The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 28

Margot’s POV

The halls were buzzing again.

As Coban led me away from the dining hall, the sheer size of the facility began to truly sink in. There were corridors that bent and split in every direction, signs I couldn’t read fast enough, and clumps of people peeling off from the stream – each pair seemingly heading off to some new destination.

It was like a strange migration.

Some headed through doors marked with symbols, others disappeared down stairwells, and some simply lingered in corners, whispering. Everyone moved like they knew where they were going. Everyone except me.

I stayed close to Coban’s back, trying not to lose him again. His shoulders were tense, his steps fast, and I had to jog occasionally just to keep up.

We passed several guards

–

some with bored expressions, others with eyes sharp as razors. No one stopped us. No one questioned anything. I guessed that was the benefit of being with someone like Coban. He carried an unspoken threat in every step.

I was so focused on keeping up, and scanning for any glimpse of Cara, that I didn’t see the danger coming.

A hard wall of muscle slammed into me from the side.

The air whooshed out of my lungs as I stumbled sideways only slightly, before hands came next; “Watch where you’re fucking going bitch!”

Shove.

I suddenly shrieked, landing hard on the cold tile. Pain jolted through my hip and palms as my skin scraped against the floor.

“What the- I began, confused as to what had happened to land me here.

A hand. No, a shove unmistakable and deliberate,

I gasped in shock, looking up to find the culprit, and then everything happened al at once- right before my very eyes.

Coban rushed in.

I barely had time to register his movement before he was across the hall. Like a weapon unholstered.

The man who had shoved me didn’t even get a second to react before Coban had him pinned against the wall, his forearm jammed brutally across the guy’s neck as he started to cough and splutter beneath him.

I heard the thud of bone against concrete.

The man’s boots scraped against the ground as he struggled, his mouth open in panic as he clawed at Coban’s arm, trying to breathe.

“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Coban snarled, eyes blazing, every line of his body tight with fury. “You think I won’t put you through this wall, motherfucker?!”

“I–I didn’t know she was yours!” the man choked out, face turning red, veins bulging. “I didn’t know, man!”

“Coban!” I cried, voice cracking, unsure if I was trying to calm him or warn him.

“I’m so sorry,” a girl rushed to my side quickly as she nervously started trying to help me up to my feet. “This is the first I’ve seen him lash out, I swear. He’s been ok so far!”

His assigned female.

By now, guards were moving in fast.

Boots thundered down the corridor. One of them barked, “Step back from him, Santorelli!”

But Coban didn’t move, desperate to choke the guy out completely.

Another was already beside me, crouching down, his gaze flicking from my stunned expression to the red mark forming on my wrist where I’d hit the floor.

“Go sit over there and wait for me to be done in here,” he growled, voice thick with frustration. He jerked his head toward a lounge area in the corner – black sofas, a scratched–up coffee table, and barred floor–to- ceiling windows that offered a bleak glimpse of the outside world.

I blinked, still catching my breath, unsure why I was the one being barked at now.

“I didn’t do anything,” I muttered under my breath, as I turned and walked, thankful that he must not have heard the remark.

I sat down slowly, the cushion beneath me lumpy and cold. My palms stung. My legs still trembled. But it wasn’t the fall that had shaken me – it was him. The way he had snapped. The way he acted like I was something breakable willing to kill that guy for touching his ‘property‘,

–

He did say that I belonged to him now… at least whilst I’m in here with him… and he wasn’t lying when he said he’d protect me if anybody hurt me, I knew that for certain now.

I glanced out the barred window, spotting a sliver of grey sky through the mesh. Somewhere out there, freedom existed for these men – taunting them each day.

But in here, I was no more free than any of the rest of them.

I shifted around, even deciding to kick off my slides before lifting my legs up on to the chair to get more comfortable.

Each movement, Coban was quick to shoot me a glance from across the room, especially with more couples entering the space as time passed. Some of the girls recognised one another, as they stood chatting whilst the men started their workouts, as I remained seated in the corner – jealous that I currently didn’t have Cara here to chat to.

But the one thing I did have…

Was a stripped shirtless Coban beating the absolute shit out of a punch bag like a damn professional boxer, sweat glistening over ever crevice of muscle on his tanned body…

Woah.