Endangered Species Endangered Species (Time Served #1) - Onley James Page 0,6

willing to admit to anything, even though he had no idea what Rogers was talking about. He didn’t want to encourage Rogers to start dishing dirt on other inmates or guards. Sometimes, just knowing somebody’s secrets was enough to get you killed, and Rogers sang like a fucking canary. As it was, people would gather around once Cyrus was back on the block to ask why Rogers was acting like his own personal bodyguard for the day. It seemed he was about to find out.

“They shipped Rodriguez out this morning.”

That slowed Cyrus down a little, causing him to throw a look at Rogers. Rodriguez had been Cyrus’s roommate for five years. Kind of a squirrelly dude, usually off his meds, but he kept to himself and didn’t cause no trouble, so he and Cyrus were good. Rodriguez spent most of his days coloring in a sketchbook and ranting about the second coming of Christ. The worst Cyrus had to worry about with Rodriguez was the younger man trying to eat his crayons and then puking all night.

“They sent him to the ding wing,” Rogers said.

Cyrus rolled his eyes at the slang term. Rogers wanted to be an inmate so badly. Or he wanted to be accepted by them at any rate. He wanted the street cred without having to earn it. It was never going to happen, though. Nobody cozied up to the COs without getting a beatdown. Still, Cyrus thought it strange they’d sent Rodriguez to the psych ward. He was a little off his nut but not as batshit crazy as the glue sniffers. “Oh, yeah? What’s that got to do with me?”

“He was your cellmate. Just thought you’d want to know that you’ll be getting a new roomie.”

“I don’t give a shit about that. It’s none of my business,” Cyrus reminded him.

“I don’t think you’ll be saying that when you see who it is. I hear you guys had big beef,” Rogers said around a laugh.

Cyrus shook his head. “Man, I don’t got beef with nobody. I do my job and mind my business.”

Something about Rogers’ slick smile made Cyrus uneasy. He’d take a no holds barred brawl with the entire B pod over one shady ass guard with an agenda. “Nobody, huh? Weird. ‘Cause I would have thought you’d be chomping at the bit to get at the kid who put you in this place.”

That stopped Cyrus in his tracks. “What did you say?”

Rogers’ black eyes glittered like pieces of obsidian, hard and shiny, like he was getting off on whatever it was he knew. Cyrus didn’t have to wait long for the answer. “Yeah, our new fish… Seems he’s the tyke who put you away. Nicholas Webster. Still minding your own business?”

Cyrus didn’t answer, but Rogers’ words were like a kick to the balls, sucking the breath out of him. Nicky? In prison? There was no way. Cyrus tried to picture it, but the image of six-year-old Nicky in prison orange just seemed ludicrous. Nicky was forever a child in his mind. A kindergartner swimming in a hand-me-down suit while a grown ass man made him cry on the stand.

How could Nicky, sweet little Nicky, be doing time? It just wasn’t possible. Or maybe it was. Nicky would be…what, twenty-seven now? Who even knew what happened to the kid after his mom got done tying him in knots. That crazy bitch could make a Tibetan monk homicidal.

“Bet I got your attention now, don’t I?” Rogers said, tone smug.

“New fish ain’t my problem,” Cyrus managed. “I’m just doing my time. I’m out of here in less than a year. I doubt he and I will see much of each other. It’s a big place.”

Rogers shook his head like Cyrus was stupid. “You really don’t get it, homie. The warden is giving you a gift. The fish is your new roomie. He’s all yours.”

That caught Cyrus’s full attention. He turned to stare open-mouthed at the prison guard with his too big smile and his high and tight haircut. “What the fuck does that mean?”

Cyrus didn’t know what kind of face he was making, but it caused the guard to take a step back, his hand floating over his gun. Cyrus turned back towards Rosie, petting his hands over her, hoping the dog’s warmth and energy would calm his throbbing rage.

“Listen, I know you’re not normally one of the wolves, man, but your boy…they say he grew up pretty. Real pretty. And he’s gay. If you don’t want