stop it," Newt snapped.

"Stop what?"

"Talking about Jude like that."

"Jude. You said Jude, again."

"We call Riley by his first name."

"That's because we like Riley."

Newt lifted his chin. "Well, I like Jude."

"You're making that abundantly clear."

Newt left the room. He felt Leo right behind him as he walked back to his cell, and when he got inside, he placed his tray on the top bunk.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked.

"I'm sitting on my bunk today?—"

"Because I insulted your favourite prison officer?"

Newt shook his head. He startled, knocking his hip into the bedframe when Leo's tray hit the floor.

"What are you?—"

"Do you think I haven't noticed the secret smiles, the way he hovers in our cell sometimes?"

Newt gaped down at the floor. Leo's dinner had splattered everywhere, but he didn't care. His face had turned a blotchy red, and when he spoke, it was as if he was trying to calm the words, not yell them like he wanted.

"Guys like him are dangerous. He's trying to… I've seen him, Newt. I've seen him with you. He's trying to…sweeten you up so he can make his move." Leo stepped over his tray.

Newt turned away from him.

"I promised Stone I would protect you."

"I don't need you to protect me from Jude."

"There it is again." Leo smirked. "Jude."

"Leo…You don't understand."

"What don't I understand?"

Newt shook his head.

"Ah. He's sworn you to secrecy, hasn't he?"

"Trust me."

Leo's nostrils flared. "Can I trust you, Newt?"

"Yes."

Leo came closer until his chest rested against Newt's.

Newt looked up at him as his mouth went dry. He felt Leo's heart, his barely contained rage.

"Tell me the truth." Leo snuck his hand past Newt's head, reaching into his pillow. Newt clutched his arm before he could pull out the chain and pendant.

"Leo—"

He pulled his arm away. Newt swayed from the momentum, knocking into the desk. Leo unfurled his fingers and let the pendant swing from the chain.

"You didn't come in with this, did you?"

"I…"

"Newt."

Newt shook his head.

Leo stepped up to the window. He reached through the bars with his free hand, unhooked the latch and pushed it open.

"Please, don't," Newt begged. "It's not what you think."

"And what do I think?" Leo asked. He held his hand to the gap. The pendant dropped from view, but he still had the chain pinned to his palm by his thumb. "I think Officer Aster shoots you secret smiles. I think he watches you when you don't even realise it. I think he bought you this, and I hear you every night, playing with the chain, clutching it in your fist. I think back to his first day when he had his hand on your shoulder, and you, Newt, you had a hand on his waist, and you both had this look, this intimate look." His expression twisted into something ugly. "I'm doing you a favour by getting rid of it."

"Everything you said is true." Newt's voice wavered. "But that…intimate look, it's not what you think."

"Then tell me what it was."

"I can't. I want to, Leo, but I can't. I promised I wouldn't."

"You promised Aster," Leo snarled. He turned to the window, thumb relaxing on the chain.

"No." Newt swallowed. "I promised Stone."

Leo blinked. His voice lost its savage edge. "What?"

"When I spoke to him on the phone last week. He made me promise. I hate keeping something from you, but he made me promise."

"I don't understand?—"

"That—" Newt pointed. His finger shook. "It was my mother's. She gave it to me on the day she died, and through everything, I managed to keep hold of it. It means so much to me, more than I could tell you. It's home. Please don't let it go. It's all I've got left of her."

Leo pulled his hand back through the bars. Newt collapsed onto Leo's bed, breathing hard.

"How does Stone know Aster?"

Newt closed his eyes. "Jude's our brother."

Leo laughed. "No. I've met your brothers. Stone and Mickey."

"You've met Jude too."

"Is that supposed to be funny!" Leo flung the pendant on the bed. "He arrested me!"

"I know. It's complicated."

"He can't be your brother."

"He is."

"Stone told me to find something to live for."

Newt opened his eyes. "He didn't tell you to rob a jeweller though, did he!"

"Has he been laughing at me? How stupid I was? He sent his own brother after me."

"He didn't."

"Of course he did. The police turned up outside the café—there was no reason for them to be there, no reason for him to come inside. Stone fixed my hand, then told your brother what I looked like—that my arm would be in a cast."

"No." Newt winced. "That isn't true, and they fell out over it. Jude, he protects Stone and the back-room business, but he was a police officer too, and there are grey areas."

"Grey areas? I'm a grey area?" Leo snorted. "Stone wrote to me. He asked if he could count on me if you ended up here, asked if I'd look after you."

"For a fee."

"I wasn't bothered about the goddamn money. When I called him, he sounded so relieved, told me he trusted me and I could trust him." Leo curled his fingers into his palms. "He's a liar. He's a goddamn liar."

"He didn't lie, he just?—"

"Didn't tell me the truth? It's the same thing, Newt. He never told me about your police officer brother, and now he's in here, as a prison officer."

"To look out for me."

Leo smashed his fist to his chest. "Which is what Stone asked me to do! Why give me that, then take it away? Why involve me in this at all?" He kicked the tray. It thumped into the cell door.

"I don't know," Newt whispered. "I didn't ask for you to be involved. I didn't know Jude was going to apply for a job here."

"But for two weeks he's been here and you've known, and you didn't tell me, and I thought he was grooming you or something. Christ."

The door opened; Jude peeked his head inside. "Everything all right?"

"Speak of the devil," Leo sneered.

"Shit!" Jude breathed out in a rush. "He knows."

"He knows," Leo spat. "And you're here now, so I don't have to involve myself in this mess any longer. Shaw was right. Your family is toxic." He marched at Jude, who had to launch himself back to get out of the way.

Jude returned to the doorway. "I guess he didn't take it well."

"No," Newt whispered as he curled over and grabbed the pendant. He clutched it to his chest. "He didn't."

* * *

Stone squeezed Newt's fingers across the table. His eyes were tired, and Newt struggled to meet them.

"The truth is, I didn't tell Jay about Leo because of our…fallout. I kept it a secret, and Jay didn't tell me about his plans to apply for a job in case he got turned down or he couldn't get on the right wing, so we didn't know our plans to help you would…cause conflict."

Mickey sat beside Stone, shaking his head at the explanation. "Idiots, the both of you. At least my plan was foolproof." He smiled. "How's the list going?"

"I've broken more rules."

Mickey frowned. "This isn't an opposites list. You're supposed to follow the rules, not break them."

Newt looked back at Stone. "Leo hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, Newt." Stone squeezed again. "He hates me, okay?"

"He doesn't queue in the servery with me anymore, or sit out with me during association, or shower with me." Newt lowered his gaze. "He barely talks to me."

Some days they didn't speak lots, wrapped up in their own thoughts, but it was never uncomfortable, not until Leo had filled the cell with hostile vibes.

"When you go back in there, tell him to phone me."

Newt shook his head.

"Please, Newt." Stone ducked his head, searching for Newt's eyes, but Newt denied him by staring into his lap. "Tell him I really need to speak to him. I want to explain. Make things right."

"What if he doesn't want to talk to you?"

"Then I'll write to him."

Newt swallowed. "What if he refuses to read your letters?"

Stone sighed. "Give him some time. He'll come round, I'm sure he will."

"I hope you're right."