that life. Besides, I make enough money for both of us. My boss is very generous.”
Neither of them was willing to mention the reality of their situation. They didn’t know each other anymore. They were practically strangers. That maybe this was just a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. That there was a good chance that one or both of them wouldn’t ever walk out of there. It was just too fucking depressing. It felt like the entire universe was aligned against them, and, for once, Webster wasn’t just being grandiose.
Once they were cleaned up and dressed, each of them in their own bunks, Cy asked, “Does anybody know what you know about your computer program? Has anybody else seen the information?”
“I’m not really sure. Why?”
“Maybe they wanted to discredit you first. If you look like a hacker, a criminal, then you’re just like us. Untrustworthy. Maybe they don’t just want you dead, they want your reputation ruined, too.”
“Yeah, maybe. But my boss has the data, and he’s not just going to let this go, even if I end up dead. Especially if I end up dead. And Elite’s got resources and connections way bigger than some cops and the warden.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Nicky. It’s not just the cops or this place. It’s judges, court clerks, senators. A lot of people have their fingers in this pie. If your boss knows this information, then he’s in danger, too.”
That was the thing about both Linc and Linc’s boss, Jackson. They considered their employees family, and they wouldn’t stop just because there was something dangerous happening. Shit, if anything, they’d be like a dog with a bone.
“They can’t kill us all. They can discredit me. They can kill me. But if my entire team starts to disappear, it’s not like people aren’t going to start asking questions.”
The metal framed creaked as Cy moved, peeking over the edge. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Webster gave him a half smile. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, either. You’ve already lost twenty years of your life because of me.”
Cy shook his head then disappeared. “No. I lost twenty years of my life because of Phoebe. She killed my father. She framed me. You were a baby. You tried to tell the truth on the stand, and they tore you apart.”
Webster frowned. “That’s not how I remember it.”
Cy gave a gruff, humorless laugh. “Yeah, well, that day is burned into my brain forever. I promise you, you tried to tell the truth. When you got off that stand, you looked so small and so sad. It broke my heart. I was so afraid she’d hurt you.”
“I don’t remember much of that day. Just flashes,” Webster admitted.
There was a long silence, and then Cy asked, “What happened to you after…after the trial? Did she hurt you?”
Yes. But it didn’t serve either of them to dredge it all up again. “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.”
“It matters to me,” Cy said quietly.
Webster sighed, rolling onto his side. “She mostly ignored me. She was doing that thing she always did with a new man, trying to convince them that she was everything they wanted, the perfect woman, worth killing for. She didn’t realize she’d met her match with Dooley.”
“What do you mean?”
Webster made a noise. “I mean he killed her. I thought you knew. I’m not saying she didn’t deserve it. For all I know, he was telling the truth and he killed her in self-defense. She did kill your dad, after all. I didn’t really care. I just wanted to be away from both of them.”
“So, you got away? Where did you go?” The relief in Cy’s voice made Webster ache.
“Foster care. A group home mostly. Sometimes, they’d stick me with a family for a while, but it never lasted. The good families wanted babies to dote on, and the bad families just wanted a victim. By the time I was twelve, I was really good at not being a victim. But then, they labeled me as a troubled kid. I did a stint in juvie for petty crimes and was pretty sure I was going to end up homeless when I aged out, but then I started going to this youth center that had a computer room. The guy who ran the center saw I had an affinity for it. He helped me get my certifications. I got a job at a computer repair place, worked