Stone (The Forbidden Love Series Book 1) (4 page)

     I grabbed my purse and cell phone ready to step out of the car when this man with a hood over his head grabbed me by the arm.

“Hey!” I yelled.

“You Maddie?” His voice was raspy. He loosened his grip around my arm.

“Who’s asking?” I answered as I stepped back keeping my eyes pinned on the back door where the kids slept. I shut the door behind me quickly and clicked the alarm button to lock the car.

“You know Stone, right?” He came a little closer.

“Do yourself a favor and step back.” I pulled out my switch blade and pointed it towards his stomach.

“Don’t be stupid girl. Put that shit away.” He whispered.

“What do you want?” my voice trembled.

“I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Sly. Stone said we have an arrangement. You got three months to pay me my money back. Or I’ll be coming back asking for something else in return.” He slid his dirty fingers across my cheek and I automatically punched him in the stomach. He stumbled back for a quick second then grabbed me by the throat, slamming me against the car.

“You think I’m playing with you bitch!” He yelled. His cold blue eyes shone brightly in the lamppost light of the parking lot. The hood fell off of his head in our temporary struggle displaying his pale blonde hair that clung to his face.
His menacing face was just as pale.

“Look, I didn’t know you made a deal with him, okay. This is news to me. Couldn’t you have called me or something?” I said taking in tiny breaths of air as his grip around my throat got tighter. My eyes were practically bulging out of my head and my face was flushed. He released my throat and I coughed trying to catch my breath.

“I’m just letting you know a deals a deal. If you pay in three months, I can lend you more.” He placed the hood over his head again.

“I don’t need you’re fucking money. You’ll get your money back.” His arm came from Jupiter and he slapped me across my face so hard, I felt the sting of his hand plastered against my skin. I grabbed my face and cursed him under my breath. He approached me slowly, then positioned himself in front of me and pressed his body against mine. I could feel his erection throbbing against my stomach.

“I better… or you and those three little angels in the back…
are going straight to heaven…bitch
. But before that happens, that sweet, tight pussy of yours is going to get torn apart.” He slid his hands down the sides of my hips. I was going to kick him in the balls, but I knew he would knock me out and the kids would be alone until I woke up. “Have a great night, sweetie. Nice doing business with you.” He walked away into the night like the grim fucking reaper. I unlocked the doors, double checking he wasn’t hanging around, and woke the boys and grabbed Alyssa.

“Come on guys, we’re home.” They scrambled sleepy eyed and grabbed their toys and sippy cups. I could barely hold Alyssa after being choked and slapped, but I had to move on.

     As I walked towards the apartment, Spencer, my landlord, stopped me.

“You got the rent, Madison?” His voice and most of all, accent, annoyed the hell out of me. It was a cross between an Indian accent and a Jewish accent, as if he couldn’t make up his mind what he really wanted to be.

“Yeah…here. I’ll need a receipt asap.” I handed him the money and walked away.

“You don’t have to be so rude Madison.” He yelled. I stopped and turned around.

“Don’t ever call me Madison again. Do you understand me?” I threw daggers at him from across the parking lot. No one calls me Madison. Only my mother.
Only my mother.

Chapter 2   Stone

     It’s been a year now and Maddie hasn’t shown up for a visit…
at all.
I’ve been locked up in this hell hole for almost six years now. I’ve done nothing but read books in here. I even got my G.E.D and earned about fifteen college credits. A convict turned book nerd?
I don’t think so.
I’ve gotten into so many fights, especially on the days that I couldn’t handle not seeing Maddie and the kids. I’ve shanked a couple of motherfuckers and I’ve broken a couple of ribs or two. I came really close to killing someone one day just thinking about not being with them for the holidays, but the guards had my back and took that junkie to Ad Seg to save his life, otherwise, they would’ve added time to my bid for sure.

     I’m fucking pissed at Maddie. The way I feel, she better have a really good excuse for not visiting me or
she better be dead
. I’m worried…beyond worried. I’m sick. Sick over not seeing them. Sick over the fact I may have lost them…
to someone else
.

     Maybe something happened. Maybe she
is
dead. I tried calling, using my one daily phone call, but the number is disconnected. I tried writing but she never wrote back. I even tried getting in touch with that old bat, grandmother of hers, but of course, that bitch never accepted my collect phone calls from prison. It’ll be my fault if something happened to them. Sly sent me a message after Maddie mouthed off to him. I couldn’t walk for a week. I didn’t know how much a sock filled with batteries could damage your legs.

     These people aren’t fucking around and I think this is where I fucked up. I can’t protect Maddie and the kids from in here, so I need to get out. My lawyer said they’re appealing my case and this time, it might go through. There were no witnesses except Maddie and she never confessed. She never said a word.
She’s not a snitch
. She’s the one person I could trust with my life and yet, I’ve given her nothing but grief since I stepped inside these walls.
Where are you Maddie?

    
I sat in my cell contemplating on how the fuck I was going to get out of here. I’ve read plenty of law books, but I can’t understand half the shit that are in those books. I need a
really
good lawyer. I can’t defend myself. I don’t have any money and I don’t know anyone who cares that much for me. Wait…
No one cares…at all, except for Maddie
. The thought of Maddie with someone else drives me crazy. Some other guy playing daddy to those kids when I’m the only man they’ve ever known since they were babies, is really fucking my head up.

