Chapter 33 – Boss

Margot’s POV

I sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, hands clasped in my lap like I was waiting for a verdict. Every so often I’d glance at the bathroom door, still firmly shut, the sound of the water pattering against the tiles only making the silence more deafening. I couldn’t shake the way his words had lodged inside me like tiny glass splinters.

Pretty.

He’d called me pretty? Bella meant pretty? And he’d said it like it was a fact, not a compliment. Like it was a problem to be managed. I don’t think anybody had ever called me pretty throughout my entire life either, besides maybe Cara at some point or another? But definitely never a guy… I still didn’t know what to do with that information, or better yet, what else to say…

Trapped in my thoughts, I hadn’t even heard the water shut off as the bathroom door finally creaked open, steam billowing out before Coban stepped through it, drying off his short dark hair with a towel. His expression was unreadable again – but something about the way his eyes flicked toward me said he knew exactly what mess he’d left me in. He wore black athletic shorts and a snug black tee that hugged the defined lines of his chest and arms, his tattoos crawling out from under the sleeves.

“Let’s go,” he muttered, jerking his chin toward the door as he tossed the damp towel into the growing laundry pile.

I jumped up quickly, falling into step behind him as we slipped out into the corridor once more. “Where are we going now?” I asked, my voice steadier than I had expected.

“Outside for an hour,” he grunted over his shoulder. “Then it’s laundry.”

He didn’t wait for my reply, just moved forward with that same sure stride that I was beginning to recognise as part of him – arrogant, and purposeful, like someone who didn’t have time to waste. This time he turned us down a different corridor to the one we’d taken earlier, and I found myself struggling to memorise the way: left, right, then another left before going down some steps. The place was a goddamn maze!

I followed closely, clutching the hem of my grey jumper nervously as we passed a few inmates with their partners. Some nodded at Coban as we went by. Others stared. But no one said a word to us.

As we rounded a corner toward a metal security door, a tall female guard leaned against the wall just beside it, arms crossed and a smirk playing at her lips.

“Behaving yourself, Coban?” she called out, raising an eyebrow at him.

He didn’t miss a beat. “Trying.”

She glanced at me after, eyes dragging from my head to my toes in a way that made me feel self-conscious. There was something sharper about it, like she was assessing me.

“Your girl looks like she’s surviving at least,” the guard said dryly. “That’s more than I expected after a night with you.”

“She’s a quick learner,” Coban replied, his voice neutral but clipped, evidently not wanting to talk to her much.

She eventually pressed the button beside the door, and it buzzed before unlocking with a heavy clunk to let us both pass. We stepped through it, into a wide courtyard surrounded by high walls topped with barbed wire. The air hit my skin like a welcome splash of cold water – it wasn’t the freshest exactly, but it was still good. I drew in a slow breath, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease up just a little. It was the first time since we’d arrived that I didn’t feel entirely suffocated.

Coban led us toward a bench near the edge of the yard, away from the handful of other inmates milling about. He sat down heavily, stretching his arms out across the back of the bench and tilting his head back to watch the sky. I hovered nearby, unsure if I was supposed to sit beside him or just stand awkwardly in place.

“Sit down, Bella,” he muttered without even having to look at me.

And so I did, closer to him than I had intended to be due to the small gap left for me on the bench.

And for a while, neither of us spoke.

There was something unspoken in the quiet – something almost peaceful, even if it was still laced with threat. I watched him from the corner of my eye, studying the sharp lines of his jaw, the crease between his brows, the way his foot bounced ever so slightly as if he was always ready to move, to fight, to flee. He hadn’t said another word about what he’d told me earlier, about the name, about what he thought of me. But amongst it all, I was starting to understand something important about Coban Santorelli… He didn’t seem to say things unless he meant them. And that terrified me more than if he had lied.

But peace in this place was fleeting.

Growing voices broke through the calm – loud, obnoxious ones. “Yo, Coban!” One yelled, as my eyes flicked toward the source. Sure enough, a group of five inmates were strutting across the yard like they owned it, laughter echoing between them. And among them, unmistakable even from a distance, was Luca, grinning like the devil himself, charming and smooth, with a swagger that said he’d never once known fear.

Trailing just behind the men were the girls too – including Cara, who caught my eye almost instantly. Her face lit up when she saw me again. She lifted her hand in a small wave, mouthing something I couldn’t quite catch, but it made my chest swell with relief and joy again.

I went to stand, instinct kicking in before thought – I wanted to go to her – but before I could even rise fully, a strong hand wrapped around my wrist and tugged me back down onto the bench.

“You’ll stay here with me!” Coban muttered low under his breath, his tone possessive.

I blinked in surprise, my breath catching at the unexpected pull. I turned toward him, frowning slightly. “I just wanted to say hi?” I whispered.

But he didn’t answer, only glared at me briefly in a silent warning. I sighed, swallowed hard and nodded, sitting still, his fingers slowly unhooking from my skin once he was sure that I wouldn’t move from him again.

I couldn’t tell if the tension in the air was coming from the group or from him, but either way, it prickled along my skin like electricity. Luca was the first to speak as they neared our bench, hands tucked into his pockets and that same cocky smile stretching across his face.

“Well, well, well,” he drawled. “Didn’t think I’d find you two lovebirds out here enjoying the breeze so soon. Quick shower, Santo.”

“Enjoying it until you showed up with the welcome committee, asshole!” Coban stated, somewhat playful but ultimately insulting the others that joined.

I glanced up at Luca, who shifted his weight, clearly not fazed by him as usual. His gaze then flicked to me next…

“You still doing alright with this one, Bella?” he asked, teasingly soft as he emphasised the nickname again.

Cara finally poked her head around him, hovering awkwardly a few steps back before I gave him a nod. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks.”

“Fuck! How’d you land such a hot one, boss?” One of the other guys behind Luca suddenly roared, as my cheeks flared.

Were they mocking me? Mocking him? I was nothing special… I knew that, despite the stuff Coban had said earlier.

Wait…

Did he just say, boss, too?