When Etienne came to sit by him on one of the benches in the yard, Gabe was smoking.

Before, he’d only smoked socially. It was a sort of flirtation he employed when he would go to clubs. The pretty bad boy, blowing smoke into the air, smiling seductively; it worked almost every time.

Now he smoked because he was trying to ignore the ache in his right hip where some guys elbow had landed hard a few minutes before. His knuckles were bloody too, but it wasn’t his blood so that was fine.

Gabe didn’t get a lot of injuries these days. Etienne had expressed, in his blunt, tactless way, that Gabe had a knack for fighting. Gabe had never thought of it before; fighting before had always been about making it to the next morning, nothing else, that had simply been his childhood. But he couldn’t deny that the longer he ran his little club, the smoother the motions were, the quicker and easier his reactions. Adrenaline always ran high now, so it became his new vantage point. He was addicted to survival.

The other inmates weren’t afraid of him, exactly. But they were cautious. He didn’t get many challengers these days.

“I got a message for you, princess.” Etienne said beside him. Gabe spared him a sidelong glance. He was leaning with his head against the wall, so he had to roll to see him and saw that Etienne was looking shifty.

For a man who looked built instead of grown, it was quite unusual.

Gabe raised a lazy eyebrow at him, blowing out smoke.

Etienne caught the look and went back to wiggling his pinkie nail between his front teeth. After some excavation, he went on.

“I’ve been told to say ‘Someone’s coming. Prepare yourself.’”

Gabe’s face frowned comically. “What kind of message is that? So fucking cryptic.”

Etienne shrugged, which only brought his shoulders on level with his ears. “I dunno. It’s what he told me to tell you.”

Gabe dragged again on the cheap cigarette, which had been the best he could get that week. What was the purpose of sending someone a warning, and leaving it so enigmatic? Did he think it was cute? Was he still playing a game?

And yet…Mr Xero had no reason to warn him at all. Not really. Unless the thing he was warning him about was a serious threat to Gabe’s continued life span.

He knew very little about Mr Xero, but Gabe reckoned he wasn’t a wasteful sort of person.

Gabe turned the information over in his mind. It was a warning. Or a test? Was he waiting to see if Gabe would jump? If he had changed his mind? If it was something really lethal, would Xero step in himself?

No. No he wouldn’t. Because Gabe had told him, in not as many words, to fuck off.

Hmm.

“Noted.” Gabe said eventually. Etienne was leaning forward, elbows on knees, hands threaded lazily together. He didn’t leave.

Clearing his throat, he added in a vaguely contrite voice, “I can’t help you on this one.”

Gabe inhaled sharply, but it wasn’t noticed. So it was a test, then.

“Well, I can’t say that it’s good news, but oh well.” Gabe said, with forced carelessness.

Etienne blinked at him, but had no words to add. Gabe clapped a hand to his shoulder, possibly the only person who could do that and still walk away with two hands.

“Don’t you worry Et, you’ll still get your gumdrops.” He grinned like the devil.

Etienne looked away. “I’m sorry.”

The words were so quiet, Gabe might not have heard them if he hadn’t been close. But they felt hollow. What it came down to, what it always would, was that Etienne was Mister Xero’s man.

“When he says ‘blow’, you bend the knee right?” Gabe told him in a low voice. Etienne’s enraged expression was made false by the shame Gabe saw behind it. He knew Gabe was right. “If he had told you to fuck me instead of save that first night, would you have done it?”

Gabe flicked a half-burned cigarette away, knowing it was an egregious waste but uncaring. He blew out the last of the smoke from his lungs in a whoosh as he stood.

“You’re just a small fry, princess. You’re nothing.” Etienne snarled at his back as he walked away. Gabe didn’t even wave in acknowledgment.