THIS PLACE WAS A LIVING, BREATHING HELL.

Even now, twelve months later, I hadn’t gotten used to my surroundings; if I was being honest, I didn’t think I ever would. Time crawled by. I had too much time to think – to fucking torture myself with what ifs. Like what if I had gotten on that plane with Teagan and never went to the quarry? We’d be in Ireland now, and I would be lying beside her and not four concrete walls.

All I had was myself.

All I could work on was my body.

Growing it.

Strengthening it.

Preparing for the trouble that I knew was lurking behind every damn corner.

I wasn’t a virgin to bloodshed, but I’d lost count of the number of times I had a rib busted in this place. Fucking vultures were the reason I kept a blade in my toothbrush.

But I was running out of time.

I followed the line of inmates as the guards rounded us up and led us into the visiting room like a goddamn herd of cattle. I watched, emotionless, as the guys in front of me filed into the visiting room, claiming tables that were filled with people who loved them.

I didn’t have any family waiting on me in here. I didn’t have a disappointed father, or a heartbroken mother to look forward to seeing every Thursday afternoon. I didn’t have a horny wife, saddled down with half a dozen of my kids.

I scanned the room for the one person I could stand the sight of these days, and when I found him sitting alone in the far corner of the room, I went straight for him.

“Anything?” I asked the minute I sat down; my hands twitching on the table in front of me and my knees bopping restlessly underneath.

Tommy Moyet stared at me for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh. “Sorry, man,” he mumbled. “I’ve sent over fifty emails, but Hope isn’t responding.”

I let my head drop forward, my chin almost touching my chest, as I struggled to reign in my raging emotions. The visiting room was packed full of fuckers who didn’t need to see me break down. Dammit to hell, one weak moment in this place could cost me my life.

“Tommy, I need you to do something for me,” I said in a hushed tone, hating what I was about to ask my only friend to do.

“Anything, man, you know that,” he replied without hesitation.

Leaning forward, I kept my voice low enough so that Tommy was the only one who could hear me – and not the bastard at the next table. “I need you to get a message to Low.”

Tommy frowned. “Okay…but can’t you just phone him?”

I shook my head. “There are too many eyes and ears in this place,” I muttered. “It’s not safe.”

His blue eyes widened in fear. “What do you want me to tell him?”

I leaned forward and kept my face down when I spoke, so our conversation wasn’t lip-read. “Tell him Angelo Javi was transferred to my block last week and he knows who I am – what I did to his brother.”

I knew I could count on Lucky to have my back, and if I told him about Javi and his gang, he would back me up without a second’s hesitation, but I wasn’t involving him in my bullshit.

No fucking way.

Shoving my chair back, I stood up and stared down at my best friend for what could be the last time. “Tell him I need him to call Teagan and tell her I love her and I’m sorry. And tell him… tell him I’m a dead man.”

“Noah!” Tommy called out as I walked away from him, but I didn’t turn around.

I couldn’t.

Angelo Javi had pull in this place, and I was a sitting duck.

I needed to get back to my cell before visiting time was over and I was cornered in a fucking corridor with those guys.

I needed a fucking miracle.