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“And what if that ain’t what she wants?”
“Don’t matter. But on the same token, don’t think I’m giving up so fucking easy either. I plan to be out in time to watch my kid being born. With you and the brothers working overtime on the outside, I’m gonna be working every angle possible in here.”
Prosper nodded. “And you ain’t gonna be alone in that either. The club’s got you covered. We’re arranging for protection, you’ll be approached in a day…two at the most. You need anything in the meantime, brother?”
“Yeah, smokes, twinkies and stamps.”
“I’ll put money in the commissary before I leave.” Then Prosper looked at Riker carefully. “So, you ready now?”
“Ready as I’m ever gonna be.” Riker breathed out. And for the first time since the arrest, Prosper thought Riker looked scared.
“Might as well get it over with.” Riker steeled his spine and waited for Prosper to leave and for Gia to enter.
“James Devlin!” The guard yelled out for a second time. “Visitor number two!”
“Honey is that you?” The older lady sitting in the seat next to Gia, pointed to the white ticket in her lap. When Gia realized they had been calling for her, she raised her hand straight in the air.
“Here!” She yelled out.
It seemed like everyone in the large waiting room stopped what they were doing and stared at her.
“Sweetheart, I’m not taking attendance.” The guard called out while the room erupted into small titters of laughter.
“Just get in line.” The woman next to her nodded at the cue that was forming at the door.
“But the guy I am with went in and hasn’t come out yet. I don’t understand how this whole thing works.” Gia frowned.
“No big mystery.” The lady shrugged. “Think of it as a one way ticket.”
“What do you mean?” Gia looked at the woman with a horrified expression.
The woman cackled at Gia’s obvious confusion. “They don’t keep you here and lock you up with the prisoner, honey. I just mean there’s another maze on the way out, but not as bad as the one on the way in. After the visit, they’ll buzz you out again and swing you around to the place where you pick up your stuff. Then there will be a long line where the guards will check the ink on your hand with a black light. After that you just follow the exit doors to the departing shuttle station. Hurry up now, girl, he ain’t gonna call again.”
Gia moved as quickly as she could towards the guard who buzzed her in to the next area. She was then ushered into a room that was filled with low tables and chairs that were bolted in to the ground. To her right, behind double paned glass, was what looked like a day care. It was filled with toys, mothers and their kids. Their fathers, who were wearing the state issued orange jumpsuits, sat on the floor with their children or held them on their laps.
Gia searched the room and saw Riker standing up next to one of the small tables. He was a big man in a room full of big men, but to Gia he seemed to tower above everyone and everything. Their eyes met, and she flashed Riker an uncertain smile that he did not return. As Gia moved towards him she searched his face for signs of stress, fatigue or worry. There was nothing but a hard mask in place. Any sign of the man she had begun to love—a man filled with tenderness, humor, and patience was gone.
“Riker?” Automatically she reached across the table for him. He tensed as the officer standing in the corner began to approach. “Pull your hand back, Gia. You can’t touch me.” He told her.
Then he scowled at the approaching officer and raised his hand. “I got this.”
The officer nodded and stepped back.
“Not at all? We can’t touch at all?” Gia asked him.
“We’re in a prison, Gia, not on a fucking date.” He all but snarled at her.
Gia gasped in shock. Eyes filled bright with tears as she looked at him. They stared at each other for a moment.
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that Riker Devlin. Don’t you dare!” She hissed at him. “In case you haven’t noticed my feet look like I’ve baked bread in my shoes, I have sweat stains underneath my armpits the size of crescent moons and I stink. I smell like a combination of unwashed bodies, tobacco and god- awful, cheap perfume because I have been pressed up against that in line for hours. My back’s on fire from standing and my ass is numb from sitting. So yeah, you can be damn sure I know that we are not on afucking date.”
Riker’s eyes shifted and when he looked back at Gia the corners of his mouth lifted just slightly.
“Whole wheat or rye?” Riker’s eyes crinkled with amusement.
“What?” Gia looked at him with confusion.
“Your feet. You said you were baking bread.” He full out grinned at her now.
