The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 154

**TITLE: Keeper 154**

Margot’s POV

As soon as the men ambled off toward the far side of the gym, the thick tension that had enveloped the room dissipated as if it had never been there at all.

One moment, fists were flying, snarls filled the air, and the atmosphere was charged with hostility. The next? Laughter echoed, genuine laughter.

Leo clapped Coban on the shoulder as they traversed the expanse of the gym floor, his voice rising in an animated pitch, arms gesticulating wildly as he launched into one of his signature dramatic monologues. Coban, shaking his head, wore a smirk that betrayed his amusement, a stark contrast to the earlier chaos that had unfolded between them.

I found myself staring after them, utterly bewildered.

“I don’t get them,” I exclaimed, plopping down onto the sofa beside Cara, my voice tinged with confusion.

She released a long sigh, nodding in agreement as she settled next to me. “Oh thank goodness, I thought I was the only one. And by the way, that man of yours is quite the handful.”

I let out a snort before I could catch myself, quickly covering my mouth with my hand. “He really is. Yeah. Very much so.”

In silence, we both observed the pair. Leo had hopped onto a treadmill, chattering away at a mile a minute, while Coban adjusted the machine’s speed with an intensity that was both focused and controlled, as if it were his natural state.

I turned to Cara, a flicker of guilt washing over me. “He hasn’t been too much of a pain for you, has he? I mean… aside from the whole sleeping on the floor ordeal. If he has been, I could maybe have a word with him. I mean—” I hesitated, nerves fluttering in my stomach. “He might actually listen if I say something.”

Cara pivoted fully towards me, her eyebrows arching in surprise before she broke into laughter.

“Oh no, don’t you worry about me,” she replied quickly, waving her hand dismissively. “He’s actually been fine. Complains a lot, sure. Extremely impatient. But nothing I can’t handle.”

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. “Really?”

Her grin widened, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Honestly? I’ve kind of enjoyed teasing him the whole time.”

That caught me off guard. “You have?! Remember, he has a terrible temper!” I warned, but she only chuckled in response.

“Oh, absolutely,” she said, her laughter ringing out. “You should have seen him this morning. I took ages eating my toast. I mean, painfully slow. Tiny bites, chewing forever.”

I gasped, my eyes wide. “Cara!”

She laughed even harder, “Margot, the look on his face was priceless! I swear he was two seconds away from shoving it down my throat himself. He must think I eat like that all the time!”

I covered my mouth, giggling uncontrollably. “Honestly, I’m shocked he didn’t toss your whole tray across the room!”

“Same,” she agreed, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “But I think he has more respect for Leo than he lets on. He wouldn’t push it too far with me. I can see how he’d be… a lot… for you, though.”

I followed her gaze back to the men. Leo was jogging now, still talking animatedly, his hands moving in grand gestures. Coban was running beside him, a rare look of relaxation on his face, a genuine smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

“He’s not all bad,” I said softly. “Sometimes he’s actually great. And… I don’t know. I’ve noticed a significant change in him since I first arrived here.”

Cara hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I continued, my mind racing with possibilities. “Maybe he’s changing. Maybe this project is genuinely doing something good for him.”

She shot me a knowing look, her expression shifting.

“Oh, honey,” she said, smirking knowingly. “I don’t think he’s changing because of the project.”

My heart sank for a brief moment. “You don’t?”

“No,” she said carefully, “I think he really likes you and doesn’t want to screw up his chances completely.”

My eyes widened in disbelief. “You think so?”

My pulse quickened at her serious tone. “What is it?”

“But you have to promise me,” she added quickly, “that you won’t bring it up to Coban. He warned me not to tell you, and he’d be so mad…”

My heart plummeted. “What did he do?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper, nerves bubbling to the surface.

Why would Coban warn her not to tell me something? She was my best friend, after all. What could possibly be so bad that he didn’t want me to know?

I squeezed Cara’s hand back, my nerves buzzing under my skin. “Okay,” I whispered. “I promise.”

She hesitated, her eyes darting once more to Coban, still laughing with Leo, blissfully unaware of our conversation.

Then, she leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “Coban did it… he was working for a couple of those higher-ups in suits… they asked him to take care of Newman. That’s why he’s getting rewards now and why he got to decide where we both went for the swap… he controlled it all.”

As her words sank in, my mind raced to process the implications.

Coban killed Newman? For the government men?

“But… Coban was in medical when Newman was killed? You heard the guard?” I croaked, glancing toward him as he stepped off the treadmill, oblivious to the storm brewing in my mind.

“Yeah, it was just a cover-up… I was in the cell when one of the men came to visit him. That’s when I pieced it all together. But he didn’t want you to know, didn’t want you to be scared or to think badly of him, I guess.” She shrugged, and I stared down at my pink tracksuit, trying to gather my thoughts.

Here I had thought someone was actually trying to frame him for Newman’s death…

But he had orchestrated this whole damn thing on his own…

Once again, I had severely underestimated Coban Santorelli.