Maddox
Ipull away from Owen with a hiss when his fingers probe the egg-shaped bruise covering a majority of my right eye. His facial expression exposes his sympathies, but he’s still pissed. “You should have called me.”
“And said what?” I’m asking a question, but I don’t wait for him to answer me. “Some inmates showed their dislike about a new woman killer mowing their turf.”
“It wasn’t about your rap sheet, and you know it.”
“Yeah, I do,” I fire back, still agitated about the shakeup the guards organized this morning. They wanted an increase in pay, and for some stupid reason, they thought I could help them get one. The fuckers have no clue I’m in the Petrettis’ debt as much as they are. “But I held my own. I don’t see a second round occurring any time soon.”
“If you truly believe that, then you’re dumber than I realized.” Ignoring my glare, Owen takes a seat across from me. I’m shackled to the table like a prisoner, and he’s dressed like he doesn’t pocket three hundred dollars an hour. “Isthiswhy you refused Demi’s request to visit this month?” During the ‘this’ part of his comment, he nudges his head to my bruised face.
As I lift my chin, my mood slips from pissed to sullen. It’s only day thirty-three of a lifetime sentence, yet I’m already dying. I miss the silky softness of Demi’s skin when she traces the bump in my midsection after I wake up in a sweat. The smell of her hair when it’s tickling my chest. And her smile—my fucking god—I miss that even more than the scrumptious meals she arrived with every morning without fail during my bail incarceration.
“How did she take it?”
“You cutting her off?” My growl nearly gobbles up what Owen has to say next, “Not well, but you were right, just because you tell her something doesn’t mean she’ll listen.” My heart beats in an unnatural rhythm when he confesses, “It took Caidyn holding her down so she couldn’t follow me out to my car.”
I blink several times in a row to clear the image of Demi crying in Caidyn’s arms from my head before asking, “Did she mention why she called her uncle last month?” I could have asked Demi myself during her first visit three weeks ago, but we were surrounded by too many gangbangers to bring up their idol. It would have gotten me jumped weeks earlier.
Owen’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down before he shakes his head. “I suspect Caidyn knows, but he’s keeping it under his hat for now.” After tossing his suitcase onto the stainless-steel table wedged between us, he asks, “How did you know Demi had contact with her uncle?” He must see something on my face I didn’t mean to express. “It was mentioned during your assault?”
I lift my chin for the second time. “Some of the guards recognized her.” I shake my head to hide my smile. “I guess they figured she was more valuable to Col because she’s related to him.” I huff. “Little do they know.”
Needing to drown my sorrows with a hundred push-ups, I move things along. “What are you here for, Owen? I thought you said you wouldn’t be back until you had news on my appeal.”
“I do have news about your appeal.” My pulse spikes. Its surge doesn’t linger for long. “Regretfully, it isn’t good news. The new judge removed the no probation clause from your sentence, but the sentence itself remains unchanged.” When my cuss reaches his ears, he speaks faster. “We still have other avenues to pursue. We’re at the very low level of the court system right now. We can continue to appeal all the way to the highest court.”
“And if that fails?”
Owen doesn’t want to answer my question, and neither the fuck do I.
After an intense stare down, I lean back into my chair to contemplate. “Col could have made out Megan was dead. He didn’tneeda man to go down for her murder. Hewantedone too. But why? What benefit does he get from having a man behind bars?”
Unaware I’m more thinking out loud than seeking answers, Owen jumps into the conversation. “Wallens Ridge has the highest number—”
“Of gang-affiliated inmates compared to any other prison in the country. Yep, I’m aware of that, but that can’t be the reason I’m here.” My chuckle is ill-timed, but it can’t be helped. “If you want someone to strengthen ties with the prison underworld, you better get someone who likes you enough to follow your plans, or it could backfire in your face.”
Owen sounds nothing like a stiff in a suit when he says, “If he wants a partnership, he ain’t getting one from you.”
“My point exactly.”
After mimicking my position, Owen asks, “Then what’s his purpose?”
I shrug, truly unsure. “Other than getting me away from his niece, I have no fucking clue.”
When my eyes lock with Owen’s, he reads me like the same blood is pumping through his veins. “She’s safe. They haven’t been in the same room as each other in months.” He crosses his right ankle in front of his left before leaning forward. “Ezra is confident Col won’t back out of your agreement. Demi is safe.”
His comment should offer me more reassurance than it does. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that Col isn’t a man who can be trusted, and furthermore, our agreement only extended to Demi. My family’s heads are still on the chopping board.
I flash Owen a warning glare to get the fuck out of my head when he says, “You should tell them. From what I’ve seen, your family won’t hold anything against you.”
Shame isn’t why I’m keeping quiet. Respect is. My parents worked hard to get what they have. Everything they have was from years of hard work and determination. I don’t want to see them give it all away for me. Col won’t merely run them out of town if I don’t jump on command, he will destroy them.
I can’t let that happen.
After tapping my knuckles onto the table, I say, “Let Demi know how much I owe. We’ve got some funds tucked away.” Owen doesn’t look like he’s a struggling intern. I just prefer to pay my dues than be in someone’s favor.
He smiles a shit-eating grin. “Don’t worry, my counseling rates are half that of my lawyer’s fees.”
