Page 32 of Before We Say I Do

Chapter Nine

Metal doors opened, and Manning shoved Dexter’s stocky frame into the room.

“You don’t have to be so—”

His words died when his eyes shuffled across the glares Aaron and Kyle shot his way. He did an about-face and ran into Manning.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Manning asked.

“I don’t want my visit today.”

“I thought you told me when your visitor arrived to make sure you get it?”

“This is not who I was talking about.”

“Oh, you were hoping to see my wife?”

It was Kyle’s steely baritone that knocked against the walls in the room.

Dexter sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes, but still faced Manning.

“I don’t want my visit today,” he reiterated.

“That’s too damn bad,” Kyle barked, strolling around a metal table to Dexter’s end. The chair scraped against the cemented floor as Kyle pulled it out, and Manning shoved Dexter toward the seat.

Turning to face Kyle, Dexter locked his jaw, witnessing absolute rage penetrating from Kyle’s pupils.

“Sit.”

Dexter hesitated.

“I can assist if you need it,” Kyle threatened.

“You can’t do anything to me. It’s against the law. I can ask for my lawyer and,” Dexter turned to Manning, “I can have you fired for making me come in here against my will. I know someone’s listening. There is always someone listening to the inmates in here, especially on visits.”

Kyle smirked. “Except, this isn’t the normal visitation room if you hadn’t noticed, Einstein. It’s the attorney room, where no one’s listening.”

“And,” Manning added, “I have plenty of guards and inmates that heard you tell me as you shouted while I passed by earlier that you wanted your visit when it was your chance, fat boy. So, tell us again how we’re breaking the law?”

A bead of sweat spread across Dexter’s forehead.

“Now sit your ass down before I make Manning lose his job by knocking your head off.”

Manning peered over at Kyle, and Kyle tried to hold on to a smirk.

“He can come work for me, making more and dealing with less bullshit, I’m sure.”

Manning’s brow rose as if to consider the idea.

Dexter let out an exasperated breath and sat down in the chair.

“One hour,” Manning said, turning to leave.

“One hour!” Dexter shouted at his back. Steel doors clanged as Manning exited, and strolling back to the other side of the table, Kyle stood next to Mr. Jones.

After going into Mr. Jones’s library, he found his father-in-law standing before a cabinet of guns.

“Thinking about buying more?” Kyle asked.

---