Chapter 21 - Grey

Margot’s POV

I didn’t move.

Neither did he.

But my eyes did – and they drank him in against my better judgment.

Jet black hair, freshly cut and shaved on the sides, still damp from the shower and glistening beneath the artificial ceiling light. I wondered how he got his haircuts from inside? Was one of the inmates also a barber?

Maybe…

He showcased a sharp, chiseled jawline that ticked with tension, clenched so tightly that I could see the muscle twitch beneath his tanned skin.

He was tall. So tall. At least a full foot over me. Broad too, with shoulders that looked like they could block an entire doorway, and from what I could tell, as he stood just outside the bathroom door, they absolutely did.

And his body…

Oh God.

Rippling abs stacked like bricks, each one slick and cut with terrifying perfection. His chest was hard and defined, rising and falling in slow, measured breaths that didn’t seem to match the intensity simmering in his eyes.

The guard from the boat wasn’t kidding when he said Coban spent most of his time in the damn gym… I could tell!

Dark tattoos danced up both of his arms, winding across muscle and vein in black, brutal patterns that I couldn’t decipher.

One sleeve spilled out and snaked up the side of his neck, disappearing just beneath his jaw.

He looked like a man carved from war.

Rough. Powerful. Violent.

But – and I hated myself for even thinking it – dangerously attractive.

He was definitely an attractive guy.

I had never seen a man like him in my life.

My gaze darted back up to his face, and that’s when I met his eyes again. Those eyes.

They were so dark.

So dark I couldn’t tell where the color ended and the fury began.

Dangerous didn’t even begin to cover it. They pierced straight through me, stripping me bare in seconds. I held my breath as his stare slowly, slowly dropped – trailing down my body inch by inch, like he was assessing damage or preparing for execution.

My pink uniform suddenly felt like a neon target.

My cheeks flamed, my arms folding instinctively across my chest as I squirmed under the weight of his gaze.

What was he thinking?

Was I a disappointment?

Ugly?

Too young?

Not the mint-green vixens he was expecting to get?

My heart pounded harder with every second that ticked by in that suffocating silence. Until—

His whole face shifted.

Brows crashed down. Jaw locked even harder. Eyes turned molten.

He looked… pissed.

Shit. What had I done?!

I barely had time to flinch before he started moving towards me. Fast.

“W–Wait!” I squeaked, throwing up my arms and stumbling back, shielding myself on instinct.

It was a reaction honed from years of living with my father—whenever he stomped toward me like that, it only ever meant one thing: pain.

But instead of striking me… he shoved right past me.

What is he doing?!

He marched to the door with a single, thunderous stride and slid open a small hatch near the center – one I hadn’t even noticed was there.

My pulse drummed wildly in my ears, banging up into my head.

He leaned down, stuck his mouth to the slot, and roared, “GUARDS! DON’T IGNORE ME, YOU BUNCH OF FUCKING PIGS! GET OVER HERE, NOW!”

I gaped at him, my breath short and ragged from hearing his voice for the first time.

What the hell was happening?!

My heart was still racing from the sheer fury in his voice, the way it cracked through the stillness like a whip. The guards arrived within seconds, muffled voices clamoring from the other side of the door.

One voice laughed bitterly. “What’s the problem, Santo? You already hurt that poor girl?” He tested, and I couldn’t shake the fact that he sounded nervous.

Santo.

Maybe that was his nickname in here?

But Coban didn’t take the bait. He just snapped back at him louder.

“Why the fuck is she wearing a BRIGHT PINK prison set?! Are you trying to fuck with me? You want me to look pathetic parading around a Barbie doll?! Is this a joke? Are they all in pink, or is it just mine?!”

I flinched again, stunned.

He was mad about… the uniform I chose? Crap! I messed up!

My head reeled.

“I want it swapped!” he snarled.

My mouth opened, then shut again. My legs felt like lead, planted to the floor, my lungs barely functioning.

One of the guards responded. “The girls were given a choice of colors, Coban… the point was to make them more comfortable in here.”

And just like that, his wrath turned on me.

His head snapped in my direction, eyes narrowing with sudden venom.

“You chose fucking pink?” he growled, stalking a step closer.

“To come into a prison? My prison?!” He grit out, as I began to sweat under his stare.

I pressed my back to the wall, as though it might swallow me up and protect me.

“Stupid fucking girl,” he hissed, leaning close to me for a moment before returning to the door.

The insult hit harder than it should’ve. Maybe because he said it like a fact. Like a diagnosis.

I didn’t speak – couldn’t – as the guard’s voice came through the slot again.

“Would you be happy switching color? The choice is yours,” he asked, his tone light, almost amused as he addressed me now.

Coban’s glare didn’t budge, almost testing me to see if I would go against him.

He looked feral.

Unhinged.

Like he was one wrong word away from completely exploding.

I nodded so fast that my neck nearly snapped. “Y–Yeah, sure!”

The guard sighed. “What color?”

“Black or grey,” Coban answered sharply for me, eyes still on me. “Nothing else, fuck the stupid colors!”

I heard the guard groan. “Just let the girl decide! We don’t have black,” he stated, as Coban reached up to pinch his nose, seeming stressed over the matter.

“Grey is fine. Do grey,” I whispered, my voice barely meeting the air.

“I’ll have it swapped. Her things will be delivered soon along with the new uniform. In the meantime, give the poor thing a break, Coban!” The guard warned, and I was somewhat thankful that he seemed to be on my side.

“Fuck off,” Coban replied, slamming the hatch shut as my eyes widened at his response.

He clearly didn’t care for any of them. If he could disrespect the guards and avoid punishment, what chance would I have with him in here?

The silence quickly returned to the room.

But it was heavier now. Tighter.

He just stood there, staring at me like I was a mistake that had already worn thin.

And all I could do was stand there, heart up in my throat, cursing the choice that had somehow nearly gotten me killed.

All over a stupid shade of pink!

He quickly got bored, moving himself towards the chest of drawers, as my memory jumped back to the condoms I had found there earlier during my snoop.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as he opened the large middle drawer instead, retrieving clean black boxer shorts.

In a second, he unhooked and dropped his towel, revealing his naked ass to me as I gasped loudly and spun on my heels to look away.

He was fucking naked!

I was locked in here with a dangerous man, stood bare-ass naked!

The sound that escaped him next had me confused… it was a loud laugh.

“Virgin,” he scoffed out, enough for me to hear him as my cheeks flared.

I trembled.

How was I going to survive him?!