Chapter 123

The corridor stretched ahead, a throat swallowing him whole. The passage stretched out ahead, lined with rows of heavy steel doors on both sides. Some cells were empty, their barred fronts dark and silent. Others contained prisoners, men and women in various states of despair, kept in an unbearable condition with barely enough space to lie down and little light to see by. The air grew thicker the further he went, heavy with the smell of rust, sweat, and fear that never quite left the place.

He had once intended to keep Farah here, locked away in one of these very cells, out of sight and under control. That plan had been abandoned, but the thought of it still lingered in the back of his mind. But his mother had stopped him from doing so, her words sharp and final, reminding him of lines even he would not cross.

A few moments later, after passing several more cells and ignoring the muffled sounds that drifted from behind the bars, he stood in front of the jail cell contain