Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
All progress is lost and her smile fades.
“Fuck you, Jordy.”
She slams the phone into the receiver and stands. My eyes rake down her body, drinking in all of her new curves. Her hips have flared out and she has an ass now. Fuck, she has an ass. As she walks away, she looks over her shoulder at me. All sadness is gone as she glowers at me. She flips me the bird before stalking off.
I watch her ass the whole way.
Oh, Little Hoodlum. Everything’s so fucked up now. You’ve turned into this beautiful woman and if you don’t think I’ll move heaven and earth to keep you safe from every motherfucker in this world, you’re sadly mistaken.
“Martinez.”
I yawn, rising from my cot, and nod at Dave. “Hey, man.”
“Act a little excited,” he grumbles. “You could be leaving this shithole.”
“Trying not to get my hopes up.”
He smirks. “I’m pretty sure that attorney of yours has blown her way through the entire parole board. I think you’re safe to get those hopes up.”
I follow him through the halls. Jace sees me and whistles.
“Get the fuck outta here, One-Up!” He grins and then flips me off. “Take care of my baby girl and son.”
With newfound purpose, I straighten my spine and nod at him. “We’ll see. I might get laughed at.”
Jace shakes his head. “Naw, kid. They’re gonna let you out. I know how this shit works. They know you don’t belong here. Come visit your ol’ buddy, though. Don’t forget about me.”
Dave snorts. “Keep moving, Martinez. Don’t let Hirsch distract you from getting the hell out of here.”
I give Jace a two-finger salute before turning down another hall with Dave. He takes us to a room and ushers me inside. Four people sit at a table, all wearing stern expressions. Samantha sits nearby, her pencil skirt riding up her creamy thighs, a shit-eating grin on her face.
“Please sit,” an older man with a white mustache says.
I take a seat and straighten my back, bracing myself for whatever it is they’re going to say to me.
“Miss Livingston has been working hard on your behalf,” the man says. “Gathering all sorts of testimony, even going as far as securing you a job on the outside.” He nods at Dave. “And the people who see you every day here have also provided us insight into the kind of man you are.”
I give him a solemn bow of my head.
“But this file?” He thumps it with his finger. “Says otherwise.”
“I understand that, sir.”
He frowns. “Mr. Williams.” He sighs. “I see what you were convicted for, and it’s one helluva crime. But I also had a chat with the judge who presided over your case. You know what I’ve come to determine?”
“No, sir.”
“That you’re a scared little boy.”
I bristle and clench my jaw. “Why’s that, sir?”
“Because you did what you had to do to protect the ones you loved and then shut down for fear of what came after. Just took the punishment rather than letting people in to help you. Assumed the worst of the system. Let it swallow you whole.”
“I don’t know what you mean, sir.”
Mr. Williams scoffs. “That line of bullshit is what got you in here in the first place. If you have any hope to get out of here, I need to know that you’ve grown up, son. That you’re ready to face real life like a man. You’re not a boy anymore.”
I meet his stare. “What do you want from me?”
“The truth.”
“It doesn’t affect my sentencing. Why does it matter?” I ask. Then, I glance over at Samantha. “This doesn’t reopen the case, does it?”
She shakes her head. “They just want to know what happened. To understand you. They’re trying to determine if you’re even able to merge back into society. It’s okay to be honest,” she says gently. “Let them understand you.”
I frown, letting my mind go back to that night. The words flow from my mouth as I explain the absolute terror I felt when I learned Roux was in trouble. How all I could think about was getting to her. I recount how I walked in on them brutalizing my best friend and stripping the clothes off his little sister. The rest was a blur. My overwhelming need to protect my family at all costs. There were threats and I was to stand before them. When I finish, my cheeks are wet and my hands are trembling.
“I see,” Mr. Williams says, his voice hoarse. “Where’s your family now?”
I smile. “Roux’s being a typical teenager giving her brother hell.” Everyone chuckles. “Roan is a firefighter.” I swipe at my wet lashes. “They turned out okay.”
“They must miss you,” Mr. Williams says.
“Yeah,” I reply. “They’re probably both gonna kick my ass when they see me next. Neither one of them was exactly happy with me over how all this went down.”