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“Oh my god,” she whispers. “I had no idea.”
I take her small hand in mine before looking deep into that coffee-colored gaze.
“Yes, but I’m only going to release the video with your permission, sweetheart,” I rasp. “I would never show it to anyone without your consent. After all, it was supposed to be for our private viewing pleasure, but now, the tape has real possibilities.”
She pauses for a moment before throwing me a searching look.
“So by showing this tape to the warden, you’re saying you could get early release because it’s documentary evidence of corruption among the prison staff?”
I nod.
“That’s it exactly.”
Tess swallows and bites her lip.
“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t really want a video of me being gangbanged to get out there. Especially since, well, I kind of enjoyed it. I mean, I don’t know how much you can tell in the video, but …”
I pause, nodding.
“No, it’s fine, honey. Then I won’t give them the tape. The secret’s yours to keep.”
But Tess is still thinking, and she bites her plush lower lip before swinging thoughtful eyes to me.
“But do you think you could work out some kind of deal with respect to the video? Like if you show it to the DA, and they promise to keep it confidential? Am I saying that right?”
I nod.
“I think so. I’m not exactly a legal eagle, but then again, I have been through the judiciary system before, and I know you can request that certain items stay under seal. One thing I’ll say about the prosecutor’s office, even though I hate their guts, is that they’re professional. If they say it won’t leak, then it won’t.”
Tess throws me another searching look.
“You trust them?”
I take a deep breath and nod slowly.
“I don’t think my conviction was warranted, don’t get me wrong. After all, crypto is a developing area, so there aren’t any hard and fast rules yet, and I feel like the DA tried me in the court of opinion, more than on any legal or factual bases. But the prosecutors are professionals,” I acknowledge. “They wanted to make an example of a prominent figure, and I was that guy, unfortunately. Do you remember the case of Martha Stewart, and how she ended up going to jail? Well, her crime was actually for a very small sum of money, but it was the message that was important. Prosecutors wanted to make an example of someone famous that would capture headlines, and in Martha’s case, it meant putting a billionaire lifestyle influencer behind bars.”
Tess nods.
“I remember. Martha Stewart was old when she went to jail too, and I remember she crocheted a sweater when she was behind bars.”
I nod.
“Her imprisonment was no walk in the park, I’m sure,” I say in a slow tone. “Just like Fishkill isn’t a walk in the park either. No correctional facility is a ‘country club’ like the saying goes, but some minimum-security places are better than others, definitely. But that’s beside the point. I’m supposed to get out next year, but the warden’s already informed me that he was considering me for early release based on my good behavior. I think if I give him this tape to help root out corruption in his staff, he’ll definitely follow-through.”
Tess nods.
“How early do you think?”
I shake my head.
“It’s hard to say. Hell, even getting the video into the right hands and getting it seen by the right people could take a while. But I’m hoping two months? Three months? God, I hope the wheels turn faster than that.”
Tess nods.
“I see.”
“But if you don’t feel comfortable about this, it’s fine,” I say in a serious tone. “I don’t want to pressure you, sweetheart, because your comfort level is the most important thing to me in the world. In fact, we don’t ever have to talk about this again if you’d prefer.”
