Authors: K.A. Merikan
Wolver shook his head.
“This is fucked-up. He’s your brother.”
Jed nodded, and hardly
kept his voice level when he answered. “What did he say?”
“That he waited the
whole fucking four hours for the guard to get him. Some brother you are,” said
Wolver and walked away toward the building.
Jed squeezed his jaw and
pushed his nails into the raw meat of his palms.
Ryder discreetly
scratched the small of Max’s back as he inhaled his third cigarette that day.
He watched the corridor for unfamiliar faces, since he was to meet a man
associated with Toro, the Man from Colombia, and he didn’t want to miss him.
Still, it was Valentine’s Day, and he was stuck in his cell with a guy he had
nothing to talk about with. And with all the girlfriends and wives visiting the
prisoners for the occasion, Max’s company wasn’t too sought after, though maybe
that could change once visitation hours were over. Ryder could only imagine the
white meetup room trembling with rampant sexual tension. All that pent-up steam
had to go somewhere.
Max looked back at him
over his shoulder and smiled. “Feel the romance in the air?”
Ryder smirked,
remembering that this was the day he had believed Jess would come to visit. He
tried not to care, but the thought that she went behind his back and got
pregnant had him fuming with rage and disappointment. He didn’t want to even
consider relationships for now. “Not really. You have a sweetheart visiting?”
Max turned around with a
smile ghosting over his lips. “I’m right where I want to be.” The air suddenly
got heavier, and Ryder cleared his throat, looking away from Max.
He wasn’t entirely
comfortable with the flirting, but then again, he didn’t want Max to get all
clingy. Ryder couldn’t help but notice that Max was already trying to get into
Ryder’s good graces and even offered to do Ryder’s laundry. Possibly, it was
because Ryder tried not to be a dick about the sex thing, unlike many of the
other guys Max fucked. “No? No one special waiting for you?”
“I’ve had a guy outside.
Too bad he fucked me over two months after I got locked up.” Max rolled his
eyes and crossed his arms on his chest. “I get out in four months anyway, I’d
rather look to the future.”
Ryder looked at the
watch and put out the cigarette against the wall. “You’re right. I’m gonna do
just that,” he said, slowly walking to the open door of the cell. It was oddly
peaceful today, a perfect time for meeting a man whose face he didn’t know.
“Oh? You got someone in
mind?” Max asked from inside, but Ryder’s gaze met the eyes of a Latino man
with gang tattoos on his neck, who stood two cells away. The moment Ryder recognized
a stylized bull on the man’s skin, he knew he had the right guy.
“No,” said Ryder curtly
and walked up to the railing. He looked down at the rows of cells below, all
organized around a hollow middle, just to make sure no one would be listening
on.
“I hear you might have
something for me,” the man said and leaned over the railing next to Ryder.
Ryder gritted his teeth
in anger. He couldn’t believe Jed had been so irresponsible and... plainly
neglectful to not come over. If not to see Ryder, at least to deliver the
cargo. “There’s a delay. I should have it for you within the week.”
The man’s jaw clenched,
and he let out a deep sigh. “It better. I’m not doing time for nothing.”
From what Ryder knew,
the guy did a kill for Toro in exchange for Toro’s men recovering his kidnapped
daughter. He hadn’t been caught red-handed but got busted for driving a stolen
vehicle later. Toro found the girl, but she was still in Mexico, and he
promised to send the daughter’s earring as proof. An earring that the Nails got
mailed, Jed was supposed to smuggle in, and Ryder deliver.
“Sorry. There were some
problems with one of my men getting here on Tuesday. I want us to be good,”
said Ryder. It was always good to keep more people on your side. Especially
people who bartered in death.
The guy nodded with a
grim expression. “We’ll shake hands once I see it.”
For a moment, Ryder
imagined the lengths to which he’d go to find Jed were he kidnapped. It didn’t
matter how angry at the lazy fucker he was right now, he’d still sell a kidney
to bring him back. No one’s smile was brighter and more carefree than Jed’s.
Even thinking about Jed’s dimpled cheeks pushed at the corners of Ryder’s lips.
