Page 100 of Break Me Not

She looked off in the standard jail uniform. Her bob and bangs were a little bit too nicely laid, with her lined dark eyes smudged at the edges. It just… looked weird.

Especially because she was so petite that sitting next to her felt like sitting next to a teenager or something.

“Is that how you get your information?” I asked, lowering my voice.

She sent me a smile.

“Exactly. The name is Mia, by the way. I don't believe you ever asked.”

“I didn't want to,” I admitted.

She looked toward the bars of our cell and smiled wickedly. There was no guard in sight—weird because there’d been one stationed out there the entire time I'd been here.

Mia got up and walked to the middle of the room. Eyes were on her in seconds as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and cards.

“Whoever can beat me at a game wins this pack of cigarettes. Whoever loses gives me information. Fair?”

There was silence, and just when I didn't think anyone was going to take her up on her offer, a girl in the far-right corner and then the girl across from her in the far left both turned to face her.

“What’s the game?” the one on the left asked. I winced when her face came into view. There were bruises all over it.

“A simple game of old maid,” she said, and turned to them. “You in?”

To my surprise, both of them joined her in the middle of the room.

Mia was playing one-on-one, and, unfortunately, I couldn't stop watching. From my vantage point, I had the perfect look at her cards, so I knew she wasn't cheating. At least not obviously.

But still, time and time again… they lost. And they would whisper whatever information she wanted in her ear. This went on for what seemed like hours.

“Lost again,” she said to the girl to her right. This one’s wounds matched one of the other girl’s, which made me believe they’d gotten in a fight. “Now… Your brother works at a construction site, but he recently went on a spending spree that was above his means. What do you know about it?”

The girl's face twisted.

“All this for a pack of cigarettes? Are you kidding me?”

“I don't know, girl. It's been a little too long for me. I could really use one,” her presumed friend said.

“Yeah, if you don't want to play, I'll take them,” someone else added.

The girl still looked conflicted.

“How about this? If you tell me where he got the money and who his client is, I'll give you the whole thing right now and I'll get you out of this jail cell tonight.”

Her face lit up.

“Not fair!”

“Hey!”

But she was already leaning forward and telling Mia her brother’s dirtiest secrets as I watched in amazement. It was a great way to kill time, but who would've guessed they would give so much away for so little?

Once Mia was satisfied, she walked over to the bars and pounded on them. The guard came a few moments later, and Mia was shown out, taking the girl with her, as promised.

She turned to me with a wave and disappeared down the hallway.

All eyes were then on me.

Fuck.