Chapter 4 - THE LOCKDOWN
“What did you just say?”
Knox grabbed Ethan by the shoulder.
“Move.”
The warden shouted, “Officer, where are you taking him?”
“Protective holding.”
“I gave no such order.”
Knox looked at Briggs.
“You want him alive for the hearing or not?”
That ended the argument.
They moved fast.
Alarm lights flashed along the corridor.
Steel doors slammed shut one after another.
The sound traveled through Graystone like thunder.
Ethan’s pulse hammered.
“What happened?”
Knox kept walking.
“Somebody opened two doors that shouldn’t have opened.”
“Accident?”
“No.”
A crash echoed from somewhere down the hall.
Men started shouting.
Then came another sound.
Running feet.
Knox shoved Ethan into an empty medical room.
“Stay here.”
“You’re leaving me?”
“I’m locking the door from the outside.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“It should.”
Knox stepped out.
The door locked.
Ethan stood alone.
No windows.
One examination table.
One metal cabinet.
One fluorescent light buzzing overhead.
He waited.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Then the handle moved.
Ethan backed away.
The door opened.
It wasn’t Knox.
A prisoner stepped inside.
Leon Briggs.
No relation to the warden.
Six-two.
Built like concrete.
Serving eighteen years for armed robbery.
Ethan knew him enough to avoid him.
Leon closed the door.
“You Cole?”
Ethan’s eyes dropped to Leon’s right hand.
Something metallic.
A sharpened piece of steel.
“Depends who’s asking.”
Leon smiled.
“Funny.”
“Who sent you?”
Leon moved closer.
“You got a hearing coming.”
Ethan said nothing.
“That’s exciting.”
Another step.
“Maybe you go home.”
Ethan’s back touched the wall.
“Maybe.”
Leon raised the weapon.
“Maybe not.”
Ethan grabbed the rolling examination stool and kicked it forward.
Leon stumbled.
Ethan moved.
Fast.
He slammed Leon’s wrist against the metal cabinet.
The shank dropped.
Leon drove a shoulder into Ethan’s stomach.
Both men crashed into the wall.
Ethan couldn’t fight him straight up.
Leon had sixty pounds on him.
So Ethan fought ugly.
Thumb to the eye.
Knee to the thigh.
Elbow to the jaw.
Leon roared and grabbed Ethan’s throat.
“You should’ve taken the deal!”
Ethan froze.
“What?”
Leon tightened his grip.
“You should’ve kept your mouth shut!”
Ethan drove his forehead into Leon’s nose.
Blood exploded.
Leon staggered.
The door flew open.
Knox rushed in with two officers.
“DOWN!”
Leon reached for the shank.
Knox hit him with pepper spray.
Leon screamed.
The officers tackled him.
Ethan coughed against the wall.
Knox looked at the shank.
Then at Ethan.
“You hurt?”
“I’ve had better mornings.”
Knox almost smiled.
Then Ethan remembered Leon’s words.
He stepped forward.
“What deal?”
Leon was face-down on the floor.
Ethan crouched.
“What deal?”
Leon laughed through blood.
“You really don’t know?”
“Know what?”
Knox grabbed Ethan.
“Back up.”
Leon turned his head just enough to see Ethan.
“That witness against you?”
Ethan went still.
“Ray?”
Leon smiled.
“He ain’t the one running this.”
Knox’s expression changed.
Ethan saw it.
“Who is?”
Leon laughed harder.
Then he looked directly at Officer Knox.
May you like
And said:
“Ask the cop.”
