Page 11 of Reclaim

“Is saying it’s complicated enough?”

“I don’t want to know everything.” The lie feels like acid in my mouth as I manipulate the questions to my advantage. “What’s his relationship like with his daughter’s mother? Will he move in with her after he’s spent some time with you? Work on reconnecting the family?”

“Oh, it’s not that kind of relationship.”

“Because of what happened?”

“Look, the stuff with Sasha is Jagger’s story to tell, but I know he’s going to want to see his daughter.”

Changing approaches, I dive into the brutal reality of what his brother could be up against and leave my own motives behind. “Hendrix, I need to know if Sasha is going to let him see Dakota. Regardless of how much Jagger may want to wrong his rights, Sasha has sole custody of Dakota. That means what she says goes.”

He exhales loudly. “I don’t think she’ll stop him from seeing her, but I don’t know that for sure either.” He pauses, running his hand through hair. “One way or another, she’s definitely going to make him jump through hoops.”

“Is he going to jump?”

“For Dakota? Of course. But going by the last time Sasha and Jagger saw each other, I don’t predict an easy road.”

“Do they know he’s getting released?”

“I told Sasha, yes.”

“And Dakota?”

“For now It’s on a need-to-know basis. She doesn’t deserve to be collateral damage between her parents.”

“You’re a good uncle.”

He smiles at my praise, the conversation losing the tension.

“It’s easy. She’s a great kid.” He picks his phone up and taps away at the screen. “Speaking of, if I don’t leave now, I’m going to be late to take her out for dinner.”

“That’s ok, I understand. Sydney traffic is a bitch.”

Standing up, he reaches for his wallet and pulls out a business card. “I really appreciate your transparency,” he says, handing it to me. “Jagger wasn’t lying when he said you’d be willing to answer any questions I had.” My stomach flutters at the mere mention of his name. I take the card from his grip, and with a small smile I give Hendrix the words he wants to hear. Even if every one of them is a lie.

“He’s my client. I’d do the same for all of them.”

4

Jagger

“Hey Michaels,” the correctional officer calls out. “You’re popular these days. Someone’s here to see you.”

I look up from the book I’m reading. “Is it a guy or a girl?”

He looks at me with confusion. “Firstly, I don’t know. Secondly, what does it matter?” He waves his hand in the direction of the visiting area. “They’re waiting, and I don't have all day Michaels. Lets go.”

I fold the top corner of the page and close the book. “Can we drop it off on the way? I want to finish this book.”

“Sure,” he chuckles. “I can see the other inmates fighting with you for the chance to read about Germany in World War Two.”

“I still want it in my room,” I persist.

“Yeah, yeah. Come on.”

After dropping the book on my bed, I follow the guard to the visiting area. It’s an odd feeling to go from not coming here, to actually be expecting people.

“Legs apart.”

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