Page 14 of Reclaim

My eyes narrow with confusion. “Why?”

“I hate to break it to you Jagger, but you’ve never been able to hide your feelings well. And I don’t want to see the disappointment on your face when I tell you what went down.”

“Get up, “ I order. The tone in my voice is urgent and demanding. Lacing her fingers with mine, I motion for her to step out of the bath. The minute her feet touch the floor, I haul her body to mine and squeeze her delicate frame tightly.

“There’s nothing you could tell me that would ever have me disappointed in you, you got that? Nothing.” Her body trembles with sadness and my hold on her gets tighter. “Maybe, I should get Hendrix, so you don’t have to tell this story twice, huh?”

Squeezing my ribs, she shouts an inaudible “no,” into my chest. The hairs on the back of my neck rise at her request. We’ve never had any reason to hide anything from one another. Stepping back she lowers her head and talks to the floor, “Hendrix can’t know. Promise me, Jagger.”

Tipping her chin up with two fingers, I wait till her eyes meet mine. Her tears resurface, but I choose to not let them discourage my warning, “I don’t like keeping secrets from my brother, Sash.”

“Let’s just get drunk,” she whispers. “I thought he really liked me, but he just used me to get to you and Drix.” Her lip quivers. “I just want to forget I ever laid eyes on him. and I ever let him lay his hands on me.”

“I’m sorry, Sash.”

“I know. But just this once. Please.”

Just this once,turned into so much more. Just this once became the beginning of the end. Just this once became the catalyst for my downfall, and I didn’t even see it coming. I wasn’t just at risk of losing my best friend, I was at risk of losing it all.

5

Emerson

“You’re driving up to Goulburn again?” His voice startles me, stopping me from opening the car door.

I close my eyes, and tilt my head up to the sky in frustration. “Is something wrong with that?” I ask sarcastically.

“I just wondered what you were going to tell the boss about the kilometres on the car?”

Spinning around on my heels, I let Joe feel the weight of my glare. “I told them exactly what I was doing. Jagger’s parole officer has set his final plan and we’re going over it before he gets out in two weeks.” I open my laptop bag and pull out the vehicle log book with our supervisor’s signature of approval next to today’s date and shove it in his chest. “I don’t know why you’re a bigger arsehole than usual Joe, but you need to back off.”

“I told you. I’m just watching out for you.”

“Honestly, I’d rather you didn’t.” Gripping the door handle, I pull it open and turn to face the inside of the car. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got to go so I’m not stuck in traffic.” Stepping in, I stick the key in the ignition and put my seatbelt on, all while he stands there awkwardly watching me. “Whatever it is, Joe, please fix it, because it’s becoming impossible to work with you.”

“It will go back to normal when you’re officially done with this guy,” he advises me arrogantly.

I shake my head in disbelief, his smugness making it impossible to be objective about his attitude. Reversing out of the parking spot, I leave Joe and his pettiness behind. Instead I hook up my phone to the bluetooth system in the car, blare the music, and let the butterflies run rampant in my stomach at the thought of seeing Jagger again.

* * *

“Hey, I’m Emerson.”I put my hand out a little too enthusiastically, the two takeaway cappuccinos I had on the way here giving me a caffeine overload. “We’ve spoken on the phone.”

“Yes, it’s great to meet you in person.” Monica is Jagger’s parole officer. She’s been keeping me updated on all the things they’ve agreed to, letting me know all the official conditions he’s required to adhere to on release so I can write an official legal report--a binding document between him and the state of New South Wales. Any breaches and his case and release will be reviewed.

We go through the detectors in silence and are led to the nearest table and chairs.

“Do you get nervous coming to prisons?” Monica asks me as we wait for him to arrive.

“No, I’ve been here a few times actually.”

“Oh, your leg has been shaking since we sat down.”

“Huh?” As soon as she mentions it, my mind and my body sync stopping the movement immediately. “Sorry about that, I didn’t even realise I was doing it.”

“It’s okay, I just figured it was a tick. My sister does it all the time.” She dismisses the whole thing as quickly as she brought it up. Instead, rambling about different types of neurological responses to stress and anxiety, making it easier for me to hide the fact I’m nervous about seeing Jagger the man and not Jagger the prisoner.

“Not a problem, so how have you liked working with Jagger so far?” I query. “You’ve been one of the easiest parole officers I’ve ever worked with.”

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