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Authors: Marita A. Hansen

Behind the Secrets (Behind the Lives #4) (36 page)

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Leilani

Leilani said hello to the prison guard as
she neared him. The fifty-year-old man was sitting behind a desk, holding a
book. A smile lit up his face, Heath always happy to see her.

“I heard you’ve got a busy day ahead, Ani,”
he said.

“Good.” She wanted to be run off her
feet so she didn’t have time to think. If anything, she wanted to be so
exhausted by the time she got home that she just flopped into bed, falling asleep
before hitting the mattress.

“How’s your grandchild doing?” he asked.

“Good,” she repeated. Using her keycard to
enter the secure part of the prison, she disappeared through the door, saying,
“See ya later,” not willing to stay and chat, questions about her family off
limits.

She hurried down the corridor, swiping her
card at the other end. She entered another corridor, nodding at a guard as the
man directed a prisoner past her.

The prisoner turned his head to look at
Leilani, yelling out, “How ya doin’, hot mama?”

The guard whacked the prisoner across
the head for his trouble.

Leilani veered left, the noise from gen
pop seeping through the far door, the racket coming from the food hall, breakfast
now in full swing. She took another left, heading away from the noise. Stopping
at the end of the corridor, she let herself into the hospital wing.

She entered the main office, which overlooked
the ward, a thick layer of glass separating the two rooms. Gem turned around, a
smile lighting up Leilani’s best friend’s face. She was a Maori woman in her
late thirties, with full lips, iced-coffee-coloured skin, and a crazy head of
brown hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. She also had a face full of
freckles.

“Hi, Lee,” Gem said, using a variant of
her name.

The medical staff had a habit of calling
her Lee, while the guards tended to use Ani. Even outside of the prison people
called her by different names. As far back as she could remember, not even her
family used her birth name. She hadn’t even known she was called Leilani until
she was eleven and heading to New Zealand, her birth place in the Cook Islands.

“How was your weekend?” Gem asked.

“Good,” Leilani lied, a word she used
often. Everything was
good
, even though it was the opposite. Her
marriage was
good
, yet she barely talked to her husband, and when she
did, it usually ended in an argument or tears. Her health was
good
, yet
her depression was growing worse, every day a struggle, only work making it
bearable. While her children were
good
...

“Have you been busy?” she asked,
tightening her black ponytail, willing her mind away from that minefield of
emotions.

“Yup. We’ve had a death, a hanging, some
busted up prisoners from the riot, and a few seriously injured blowhards, minus
one honey, who I’d blow hard. Lock up a bunch of bad boys together and they
froth at the mouth to show off their cocks.”

Leilani shook her head. “Half the time I
have no idea what you’re talking about, and seriously, did you just say ‘show
off their cocks’?”

“Yup, those naughty-waughty boys love whipping
it out, showing each other who’s the biggest and baddest hood around.”

“You must be watching too much prison
porn.”

“Nah ah, it’s true. They strut around
like peacocks, showing their cock, cock, cock... Sorry, went all Katy Perry
there. Anyway, I think we have a winner in our ward.”

“I’m totally lost, you seriously need an
interpreter.”

“The biggest and baddest cock in town,
that’s
what I’m talking about, girl.” She indicated to the ward with her thumb. “They
moved him up from Christchurch after he took out two prisoners. Then, he goes
and takes out three more up here, and get this, he did it in the secure wing.”

“I thought nonviolent prisoners were put
in there, along with convicted cops and guards.”

“
Exactly
. The one who beat up the
others was a convicted cop. The other three somehow got into the secure wing
from gen pop. They think it was a hit and the guard on duty let ’em in. They
obviously didn’t think the guy was capable of flattening all of his attackers.”

“Which prison guard was it?”

“Mackelby.”

Leilani grimaced, knowing the man—too
well. He was one of the reasons why she’d quit being a prison guard, the creep
dirtier than the criminals he was meant to watch. He’d made her life a living
hell, harassing her more than the prisoners, which was a lot. As a result, she left
to make her dream of becoming a nurse a reality, her husband working long hours
to put her through her studies. But she’d found it hard to get a job
afterwards, so when Gem had mentioned there was an opening for a prison nurse
role, she applied for it, knowing that Mackelby wouldn’t be a problem, since he
worked on the opposite side of the prison.

“I hope Mackelby goes down,” Leilani
said. “He’s dirtier than the prisoners.”

Gem pulled a face. “Doubt it; his father
will probably get him out of trouble, like he always does.”

