Page 13 of Strictly Forbidden

“Oh, my God,” Zoe squealed. “Amazing.”

“Yes, it is.”

I wanted to jump up and down for joy, to shout out to the world I could finally live my life without looking over my shoulder, but something in the back of my mind pinged at me over and over again.

The nightmare wasn’t over.

It was simply a new chapter ready to begin.

And this time, I wouldn’t survive…

Kage

Five months.

It was difficult to fathom. I’d been a broken shell of a man when Max had been dropped into my life. I hadn’t cared about anything or anyone and I sure as shit hadn’t wanted to take care of another living being.

“Hey, Kage. Congrats. I heard the news.” Captain Jack, as the inmates had come to call him, was the longest serving inmate in the prison. He was old and wise, still dangerous, and if he wanted you dead, you were a corpse within twenty-four hours. I’d been on his shit list more than once, certain my life was about to end. He was one bad dude I wouldn’t have fought off.

The moment the guy had met Max, our entire relationship had changed. Captain Jack had ensured I’d had everything I’d needed to complete the training and survive in the hellhole, including a constant set of tennis balls.

As he approached, his eyes no longer twinkling because of the cataracts, he pulled out a fresh tennis ball from his pocket, tossing it across the yard. Max didn’t whine, didn’t pull on the leash. He simply waited for my command as he’d been trained.

“Go!”

As Max ran off happily, I approached the man. As always, four burly guys remained right behind him, prepared to intervene and attack anyone if necessary. That included the guards, who were terrified of him. Even the warden, the chicken shit that he was, never bothered the man. Inside the joint, Captain Jack was king.

He slowly stood, holding out his arm for a handshake, something else he never did. I accepted the gesture without question. I wasn’t some fucking fool.

“Which part?” I asked.

“Both.”

“Parole isn’t a sure thing. They just granted me a parole hearing and that’s almost three weeks away. You know as well as I do shit can go south in a fucking heartbeat.”

He grinned. “You have little faith, kid. I do know. I have it under excellent authority you’re getting the fuck out of here.”

I glanced at him, half laughing. Why should I feel any surprise that not only did he already know the outcome, but he’d also pushed to the point of ensuring it would happen. “Why?”

He took a deep breath and watched Max as other inmates petted my sweet boy for the last time. “Son, you’ve got a lot to learn. You’re the smartest in the joint by far, brilliant in truth. You got handed a raw deal and you fell into the shit, soaking it up. I noticed a change in you the moment that pup came into your life. I said to myself, that boy deserves one last chance. One. I don’t say that shit about any man ‘cause it ain’t true. If you’re inside here, you don’t deserve to breathe the same air as decent people. You hear what I’m saying?” He slowly turned his head, studying me intently.

“Yes, sir.”

His grin was wider than normal because while he demanded respect, very few gave it to him willingly. “I knew I was right about you. Now, you gotta promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“You’ll get your shit together. You get another dog as your lifelong companion and you’ll forget about this place. If I see you back here, I will have you killed.”

His admittance was a first and I believed him. “Yes, sir. You won’t see this ugly mug again.”

I would rather die first.

Graduation.

High school and college. I’d been blessed in my life to have two of those events where it was celebrated, treated as adding another golden layer onto the pathway of my life.

Sadly, my life had turned to shit.

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