All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan Page A

door. They moved with all the swagger of young men who owned the world.
    The skinny one with a ponytail talked to everyone in the room—­not just his companion. He called out to the guard. Josiah. The approaching doctor. Even Briar. He talked even if no one answered him back.
    They were different than the others who came through here, who were mostly subdued because they were hurting or sick. They were hyped up almost like they were high. A definite possibility. There were drugs in prison. She’d watched enough prison movies and 48 Hours episodes to know that. But their eyes weren’t dilated. Simply wild and shifty. Like the raccoons her father used to catch for their pelts down by the creek. Sometimes she would sneak out before sunup and set them loose from their traps. Even though she was trying to help them, the animals had tried to take a chunk out of her hand on more than one occasion.
    These guys made her feel that same sense of wariness.
    Ponytail bounced on the bed lightly, testing it out as though it was a Holiday Inn and he was settling in for a long stay.
    Josiah paused near her elbow.
    â€œThey hardly look sick,” she murmured.
    â€œWell, they must be. The guards don’t bring them in here unless they show some signs of illness or injury.”
    She nodded, still not entirely convinced and still keeping an eye on Ponytail. For some reason, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. It was like with Knox Callaghan . . . but different. Knox made her uncomfortable for different reasons. Reasons she hated to admit were wrapped up in his good looks and nonstop muscles. It was perverse of her, but nonetheless true. These guys simply creeped her out.
    Dr. Walker settled on a stool between their two beds and began conversing with them in his low, calm voice.
    Briar sighed and set her hands on the edge of the table, ready to push up and see if he needed assistance. No matter how uncomfortable it made her, this was her job and why she was here.
    Josiah looked down at her and patted her shoulder. “Why don’t I take this one?”
    She smiled up at him and eased back on her stool. “You know I’m growing to love you, right?”
    He winked. “Just pay me with bagels tomorrow. I like strawberry cream cheese from the Bagel Stop in Sweet Hill.”
    â€œDone.”
    She tried not to feel guilty as she settled back into her chair. She was a nurse. She shouldn’t suffer such qualms. If she did, she had no business being here. Ignoring her guilt, she concentrated on the computer screen in front of her as Dr. Walker and Josiah conducted examinations of the new patients, telling herself she was working, too. Someone had to organize patient files, after all. They hadn’t even removed inmates from the system who’d died ten years ago.
    A half hour passed before the door buzzed and two more guards entered. She blinked at the sight of the inmate between them. Un -­flipping-­believable .
    She rose to her feet and crossed her arms, glaring as Murphy patted down Callaghan. He was bleeding from the mouth and nose. He had just been released from segregation today! Couldn’t he stay out of trouble even for an hour? Disappointment washed through her at the sight of him. He was back again, and judging from the restraints, he was somehow responsible for his current injuries.
    His eyes collided with her across the distance and she felt sucked into that ocean, lost in the dark blue depths. She quickly shook off her disappointment. It wasn’t hers to feel. He was a dangerous criminal. Should she have expected any less of him?
    â€œHey, man!” Ponytail called from the bed. “You fucked those skins up last week!” He gleefully slapped his knee while his friend nodded. “What happened to you today? Looks like we missed a helluva fight!”
    Without comment, Callaghan was led to a bed across from the other two inmates, his hands bound before him, the