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He turned back toward the chessboard T players had started a fresh ga seemed the safest option Nick headed back across the room He stepped aside as an inmate exited a roeen tables The man passed close Too close, Nick realized, but it was too late to get out of the way
The man’s shoulder bumped Nick’s, and the rest played out in slowof a blade sliding into Nick’s belly A second and third hot slice of agony as the ain The instinctive response to cover the wounds, to keep his insides froers
No one cae bodies slunk backward, unsure of the situation
Unwilling to get involved
An alarm blared It sounded far away, muted by the throb of Nick’s pulse in his ears Cold swept over him, in him He dropped to his knees
The door burst open Feet pounded on concrete Men shouted Nick fell sideways, his shoulder hitting the concrete
Hands rolled him to his back and moved his hands from the wounds
Pressure
He blinked at the ceiling Fluorescent lights blurred and diuards by their shape and voices
More shoes beat on cement
Sorabbed Nick’s chin “Stay with me”
But he couldn’t He drifted Sounds and light faded His heartbeat slowed Pain consumed him, and the darkness that folloas a relief
Chapter Thirty-Two
Morgan sailed out of the“I can’t wait to tell Nick tomorrow We finally have a break in his case I’ll stop by Bud’s house and give hiement”
Nick’s dad needed hope, and she couldn’t wait to give it to him
“I wouldn’t build his hopes up too much” Lance fell into step beside her on the sidewalk Since they’d gotten word of Voss’s escape, Lance hadn’t stopped scanning their surroundings “This won’t mean much until the DNA test comes back”
At six thirty in the evening, the visitors’ lot was mostly empty
“It’ll mean one of the prosecution’s key witnesses lied, and the video with Nick fighting Jacob just took on a whole newNick’s account looks a lot ht not want to admit it, but between those photos and Voss’s camp near the ainst Nick” At the end of the walk, Morgan stepped off the curb “Bryce relied on an abundance of physical evidence without the due diligence ofsure there wasn’t an alternate explanation for it”
Her phone rang as they reached the Jeep Bud’s naan answered the call “Hi Bud I was just going to call—”
“Morgan” Bud’s voice was hoarse “I just got a call from the jail Nick’s been stabbed”
Morgan froze “What?”
“Stabbed,” Bud said “By another prisoner That’s all I know I’m on my way to the hospital”
“I’ll meet you there” Nuo to the hospital”