AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She steps closer to the sound of my voice, but I disappear into a thicket of trees. She sighs, turning away as she drops her hood back on her shoulders.
Red hair.
I watch her retreat, wishing she’d turn back just once so I could see her face, but she doesn’t. She follows the beacons of light warming her path back to the estate. She limps, and I’m more pleased than I am concerned, knowing that at least for a few days, I’ll be in the forefront of her mind every time she puts pressure on that foot.
CHAPTERTWO
ALESSIA
Irub my fingers roughly over the stiff material of my jeans in an attempt to remove the buildup of black charcoal that seems to forever stain my hands. It’s futile. The dark medium has imprinted itself on my fingertips. I leave it pressed into every surface I touch.
I slide my hand back under the cold metal table, trapping it between my knees to stop myself from fidgeting. The second I step into the cold reinforced walls and wired-up fences of this prison, panic seizes my insides. I work my hardest to ignore it. But the irrefutable fact that I could be in the beige jumpsuit at any given time—leaving my brother to make this same trek to visit me and not the other way around—has enough power to steal my breath.
The generator outside the window buzzes loudly enough that I can’t hear myself think, and I focus on it instead of the intrusive thoughts of my demise. It smells funny here. An indistinct cocktail of perfume and aftershave. Sweat from inmates and visitors alike. The sterile smell of high-grade cleaning products. It melds together in a scent that lingers in my nostrils long after I leave.
“Alessia.”
I stand at Salvatore’s voice, swallowing the wince of pain that shoots through my leg when I put pressure on my heel. I work to ignore the ache and workharderto repress the memories the injury seems intent on bringing to the forefront of my mind.
Letting the warmth of Salvatore’s body embrace mine, I breathe in the quickest hug manageable before the guards yell at us to separate.
His tattooed hands cup my cheeks, and he leans forward, kissing my forehead. “You have charcoal on your cheek.”
I wipe at it with my hand, likely making it worse. I shrug. “Traffic was lighter than I expected. I drew in the car while I waited for visiting hours to begin.”
“What were you drawing?” He waits for me to sit before lowering himself to the seat across from me.
My gaze tracks over his face, cataloging the contours of his jaw, nose, and eyes. The lines are harsher than I remember, and I’m annoyed that I’ll have to sit in my car and fix my drawing before I allow myself to drive home if I want it to be as true to form as possible.
I visit him once a week, but it’s not enough to recall his face accurately enough when I’m drawing. I’m not forgetting the minor details of his face, but it’s obvious his lines have hardened since he’s been incarcerated, and I don’t care for this acrid version of my brother.
“You.” I decide then and there that I won’t change my drawing. I like my memory better than reality.
His right eyebrow rises, and I smirk.
“Narciso said you’ve started going to an art class.”
Fucking Narciso. Our cousin and my brother’s second-in-command.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “I thought the two of you would have more pressing matters to discuss than my hobbies.”
He doesn’t bite back the way I had hoped. “He also said you won’t let him in the building.”
I’m still not used to seeing him in beige. Even after nearly five years. My brother wears black.Onlyblack. From the boots on his feet to the rings on his hands and the tattoos that cover most of his skin. He’s shaded from head to toe.
This time, I don’t fight the way my eyes roll in my head. “That’s not true. I welcomed him inside. He chose not to enter when he discovered it was a live drawing class.”
He waits expectantly for me to explain.
“Nude drawing.”
That gets me a smile.
“If he wants to stare at a naked twenty-three-year-old man, he’s more than welcome. I fear the class would be more interested in the mobster lurking in the shadows than their artwork, though.”
He watches me, staring into my eyes and searching for my lie.
I stare back, and he blinks first.
