Endangered Species Endangered Species (Time Served #1) - Onley James Page 0,71
led through the facility like he was Hannibal Lecter. The guard in the front used his radio to signal to somebody that they were on their way out.
The hallways were deserted. While they were never a hub of activity, there were usually one or two guards and inmates mopping the floors or emptying trash cans. There were often inmates attending classes in the rooms off the hall, but today, nothing.
Despite the rapid pace of the guards, Cy started to feel like he was walking the green mile. Some part of him had hoped this was all an elaborate show of force as they marched him to the visitor’s area or maybe even the warden’s office. But they weren’t heading to the admin building.
They took a right just past the kitchens into a darkened corridor. A new fear gripped him. Maybe they were setting him up to be killed. Maybe they’d take the cuffs off and claim he made a run for it during a routine transfer? His mind started to run wild with images of him being gunned down, shot in the back, riddled with bullets. Nicky would never let that go. If Cy ended up dead, Nicky would definitely never stop hunting these people. He was relentless. The idea of never saying goodbye to Nicky broke Cy’s heart.
When he saw the double doors at the end of the hallway, he realized where he was. The cargo bay near the kitchens. He’d often unloaded kitchen supplies onto the conveyor belt when he’d first arrived at the prison. He slowed his walk almost against his will. “What’s happening here?” Cy asked again, a sudden fear gripping him.
A hand shoved him from behind. “Keep up, inmate.”
Cy stumbled but recovered quickly. The guard on the left dialed a number into the keypad while another used the keys to unlock the doors. When the doors opened, there was a prisoner transport vehicle sitting at the bay reserved for tractor trailers, doors open to reveal the metallic interior.
“Let’s go,” one of the guards said, but Cy felt rooted to the spot. What the fuck was happening? Was he being transferred? Would he end up lost in the system like Nicky had?
Cy boarded the vehicle with leaden feet, not moving as they secured him to the ring on the floor. Once everybody was on board, they pounded on the wall to let the driver know to take off. Nobody spoke; they just sat flanking him, weapons in hand, like they were soldiers preparing to storm a beach.
Cy did his best not to let his imagination run away from him, but it was difficult. They drove for what felt like forever but was most likely only about forty-five minutes. When the vehicle rolled to a stop, another set of guards opened the doors from the outside. These men were also heavily armed. They were in another docking bay, but Cy didn’t recognize the facility.
But he did recognize one thing. Nicky. He stood just past the two guards, flanked on either side by two men in black suits. Nicky looked frazzled. His hair was a bit messy, and his eyes were ringed with red, but he was grinning so hard, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for them to unlock Cy’s shackles. As soon as he was free, the dark-haired man on the left signed a paper for the guards and they left.
Nicky handed the bundle to the startled red-haired agent then jumped into Cy’s arms, kissing him everywhere. “I’m so happy you’re safe. Fuck.”
Cy frowned, pushing Nicky back just enough to look at him. “What? Why wouldn’t I be safe? What’s happening?”
Nicky smiled, kissing Cy smack on the lips for all the world to see. “Dooley’s been arrested. These agents are with the DOJ.”
“Okay?” Cy said, hoping more explanation was to follow.
Nicky took a deep breath. “Dooley is already primed to flip, but just to be safe, we’re going to stay in one of Elite’s safe houses until all this is behind us and arrests have been made. This is all finally over.”
“What? I still have time to serve.”
“Okay, well, technically, yes. But they’ve agreed to let you serve it on house arrest until we get all of this straightened out. But they think they can get you released and maybe even get your record expunged.”
“How did all this happen?”
“After your phone call, I was so fucking mad. I was going to confront Dooley, which I did, but Linc reminded me that we