Chapter 175
ERICA’S POV
The prison cafeteria smelled like bleach and stale food. I kept my eyes down, pushing watery mashed potatoes around my tray, trying to be invisible.
But it never worked.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the snitch p>
I didn’t didn’t need to look up to know who it was, Marissa, one of Cassandra’s ’friends’ who’d ended up here on unrelated charges. She’d made it her personal mission to make my life hell ever since I testified.
“I’m eating,” I said quietly.
“Yeah? Well, we’re talking.” Her tray slammed down across from me. Two more women flanked her sides. “Snitches don’t beg for silence after blabbing off to save their sorry ass p>
“It wasn’t like that p>
“Save it. I don’t need your explanation.” She leaned forward. “You know what happens to snitches in here p>
This was what I faced here… daily. And it’s all Cassandra’s fault.
Every single bit of it. She’d lied to me, used me, made me believe Layla was the enemy when all along Cassandra was just a manipulative bitch who’d throw anyone under the bus to save herself.
And I’d been stupid enough to fall for it.
Now here I was, stuck in prison, getting threatened daily, while Layla was out there living her best life with her billionaire husband.
“Leave me alone,” I said, standing abruptly.
“Or what?” Marissa stood too, getting in my face. “You gonna snitch on me too p>
Before I could respond, a guard’s voice cut through the tension. “Chen! Visitor p>
I blinked, confused. “What p>
“You have a visitor. Move it p>
Marissa smirked. “Lucky you. Though I can’t imagine who’d want to visit a rat p>
I followed the guard, my mind racing. Layla? Had she come to gloat? Or maybe Axel, looking for more information? I’d told them everything I knew during the trial. What more could they want?
The visitation room was small, divided by thick plexiglass. I sat down in the metal chair, picking up the phone receiver with shaking hands.
The person who sat down across from me wasn’t Layla or Axel.
It was the man from that night, the one that tortured me while Axel watched. Tall, dark-haired, with sharp eyes and a dangerous smile. He wore jeans and a leather jacket, looking completely out of place in the sterile prison environment.
I picked up the phone. “What are you doing here p>
His smile widened. “I simply came to inform you that I just picked up J. Downson. Your boyfriend p>
The blood drained from my face. The receiver nearly slipped from my suddenly sweaty palm. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about p>
“Really? Because when I ran your background, I found something interesting. You told Layla you had a boyfriend with mafia troubles, right? Used that as your excuse for why you were so scared, why you needed protection.” He leaned back, looking completely relaxed. “I knew something was fishy about that story. But now? Everything just got a lot clearer p>
“I don’t know anyone named Downson p>
“Funny, because he has your photo in his phone. And when I showed it to some associates of mine He paused for effect. “Turns out Downson’s been seen with you multiple times over the past year. Meeting in restaurants, coffee shops, and even a few hotels p>
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst. “Who are you p>
“Name’s Tye. I’m a friend of the O’Briens. You remember them, right? The people you betrayed p>
“I cooperated p>
“You cooperated to save yourself. Now let me tell you about your new reality.” He leaned forward, his smile disappearing. “Downson is talking. Right now, he’s in a very uncomfortable position, and he’s pinning everything on you and Cassandra. Says you two were the masterminds behind the whole operation. And Charles? He’s going to let you both rot to save himself. You’re the perfect scapegoats p>
“That’s not true p>
“Doesn’t matter if it’s true. What matters is what people believe. And right now, everyone believes you’re guilty.” He tilted his head. “But that’s not even your biggest problem p>
“What are you talking about p>
“The Sinaloa Cartel thinks Layla and Axel O’Brien owe them ninety million dollars. But you know what? The O’Briens are investigating. They’re digging. And when they prove to the cartel that they were framed He let the implication hang. “Well, the cartel’s going to want to know who actually set them up. And your name is going to be on that list p>
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “I didn’t have anything to do with the cartel p>
“Didn’t you? You helped fabricate evidence, plant bugs, and steal confidential information. That information was used to frame the O’Briens for money laundering. The cartel acted on that information. So yeah, you had something to do with it p>
“But I didn’t know p>
“They won’t care what you knew or didn’t know. They’ll care that you were involved. And prison walls?” He gestured around. “They don’t stop the Sinaloa. They have people everywhere. Inside and outside. You think Marissa making your life hard is bad? Wait until the cartel decides you’re a loose end p>
I was trembling now, gripping the phone so hard my knuckles were white. “What do you want from me p>
“Information. Everything you know about Downson. About Charles Watson. About how you communicated, how they move money, who else was involved p>
“And if I don’t p>
His expression hardened. “Then I’ll personally leak your name to the Sinaloa as one of the people who stole their money. I’ll make sure they know exactly where you are and that you’re defenseless. How long do you think you’d last? A week? A day p>
“You’re threatening me p>
“I’m offering you a choice. Help us, and I’ll make sure you’re protected in here. I have connections. I can get you moved to a safer facility, away from Cassandra’s friends, with guards who’ll actually watch your back. Or He shrugged. “I can leave you here to fend for yourself when the cartel comes calling p>
I looked down at my hands, at the prison-issue jumpsuit, at the plexiglass separating me from this dangerous man who held my life in his hands.
Charles had abandoned me. He’d used me, just like Cassandra had, and now I was expendable. No one was coming to save me. No one cared what happened to me.
Except maybe this Tye, if only because I had information he wanted.
“What do you want to know?” I whispered.
“Everything. Start with Downson. How did you meet him p>
I took a shaky breath and told him ’everything’
“You knew all these,” he said as I finished. “And you didn’t say. You helped with this p>
Shame burned through me. “I thought I was helping Cassandra. She told me Layla had destroyed my family, and I believed her. I wasn’t aware of the cartel. I didn’t know it would go this far p>
“But you knew you were helping frame innocent people p>
“Yes,” I admitted, my voice breaking. “Yes, I knew. And I did it anyway because I was angry and stupid and I wanted Layla to hurt the way I hurt p>
Tye was quiet for a moment.
“For what it’s worth, we were all fooled, including you all,” I said suddenly, the realisation hitting me. “You’re chasing the wrong man p>
“What does that mean p>
“Charles? He’s just the face. He’s arrogant, thinks he’s running everything, but he’s not the real brains behind this. Not anymore p>
“Who is p>
I looked up at Tye, a new kind of terror settling over me. Because if I said this, if I named him, there was no going back. I’d be signing my own death warrant.
But what choice did I have? I was already dead. The cartel would find me eventually. At least this way, maybe I could take down the bastards who’d used me.
“The money, the real power, it’s not just Charles. It’s the one person he trusts more than Cassandra. The one who’s been playing you all from the beginning p>
“Who p>
I took a shaky breath. “Henry Porter p>