The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 147

**Chapter 147**

**Margot’s POV**

They hurried us out of the cell block with such urgency that I barely had a moment to glance back at the lifeless form of Newman or the dark stain of blood that had seeped into the floor just outside the door of my cell shared with Coban. The chaotic scene felt surreal, as if I were in a nightmare from which I couldn’t awaken.

The guard shoved us into a cramped holding room—a stark, unadorned space that contained nothing but four flimsy chairs and a bare table, devoid of any comfort or warmth. The fluorescent lights above buzzed incessantly, casting a harsh glare that felt like the eyes of a thousand judgmental insects, amplifying the oppressive atmosphere as the door slammed shut behind us, sealing us in like caged animals, as if we were the ones responsible for the upheaval that had just unfolded.

My heart raced, a relentless drumbeat echoing in my chest since the moment I had screamed Newman’s name, convinced it was him I had seen. But Coban was alive. He wasn’t the one lying cold and still on the floor. Yet, he was still absent from my side, and the gnawing uncertainty of his whereabouts gnawed at my insides.

No one seemed to have any answers for me. No one could tell me how he was faring or when he might return. The entire Mix-Up challenge had been postponed due to “the incident”—that’s how the guards referred to it, as if a man hadn’t been found dead right outside my cell door, as if it wasn’t the same man who had tried to kill Sarah just days before.

Sarah…

I hoped she was holding on, still fighting her way back to recovery. Was it wrong of me to think that Newman had almost deserved his fate? After the way he had abandoned her, leaving her vulnerable and alone?

Cara sat beside me, her grip on my fingers so tight that they felt numb, but I remained silent. I couldn’t find the words to comfort her; my mind was a whirlwind of frantic, unending questions that refused to quiet down.

Who had killed Newman?

Who wanted to frame Coban?

Where was he now?

Why had he been in medical all day?

What was his grand plan?

Was he in trouble?

Was he being questioned?

Was he being punished?

Leo paced the small room, his hands laced behind his head, muttering curses that dripped with frustration under his breath. With every passing minute, his tension seemed to grow, his eyes darting toward the door each time footsteps echoed outside, but no one came for us.

An hour dragged on painfully, and I tried to engage in small talk with Cara about Newman’s death, but we both knew nothing of substance to share.

“What if they’ve forgotten we’re even in here?!” Cara exclaimed, voicing the very worry that gnawed at my own thoughts. Leo paused, glancing at us, his expression darkening.

Before he could respond, the door clicked open, breaking the heavy silence.

Two men in sharp suits entered, their polished shoes clicking against the floor, their faces calm and collected as if they hadn’t just witnessed chaos unfold downstairs.

“Apologies for the inconvenience you all experienced earlier,” the taller one said, his tone disturbingly casual, as if he were apologizing for a spilled drink rather than a murder. “We’re now ready to proceed with the prison swap challenge.”

His gaze shifted to Leo, then to me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. Proceed with the swap challenge? As if it were just another ordinary day for them?!

“Leo and Miss Belle, please follow me,” he ordered.

My stomach dropped to my feet.

The second man pointed at Cara next. “You’re with me.”

Panic washed over Cara’s face, and her fingers tore away from mine as if she had been burned.

“What?! Me?! But I don’t want to… Leo… I can’t!” she blurted out, her voice rising in desperation. I opened my mouth, trying to find the right words to reassure her, but nothing came to mind.

She rushed toward the man, tears brimming in her eyes as she clutched at his arm. But the truth was, Leo was powerless against them, just as we all were in that moment.

“Leo, I don’t want to do this,” she whispered harshly, her breath trembling. She looked like someone who had just had the ground ripped out from beneath her.

Leo stopped pacing and grasped her shoulders, grounding her instantly. “Hey. Look at me. Breathe.” His voice softened to that rare, gentle tone I had only ever heard him use with her. “It’s going to be fine. I’ll come find you first thing tomorrow. I promise. Nobody will touch you!”

Cara nodded, her eyes wide with fear, but she took a shaky breath as Leo pulled her into his chest, enveloping her in a protective embrace.

I watched the scene unfold, struck by the tenderness he displayed, the way his arms wrapped around her in a cocoon of safety, how he leaned down just enough to rest his forehead against her hair, whispering words I couldn’t hear but could feel the weight of.

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