“Consider it done,”
Ryder said and walked off, without looking into his cell, as Max was slowly
getting too close. He walked downstairs and spent some time playing cards with
the oldest man on the block. Even losing a bunch of cigarettes couldn’t get him
down, since the games were at least something that took his mind off the
bitterness of this day. Seeing big, tattooed guys come back from the
visitations carrying heart-shaped donuts like badges of honor would have been
funny if there wasn’t a part of Ryder that also wished he’d get one.
“Arige, visitation,”
came the unexpected call from an officer.
Ryder didn’t react at
first, convinced it couldn’t be him that was called, but as the guard
approached him, Ryder’s feet took him straight to that damn room. Did Jess
change her mind? Had the news about their breakup somehow gotten out through
Jo, and one of the hot hangarounds came over to offer Ryder some comfort? His
heart was beating like a drum as he neared the pale doorway, already choked by
the heavy scent of perfume coming into the corridor. The visitation space was
full of couples holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes over the
table, and a few sad heart-shaped helium balloons wiggled in the air every time
someone walked by.
As he looked for Jess’s
dark curls, it was dark blond that he found instead. Jed got up with a squeak
of the chair when he saw Ryder, and smiled widely, dimples prominent under his
stubble, blue eyes bright and happy to see his brother. Maybe something
important did come up last week? Jed would never just forget about him.
It suddenly hit Ryder
just how enticing those eyes were. Being with Jed was like flying close to the
sun without getting burned by it, but he found himself stalling on the way to
their designated place when the reality of what he was seeing kicked in. Jed
was
fine
. Finer than he’d ever seemed, with broad shoulders that Ryder
no longer saw as just a token of masculine strength. He wanted to hold on to
them and then slide his hands to Jed’s pecs, which seemed so appetizing under
the tight white shirt.
Ryder blinked, bringing
himself out of the stupor and walked over, pulling Jed into his arms, only to
get buried under a scent reminiscent of sandalwood mixed with soap. Was it
Jed’s shampoo that tugged on Ryder’s cock with such persistence? He didn’t
know, but it wasn’t helping that when he wanted to pull away, Jed only hugged
him tighter, pressing his hard body against Ryder’s and getting his ears hot.
“Miss you, man,” Jed
whispered so close to Ryder’s ear that the hot air gave Ryder goosebumps.
Ryder shuddered, closing
his eyes. His hands itched for more touch but that would break the rules he
wanted to leave intact. He just lost Jess, and that he could deal with, but
losing Jed... That seemed like a thing he could never recover from. “The
earring?” he whispered, trying to hold on to the last of his sanity.
“Pushed it in the
donut,” Jed said, but he had to pull away when a bored officer on her fifth cake
of the day told them to break up the ‘love affair’.
Ryder chuckled, holding
on to Jed’s forearm as they sat down by the plastic table. The blond hairs
bristled under his touch. His head was spinning every time he looked into the
bright pools of Jed’s eyes. He didn’t remember this feeling ever being so
intense. “You brought me a donut?”
Jed rolled his eyes, and
pulled his chair around the table to sit closer. “Oh, shut up. They don’t allow
food from outside, but they have the heart-shaped donuts past the gates. You
know, for the occasion.” Jed took a deep breath and passed the donut topped
with pink icing toward Ryder. It was wrapped in cellophane, but Ryder could see
Jed had tampered with it, as the red ribbon tying the wrapping was not a bow.
Jed couldn’t tie one to save his life.
It was odd to get
something like this from one’s brother, but Ryder was ready to accept that and
pulled the pastry closer. A great shame he wouldn’t eat it himself. “You’re
making me blush.”
It was as if Jed was
reading his mind. He shook his head and grinned, reaching down under the table,
only to retrieve another donut. “You can eat this one. I bet you can use it
with the shit they serve here? And stop making it weird.” Jed snorted and
glanced at the officer before pushing a bit closer again in his chair.
Chastised, Ryder pulled
his hand away and folded both his arms on his chest. “I’ve got to get something
out of this day.”
Jed licked his lips, and
all of a sudden, after fucking Max, Ryder could imagine Jed taking a cock in
his mouth all too vividly. It was hard to focus with Jed’s scent so close. The
heat of Jed’s body, the prettiness of his face, were hitting Ryder’s senses
like a fist with signets on each finger.
