Author: admin

“Hey,” he says, the word coming out on a huge, relieved exhale of breath. “Hi,” I reply, a smile widening as I press my eyes shut and let my head fall back, laughing a little at how unoriginal our conversation has been thus far. “What’s so funny,” he murmurs, and I can feel the ease…

_____________________ “Anything you want me to pass along to Fay, tonight?” Ivan asks as he flips through his notes after a long interrogation session with Kent. He watches carefully as Kent declines to reply, smirking when he sees Kent’s shoulders raise in a deep sigh. “Seriously,” Ivan says, slapping the notebook shut and leaning back…

Because even if he was just trying to rattle me? Well, it worked. I am rattled. Should I be trusting Jerome as much as I have been? I turn when I hear the house door creaking open behind me. “You coming inside?” Daniel asks. “It’s cold out here.” I blink at him for a second…

Not for me, he thinks, shaking his head. I’m not worth that. But if it were him on the other side, fighting for her? He’d turn over heaven and hell to get her out. When Daniel and Jerome come home with the news of the sentencing, I don’t say much. Honestly, there’s not much to…

“Fay,” Daniel snaps, making me look over my shoulder at him, but I don’t stop. “Are you actually going to talk to him?” “Don’t be jealous,” Ivan says, walking backwards to grin at Daniel as he follows me towards the deck. “I’m only chatting with your wife. Not your boyfriend.” Daniel growls and lunges forward…

“Yeah, but I’m scrappy,” Ivan says, over-confident and optimistic in his usual charming way. “Don’t underestimate Daniel,” I sigh, leaning back. “He boxes. And I’m pretty sure his dad taught him how to hit.” I let my eyes drift to the green spot on Ivan’s jaw and he turns to me, laughing, as Janeen sees…

As one, we all look into the kitchen to see my dad leaning against the counter. “Well,” he says, raising a beer to his lips, “I’m not, but I have to say – if I was one of the gays? I wouldn’t kick him out of bed.” Janeen and I howl with laughter as Daniel’s…

So, he lets himself space out a little bit, which he never does, glancing down at the paperwork on the table and passively reading some of the words. But as he looks closer, he frowns, leaning forward a bit to see that… Her handwriting is…basically on every piece of paper here. What? Kent’s eyes eagerly…

“I don’t…” I whisper now, glancing over my shoulder as if afraid Daniel will hear me. “I don’t want Daniel to go to…jail. Not like…his father. So…is there a part of your business? That would be…safer?” My father nods, considering, perhaps running through the rolodex of industries that he has under his name. The greatest…

And then, too angry and overwhelmed to say anything else, I push away from the table and storm through the door into my house. As I head to the open door of my room, I hear Janeen’s question echo behind me. “Guys…what the hell does she have planned?” And Daniel’s baffled answer. “Honestly…I have no…