Chapter 10

The third day Lewis woke up with so much back pains and swollen muscles.

The marks of the horse whip were now visible and had started turning to black wounds.

Warden Lee secured a cuff around his wrist as he led him to the gen pub toilets. He gave Lewis a brush and detergent to scrub the toilets, before locking him inside the awful smell of human waste.

For the next three hours, Lewis worked hard to clean the whole toilet and tiles, leaving it with a sparkling effect.

Warden Lee later took him to the surveillance room for the last punishment. He offered Lewis a seat, and even provided him a bottle of water and energy giving drink.

Even though Lewis hated them, he had to take the mineral to restore his energy, especially if he wanted to survive in the long run.

Lewis wondered why they brought him there.

Warden Lee came forward and pressed a remote that turned on the TV at the side. He gave Lewis what looked like an assuring smile before Lewis moved his eyes to the TV.

His coffee café displayed on the TV, and below there's another display of policemen in their car, away from the café. They were holding a remote.

Lewis's heart sped up as he dropped the water and stood from his seat.

“What the fuck are you doing?” anger and confusion creased his face as he threw a glance at warden Lee.

“Once I tell them to go ahead, your lovely café will blow up,” he said, the evil smile still plastered on his face.

Lewis gritted his teeth and fisted his hand. Fury washed over him.

They can't just blow up his hard work.

“You can not do that, my café has nothing to do with this!” he yelled.

“Well, since it belongs to you and it is one of the few things so dear to you, I guess blowing it up will teach you some lessons,” Warden Lee threatened by shifting his hand to the keyboard.

“Alright, alright! I have heard. I won't steal your keys again, and I promise to keep to the rules, please!”

This was the limit of it all, if they blow up his café, he is pretty much dead inside. Because he has nothing in this life, no family, no friends and the one thing he has kept so close to himself all these years was taken away from him.

“Too late, my men are following high court orders,” Warden Lee flashed his teeth, showing the chewing gum in his mouth.

Lewis narrowed his eyebrows, “High court orders?”

“CEO Connor has commanded that we make an example out of you for the others to learn.”

“Wait, so CEO Connor knows about this?” Lewis asked in disbelief.

Warden Lee rolled his eyes, “Of course, we take orders from him or let me put it this way. He passed the baton to me and I switched it up a little bit,” he smirked.

Oh fuck!

And here he was, planning to report to CEO Connor, forgetting that he is the real commander in chief who decides what to do and what not to do, Lewis thought.

“What do you want?! Tell me what you want and I will give it to you,” Tears that might never drop soon welled up in Lewis's eyes.

Warden Lee looked him up and down.

“I doubt you have anything reasonable to offer but honey, I have come to notice you are one of the few fairest in this prison,” he licked his lips, “maybe if you know how to play horizontal tango, we might consider backing down.”

“I thought it was too late?”

“Yes, as I press this remote you won't see your beloved café again,” warden Lee said, his finger on the keyboard.

“So my café won't explode if I please you?” Lewis asked.

“Yes, I will reverse the orders only If. You. Please. Me,” warden Lee stressed the last words, adding the importance to it.

Lewis smiled and planted his hands on his waist.

“Turn off the cameras and take a seat, warden Lee.”

*****

Minutes after, Lewis was walking out of the prison with a devilish grin. He was able to get warden Lee not to blow up his café and now that he is back to his cell. He wants to deal with Chun Li in the most cruel way for causing him all this pain in the past three days.

“Wow, I thought you would come back with one leg,” Nash said as he came to sit beside Lewis on his mattress.

“But you don't look battered like I expected,” Lewis glared at him, “don't get me wrong. The last time someone stole a key, he collapsed so many times that they had to write a permission to transfer him to a better hospital. I heard he commited suicide there.”

Lewis swallowed with a heavy heart. Yeah, thanks heavens he survived this one except the darkened wounds on his back.

“I know it wasn't you who stole the key,” Abuelo said from his mattress. He laid there on side, staring at Lewis since he returned back from the isolation ward.

Lewis offered him a smile.

Nash decided to spur the moment, perhaps this news will melt his heart.

“Chun Li has your picture in his cell,” he broke down.

Lewis turned immediately, the news catching his attention fast.

Nash thought he should explain further, “Apparently, I am not supposed to say this. He runs a business where he makes a deal with outsiders, they deliver the message through the newspaper. I have never read it but I know that it is bad.”

“What do you mean by they deliver messages through the newspaper?” Lewis' heart was speeding up but he tried not to give it away through his expression.

Nash swallowed nervously, his voice reduced out of anxiety.

“He might kill you.”

“See, I don't hate you but I don't love you either. I have a gut feeling that you would be my savior in this hell, but I will give you advice,” Nash said, his face turning cold.

The atmosphere became tight for them, you could hear the escalating breath.

“Run!”