He did a quick sweep of the yard, taking in everything at a glance. He could never let his guard down. A newer guy, wanting to make a name for himself, could always try to take him out. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to slip a shiv between his ribs.
His brother spotted him through ribbons of undulating heat and started toward him in his easy, long--legged gait, resembling a rangy wolf, all hard lines and sinew strolling across the yard. Knox released a small breath. Whenever he was in the hole, a part of him always worried about North. Whether he was doing okay. Whether he was safe. Whether Knox not being around, not looking out for him, would be the one factor that got his brother killed. He’d lost so much already. He couldn’t lose his younger brother, too.
North was nearly as tall as Knox, standing a little over six feet, but to Knox he would always be the kid brother he had to keep an eye on. The one that used to chase after him and his friends, pleading with them to wait up. The one that spied on him when he was making out with Gina Bagdanelli.
They looked each other over as the distance between them closed, and he realized it was the same for his brother. Every moment they were apart, North worried about him, too.
His brother wasn’t the only one studying him. Knox felt the eyes on him. Hard men assessing for vulnerabilities, trying to see if he was still injured, if his stint in the hole had somehow damaged him. Weakened his mind or body. Not a day went by that he didn’t have to look strong, hard. Unbreakable.
Stopping before him, North held out his knuckles to connect with his. “Hey, man.” He eyed the fresh scar on his forehead and then looked over the rest of him, clearly searching for other injuries hidden beneath the white of his uniform. “You all right?”
Knox nodded. “Yeah.” He motioned to his head. “It’s nothing. Takes more than a tray to crack my skull.”
North grinned, his teeth a flash of white in his tanned face. It always surprised Knox—-his brother’s ability to smile. He was still good--natured. Even after eight years in this shithole.
Knox scowled at him and North sighed, killing the grin. Knox had told him enough times to cut out the smiles. Others might think him too soft. And then there was his kid brother’s face. He was too good--looking, and grinning just advertised the fact. Knox knew he wasn’t bad looking—-he’d had his fair share of girls before prison—-but North belonged on the cover of a magazine . . . or on a billboard advertising cologne. They had the same dark hair, but his brother’s eyes were a deep brown. There was a warm light in those depths despite all he had been through.
The first month in the Rock had been hell for both of them. They barely managed to protect each other. They had been hanging on by a thread when Reid took them in. Maybe he’d watched them fight long enough and hard enough and deemed them worthy. Or maybe he just felt sorry for them. Young, pretty boys never held up well.
Knox knew it put him in Reid’s debt, and he accepted that. Fortunately, Reid had never asked either of them to do anything he was intrinsically opposed to. If that day ever came . . . Well, he would deal with it then.
“The skins are pissed but not making any moves.”
Knox snorted. “They’re not going to do anything.”
North nodded as they crossed side by side to where Reid and a dozen of their guys played basketball.
“Everything’s been pretty quiet. Well, except the two fish. They’ve stirred up a little noise.”
“Yeah?” he murmured, stopping at the edge of the game. Reid, the big motherfucker, was shirtless. Sweat gleamed off his tan muscles as he dribbled the ball effortlessly, eyeing the players on defense.
He was surprisingly graceful as he wove between them, his elbow shooting out and colliding with another guy’s nose in a move that would have gotten you thrown out of any other game in the civilized world. Blood spewed and the player dropped. Reid didn’t pause in his drive, dunking the ball and sending the rim into loud vibrations.
“Yeah,” North continued, “word is they hatched this crazy--fuck plan to hijack the HSU.”
Knox swung around, all of him locking tight. “What?”
“Yeah. Everyone’s been talking about this new nurse in there. You must have seen her. Old Smitey couldn’t stop talking about her. Hell, everyone’s suddenly claiming they’ve got food poisoning to get in there and check her out . . .”
The rest of his brother’s words faded. A roar of blood rushed to his head. He turned around, scanning the yard, searching for the two new fish his brother was talking about. He remembered them. They talked too much and spent the better part of their time getting their asses handed to them. Skinny guys, both in for armed robbery. Repeat offenders, they were in for life this time.
“Where are they?” he demanded.
His brother looked at him oddly, his dark eyebrows drawn tightly together. “They both faked sick. Made themselves puke and everything. Guards took them about twenty minutes ago.”