by Hope Stone
“All right. Austin tells me you’re good people. Any friend of Austin’s is a friend of mine. So what’s the score?” Frank asked.
“Thanks. Look, I need some help. My girlfriend died from an overdose, and I know for a fact that a Las Balas member sold her the drugs. Can you sew that situation up for me?”
Frank’s cold eyes looked through me. “I heard about it through the grapevine. I’m sorry for your loss. You’re Outlaw family, too. I’ve been the eyes and ears for the crew for a long time now. We’ll put a stop to this sucker. Give me a little time, and I’ll send out word about it.” He gazed away from me as he spoke.
“Thanks. I appreciate it. What do I owe you?” I asked pensively.
“Nothing at all. That’s what we Outlaws do. We stand for the brotherhood of all our riders. You got a daughter. I have one, too. We have to protect them from street slime.” Frank spat on the ground, and it landed two feet away from him.
I nodded with respect. “Agree. Respect the code. Check you later.”
“Good. Peace, brother.” Frank saluted, and I moved around the yard to converse with the other inmates.
As time passed and the guards let us back to our cells, I visualized my exit and how I planned to come back into society. Could I go back to the Outlaw Souls? Or would I have to straighten up and fly right? Maybe I would just work on the farm and leave the rest alone. As sleep called me, I floated off to think about the sensual social worker and what I had to look forward to.
In my dream, she entered the meeting room.
“Colt, I came to see you. When I saw you last time, I knew I had to come back. I find you to be irresistible. I have to be with you.” She ripped open her white collar shirt and revealed her ample breasts. She slid down her skirt and crawled across the desk to meet me, sitting in my lap.
I woke up sweaty, embarrassed, and hard from the fantasy.
Errol was brushing his teeth and spitting out the contents in the sink. I could smell the minty freshness of the toothpaste. Not many odors got away from my nose due to the coziness of the cell. I stretched my tight muscles and yawned.
“Hey, farmer. You better do what I’m doing. Aren’t you seeing that social worker soon?”
Dazed and confused from my slumber, I replied slowly. “Yeah. Ought to be. I don’t know what time, though. That prick Raymond wouldn’t tell me.”
“You better be up for shower time before she gets here. She doesn’t want to mix with a stinky farmhand,” Errol replied in amusement. He’d used some water and a little gel to slick back his hair and twirl the ends of his mustache. He was one of the stranger characters I’d met in the jail, but I was grateful I was in the cell with him and not some of these other freaks.
“Shut up. I’ll be ready,” I countered.
As soon as it was mentioned, Raymond’s click-clacking boots came down the corridor to our cell. “Colt. Shower time is now if you’re going to go. Be ready. Twenty minutes later, you have a meeting.”
His mustardy stained teeth made me flinch. Someone should have alerted him to his mouth hygiene. Raymond clicked the cell open and tapped his slick black baton as normal. A veiled threat. I eyed him closely and sloped away from him and out of the cell. My towel was hung over my shoulder as he walked behind me to the showers.
Every time I came to the showers, I cased the shower block, looking both ways like when crossing the road. In the shower was the time when prisoners got stabbed with homemade shanks designed to take one another out at their most vulnerable moments. My muscles were coiled like a cobra, ready to fight should I need to. Today, the showers were free, and no one was in them. I lathered up and let the hot water hit my skin. I opened my mouth and let the water trickle in. My bunched-up muscles relaxed a little but not much.
It took three minutes flat for me to wash from top to bottom and dress in the sandy brown uniforms of USP. I peered at myself in the mirror, clenching and unclenching my jaw at the small mirror sink. Pretty good for being in jail for close to five years. I decided to leave the light stubble on. Ladies liked a little two o‘clock shadow from what I knew. Amber’s sweet California smile made me suck in a breath as I thought about what type of man she might like.
“Hey, pretty boy. Are you keeping out of trouble?” I heard a teasing voice come from the left. I retracted my fingers to form a fist on each side. I turned to the voice, ready to take down whoever was speaking.
