The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 14

Margot’s POV

Coban Santorelli.

The name hung in the air like smoke thick and impossible to ignore.

It settled deep in my chest, as though Coban himself had just entered the damn room with us…

The guard flipped through the pages again, slower this time, like even he needed to make sure what he was about to say was real.

“I’ll be honest here,” he sighed heavily, voice dropping a little, “I never thought someone like him would come close to being approved for this program. Not with his hefty record.”

I swallowed hard, the dryness in my throat almost unbearable. “So what… what did he do?”

The guard exhaled through his nose, as if deciding how much to actually tell me before finally, he turned one of the papers around so I could see it for myself.

It wasn’t a mugshot – it was a still frame from a security camera. A blurry figure, tall and broad, who was standing over someone on the floor.

The image was grainy, meaning that I could barely make any of the people out, but the body on the ground looked crumpled. Limp.

–

“Serious assault. Multiple counts of battery. Gang affiliation. Drug trafficking. Was also suspected of mass murder though he was never charged for it because it couldn’t be proved.” The guard tapped the file like he was ticking off a shopping list. “His Daddy is a big shot gangster and he’s the next in line for his throne to put it lightly…”

I blinked.

A big shot gangster?!

He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “And now he’s suddenly your responsibility to rehabilitate.” He whispered across at me, followed by a breathless laugh.

A scream built up in my throat, but never made its way out.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.

I was frozen

–

I was caught somewhere between fight and flight, except both options felt like suicide being this far in.

How the hell could I flee from a moving fucking tin can bobbing its way towards hell anyhow? It was too late!

“But hey,” the guard added with a shrug, gaining my attention again, “word is that he volunteered himself for this program. Said he wants to change. Make peace. Start fresh. So maybe he actually means it? Or maybe he’s desperate. But regardless, he needs to keep you alive and safe in order to earn his freedom… so you’ll be important to him.”

He gave me a long, unreadable look, like he was trying to see how much of that I actually believed.

I didn’t answer though. I couldn’t. It all felt like too much information bouncing between the walls of my mind…

“Ok… that’s good…” I nod, knowing that there would hopefully be plenty of opportunities to debrief with my friend throughout the project, knowing that without her, I wouldn’t be able to make it through this alone.

“On a Saturday, visitors come in to see the prisoners, and so you’ll have half of the day to yourself. You’ll bring us a full report on Coban for that week, giving us the pros and cons of his behaviour and how he’s treated you so far, along with passing over any important information we might need to determine whether he’s eligible for release or not. After that you’ll get to relax with the other females for a while.” He concludes, as I rub my sweaty palms down my trousers.

Ok well that didn’t sound too bad. If I couldn’t catch up with Cara during the week then I’d be guaranteed to see her on a Saturday for a real chat.

If I can manage to survive each week to make it to Saturday that is…

I swallowed, blinking back the nervous tears that threatened to spill.

“That will be us, I just need you to sign this last contract to confirm that you’ve been given a full brief of the prisoner and know what to expect from this project…” he turns a detailed sheet over to face me, landing a pen on top of it.

At first I just stared down at it, debating whether or not I could pull out from all of this, but despite my frantic mind, my hand involuntarily reached up for the pen.

In a trance like state, I shakily signed my name on the bottom line, cursing myself for not taking a second to even attempt to read the document entirely, before I sighed knowing that it would be no use anyhow…

I was in too deep, and Cara was in this with me and I wouldn’t dare leave her to face this mess alone, and above all else –

We needed that damn money in the end.

So let the project begin…