“Yeah,” I mutter, leaning my head on her shoulder. “Maybe we should ditch the boys and date men.”
Like Jordy?
My flesh heats in embarrassment. He’s in prison. Just because I used to crush on him when I was younger doesn’t mean I want to date him, even if that were a possibility. He’s Jordy. Like a brother to me.
“Or we could just save ourselves a lot of trouble and date each other,” she teases, nudging me.
“You’re too high-maintenance for me,” I joke back.
“Plus, I love the D,” she says with a laugh.
Okay, so maybe she’s not as virginal as I once thought.
“Have you and Ryan…” I trail off and look up at her.
“Yes.” She bites on her bottom lip. “When we’re alone…he’s really good to me.”
Something about her statement irks me. “What about the rest of the time?”
“Then too,” she says, huffing. “I’m just saying he’s so sweet when we’re together.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were sleeping with him?”
“Because I didn’t want twenty questions about it,” she mutters in a defensive tone. “He uses protection. He’s gentle. Mom doesn’t know. Does that answer all your questions?”
I let out a heavy sigh as I turn to give her a side hug. “Be safe and don’t be afraid to talk to me, Char.”
She toys with a strand of my hair. “I will. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I assure her. “Now can we turn on some Lizzo while you do homework so I can pretend I don’t have to go back home in a little bit to deal with my overbearing brother?”
“It’s a date.”
Jordy
Three weeks later…
“Give me another week,” Samantha says, smiling at me. “We have this in the bag.”
I nod at my new attorney. “Thanks.”
She stacks her papers in a neat pile and looks over at me beneath her dark lashes. “You don’t belong here, Jordy, and I’m doing everything in my power to get you out of here.” She tosses her blond hair off her shoulder and leans forward, giving me a prime view of her cleavage in her low-cut blouse. “And when you do get out, come see me so we can properly celebrate.”
Samantha is hot—tall, blond, big tits—but not my type.
“Sure,” I grunt out, knowing full well that’s not going to happen. “Are we done?”
“For now. I’ll keep you posted.”
As soon as she’s gone and I’m led out of the office, I find my way to the kitchen where I’m on duty. Cooking for convicts isn’t as fun as cooking at home, but it’s better than cleaning toilets.
“Look at you, One-Up. Is that fuckin’ hope I see in those eyes?” a deep voice growls.
I sweep my stare over one of the biggest assholes in the pen. Thank fuck he’s my friend.
“Samantha thinks she can get me off soon.”
He lets out a low rumble of a laugh that reminds me all too much of my best friend. “I bet she can get you off. That bitch is thirsty as fuck. You don’t want a piece, tell her to represent me. I’ll let her get me off all damn day.” He makes a crude gesture of jerking himself off.
“Fuckin’ loser,” I toss out at him. “The game’s changed since you went in, old man.”
“You’re a goddamn fetus, boy,” he grunts. “What the fuck do you know about dating?”
“More than you.” I shrug.
“That lawyer bitch of yours would eat out of my hand,” he boasts, squaring his shoulders at me. “Send her my way.”
He’s probably not wrong. Jace Hirsch is taller than me and could beat my ass in a second if he wanted to because he’s beefed to the max from all the lifting he does. With the whole tatted up, mean convict vibe he has going on, I’m sure Samantha would love to fuck the fire right out of him.
“Keep dreaming, old man. The only action you’re gonna get is with your hand.”
“Disrespectful little shit,” he grumbles. “Well, if you do bang the blond bitch, write me and let me know how it was.”
“I’m not writing you a porn letter.”
He laughs. “Why the fuck not?”
“Because it’s fucking weird, man.”
“Did you see my boy?” he asks, sobering up.
Fuck.
I always hate broaching the subject of his kids. Roan won’t let Roux see her dad, and Roan refuses to visit him. Since Roan and I’ve reopened communication, he’s visited weekly, and each time brushed off my suggestions for him to see Jace.
“Yeah, I saw him earlier.”
He straightens. “How’s he doing? Still a fireman?”
“Same as last week.”
“I always knew he’d do something fuckin’ heroic. That’s my boy.” He grins and slaps me in the arm hard. “How’s Roux?” I bristle in irritation at his question. “Still friends with baby Ramirez?”
“She told Roan she’s not, but they’re still always together. It’s a touchy subject between them.” I crack my neck. “He needs to man up and force her to cut ties.”
This is something Jace and I agree on wholeheartedly. Renaldo Ramirez’s shit crew keeps popping up at OSP. The newest one, Deke, was a wealth of information. Information Jace had to beat the fuck out of him in the showers in order to get.
Renaldo still chops cars and my brother Juno is practically his business partner where that’s concerned. But it’s not just the cars. Renaldo runs drugs all over Hood River. His hands dip into all sorts of dirty pots.
Roux needs to stay far the fuck away from him.
“She sent me a card,” Jace says. “Wrote me a poem.”
The big, mean ass motherfucker’s jaw clenches like he’s holding back emotion. “She’s just a little girl, but her words are big, man. They fuck with my head.” He scrubs at his face in frustration. “I did wrong by those kids.”
I nod because we both know it’s true. But I don’t have much room to talk. I fucked them over too. We’ve got that in common.
“Roux’s a good kid. I miss them.”
“You’re gonna get out of here real soon, Jordy, and then it’s up to you to keep looking after them.” His words are part plea, part threat. “I’m counting on you.”
He slaps me on the shoulder and then saunters off to his crew. I head for the kitchen to check in before José hands me my ass. Before I make it there, Deke and two other guys appear in the doorway. Deke’s face is bruised and swollen thanks to Jace.
Fuck.
“You’re Juno’s brother?” Deke asks, his fat lip curled up, eyeing me up like I’m a piece of shit.
“Yep.”
He cracks his neck. “Lucky asshole.”
I shrug, waiting for him to get to the fucking point.
“Word is you’re getting outta here.” His brow lifts in question. “That true?”
“Not that it’s any of your goddamn business, but yeah.”
He runs his tongue over his teeth, his dark eyes glinting. “Juno asked me to give you a message.”