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Ms. Dorothy batted away tears, and Iris returned her purse to its usual spot under the cabinet on which the register sat. Moments later, Dorothy was thanking the man again profusely, her groceries in tow, and heading out the automated door.
“That was mighty kind of you. I know she appreciates it. We all fall on hard times every now and again. You were a blessing to her,” Iris stated as he placed his items on the belt.
“Better to be a blessin’ to somebody than a curse, I suppose. People are like coins. Two sides to us all. I reckon I wasn’t in a cursing mood. Chose the blessin’ this time around.”
She smiled at his words but found them rather perplexing. Dark and uneasy.
What a strange comment…
That was all he offered, before he went on radio silence. When she was done ringing up his things, he gathered his belongings, waved goodbye, and headed out the door. If it weren’t for his cologne lingering in the air after he departed, she figured she might have imagined the entire encounter…
CHAPTER ONE
Gilded Cage
All I couldhear was the buzz of a restless fly, the tingle of sweat crawlin’ around my ear canal, and the riling hum of death at the door. KNOCK. KNOCK, motherfucker. Let me in.
The loud clang of slamming doors at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution echoed, like the warning from a hellion hidden in the shadows. Jude’s upper lip tickled as droplets of perspiration collected along his Cupid’s bow, some of it soaking into the dense mustache he’d trimmed that morning before taking the long drive to see his brother, Cain. It was hot as hades in the waiting area of the prison, where he sat. Being stared at. Whispered about. The staff couldn’t keep their eyes off him.
“Well, aren’t you two a pair,” the angular-faced guard mocked with a coiled grin, rocking back on his thick-soled shoes. Jude craned his neck and glared at the man. Their eyes locked like rams in battle. Pistol on his hip, the guard’s blue shark-like eyes flickered as he gave Jude, then his brother, who was sitting behind a long bench table, a careful stare.
“A pair ofwhat?Am Isupposedto know you?” Jude questioned as he slipped his tattooed hand into his jeans pocket.
“Naw, son. You don’t know me, but I know about you two. Jude and Cain… You two look like a couple modern day mobsters, dark hair ’nd all. A bunch of tattoos.”
“Man, you’re rubbin’ me the wrong way. I came here to visit my brother. Not be critiqued by the likes of you.”
“Well guess what, buddy? I’m not here for your pleasure.”
“Pleasure? I don’t give a damn about you, and I don’t want a damn thing from ya, ’cept for you to leave me alone. What do you care about my hair and body? Sounds kinda suspect to me. You’re standing there like some waiter.”
“A waiter?”
“Yeah. Do you take lunch orders? Make yourself useful, and I don’t want shit from the disgusting chow hall here. Go fetch me somethin’ good. None of that bullshit gossip though that you gargle and eat every day.” He pulled out a wad of cash and tossed a folded five-dollar bill at the guard’s feet.
A few people within earshot burst out laughing. The man looked down at the bill for a long while, then raised a dark gaze, his cheeks flaming red.
“Oh, you want lunch, big boy? Maybe some spaghetti or pizza, you fucking wop. Your mother was Italian, right? Crazy ass parents…”
Jude’s jaw tightened as he balled up his fist. His lips curled in a smile, wider with each word the bastard spoke. The man felt big and tall in that place, one of the few spaces in the world he couldn’t touch him.
“Must run in the Mafia style family,” he went on. “Bunch of lunatics. Psychos. Ain’t Jude short for Judas?” The guard sported a slippery-as-snot smirk on his face. “And we all know what in the hell Cain did to Abel, now don’t we?”
“Well, ain’t I lucky then that my name’s not Abel?” Jude took note of the guard’s name on his tag before turning away.
“You two have fun now,” the fucker chortled, his handcuffs clanking against his hip as he trekked across to the other side of the room.
A big vent overhead ushered a nice breeze into the room illuminated by hospital grade bright lights. Cain offered a watery smile.
“You always come in with a bang, Jude.”
“That piece of shit’s name is George Patton. I know he’s the one giving you trouble.” Cain looked away, scratching his head as he looked at him from the corner of his eye. “I tell you one thing. I don’t like him… think I’ll give him a lil’ surprise,” Jude whispered, then winked.
“Behave. Startin’ shit in here and haven’t even been inside for five damn minutes. I thought I was the resident hothead of our duo. Haven’t seen you in so long, baby brother…” Cain’s voice choked up.
“You can stop that little brother shit. You’re only older than me by eleven months. I probably saw a leftover piece of your damn placenta on my way out,” Jude teased as he slipped into the seat across from him. “Might as well be twins.”
Cain tilted his head to the side and eyed him well.