     All I could think about was the last time my hand touched hers, when I slid the rent money under the palm of her hand. The sensation of her creamy soft skin against my fingertips made every hair on my body stand up in attention.
I know these thoughts are ugly. I know I shouldn’t be thinking about her in that way.
But, I can’t help it. I was just a kid when we met;
we
were only kids, but, she was the only one that cared…really cared for me. I just can’t get her out of my mind. Now that I’m a man…my feelings are stronger and I just don’t care if it’s wrong…She’s mine and only…
mine.

                                                  
***

“You got a visitor.” Lacky said. Short for Lieutenant Ackeroyd. The familiar voice made those words sound ten times better than they did. I haven’t seen Lacky in years. I automatically sat up in my bed eagerly waiting for him to tell me Maddie and the kids were here. Lacky was the Lieutenant who tried his best to keep me out of jail when I first got locked up. He’s been a good friend of the family for years, but there was nothing he could do to help me avoid jail time.

“How are you, Tiny?” he whispered.

“Don’t call me that. I’ll look like a pussy in here. I can’t afford it. They already tried to break my legs.” I shook my head. Deep down inside…
I even wanted to cry remembering how they all took turns beating my ass and stomping on me at the same time
. But I’m not a sucker and I held on strong. I earned respect surviving the kind of beating I took that day. Only a few can look me in the eye. The rest know, I’ll lose my mind and shank them without them even feeling it. I could still feel the knots in some parts of my legs. It infuriates me, but I know someday,
I’ll get every single one of them back.

     I walked slowly to the visiting area. My stomach was in knots. My palms were moist. I was hoping it was Maddie or at least my lawyer.

“Hello Tiny.” The voice from hell penetrated through my ears directly into my thick skull.

“What are you doing here?”
My grandmother. Jesus Christ. I can’t catch a break around here.

“They said you’re being released today. I came to pick you up.” She didn’t smile. As a matter of fact, she looked at her dirty black fingernails instead.
I see she stills hitting the pipe.

“Release me? I wasn’t notified of any release. Is this a cruel joke?” My heart hammered against my chest. “Where’s Maddie? Where are the kids?” I looked around the visiting area but I didn’t see them.

“I don’t know. But, because you have nowhere to live, I had to come before they sent you to one of those shelters for convicts. I thought you’d stay with me ‘til you get on your feet. I’m doing it for your mother.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Doing it for my mother? You sold her for meth when she was a kid…you actually think I’m going anywhere with you?
Hell no
. Where’s Maddie? Where are the fucking kids! Answer me! You old bitch!” I lost it. I grabbed her by the arm. Lacky walked towards me.

“What’s the matter Stone?” He grabbed my arm gently. “Let go.” He whispered behind my head.

“This bitch says I’m being released
today
and I’m going with her.” I looked over at her and she began to gather her belongings.

“I’m leaving. Good Luck Tiny.”  Lacky grabbed her hand.

“Wait…let me talk to him a minute.” He smiled at that grimy bitch. Then, he grabbed my arm. “What the fuck are you doing? Just walk out with that crazy bitch. I’ll meet you in the parking lot. You can stay with me. Now go…play nice. I need to make a phone call to see what’s going on with your case. I’ll get the info and you…calm the fuck down.” He shoved me towards her.

“Alright. Have you heard from Maddie?” I smiled but only for a quick second. “I called you to find out about her?” My leg was shaking underneath the table. If I had a weapon, I’d shank her in the heart.

“No.” That’s all she said. I inhaled deeply hoping to God Lacky would walk back into this room and save her life. I was so close strangling her and getting a new conviction of murder.

“Shelton…get your shit. Today’s your lucky day.” One of the officers shouted.

“I’ll be waiting outside.” She said giving me a disgruntled look. She walked out of the visiting area and my stomach cringed.
I hated that bitch with all of my might. I couldn’t stand the sight of her. I just couldn’t.

“Good…now let’s get you out of here. Your appeal went through. Not enough evidence. There’s were a hundred fingerprints on that gun. No witnesses. For being a public defender, that lawyer really worked his fingers to the bone for you.” Lacky said as he patted me on the back. I couldn’t believe I was being released.
Holy Shit! And in a few months, I’ll be twenty-two. I’m hungry, happy and horny.
Not getting any pussy for all of these years has fucked up my head and my dick. I better make some phone calls and make up for lost time, but the first person I wanted to see…
was Maddie.

     The fresh air reached my nose and I inhaled deeply, sucking it in through my nostrils and exhaling through my mouth. I swear it felt like I had never breathed in fresh air before. Even though we had rec time, the air seemed to be polluted with all of the cons sweat, body odor and blood. Sometimes, I stood by the corner of the fence thinking of a hundred ways I could escape, but the plan was foiled by the shouting and screaming of a new fish getting worked over, then the sounds of shots being fired into the crowd while everyone dropped to their knees. I was happy to step outside of prison, but I wasn’t happy that this old bitch was picking me up and Maddie was nowhere to be found. I walked towards Lacky,
not her
.

“Let me do the talking.” He said giving me the ‘
be patient’
look.

“Yeah…sure.” I leaned against his car thinking about the first thing I was going to tell him to do when we got in.

     He stood talking to her for a minute. She was shaking her head, I’m sure she was arguing with him. She always had to have the last word. Even when Ana died. She had the last word.
Bitch.

“Let’s go Tiny…I mean
Stone.
” He smiled. He was such a cool guy. I couldn’t ask for a better friend, especially, since I didn’t have any friends. My friends were Maddie and the kids.
Where is she?
My body was twitching and I could feel the spasm of anger building up inside of me.