“Whoa, player. It’s not that serious. It’s just me,” Dante, an African American with dreads, pleaded, holding up his palms. Immediately, I released my hands as he hung his towel, ready to shower.
“You never know. You know how it is, Dante.”
“I sure do. I’m not wrangling with you, though. That’s for sure,” he claimed, giving me the once-over.
“How you holding up?” I asked him as I brushed my teeth.
“Man. I’m all right. Got my fill here. A day in jail is longer than anybody should be in here. I have six days to go, and then I’m out. I have to get a new hustle,” Dante responded in frustration.
“You and me both. I got six months of torture to go,” I replied.
“Okay. Good. No offense, but I hope I never see you again.” Like me, Dante took a quick shower and towel-dried fast.
I laughed. “Agreed. See you later, man,” I said and waited for the guard to return so I could head back to the cell.
Raymond gave me a look over as he returned, as promised, twenty minutes later.
“Okay. Time to go see your mistress.” Raymond sneered. “I tell you what, I wouldn’t mind knocking her down. She has a nice rack, huh?”
I felt every part of my body tense with the urge to crack this guy’s skull open. I wrangled with myself to keep my face neutral. “I guess if that’s what you like.”
I walked in front and towards the daylight of the prison meeting rooms.
Raymond replied, “Oh, what, do you like men? Do you like some of these boys in here? I can line you up with one if you like.” His hot, rancid breath hit the side of my neck. Again, I didn’t fold.
“Nope. I only like women.” I waited at the locked door for him to open it.
“Good to hear, prisoner. I wouldn’t want you to become a prison bitch,” he threatened.
He clicked the alarm code to exit the prison and step into the meeting room. Through the window, I could see Amber looking around aimlessly. My body wanted to fly in the room and get as far away from Raymond as possible. I made a mental note to ask Frank if somebody could take him out as well.
Amber looked like an angel. Her face was soft, with pretty pale lip gloss and a smile. Just what I needed to brighten my existence. Her unruly, thick blond hair made me want to run my hands through it. Her worried expression made me nervous, however.
Raymond opened the door and waved to Amber with a grin. Amber apparently caught on, as well. She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“One hour only,” he warned. I didn’t reply.
“Hi, Amber.” I smiled at her, grateful the slimy man had left us alone.
She returned the smile. “Hi, Colt. Nice to see you again. Please, take a seat.” She gestured to the chair.
“Thanks. You’re back sooner than I expected. Please tell me that there’s nothing wrong with my daughter,” I begged.
Her face soothed me as her frown flattened. “No, not at all.”
She licked her beautiful lips, and I shifted my erection. She was a massive turn-on. I wanted her so badly. “Okay. What is it, then?”
“I—I have a problem. It’s connected to my little brother. I need some help.” She lowered her voice and looked to the back of the guard’s head outside the door.
“All right.” I leaned in and matched her lowered tone. “Go ahead. I’ll see what I can do to help.”
“Hector’s a good kid. He really is. He’s twenty-five, and he got mixed up in the wrong situation with a motorcycle gang called Las Balas. I thought since you have—or did have—dealings with the Outlaw Souls, you might be a
ble to help?” Her soulful caramel eyes made me want to hold her.
“Still have dealings with. They are my brothers. Las Balas are a nasty bunch of fuckheads. What’s the problem? I’m sure I can help. Tell me.”
“Hector has a hit out on him. He’s on the run and said he would call me in a couple of days. The amount is more than I can handle. It’s a two hundred thousand dollar debt from an armed robbery gone wrong. The police department seized the stolen funds. I don’t know what to do,” she confessed, her hands going to her temples as she brushed back the thickness of her hair.
I took her hands as if it was the most natural thing in the world and slid my thumb across her skin to calm her. I saw the tears welling in her eyes as she spoke.
“Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure I can help with this. I have connections here that will be able to let me know what’s what. Good thing he’s out of town. The last time Las Balas put a hit out, they shot the guy within forty-eight hours,” I said matter-of-factly. I watched as her face twisted in horror. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just think it’s good that he left town until it’s cleared up. Are you okay? Do they know about you?”
