The Gamble – Part 4

Athena13

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A/N: Thanks for all the feedback! This part is a bit slow, but hopefully it moves things along.
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John McBain was bored. He'd had a lot of time to really consider his word choice since he'd been stuck here in Solitary since his admittance over a week ago. Because he was there as a special circumstance, his own protection, Warden Roy Stevens kept claiming, he had been allowed to keep the crumpled painting of Natalie Cristian had left him and was provided with as many books or magazines as he could consume. They even let him have a pad and pen, but there was nothing he wanted to write and no one to write it to.

His mother and Michael would be glad to hear from him, but he didn't have anything new to say. Apologies were all dried out and inadequate to make up for the shame. Bo Buchanan didn't seem like the pen pal type and Natalie was better off without any contact with him.

John leaned up against the cell brick, sweat pouring off him and his breath coming in panting gulps. He had just finished another exercise circuit. If nothing else he was going to get out of here healthier he had ever been before. That is if he didn't get killed or go mad.

"Here's a towel, McBain. You're going to have company soon." Joe the day shift Solitary guard tossed him a towel through the bars.

"I though I was going to get out of here already." John caught the towel and wiped his face.

"That's up to the Warden. He doesn't seem to be in a rush. After we settle in your new neighbor you want to go shower?"

"Yeah, thanks." John nodded. Wondering who his newest neighbor would be. There had been a couple of short-term troublemakers sent in to calm down, neither had been interested in the unidentified prisoner.

John sighed and paced his cell. In his isolation his thoughts often drifted back to Natalie.

"Who am I kidding," John muttered to himself. He always thought of Natalie when he wasn't focused on work, and sometimes even when he was supposed to be. He had thought, hoped, that at least here he wouldn't miss Natalie so much, but in fact there was a keener edge to his longing.

"Aw, look at our new prisoner. Mooning over the voluptuous Natalie Vega? Or should I say Buchanan since she shucked off both men who lied to her."

John had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't heard the new prisoner being led in. He looked over to see Carlo Hesser gripping the bars to his cell, his face grinning manically at him despite the striping obscuring his features. The smooth, evil voice sent a warning chill up and down John's spine.

John's eyes narrowed and he grinned coldly back.

"I see you recognize me, McBain. Tell me, how does it feel to be so disgraced? To be a pariah to everyone who once looked at you as hero? Tut. Tut. Such a fall from grace. I shall call you Sam after Sameal the angel who fell from grace due to lust. I'll lend you the reading" Carlo shook his head.

"Enough, Hesser. Get in your cell."

John stood still as the cell door was closed next to him.

"Do you want that shower now, McBain?" Joe asked.

"Yeah."

Joe unlocked the door, not recognizing the satisfied gleam in John's eyes or what caused it.

"Enjoy the showers, Sam. Talk to you soon."

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"He'll be here!" Natalie paced the room where she, Todd and the reporter from the Sun were waiting for Cristian to show up.

"Maybe they finally carted him off to the loony bin? Or jail." Todd was sitting on the corner of the desk.

"Shut up." Natalie didn't break her stride.

"When you were still living with him, didn't he hit you? Don't forget to put that in the article," Todd directed his reporter.

"You don't need to talk about that!" Natalie stopped pacing to glare at Todd and his employee.

"It will support the claim that McBain was just trying to protect you."

Natalie frowned and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans.

"If it helps there's a police report. You're not our source."

"What do you mean a police report? I didn't call the cops."

"Someone made sure there was a report." Todd held up a few sheets of paper.

Just then the door opened and Cristian came walking in, he wasn't alone. With him was Evangeline Williamson.

"Well, well, well. The prodigal son and his conniving attorney. Hello, Evangeline." Todd stood up and pulled over another chair.

"Why are you here? Why did you bring her here?" Natalie asked.

"I recommended that my client have counsel present since he is still on probation."

"Oh brother," Natalie cursed under her breath.

"I want to help John, just as much as you do."

Natalie opened her mouth to retort, but Todd put a hand over her mouth.

"If you want to help John, will you answer some questions for us Evangeline? Great. Natalie and I will be waiting in my office. Come see us when your done."

Todd hustled his niece out of the room, not removing his hand until they were behind closed doors in his office.

"Stop smirking. I hate that woman!"

"Did you see everyone's faces when we walked past them. Classic." Todd walked over to his bar and poured out two measures of whiskey. He handed one to his niece and toasted it before walking behind his desk and glancing at his messages.

"Why is she still practicing law? Why is she still in Llanview?"

"She probably won't be for long, on either account."

"We don't even know what they're saying! She'll twist things around to make John look bad, she always does. I need to get back in there."

"Tony will write a wonderful article all about what John McBain did for love and his vengeful attorney ex-lover who gave her ex-hooker, con artist sister a key to break in and find something to break up the heroic cop and his...well, you know the story."

"Do we really need to go into all of that? Forget it, forget it. I guess we do." Natalie sat down on the couch and put her empty glass on the coffee table. "Can we not hang Cristian out to dry to do it? He really doesn't need to do this and I don't want him hurt anymore."

"Then how about some quotes from you?"

Natalie looked up at Todd who was standing over her.

"If it will help John, anything. I wish..."

"You wish you have gotten over your snit a lot sooner and helped him before he copped a plea so you wouldn't have to go through a trial."

"Snit?" Natalie yelled.

"Hey, I know how upset Blair gets when I cover up the truth for her own good."

"You are a twisted man, Todd Manning."

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"I want to know how the interview is going." Natalie stood up.

"Leave Tony to weave his magic. You kept your end of the bargain and got Vega in here. I'll keep my end of the bargain."

Natalie looked at her uncle skeptically.

"I will. You don't need to stay. Go visit your boyfriend or go to work or something. I'll call you when it's done." Todd promised.

"Fine. If I don't hear from you I'm coming back."

"Then I'll definitely call you." Todd yelled as she closed the door behind her.

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"Sorry it took so long, McBain. We wanted to make sure the general population was ready for a cop amongst its ranks. But you and Hesser have been getting along so well during the past week in Solitary we decided that you should be cell mates."

"Do you often personally participate in housing decisions and cell transfers, Warden?" John asked.

"Only for our important prisoners." Warden Stevens said coldly.

"Do you mean me or Carlo Hesser?" John got in the Warden's face.

"What are you implying? Oh wait, it doesn't matter, because you're not a cop anymore just a convicted felon who will do what I want when I want it."

John stared him down another moment before walking out the solitary cell and out the door.

Warden Stevens glared after him and after he and his men were out of sight he pulled his cell phone out of his suit pocket.

"That McBain is going to be a problem. I want to take care of him."

He listened for a moment, his face hardening as he heard something he clearly didn't like.

"What newspaper article? Dammit!"