Chapter 2: The Warden's Private File
The isolation block of Iron Gate Penitentiary was a dark, narrow corridor located deep beneath the main structure of the facility. The walls were solid concrete, leaking moisture and smelling of cold iron. Inside Cell 101, Leo sat on the edge of a thin cot, his hands cuffed to a metal rail built into the wall. The rice had been washed from his face, but the small cut on his nose remained, a dark red line against his skin.
At the end of the corridor, a heavy steel door groaned open. Two guards in full tactical gear stepped inside, followed by a short, thin man in a pristine gray business suit. This was Warden Thomas. He had a sharp, intelligent face, cold gray eyes, and held a thick, yellow manila folder under his arm.
Warden Thomas walked up to the steel bars of Leo’s cell, waving his hand to dismiss the guards. "Leave us. Wait at the end of the block."
"Sir, he's dangerous," the lead guard warned, looking at Leo with an expression of deep fear. "He broke Jax’s collarbone and three ribs in five seconds. He might be an elite military operative."
"I know exactly what he is," Warden Thomas said smoothly, his voice flat. "Now leave."
The guards nodded and walked away, their heavy boots echoing down the concrete hall until the steel door clicked shut behind them. Thomas stood alone in front of Leo, opening the yellow folder. He flipped through several pages covered in bright red stamps that read “CLASSIFIED – LEVEL 5 CLEARANCE REQUIRED.”
"Leo Vance," the Warden read aloud, looking at a black-and-white photo attached to the sheet. "Age twenty-six. Former captain of the Black Ghost Division—the shadow military branch that doesn't officially exist. Court-martialed for treason three weeks ago after a black-ops mission went wrong in Eastern Europe. Sentenced to twenty years at Iron Gate."
Leo didn't move. He didn't look at the Warden. He kept his eyes fixed on the concrete floor between his shoes. "The file is very thorough, Warden. Did it tell you what I did to my last commanding officer before they put me in these chains?"
Thomas smiled coldly, closing the folder with a sharp snap. "It says you broke his jaw in three places because he ordered a drone strike on a civilian village. You have a very expensive sense of morality, Leo. But let’s be honest with each other. A man with your training doesn't get caught by the local police for a simple bar fight unless he wants to get caught. You wanted to come to Iron Gate. Why?"
Leo slowly lifted his head, his wide, dark eyes locking onto the Warden’s face. The air inside the cell seemed to drop five degrees. "Maybe I just wanted to enjoy your famous prison food, Thomas."
"Don't play games with me, kid," Thomas hissed, leaning closer to the bars, his diplomatic veneer sliding away to reveal a cruel, defensive snarl. "Iron Gate belongs to me. Every inmate, every guard, every drug shipment that passes through these walls answers to my desk. If you're here to investigate my operations for the federal government, you're a dead man walking. I can have you shanked in the shower block before tomorrow morning, and the report will say you slipped on a piece of soap."
Leo chuckled softly, a low, dark sound that sent a tiny shiver down the Warden’s spine. "If you wanted to kill me, Thomas, you wouldn't have come down to this damp basement by yourself with my file. You're afraid. You're afraid because you know who is waiting for me in Cell Block D."
Warden Thomas froze, his fingers tightening on the folder until the cardboard began to bend. "Victor... you're here for Victor."
"Victor Vance," Leo said, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. "My older brother. The man who framed me for the treason charge. The man who has been running his international crime syndicate from inside your VIP suites on the fourth floor for the last two years. You've been protecting him, Thomas. You’ve been taking his money. And now, I’m here to collect the debt."
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"Victor is untouchable, Leo," Thomas whispered back, his face turning slightly pale. "He has the political connections to destroy anyone who touches him. He runs the governor's campaign fund from that cell! If you go near him, the guards will shoot you on sight."
"Then you better buy some extra ammunition, Warden," Leo said, leaning back against the concrete wall, his chains clinking loudly in the quiet cell. "Because tomorrow morning, I’m going into Cell Block D. And nobody is going to stop me."
