Chapter 27: The Informants
Dawn crept into Penitentiary 18’s sterile corridors. On the central display, the return countdown glowed: 16:20:00. Overnight, fresh meat had arrived. Luther Ward moved through the new inmates like a shark scenting blood, interrogating each under Elian Thorne’s orders. Not a single crosser among them. Elian’s theory solidified: all crossers arrived and departed simultaneously. They shared one timeline. At their usual table, Lucian Reed and Elian Thorne were already deep in their morning chess ritual. “Since you told Luther to ease up,” Lucian mused, fingertips hovering over his bishop, “the new arrivals have stopped screaming like slaughtered pigs. But gratitude? Don’t hold your breath.” Elian considered the board. “Toss coins to a beggar. It won’t lift him from poverty. But it buys
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