The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 206

Margot’s POV

For a moment… I forgot where we were.

Forgot about everything.

The prison.

The rules.

The chaos.

All of it blurred into nothing as I stayed close to him, my breath still uneven.

But reality always had a way of creeping back in…

“What do you want to do now?” Coban’s voice broke through the moment, quieter than usual, but still carrying that same edge of control.

I blinked up at him.

The question caught me off guard.

Because for once…

He wasn’t deciding for me. He wasn’t telling me where we were going. He was asking…

I took a second to think.

Really think.

What did

want right now?

My mind flickered through options, through possibilities… but it kept circling back to one thing.

One person.

“Cara,” I said softly. “I want to go see Cara… and Leo.”

Coban chuckled a little at that, pulling back. “Leo? Are you sure you want to see that ass?” He mused, as I nudged him playfully for dissing his own friend like that.

His hands dropped from my waist slowly as he stepped back just enough to look at me properly, his expression shifting into something more practical now.

“They’ll still be in the gym,” he said after a moment. “Cara is probably spiralling since she hasn’t seen you yet today… so maybe we should go.” He teases, but I knew he was right.

She most certainly would be overthinking my current state right now – unprepared for me to tell her that everything was going better than I could’ve ever imagined…

“I’m just glad I have you back… she was hard work sharing a cell with!” He went on, as I rolled my eyes dramatically at that.

“You just don’t like that she challenges you!” I muse, as he tuts and shakes his head.

“She couldn’t challenge a bat to fly!” He snorts, as I can’t help but enjoy their love-hate dynamic…

I wanted to head up to see them though, moving to place my pill stock from the doctor back in the drawer before returning to Coban…

“You sure you want to go back up there already?” he suddenly asked, his tone changing just enough to show concern. “Considering how the last time went…”

My body instinctively reacted at the reminder.

A faint echo of how horrible Coban had been to me that day…

Of the chaos that followed in the hallway when I was on my own…

Of being caught up in something I couldn’t control or find a way out of.

But I didn’t let it linger. Not this time.

I shook my head.

“I’m fine.” I said, more certain than I expected to sound. “I’m not going to hide away from places because of what happened, it’s a fresh start, remember?”

And that was the truth.

Coban watched me closely.

Like he was trying to decide if I was being brave…

Or just stupid.

“Bella…” he started, quieter now.

“I mean it,” I cut in gently. “I want to go see them.”

There was no fear in me now.

Not like before.

Not with him back beside me.

Not when I felt like we’d just… found each other again.

Coban eventually exhaled slowly, running a hand back through his hair.

“Alright,” he muttered.

Reluctant.

But accepting.

“But you stay close to me,” he added immediately, his eyes locking onto mine again. “No wandering off. No disappearing.”

A small smile tugged at my lips.

“Bossy,” I teased him lightly instead, watching his mouth twitch in response.

“I’ll show you bossy if you keep that little attitude up…” he hummed back, as I chewed my lip at the endless possibilities of what that could mean…

“Come on then,” he nodded toward the door as I took his outstretched hand, heading back out of the cell.

Letting him lead me back out into the corridors.

Back into the place that had hurt me.

But it didn’t feel quite as intimidating anymore, not with Coban here.

The walk to the gym felt fine.

The same corridors.

Cara and Leo.

Exactly here, where Coban said they’d be.

They stood near the back, by the weights.

Leo was mid-rep, lifting something ridiculously heavy like it was nothing, while Cara stood nearby, arms folded, watching him with an unamused expression.

Typical.

A small smile tugged at my lips.

“They look normal,” I muttered.

Coban huffed lightly beside me.

“As normal as those two get.”

We started toward them, weaving through the equipment and bodies with people making an extra effort to move out of Coban’s path… until Cara spotted us first.

Of course she did.

Her entire face lit up instantly, her posture snapping upright.

“Margot?!” she called, already moving toward me before I’d even fully reached them.

She rushed towards me, hugging me gently unlike her usual crushing technique…

Careful.

But still full of energy.

“Jesus Christ, you’re alive!” she said, pulling back just enough to look at me properly, her hands immediately going to my arms, my shoulders – checking, assessing.

“How are you feeling? Are you okay? You look…” she paused, eyes narrowing slightly, “a lot better, actually. Still rough… but better.”

I laughed softly.

“I feel better,” I reassured her.

Behind her, Leo straightened, dropping the weights with a loud thud as his eyes flicked between me and Coban.

“Well I’ll be damned,” he smirked. “She really is still alive.”

“Charming.” I shot back at him lightly, as he laughed.

Coban stepped forward slightly then, his presence immediately shifting the dynamic.

Not aggressive.

Just… there.

“Come on, let’s leave these two to workout while we go have some girl chat!” Cara hooked her arm in mine, leading me away, as I noticed Coban tense at the distance.

“Stay over there!” Coban hissed, as I nodded, offering him a soft smile.

Everything was going to be fine…