Leilani grimaced, knowing Gem was right.
Mackelby’s father was the warden of the prison. “So, what am I walking into
today?” she asked, cleansing her mind of the horrible man.

“Broken bones, the attempted hanging I
mentioned earlier, the HIV man, and the cop with the gunshot wounds.”

“He was shot?”

“Yeah, twice by Mackelby. Anyway, Robocop
was transferred here from gen hospital a few days ago.”

“Is he conscious?”

“Yup, the attack happened three weeks
ago. Luckily Mackelby can’t shoot for shit. He missed all the vital organs,
though the cop got an infection from a shank cut, which is making his recovery
worse. He needs to be monitored closely.” Gem smiled. “Which isn’t a chore. I
do like my eye candy, and this one is beyond sweet. Mmmmm, if he wasn’t a
prisoner, I’d be dipping his sugarcane into my coffee.”

Leilani shook her head, a smile pulling
at her lips. “Don’t let Beau hear you talking about a prisoner like that.”

“Just saying, not many men look like Robocop
in there.”

“It doesn’t matter what he looks like, Gem,
he’ll just be a patient to me, and likewise for you.”

“You won’t be saying that when you get a
look at the hottie. You’ll be coming to work every day with a grin on your face,
eager to sponge bath him. By the way, I’ve already cleaned him.” Grinning, Gem wriggled
her fingers. “Tootles, I’m off to Valentines. Beau’s taking me out for our six
month anniversary, then I’m gonna climb onto him and ride him like a bucking
bronco, ’cause Robocop in there has got me hotter than a gay boy on Channing
Tatum’s dick.”

“Well, have
fun, while I’m working hard, saving patients,” Leilani said, refraining from
grimacing at the ‘gay boy’ comment.

“Hottie will help you get through the
day.” Gem wiggled her fingers again and disappeared through the doorway.

Leilani turned to the other door, swiping
her card to enter the hospital wing. The guard on the other side of the door
smiled at her, saying “Hiya, Ani.” She replied back politely, then started
checking on the patients. Several beds lined the walls, most of them full. Another
prison guard stood at the other end of the room—there to protect her, even though
all the prisoners were for some reason secured to their beds.

She turned back to the guard. “Why are
the patients cuffed?”

“They’re all being punished for the
riots.”

“How long will this last?”

“Until we hear otherwise.”

Leilani nodded and turned to pick up the
closest patient’s clipboard.

“Cutie pie,” the prisoner coughed,
grabbing her attention. “I think I have an STD. I’d love to give you it.”
Grinning widely, he thrust up his crotch.

“Shut your mouth, Jones!” the guard
snapped. “Or I’ll shut it for you.”

Jones turned his head towards the guard,
giving him a fuck you look.

Leilani continued onto the next patient.
Ken smiled at her, saying: “I missed you, Ani.” He was a harmless, polite old man
in his seventies, who’d been convicted of stealing. Like a magpie, he was always
trying to pinch things, which usually landed him in the hospital, his fellow
prisoners not taking too kindly to him nicking their stuff.

After a short chat, she excused herself
and moved onto the far bed, where a curtain had been erected, which wasn’t the
norm. Her eyes went to the other guard, who was standing a few feet away.
“Why’s there a curtain around this bed?”

The thick-necked man focused on her. “We
erected it to separate the cop from the others. Plus, he had a bad fever at one
point. The other patients started panicking, thinking they were all going to
come down with some sort of zombie virus. Thick bastards.”

“Okay.” Leilani slipped through the curtains.
She went to pick up the prisoner’s clipboard but stopped, doing a double-take.
Her hand shot to her mouth, recognising the man lying on the bed.

“Saul,” she said in shock.

He
turned his head, his dark gaze going to her. Recognition passed over his
handsome face. “Mrs. Connor?”

BEHIND THE BARS

Coming in 2016

About
the Author

Marita A. Hansen
is from New Zealand. She loves writing, creating art, watching and
participating in football, and running. She ran her first marathon in 2012 and
is now planning on completing many more. For more information on Marita check
out these links:

Author Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marita-A-Hansen/113130742120676

Blog Site:

http://maritaahansen.blogspot.co.nz/

Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/Marita-A.-Hansen/e/B005H5W79K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Goodreads’ Author Page:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5129673.Marita_A_Hansen

Artslant Page:

http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/74433-marita-hansen

Twitter Name: @MaritaAHansen

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