A door downstairs opened and closed, and Ian leaned forward so abruptly that Nathan fell off his cushion. Ian had only been standing, and his lips twitched in aggravation as Nathan picked himself up quickly. Lying on the ground was not a defensible position, and as nice as Ian had been for a bit, Nathan knew what the man was capable of.

"That should be Mags. Try and freak out a little less when we go downstairs." Ian ushered for him to follow, but Nathan waited until the man had his hand firmly on the door handle before he joined him. "Mags is crap with people, less so with frightened children, and taking you in was a favor owed to someone who helped manage the legal affairs of this place." Ian stopped in the hall to look him in the eyes, and Nathan resisted the urge to step back. "Try and look grateful despite not feeling it, okay?"

Nathan's heart sped up in his chest, and he clenched his hands as he broke the connection. Ian made this Mags person sound horrible, and he was unsure if he could handle anyone worse than who he'd already met. It had taken moments for him to mess everything up with Tanner, and who knew why Ian had saved him from a worse fate. No one did anything for free, less so in prison. It put him in Ian's debt, and a sick feeling rolled in his stomach as he imagined Ian wanting him to pay up.

Something flashed in his peripheral vision, but he was too out of it to move away in time, and he froze as Ian's fingers touched his hair. Every muscle in his body tensed and then shook like leaves in the wind as the man's rough fingers ruffled his hair. The croak from his lips couldn't be considered words, and Nathan met Ian's eyes only to silently beg for him to let him go. Ian broke eye contact as he retracted his hand.

"I wasn't going to do anything," Ian said quietly. "You looked frightened. My touch wasn't meant to make it worse." Ian rubbed the back of his neck with a slow sigh. "Look, we got off on the wrong foot, but I never meant to terrorize you. I thought you'd be a little..." Ian crossed his arms and scratched the side of his chin with a finger. "Tougher?"

"I'm sorry I'm not a death row inmate," Nathan growled but it ended in a jump and a squeak as a laugh burst from Ian's lips. All this guy did was laugh at him. Nathan might call Ian a jovial person if he wasn't sinister as shit.

"Really, it's quite pleasant. The last thing we need is some punk who thinks he can be tough around here. This place gives even me and Tanner the shakes. There's a lot more going on than what you see on the surface, but Tanner and I are safe... granted you don't break anyone's fingers." Ian smirked as he took his first steps down the hall, and Nathan chased him with a groan.

"I didn't mean to. I just..."

"I know. Tanner is freaky huge, right?" Ian tilted him a smile as they descended the stairs, and Nathan couldn't help but mirror a bit of it. "We weren't all buddy buddy when we got here, and we're still not, but Tanner and I coexist peacefully. As much as he flings around knives, he does it to relieve stress and would never hurt anyone with them. You'll see why when we talk to Mags. It should give you some peace of mind." At the landing, Ian waited, and Nathan let out a slow breath as they stood across from each other.

"Thank you," Nathan said guardedly, regretting the words as Ian's eyes widened. "For stopping Tanner and helping me calm down a bit." Nathan reddened and rubbed his arm.

"Sure thing, Nat." Ian's expression really brightened, and it was a little off-putting. Like he was excited about some future torture. Surely, gratitude from his prey couldn't make him that happy.

"Ian!" a stern female voice set Nathan's spine, and he followed Ian's lead to turn stiffly in the woman's direction.

"Mags," Ian said before Nathan had to put his fist in his mouth to keep the confused whine from escaping.

Blue eyes a few shades darker than Ian's grazed his, but Mags was not at all what he'd expected. First off, she was a woman, and not the kind one would expect could bully giants like Ian and Tanner. Mags was petite, and she had muscles but they were as skinny as the rest of her. Frizzy caramel hair tickled her chin, pinned back near her eyes to keep it out of her face, and Nathan would even call her attractive if he wasn't utterly terrified by the anomaly. If this was all that stood between him and Tanner snapping his limbs off, he was done for.

"You must be Nathan. I'm Maggie, but the men here have a range of colorful words they use to refer to me." Nathan racked his brain for what they might call her, but he was too focused on her lithe stride as she passed Ian and narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "I hope the men were hospitable." Maggie eyed Ian knowingly before she turned her inquisition to Nathan.

Nathan was a poor liar, and he didn't want to end up dead later that night at Ian's mercy, so he sealed his lips in silent horror. No one liked a snitch, but it's not like he'd be giving the man away on purpose. He didn't have balls big enough for that endeavor.

"I showed him the room we need to fix up, where he'll be staying, and we played some cards," Ian said with an upbeat tone as he sank his hands into his pockets. "Kid sucks, but it beats trying to play with anyone else around here."

"Knowing you, you dragged him the whole way." Maggie was so right that Nathan had to purse his lips so he didn't smile. Ian raked his gaze over him with a promise of payback, but Nathan had to stuff it into the back of his mind as Maggie headed into the living room.

"Come sit on the couch, and I'll give you a brief rundown of the house rules," Maggie said as she plopped on a recliner across from a coffee table. "I'm not your mother, so don't expect me to coddle you just because you're younger and smaller than the rest of the guys. You will obey the rules like everyone else or you will suffer the consequences. I have little patience for much roughhousing or mischief, so don't be stupid and your life won't be miserable."

Nathan dropped obediently on the couch like a bag of bricks, and Ian reclaimed his recliner that stood in prime position to spectate this verbal slaughter. While Maggie looked nice, she sounded like she didn't want him here.

