Page 76 of Sin Bin

Logan snorted. “Think they can’t?”

The boy wavered, his bravado slipping.

“I’m just gonna be straight with you, kid. You’re African-American, so that means the system is pretty much stacked against you. Don’t give these people any reason to think you haven’t learned from the mistake that landed you here. Don’t give them any reason to think this is where you belong.”

Davion swallowed visibly and glanced toward the closed door. He looked sufficiently concerned.

Logan rapped his knuckles on the table. “So no more fighting. You got that?”

Davion started to nod, then changed his mind and gave Logan a look of challenge. “If you stop fighting, I’ll stop fighting.”

Logan narrowed his eyes. “That’s not how this works.”

A slow, knowing grin spread across Davion’s face. “Can’t do it, can you? You love fighting. You can’t stop.”

Logan scowled. “Of course I can.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Can, too. I’ll prove it.”

“Uh-huh. We’ll see.”

Logan folded his hands on the table and pinned the smug teenager with a direct look. “Why are you refusing to see your mom?”

Davion’s smirk faded as his dark eyes narrowed with resentment. “She told you?”

“Yeah.”

Davion scowled and sucked his teeth. “Man, that bitch—”

“HEY!” Logan shouted, his voice thundering around the room. “Don’t you ever disrespect your mother like that!”

Davion stared at him with a mix of fear and defiance. “You don’t understand—”

“Oh, I understand just fine!” Logan cut him off furiously. “I understand that your mother works her ass off to take care of you and your brothers! I understand that she blames herself for not being home the night you and your friends decided to pull a smash and grab at an Apple store! I understand that she’s worried sick about you, and every day you spend here feels like a fucking eternity to her!” Logan stabbed a finger in Davion’s face. “I’d give anything to have my mother in my life, you ungrateful little brat. If I ever hear you disrespect your mama again, I’m gonna break my foot off in your skinny ass! Are we clear?”

The boy swallowed hard and nodded, his chin quivering ever so slightly.

Logan wasn’t done with him. “When I leave here, you’re gonna tell the corrections officer that you want to see your mother. When she comes to visit you, you’re gonna hug her and thank her for all the sacrifices she’s made for you, and you’re gonna tell her you love her and appreciate her. Because you do. You just don’t realize how much yet. But someday you will, and you’ll thank me for showing you the error of your ways. You understand?”

Davion nodded again, blinking back tears.

Logan blew out a long deep breath. “Look, I get it, all right? It sucks being poor and living in the projects. It sucks not being able to afford new clothes or the latest gadgets. I know you hate having to look after your brothers when your mom’s at work. I’m sure it’s no fun being cooped up inside while your friends come and go as they please. Part of you probably resents your mother for not being able to give you a better life. And you know what? Your frustration is understandable. But that’s no excuse for treating her like shit. She’s doing the absolute best she can, and she’s all you’ve got. So cut her some slack, all right?”

Davion’s nostrils were flaring and his eyes brimmed with tears. He swiped at them with the back of his hand, staring hard at the table.

“I hate my dad,” he whispered fiercely. “He’s trash.”

Logan nodded very slowly. “I know how you feel.”

Davion looked at him, his jaw clenched tight. The rage blazing in his eyes was all too familiar to Logan. He’d seen that same rage every time he’d looked in a mirror. It was like a tribal brand burned into the skin, the rage of fatherless sons.

“Let’s play Spades.” Logan pulled a deck of cards out of his back pocket and shuffled them with the dexterity of the poker dealers he used to watch at his mother’s casino.

Davion sat up slowly in his chair and took the hand he’d been dealt. As they started playing, he said in a small voice, “Logan?”

“Yeah?”

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