Beth

 

The day after Butler was attacked by Hank was Beth's day off.

 

Beth had celebrated when she'd heard what happened down in the hole. She knew Butler had gone down there to bully Hank into playing by the rules, and when she heard about Butler's injuries from the other guards, it took all of her self-control not to throw her head back and laugh. She was just sorry to hear that Hank hadn't been able to give Butler a solid kick to the balls while he was at it.

 

She knew the effect that Ad-Seg could have on prisoners—both mentally and physically—and she'd been scared for Hank, knowing that the claustrophobia of incarceration was already difficult for him. But when she found out that he'd still had enough strength to throw himself at Butler and snatch his baton, she was relieved.

 

Just hang on a little while longer, Hank, she thought to herself. There's still a chance for us to get out of this together.

 

When she got home, she realized that she still hadn't bought a pregnancy test. The news about Hank and Butler had distracted her again. It was probably for the best, though. Given what she'd have to do the next day, it would be better for her not to have the results hanging over her in case they turned out positive. She'd need all her focus if this was going to work, and then she could pick up the test afterward and deal with the results then.

 

She didn't sleep well that night due to nervousness, and when she woke up the next morning, she threw up again. She tried to tell herself that it didn't mean anything—that it was just anxiety, that anyone would throw up repeatedly if they found themselves in her position.

 

Those thoughts weren't much comfort to her. For the hundredth time, she wondered what would happen if the test came back positive, and for the hundredth time, she tried to shove those thoughts away.

 

Beth threw on some casual clothes, got into her car, and drove to the nearest rental car company. Butler would recognize her vehicle if he saw it, and if this plan was going to have a snowball's chance in hell, she knew she'd need to be careful and cover her tracks. She rented a plain-looking white sedan for the afternoon and drove to Saint Felipe de Jesus High School.

 

Then she parked across from the school, got the camera on her phone ready, and waited for the final bell to ring.

 

When it did, the front doors of the building were flung open and a sea of teenagers in school uniforms flooded out, screaming and laughing and shoving and jeering. Beth looked at them carefully, singling out a long-legged girl of Mexican descent whose hair was tied back in a ponytail. She waved goodbye to a couple of her friends and then crossed the street, adjusting her pink backpack.

 

She matched the description Dutton had given Beth, but still, she had to be sure. She peered through her camera, zooming in on the name embroidered on the front of the girl's shirt: Maria Gonzales.

 

Beth nodded. So far, so good.

 

Maria peered around quickly to make sure no one was watching her. Then she walked over to a blue two-door convertible, getting in on the passenger's side.

 

Butler was waiting behind the wheel. When Maria got in, Butler leaned over, putting an arm around her and giving her a long kiss on the lips.

 

Beth started to snap pictures.

 

Maria gently touched the bandages on Butler's cheek and forehead, looking concerned. Beth couldn't hear their words, but she saw Butler making some kind of “Aw shucks, it's not so bad” gesture before he kissed Maria again. His arms shifted, and it was hard to tell, but it looked like he was sliding one hand between her legs.

 

Right across from the school? Beth thought smugly, continuing to take photos. You brazen son of a bitch, Butler.

 

It almost seemed like Butler must have heard Beth's thoughts, because he withdrew his hand and turned his car on. Beth quickly took a few final shots which included Butler's license plate before he drove off.

 

So there it was.

 

Beth had hard evidence that Butler was having a relationship with Roberto Torres's 18-year-old cousin.

 

If word of this reached the prison, it would be a race to see who would eat him alive first—the Sinners for having sex with their leader's barely legal relative, or the Knights for betraying their whole racist ideology by fucking a Mexican girl. This info was so juicy, Beth could hardly believe it was true. She had to check and re-check the pictures, just to make sure.

 

But now what?

 

Sure, she could try to corner Butler alone during her next shift and lord it over him, warning him to stay off her case and stop screwing with Hank. That didn't seem smart, though. It would just put Butler between a rock and a hard place, since the Knights would still expect him to follow their orders. If Butler was trapped like that, there was no telling what kind of desperate moves he could make. Worse, if he knew she had this evidence against him, that might give him enough time to think of how he could slime his way out of it. Beth would be back to square one—and it would be even worse, since now she'd have Butler as a real enemy.

 

She could go to the Knights or the Sinners with the info, but again, what then? In the best-case scenario, they'd have Butler killed. Then he'd be replaced by some other guard who was loyal to the Knights, and their abuse of her and Hank would continue. Again, she'd be back where she started.

 

No, this kind of thing had to be used carefully, with surgical precision. It was like having a gun with a single bullet in it—a powerful weapon, sure, but she had to make her one shot count.

 

Maybe Hank could help her come up with the best way to use it. Now that she had compromising information about Officer Rory in Ad-Seg as well, she'd be able to visit with him.

 

But first things first.

 

Beth dropped off the rental car, then went to a drugstore on the way home and bought a pregnancy test. The clerk, a middle-aged woman with frizzy gray hair and thick glasses, studiously kept her eyes down as she rang up the purchase. Even so, Beth thought she saw the clerk shake her head almost imperceptibly.

 

When Beth got home, she took the test, then sat on the lid of the toilet and waited for the results. Finally, two lines appeared on the strip.

 

That was it, then. She was pregnant. It wasn't what she'd been hoping for, but even so, it felt better knowing for sure. It didn't even feel like much of a shock, and she realized that on some level, she'd been steeling herself for this ever since she first noticed the blood on her sheets.

 

She went to the bedroom, stretched out on top of the blanket, and stared at the ceiling.

 

How would Hank react?

 

The truth was, she couldn't even begin to guess. His entire life had already been turned upside down since he'd gone to Bluebonnet. Contemplating a two-year sentence was one thing—lots of short-time prisoners were released with babies waiting for them at home, either from sex before they'd been sent away or during a conjugal visit. But now that he was facing the possibility of a life sentence, what would the thought of having a child on the outside do to him?

 

And despite what they'd shared in the infirmary, how could she even know for sure that he would want her to have his baby? Their whole relationship had been chaos and uncertainty from the beginning. He was clearly still mourning his wife and child. How could Beth possibly hope to fill that void for him? What if he rejected her for trying?

 

Beth didn't have any answers to these questions, but she knew one thing: She was going to keep this baby. She couldn't bring herself to abort it, or give it away for adoption. It was a part of Hank, and she wanted it in her life, if only because it was probably the closest thing she'd have to being with him.

 

She hoped Hank would understand that, even if he didn't want any part of it. She hoped he wouldn't be upset with her for her decision.

 

Eventually, the sun set and Beth's eyelids grew heavy. She fell into a shallow and restless sleep, dreaming of how things might go when she saw Hank again tomorrow. None of the potential outcomes seemed good.