“Shut up.” Joe checked the hall, adrenaline coursing through him. He couldn’t let those men dirty Dubois in that way.
“Joe…Joe, please, please, don’t let them―’’
Joe grabbed Dubois by the throat and shoved him into the wall.
“What are you doing!” Dubois cried, choking, fighting him off.
The man was surprisingly strong, but Joe held him there, and bent to his ear. “I’m gonna knock you out. I’m gonna send you to the infirmary. You’ll be safe there.”
Dubois’s eyes widened. And Joe released him. Could he hit him?
“Do it,” Dubois said. “Do it now!”
As the guards steps became louder, Joe swung and slapped Dubois hard against the side of his head. He collapsed without a sound, but Joe caught his fall and carefully stretched him out by the bunk. He dropped some water by Dubois’s boots.
Gua
