Maddox waited, letting the moment draw out. It was a delicious tension, and he did not intend to let a second of it go to waste. Soon enough the boy would be broken, and these moments of rebellion would be few and far between. Best to enjoy them while he could.
“Yes, sir,” Will finally gritted out, a light blush appearing on his rough, stubbled cheeks. He was absolutely adorable.
A man in his position with a typical psychology might have been grateful for a chance at release. He might have been on his best behavior. He might had said thank you. Not Will. Will fancied himself a lone wolf. In Maddox’s eyes, he was nothing more than a pup about to be introduced to the chain.
2
Escape
The gates of the prison were opening. They weren’t supposed to do that for people like Will. Once those gates closed, they were supposed to remain forever sealed to those with sentences for life. William took a step forward, past the chainlink fence and let out the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. This was real. He glanced briefly over at Maddox, who was looking forward with a slight smile on his face. He seemed very pleased with himself. Every instinct William had told him not to trust this man. He had met people like Maddox before. They enjoyed power, and because they enjoyed power, they often enjoyed inflicting pain. It was how they felt a measure of their control.
William was under no illusions that this represented a true chance at freedom. Whatever he’d signed no doubt indebted him to the cold master beside him. But it might still be an opportunity for freedom, given enough time. These gates and walls, their razor wires, dogs, and armed turrets, these were obstacles that would no longer be in play on the outside.
An armored SUV slid up outside the gate. It looked like military or federal origin. William took a breath to calm himself. There was an agenda in play that he was not familiar with, but he was sure the truth would emerge soon enough.
The disinterested lady in the cloak room had given him his stuff back in a paper bag. There wasn’t much. A lighter. A pack of cigarettes. A phone.
The clothes he’d gone into prison with didn’t fit anymore. The t-shirt was now so tight over his shoulders and across his belly it threatened to rip. He’d been much less muscular when he went in. Running and hiding had left little in the way of opportunity to lift weights or bulk. But three years on the inside lent itself to nothing but weights and bulk. He was almost twice the man he’d been when he went in.
“We’ll get you some new clothes,” Maddox said as Will’s pants complained with the sound of seams pulling as he got into the vehicle. “Do your job well, and you’ll have the best of everything.”
“What job?”
“The only job you’re good at,” Maddox smiled.
These promises made William skeptical. The more Maddox said was coming to him, the more he was certain he was in danger. This was the definition of too good to be true, but the gates of the prison were receding behind them. That was one promise that had been made good on.
He sat and he said nothing. He was watching and waiting. Side-eye observing the man who had just done the absolute impossible and freed him. There was something about Maddox which suggested horrors. He had the calm and polished demeanor of someone who was hiding not just something, but everything. Will had learned to follow instinct throughout the course of his life. Everybody had instinct, of course, but hardly any of them could hear theirs the way he did. His gut told him that Maddox was the quiet kind of apex predator that even other predators had to worry about.
The prison was located outside the city, but not so far outside it wasn’t easy enough to reach for workers and staff. To William’s surprise, they turned toward the city and drove through the outskirts and into the very heart of it. Tall buildings and throngs of people wrapped themselves around the vehicle, the city seeming to move more than the car from time to time. He felt his breath catch in his throat and had to force himself to breathe normally. Was this freedom? Why did the city suddenly feel even more oppressive than prison ever had?
He startled as Maddox’s hand wrapped over his, bringing a sudden flush of warmth and strength and intimacy which he had not experienced in a long time.
“You’ve been incarcerated for a long time. Three years is enough time for the self to begin to degrade,” Mad said. “This will not be an easy adjustment, but I will say this: do not do anything stupid.”