“I want Conner dead.”
“Okay,” said Damien, taken slightly aback by his cellmate’s vehemence. “Why?”
Frankie looked at him and seemed close to tears; there was a slight twitch on the lad’s face that must have been distracting to anyone having a conversation with him. “Because...”
Damien examined the expression on Frankie’s face and understood the problem. There was no need for full explanation because some things in prison were pretty clear: The strong prey on the weak, for one. Conner had been raping Frankie, and perhaps others too.
“That shit don’t go down with me,” said Damien. “You need to stick up for yourself though. I can’t watch your back twenty-four-seven.”
Frankie was obviously fighting back tears now. “Why would you want to watch my back at all?”
Damien wasn’t quite sure, and tried to work out the answer by speaking about it. “I guess I just don’t want to be stuck with a moping sod of a roommate all year. Maybe I could do with a few favours on the outside, too. I help you in here, you help me out there.”
“Deal!”
Damien laughed. “I never made an offer; it was just a hypothesis. Still, like I said, you need to defend yourself.”
“How? Conner has too many friends in here. He even has the guards helping him.”
Damien’s eyebrows raised. “What?”
“Warden McMillan lets him get away with murder. In fact it was McMillan who first started...”
“You’re kidding me,” Damien couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “The Warden?”
Frankie nodded. “He comes in here at night sometimes.”
“What the fuck, man. That is messed up. I expect that kind of behaviour from a bunch of caged animals, but he’s a bloody adult with a life on the outside. There’s no excuse.”
“I think he’s a queer or something. Conner sorts stuff out fro him on the inside and McMillan uses him to keep people quiet about his...nightly visits.”
There was silence between them for almost ten minutes while Damien thought about things. He was only here for six months, and would have an easy life by just keeping his head down and doing his time. That would feel wrong to him, though. Being locked up was the best way to build his rep and make a few contacts that could help him on the outside. For that reason, Conner had to go. But it wouldn’t be as easy as he thought with the Warden looking out for him. He would have help though, and in fact, he knew that he had help in this very cell. Frankie was broken and dehumanised, which meant he had nothing to lose; the perfect weapon for Damien to wield.
“We take out the Warden,” Damien said suddenly. “Next time he comes in here and gets his cock out, you slit his throat. I will swear that he came in to abuse you and you tell them about what he’s been doing. I guarantee they will cover it up rather than expose something like this.”
“You want me to murder him?”
“What’s the problem? You don’t think he deserves it?”
Frankie shrugged on the end of the bed. “I just don’t think I could ever kill anyone.”
Damien patted his new ally on the back. “You can, my friend. We all can. And you’ll enjoy it.”
“You know something,” said Frankie. He sounded forlorn. “After what that pervert has been doing to me, I think I would. He deserves it and my life can’t get any worse anyway. I’m in.”
Damien was surprised Frankie hadn’t needed more convincing; the lad would be even more useful than he thought.
“Great,” said Damien. “Then, when the Warden’s gone, we take out Conner.”
“And his mates,” Frankie added, suddenly sounding very eager. “I’m going to make every one of them pay.”
Damien shrugged, “Okay, man. If that’s what you want. Your deal though, I just want the top spot.”
“That’s fine,” said Frankie. “You get the top spot and I kill em all.”