The Bars Between Us

28. Savior

I tap the phone against my hand as I pace, to try and stop them from shaking. I can't believe what I did. Shock and adrenaline pump through my body, as I wait for the cop car that the dispatcher said would be here any minute. I was to call them if Roman comes back, but as I assured them and myself whatever caused the alarm will keep him busy. My mind goes from saying I did the right thing, to telling me that I have made a huge mistake. I make the turn on my pacing route and see the sky is turning blue and red alternatively. I take a deep breath as I hear footsteps making their way up to the open front door. This is it, I think taking a deep breath, working to get the courage to actually do it.

Nixon's POV 20 Minutes Earlier

I stare at the ceiling, my mind turning over everything that has happened with Aphrodite. We've been cooped up in our cells, in the evenings, ever since the fire alarm went off the other week. It seems that her husband is a tough Warden. The last prison I was in was much more relaxed: there was more trust. Well as much trust as you can have with a bunch of alleged criminals. I look down at my exposed arms, and the tattoo running down my forearm. I had it done when I was with Grace, it was meant to be of her, but it could be any blonde girl. Thinking of Grace, and everything she has caused, has the muscles under the tattoo tensing up. Slowly the face of the figure starts to transform into Aphrodite's, causing the muscles to relax. I blink a couple of times, and it returns to normal.

"Hey, mate, you still awake?" my cellmate, Mason, calls. "You've been quiet for a while, are you thinking of her?" I roll over to look over the side of the bunk and down to him, but can only see one of his muscular, ebony arms.

"Maybe."

"You know that you can look but not touch or take things further, right? She's the Warden's wife. You would be thrown into..."

"Yes. I know," I snap falling onto my back. I knew he was right, but I also knew that Aphrodite was unhappy with her so called husband. It could never work, but even after finding out that she was looking into the murder of Grace, I still wanted to get to know her. I feel awful and ungrateful about how I reacted to finding out about her trying to prove my innocence, but I was shocked that she would do that for me and also aware what she may dig up about me – the file will most likely hold personal information. I rub my hands over my face, before sitting up and pushing myself from the bed. I move past Mason who is watching me, and rest my arms on the metal bars, my eyes going to the bars on the window. Beyond the wall, are probably cars taking people wherever they want to go. I envy their freedom.

The block was quieting down as more and more men fell asleep, having nothing better to be doing. I look over my shoulder to Mason, seeing if he's still awake. He is; a book from the prison library in his hands.

A faint high pitched noise reaches my ears. I don't register what it is, until I hear it again, this time louder. It's a woman screaming. The first time I heard it I didn't put two and two together because there are barely any women in the prison, or even close... apart from Aphrodite. She lives across the road. It doesn't take long, the amount of time it takes before another scream fills the night sky, for me to realize that I'm hearing Aphrodite. The wind must be blowing them in our direction. My mind instantly goes into action. The only thing that could be causing her screams like that is something bad, and the person I know to be a previous abuser is her husband. I spin around and look at Mason.

"We need to set the alarm off," I tell him. It's the only thing I can think of to get her husband to stop whatever he's doing, and to save her. I didn't know I cared this much about her. He turns his head to look at me.

"What?" he asks. He's helped me before; by starting the fight which allowed me face time with Aphrodite, so hopefully he will be up for it again.

"We need to get the Warden here by setting the alarm off." His blue eyes meet mine, before his eyebrows pull together over them.

"Why?"

"I'll explain later, we just need to do it," I insist, looking frantically around the cell. He sits up.

"OK," he agrees without any other thought or objection. My eyes fall onto Mason's book.

"Were you enjoying that?" I ask. He follows my gaze, before returning his eyes to me.

"Not really." I snatch it up, and start ripping the pages from the book.

"We're going to start a fire, and then we're going to start a fight," I explain as I work. He doesn't hesitate, going to his stash of forbidden cigarettes and matches. He lights the match, and I step back allowing him to drop it onto the pile of paper. Once it's alight I turn back to the cell door and start to shout.

"Fire!" One of the correctional officers walks down the steps, and along to our cell. When he sees the fire, he immediately calls to the person manning the station for the all the cell doors.

"Open 12." The door swings open and before the correctional officer can react, I am out of the cell, bringing my fist back before bringing it forwards and to his face. He slumps to the floor with the one hit. The sound of cheers and jeers start as I run towards the centre of the prison, hoping that they will set the alarm off. As more correctional officers run down to me, and some bring their guns up all hell breaks loose. The other inmates start to throw things in their cells out, trying to hit the officers.

"Don't move, or we'll shoot!" I stop immediately. What I wanted has happened, the inmates have started to cause havoc. I plead silently that they will set the alarm off, and I was right about them being quick to do so for events that don't need it. Almost as if they heard me, the alarm starts. I let myself breathe a sigh of relief, as the correctional officers work on getting me detained again. I know I won't be going back to my cell, but it was worth it. I just hope I got it done in time. It hasn't been too long since I heard Aphrodite.

As they start to lead me off to the hole, I call back over my shoulder to Mason.

"When you get the chance call her, and tell her I'm sorry for how I reacted."

Here you go! Sorry for the delay! Hades' Daughter (one of my other books) is getting published! Argh! It's so exciting, and will be available on Amazon from the 16th. If you want to learn more, then go to Hades' Daughter and look at the parts starting with The Greatest Announcement Of All Time. After that they are all updates on the process of it being published, and more are to come. If it goes well, I may be able to get some of my other books published as well (like this one).

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