"Mags, perhaps tone it down a bit. Nathan's a nice kid." Ian leaned forward with his arms on his knees but snapped back to a straight position when Maggie homed in on a new target.

"This isn't a daycare. It's a penitentiary." Maggie crossed her arms, and Nathan wasn't going to argue anything. "I don't have a ton of rules, Nathan, but the ones I do have are important.

"First off, the men here were all on death row or otherwise imprisoned without hope for a life. That means they have committed crimes that would make most normal people sick, but I didn't just slap a bunch of random criminals together. I meticulously searched through hundreds of the direst cases, reviewed their crimes, their circumstances, their behavior in prison, and their need. They're not a bunch of monsters who salivate at the thought of violence.

"That being said, they're also not out in the backyard planting daisies because of their altruistic nature. If anything serious were to happen to me, any of the tenants, or anyone outside of the penitentiary because of even one of them, they will all be immediately sentenced to execution, no appeals. Those were their terms for this experiment.

"The men here like living enough that they are compliant and enforce that rule upon each other if anyone thinks of slipping. They like the luxury and freedom that being in this facility affords them."

"I'm not included in the death penalty, am I?" Nathan rasped his first words.

"No, of course not." Maggie arched a brow. "You didn't read the paperwork."

"There was a lot of it," Nathan whispered, unable to speak under the intensity of her displeasure.

"In your case, you would be committed to prison for the full term decided by your trial, disregarding any time spent here. So, if anything happens, you will still enjoy ten years in prison, and after you've been here, it won't be minimum security. In addition, if you do anything out of line, you will be responsible for the deaths of four people."

"I'm not a troublemaker," Nathan said with as much conviction as he could gather. "I can keep to myself and behave." Nathan echoed what Tanner had told him earlier.

"You can do what you want as far as living," Maggie said as she finally uncrossed her arms and leaned back into the cushions with a slow sigh. "Some of the tenants barely live in the house, hiding outside until curfew and then tucking themselves away in their room. Others have quite a social life, like Tanner, who I assume you met, and they spend their time out with people and interact when they come home.

"Regardless of what you choose, as long as you don't harm anyone or cause issues, you'll be fine. If anyone here hurts you, you come to me immediately, and I will put an end to it. There is a main facility downstairs with cells, an infirmary, and the whole shebang, but I prefer not to use it."

So, there was an actual prison here, and not just a single woman pretending she could keep a bunch of killers in line. How she manhandled them down into the basement, he had no idea, but he doubted she asked nicely. There must be more to her and the security here than just her for this place to work. They probably just didn't let him know all the secrets so that he didn't get any ideas.

"Curfew is sundown or seven pm, whichever is later," Maggie sat up straight again, and it had Nathan leaning further into his own cushions. "There is no leeway for you being late. I will toss your ass in solitary if I find you out after that time. People's lives hinge on the restrictions of this penitentiary and its inmates following the rules.

"There is also no smoking" –Maggie leered at Ian, and he shirked back– "or drinking, though it's not like people listen to that rule when I'm gone. Ian covered your room with you?" Maggie asked, and Nathan nodded stiffly. "Well, I can't get a contractor to touch this place without putting all the guys downstairs, and even then, they won't agree to come out without clearing it past someone who always says no.

"If you want a room of your own, you have to do the work like everyone did when they came here. If you ask nicely, Ian will help you mud, sand, and paint the walls, and after all that, you can choose either carpet or wood, and I'll buy it.

"The bathroom is mostly put together, just needs some paint and touch ups, so nothing too hard. It's mostly manual labor. What else am I missing?" Maggie looked up for a moment. "There are five men living here. You'll meet them on your own in turn, so no need to talk them up now. Tanner and Ian are the ones who do most of the house management, so if you need anything talk to them.

"I don't make your food for you, but we do eat together sometimes. Food is in the fridge and is communal, so eat whatever. If the guys really don't want it eaten, they have fridges in their rooms. Some of them don't leave their rooms, so they just keep their food up there anyway. Ian will provide you with shower necessities, and your dresser has your clothes in it that were mailed here. Anything else?"

Maggie left the floor open for questions, but Nathan didn't know what to say. There was so much information, warnings about what not to do, and threats that he was worried he'd say the wrong thing and be chained up in the basement.

"He wants to go out, Mags," Ian spoke for him, and Nathan was glad for his presence for the second time today. Nathan really didn't want to mess anything else up.

"Out?" Maggie gave him a once over, and Nathan tried to look as collected as he could manage. "I did plan to have dinner for you tonight so you can sit down with the guys, but we have a few hours. Can you not get lost and be back by six?"

Nathan was entirely unsure of that.

"Downtown is a straight shot to the right from the main door. Just don't take any turns." Ian offered, and Nathan nodded gratefully. "You can get some air, check it out and relax for a bit. It's not like he can sneak away, Mags."

"I suppose not." Maggie eyed him again, and Nathan clenched his knees so they didn't shake. "If you try to flee, someone will break your legs and drag you back here. If you think you're alone, you're not, and the police are shoot first ask questions never if you're in a scuffle and from LCP."

"I'll keep that in mind and stay out of trouble," Nathan said, thrumming his hands on his thigh.

"I'm sure you're itching for some air. Just go." Maggie waved her hand at the door, and Nathan needed no further prodding. Shuffling past Ian with a nod of appreciation, he near skipped down the hall, slipped his shoes on, and headed out the door to breathe his first gasp of freedom in months.

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Word count: 2398 -- Edited August 19, 2024