I watched the cadence of her breath rise and fall. I could tell the situation had her panicked.
“I mean, I don’t know. I don’t think so. What can you do? What would you do?” she pleaded.
“Well, first off, I have my connections, as I said. I can’t reveal my sources, but I can talk to them and see if they can work out a game plan. How the hell did he become involved with Las Balas?”
“I don’t know. Just, you know, being a stupid, reckless kid. He didn’t know the guy he robbed was a gang member with connections, I guess. He would never tell me the full story, so I’m just guessing.” She spoke fast, and her words tumbled out. I eyed her with concern as she tucked stray tendrils of her golden hair behind her ear. She lit up the whole room, including me. I didn’t like seeing her upset.
“I’m sorry you’re going through that. Can’t be easy,” I sympathized.
“Please. You’re going through the death of your girlfriend and being in prison for five years. I saw from your file that you covered for someone. That’s what the case looks like.” She narrowed her eyes at me.
“I mean. I ain’t no snitch. Are you always so selfless?” I changed the subject.
She gazed at her hands for a moment. “Part of my job, I guess.”
“Who takes care of you?” I asked softly, meeting her eyes with mine.
“I guess I take care of myself. I’m good.”
“Are you?” I challenged her.
She lifted her head backward, so her swan-like neck was exposed. I wanted to run my fingers along with my tongue down it. I wanted to make her moan and feel good, but this was neither the time nor the place.
“I’ll be okay, Colt. If you could, please do what you can and let me know as soon as possible. Do you have my card?” she asked.
“Yep. I have it. I will organize to call you as soon as I work out a plan. We’ll get your brother out of it. Anything to get rid of those bastards,” I replied angrily.
“Thank you.”
It seemed like I wouldn’t need an excuse to see the pretty social worker. Now I had a wide-open link to her.
Amber
I left the prison with a sliver of hope. Just a little light at the end of the tunnel. First, Colt had to get to his people and see what they could do. Maybe, and only maybe, would I be able to help Hector.
I drove straight to see Bella from the prison. I wasn’t due at the office until the afternoon. As soon as I drove along the dusty track to the house, my heart lifted. This felt like another part of Merced with the fresh California country air and luscious evergreen trees in plentitude. On Colt’s property, there was a stream running along the backside.
I pulled up and got out. The house was long and a single story. It was built in a triangular shape with high wood ceilings. From the front, it looked like an all-American summerhouse with a wraparound porch. I was a sucker for porches. I loved the place, and it was a far cry from the inner city walk-ups in Merced that smelled like pee from tenants pissing in the hall. Many of the places I had to visit on my rounds for social work had roaches crawling around. Some of the cases were super sad and broke my heart. I’d learned to cope over the years, but I never really found a way to numb it out totally.
I rapped my knuckles on the door a few times and waited. I heard an older lady’s gravely voice cry out down the hall, “Who is it? I’ll be right there. Is that you, Amber?”
The pitter-patter of little feet followed. “Amber. Amber! She’s here, Grandma!”
My heart burst open with love as a bright young girl with chestnut pigtails and yellow ribbons opened the door. Bella’s curly pigtails bounced as she turned her face to her grandma. Colt’s mother, Cheryl, wiped her hands on a tea towel.
“Excuse my hands, sweetheart. I was baking some chocolate chip cookies before you came. Come on in. You’re just in time to have some.” The pleasant, slim, silver-haired lady beckoned me through the hallway to the kitchen.
As I walked through, I admired the sense of family togetherness. Pictures of Colt in his younger years on horses were on the shelves along with photos of all of them together, picking in the fields. There was one of Colt swimming in a river, and even then, he looked fit and even more handsome. It must be hard to see their only child imprisoned.
“Guess what, Ms. Atwood? I got a gold star in school today. I helped my friend Mason lift something. I got the award for being helpful,” Bella beamed proudly.
