Page 7 of Unbroken

“No fucking shit. I’ve known that for a long time. You know what else I know?”

“What?” For a recluse who lurks in the corner, he sure is talkative. And I’m all ears. The more I know, the more I can use as leverage.

“I know that the man they just brought in, Bugano, is a crime lord. And he has a bunch of the cops around here in his pocket.Burbank is one of them. So watch your fucking back around that piece of shit. Keep your distance and keep your mouth shut.”

“How do you know?” I’d pegged the cop as an asshole, but thought he was harmless.

“Got big ears, and some people don’t know when to keep their mouths shut.”

Isn’t that the fucking truth. Some people must think us inmates are hard of hearing.

“So, where’s your girl now?” he asks.

“Not mine anymore.” I feel the stab in my gut as soon as I say it. Fuck, that hurts. “Cut ties with her so she could go live her life.” Broke her fucking heart so she could rise up from the wreckage and conquer the world. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. That’s the mantra that keeps me sane.

“You ever hear from her?”

“Not anymore.” The first week a letter didn’t arrive, I wept like a fucking baby. Night after night when the lights would go out, I let the pain hit. As time went on, I grew fucking numb. My mind’s way of shutting down the emotions in order to keep me breathing. But when the feelings surface, like they are right now, it’s hard to sweep the guilt under the rug. And now, I’m gonna be sitting in this dark place, my thoughts festering in the silence.

“You ever look her up? See what she’s up to?”

“I’ve tried.” Scoured the fucking internet looking for her. “But it’s like she’s fallen off the face of the earth.” Only explanation I have is that maybe she’s working overseas. Found herself at some high-end restaurant in a French coastal town and that’s why I can’t find her. There’s nothing.

“I know a guy who’s a fucking computer genius. Did time for hacking. Now, he’s out. If you want her information, he’d be able to get it for you. You call this number and tell him Red sent you.” He rattles off the phone number, saying the guy goes by the name Monk. A name I’ve heard of. Apparently, he was a scrawnylittle kid who’d been bullied his whole life when he got locked up, but when he left, he was a scary-ass tyrant that no one fucked with. Good to know his time in here was well served.

“Thanks, man.” Not sure what I’ve done to earn Red’s respect, but a little goes a long way in here. By the time I get out of prison, though, if I get out, I doubt the information Monk gets me will even be relevant. My girl will probably have moved many times, exploring the world and all the different styles of cuisine. But for now, the number is burned in my brain. And if I ever get my phone privileges back, I know who to call.

The sound of the door clanks at the end of the hall, followed by heavy footsteps that are getting louder the closer they come. I’m shocked that Burbank is returning so soon. But maybe it’s eating time.

“Looks like today’s your lucky day, princess.” My cell door opens. Burbank steps inside with no food in hand. “Warden wants to serve you your last rights personally. Get up, Rork. You’re coming with me.”

Maybe there should be a twist of nerves in my gut, but the death penalty would be a good reprieve from what I’m feeling. The conversation with Red stirred up too much heavy shit. Shit that’s hard to live with.

He tugs on my arm, leading me out of the hole and back to the Warden’s private office, a place inmates don’t usually ever get the privilege of seeing. Burbank taps on the door three times before he opens it and then drags me inside. The Warden looks up from his computer. And the moment his eyes land on me, he looks like he wants to strangle the life out of my neck. And again, there isn’t even a flicker of fear running down my spine. If they want to send me to the gas chamber, I’ll welcome the end. Without my Wren, there’s nothing, so I can cease breathing right this very moment and be at peace with it.

“Sit,” the Warden barks.

I take a seat in the big leather chair, getting comfortable while I await my sentencing.

“Let me ask you a fucking question, Rork. The witness who testified for your case, had you ever seen him before?”

“No.” I shake my head, wondering why the hell he’s bringing up my case. That has nothing to do with the pedo’s life I took.

“I’m about to bear some shit fucking news,” he says. “And I’m not even sure where the fuck to begin.”

And I’m not really sure what the fuck is happening right now.

“We’ve uncovered some information recently. Files from a certain judge’s computer.” I sit forward in my chair, making sure I hear him correctly as he continues. “It’s come to our attention that he’s been taking bribes to nail innocent men to the wall for crimes they didn’t commit. So far, we’ve uncovered six, and your name is one them.”

Not new information. I already knew the judge was bribed. The judge, the attorney, the witness, and the damn cop who showed up at my door—I think they were all in on it. What I don’t know is who the fuck the mastermind was, and why they chose me. Other than the fact that it would be easy for the jurors to believe a deadbeat kid from the wrong side of the tracks would do it.

“I already figured that out, Warden. You want to tell me somethin’ I don’t know. Like who the hell decided to make me the fall guy for the crime?”

“You ever hear of guy named Jed Miles?”

The fuck? The kid who came into my shop demanding service for his prissy little ride, acting like an arrogant ass. He was driving across country and happened to get stuck in our “shitty town.” I told the spoiled shit that we don’t service pricks in the shop, and that he should take his little dick and find another mechanic who’s willing to work for assholes. The kid nearly lost his shit. Don’t think anyone had ever spoken to him in such amanner. It was obvious he grew up with a platinum spoon in his mouth, learning how to talk down to people with perfection. Damn, I’d never been so pissed. So, what the fuck does he have to do with my case?

It’s a stupid question, because I already know the answer, but I want to hear it from the Warden’s mouth. “Yeah, I know him. Came into the shop for service. I turned him away.”