“That bad?” Jed asked.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come last week. Shit came up, and… you know how it goes.”
Ryder pulled on his own
ponytail, stiffening when Jed’s knee brushed against his thigh. It was as if
they were a match and sulphur. “Yeah, well, Jess came a few days before that.”
“At least her then, huh?
When your good for nothing brother bails.” Jed laughed and searched Ryder’s
eyes, as if he could already sense something was off. Or he was just feeling
guilty and looking for retribution.
Ryder sighed. “I didn’t
want to tell anyone over the phone, but her and me? We’re through. I want you
to make sure that bitch is gone from my house by the end of this week,” he
said, heart heavy as lead.
Jed’s eyes went wider,
and he pushed back some stray strands of hair off his face. “What? You and
Jess… I mean… how long was it? Two years?”
“She’s pregnant, and the
kid’s not mine. So there,” said Ryder, squeezing his hands on the edges of the
seat. Even talking about it stung as if he just got the news again.
Jed raised his brows
high. “Fuck me… Ryder, I’m so sorry. But Jess? Seriously? What a lying bitch.”
He clenched his fists on the table. “Who? Tell me, and I’ll get the guy,” he
whispered, leaning closer over the table, completely unaware just how tempting
his hard, tattooed body was.
Ryder shuddered and
looked away from Jed’s plump, kissable lips. He hadn’t kissed Max, and he
wasn’t planning on it despite Max’s three attempts so far, but if Jed actually
opened his mouth in invitation, Lord only have mercy on Ryder, he’d take the
plunge.
“I have no idea, and I
don’t care. I just want that woman out of my life. I don’t wanna see her again.
Can you do this for me?”
Jed nodded quickly and
patted Ryder’s shoulder, a fuel to the fire already burning in Ryder’s chest.
“I’ve got you.”
“Thanks.” Ryder exhaled
and massaged his eyeballs, tuning in to the warmth streaming from Jed’s thigh.
“You’re the one I wanted to talk to about this. Don’t want the others to come
here and say how sorry they are. It’s a fucking embarrassment.”
Jed put his forearm
against Ryder’s, skin to skin, hairs tickling Ryder and making it hard to
focus. “I know what you mean. I’ll keep it quiet. There won’t be a fucking cat
hair in sight when you get back home.”
Ryder scowled, suddenly
annoyed. “If she’s taking a kid out of this, she might as well leave Daisy with
me.”
Jed snorted. “Your call.
I’ll make that happen. I just can’t believe she’d be this dumb. Bitch will
never get a catch like you again. I bet it’s some dumbass tweaker she’s
fucking, who doesn’t even have enough brain not to mess with a Nails’ woman.”
“His loss if he wants a
woman who goes behind her man’s back like this. I waited for you to come last
week, and it was really fucking hard when you didn’t turn up,” groaned Ryder,
increasingly agitated. He’d been carrying this baggage for way too long.
Jed took a deep breath,
catching Ryder’s gaze again. “I know, I messed up. I didn’t forget. I was just…
messed up. Everything got in the way. I’ll come every week. Promise.”
Ryder looked up, with a
tingle all around his brain. “What do you mean messed up? Did you get high?” he
whispered, grabbing Jed’s wrist.
The way Jed pursed his
lips was telling him more than he’d like to hear, and all of a sudden, his mind
rang in alert. He was trapped in here, unable to keep an eye on Jed. Unable to
know if that deadbeat loser Tom was giving Jed speed again. Fuck only knew why
the dirtbag was so generous with it.
“I was just feeling
rough,” Jed said cautiously.
Ryder barked out a
laugh, but even he knew it wasn’t funny. Everything was always falling apart
when he wasn’t there to look after it. “You didn’t come to visit me because you
got high? I can’t fucking believe this shit.” He squeezed Jed’s wrist harder
and found it hard to let go.
“I
didn’t
get
high,” Jed hissed, much more aggressively than Ryder expected, but then Jed
took a deep breath. “I was gonna come. I
wanted
to come.”
Ryder’s juvenile
thoughts about the word ‘come’ on Jed’s lips had his mind flooding with illicit
imagery. He was done for. He’d been wrong all along about being able to just
move on after going back home. Now that he had fucked a man, it seemed to have
opened floodgates that should have remained locked forever.