Cheryl chuckled and gazed out the large kitchen window. “You sure did, and you sure are helpful around the house. Could you do Grandma a favor and check the mail for me? I think I left a letter or two in there from yesterday. You know, my memory is kind of foggy.”
“Silly Grandma,” Bella giggled. “I will check. Save some cookies for me!” She stampeded off to the front, giving us some time to talk.
Cheryl’s eyes were sparkly, bright, and kind. She was in her late sixties from what Colt had told me. All the farm work made her a strong and wily older lady.
“She’s doing great, little Bella. Growing every day. She misses her Mama. She sometimes cries at night. I go in and sit with her. Usually, a glass of milk and a lullaby puts her back to sleep. It was such a shame about her mother. I wish I hadn’t found her like that. Better me than Bella, though. How is my boy?”
“That must have been terrible. I hope you’re okay now. Colt is doing great. He looks healthy, and he sends his love. Are you ready for him to come back here?”
“Funny, but I’ve come to love it here again. It’s been a great sacrifice, but now I don’t see it that way. The workers come and go. It keeps me out of trouble, and I get to play a part in Bella growing up. I won’t know what to do with myself when I go home,” she commiserated as she looked out of the big kitchen window.
I gave her a winning smile. “Mrs. Winters, you are doing a fine job. I was going to ask since it will be a transition for Bella. I would recommend that you stay here, maybe for another week. Just so that Colt can get acclimatized to being back home and with the changes on the farm.”
She nodded and slid two cookies in front of me. “Would you like a cup of Joe?”
“No. I already had one before I left home. If I drink another, I will be bouncing off the walls.”
She flung the tea towel over her shoulder. “I know what you mean. I much prefer a cup of tea any day. I do think that’s a good idea to be here with Colt. He hasn’t seen Bella much at all. Prison timing and all that. He doesn’t even know what she’s like day to day. It’s going to be interesting for all of us.”
I nodded. “I’m sure Colt will slip right back into things,” I said cheerfully.
“I don’t know. I think young Bella is going to teach him a thing or two about how things work around here,” she said.
I giggled. “I’m sure she will. Do you think Colt will be able to cope with
the changes here? Is there anything new at the farm I should inform him about?”
She sipped from her teacup, gazing out the window wistfully. “No. He will be just fine. There’s nothing too crazy going on here. Colt knows this land like the back of his hand. He ought to. He sowed the crops by hand some years when our machinery broke down.”
Colt placing his hands in the soil and bringing something to life sent a distinct shiver of desire down my spine. “Wow. He’s a real man’s man, isn’t he?”
“My boy is a cowboy, through and through.” She smiled. “He loves those horses. You should come with me to the stables, and I’ll show you them.”
Her warmth made me feel all gooey inside. Mrs. Winters was a mother anyone would love to have. I couldn’t help but feel at ease in Cheryl’s presence. I dipped my eyes to my purse, checking the time on my watch. I still had another half hour.
Cheryl caught my glance and flicked her hand at me. “Don’t worry, they won’t miss you so much. Have a little time to yourself, dear. You do a lot in your profession. It must be hard what you do, with all the stories I hear.”
“It can be rough some days, but it’s rewarding, too. I mean, I get to work with beautiful little girls like Bella.”
Speaking of the bright, bubbly little girl, she came rushing toward us as we stepped outside.
“Hey, you guys! Grandma, there wasn’t any mail. I checked and checked again.”
The corner of Cheryl’s mouth lifted into a wry smile. “Oh, thank you anyway, baby, for taking a look.”
Bella grabbed on to her grandma’s hand. I still had a job to do, so I asked Bella some questions as we trudged along the path.
“So, Bella, are you ready for your daddy to come home?”
She nodded her head enthusiastically. “I can’t wait. I want to tell him about my riding. I can ride Moonlight by myself. She loves me. Her coat is so shiny. And I look after all the chickens! I collect all the eggs.” A few chickens came gathering around Bella as if on cue as we closed in on the barn.
“They lay their eggs in the barn. We don’t cage them up. We want all animals to be free here!” She twirled around.
