The Fugitives 9

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

Author's note: Mathison County in MO is completely fictional, therefore anything that occurs and the terrain it occurs in, is purely imaginary. And while I have sung in a prison a few times (Mission trips I swear) I have never been sentenced to one so I have no idea what proper procedures are in one.

I must also give high praise and thanks to LadyBrit for her advice on all things medical.

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Kitty nervously paced round and round in the little room they had placed her in. Though the room was outfitted with two small barred windows, they were too high upon the wall for her to see out of.

But the windows had provided adequate light in the room for her to see, and what she saw was disheartening.

A small white washed room with a single bed, a small table beside it with a lamp on it, and rope burns on the head board.

Little had been said to her, when Jarvis escorted her in and presented her at Warden Payne's office. But by the lecherous look on the warden's face, she had an idea what he had in mind, and why she was placed in this room, just down the hall from his office.

The thought made her physically ill.

On her first day they had escorted her to this room, given her a plain sack type dress and ordered to completely strip and put the dress on. She had followed instructions except for her undergarments. She refused to remove those and was mildly surprised that they didn't force the issue.

Once her clothes and jewelry had been confiscated she was left in the room and the door locked. Every day she expected someone to appear and either take her to the warden or place in her in a cell or something. But no one had come.

She had been there for two days and no one had come so far except the guard who brought her the meals she ate very little of.

There was a possibility that they wouldn't do anything to her. But she knew better. She had been placed into this room for a reason.

She heard a key being turned in the lock on the door, and it opened to reveal a weasel faced guard in a too tight uniform with a scar above his left eye. "Come with me." He ordered pointing a pistol at her.

Startled, Kitty did as ordered. Right then she had no choice. He had a gun, she did not.

The guard escorted her quickly down the hall, and opened the door to Payne's private office, shoving her inside.

The warden, sitting king like behind his giant mahogany desk, grinned leeringly at her as she walked in. She hadn't liked the looks of the obese, balding man when she had first seen him, and time away from him had made her no fonder.

With bulging eyes, square nose and thick lips he reminded her of a pig ready for roasting. The only thing missing was the apple in his mouth.

"Come in, my dear." He said. "Have a seat."

Kitty didn't reply. Warily she watched him from the doorway, unwilling to move any further into the room.

The warden noticed her reticence. "Sit down, Miss Russell." His tone suddenly changed to that of a commander, who was used to getting his way and displeased when he didn't.

The guard behind her pushed her further into the room, and towards the chair in front of the warden's desk.

"Thank you, Hobson." The warden said. "You may leave us now."

Hobson nodded, brushed dirty blond hair out of his face and turned, leaving quickly and shutting the door firmly behind him.

Kitty still remained standing, even though her common sense told her not to try and push this man very far.

'I said sit down, Miss Russell." The warden arched his brow and his tone.

Kitty sat down.

"I meant to meet with you before now, but running a prison the size of this one is not an easy job. I had other things to contend with while I decided just exactly what to do with you."

Kitty made no comment as she guardedly watched the rotund man chomp on his cigar and waft through the papers on his desk.

"I reviewed the papers Sherriff Jarvis brought with him." He told her. "It appears you have a bit of a problem holding your tongue. According to these," he jabbed his thumb on the papers in front of him, "you were given an extra year here because of that."

Kitty held her tongue then, waiting for the vile man in front of her to tell her what he had planned for her future at Statesville. Although, she already had a pretty good idea what that was.

Noticing her silence, he smirked. "I see you can keep your silence when you want to hmmmm? Well good, I have decided what will be required of you here, Miss Russell, and believe me; it will be in your best interest to keep your mouth shut unless you're told to speak."

Kitty's blood ran cold, as her mind reviewed all the things that could mean.

"Did you like the room you placed in?" he asked her casually.

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked, not sure why that would matter.

"My question was clear, Miss Russell. Did you like the room you were placed in?"

Kitty swallowed hard. "It…..uh…it was okay." She answered.

"Just okay?" he looked at her quizzically. "You've been in there now for two days and it's just okay? I hoped you might get to like that room."

Kitty doubted she would ever 'get to like' anything, or anyone there.

"Perhaps you would prefer I place you in one of our regular cells? They're a little larger than that room, but you would have to share it with other inmates... and….uh….. since we don't have any other females at the moment it would be only male inmates….." he let that thought linger for a moment.

Kitty fought hard to keep the fear from showing, swallowing even harder. She knew what he was suggesting. "You..uh…mean if I cooperate with you, than I can have that charming little room instead of a cell?" she said, trying to quell the nausea that thought gave her.

The warden rose from his seat and walked around, resting his considerable bulk against the edge of his desk, close to her chair. "You are a very smart woman." He murmured as he moved in closer.

Kitty instinctively cringed and pulled back looking for a way to avoid the kiss he was most assuredly going to force on to her.

The warden cupped her chin, leaning in even more as he reached for her chest with his other hand.

Until the door banged open

TBC