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Chapter 31
I lay in my cell, cursing inwardly at myself for being anxious to see Brian, I still wondered.
"There's nothing going to happen between us." I sad aloud, but as my voice bounced off the airy cell it even seemed in disbelief.
I heard a buzz; it was time to see Brian. Unless, by some small chance, someone else's turn. I almost wished it so. I wanted desperately to have something to say.
"What would I say? Good heavens! I have nothing to say?" That thought bothered me more than it should have. And that bothered me more.
"Get over your self Hunter!" I demanded.
"Stop talking to yourself. This isn't the insane asylum."
I sat up at the female guards clanking of key on the cell door. "I might be better off there."
She just hurumphed and shackled my feet and hands. I felt like a murder everytime. I had never fussed over the cells, the bad food or even the small restraints.
"When a woman who is supposedly innocent doesn't fight back, she's dangerous. Bind her down when ever she's out side her cell. Don't let your guard down once. She'll trick you in an instance."
I had overheard the comment after being loaded off the crowded, smelly bus. I loathed that bus, more than my cell, more than these orange-jumpers which if I got the chance would burn then into an ashy gray.
Catcalls went out as I passed the other female inmates cells. My chin went up with everyone. It was demeaning, but I must admit, that was most likely the point.
I had learned that many women sold themselves for safety on the outer grounds. The grounds. It was only once a month that we would be permitted in the outer gates. Even then I was allowed no freedom. I was bound and tackled to the fence. On one occasion I had come into a sever beating by a woman I had refused on the last outing. Who near killed me, but the guard who was only feet away finally stepped in. The girl got a mean tongue thrashing and an hour in solitary confinement.
I retracted from my thoughts when we approached a large heavy door with only a long thin pane of glass, bulletproof no doubt.
We passed through the door and I waited again until the familiar buzz indicated our being let through another, identical, door. Finally we reached the visiting room. I only was a loud a few face-to-face visitors with the exception of my lawyer.
I sat at the metal table and shackled to it. I waited patiently. Nodding and 'uh huh'ing at the appropriate moments while my guard waited for my 'visitor' and chewed my ear about the dull moments of being assigned especially to me. I was actually grateful to be bound down. Unimaginably painful deaths for this woman crossed my mind. Day in and day out she blamed me for her lack of a raise. And swore up and down that if I gave her trouble she'd let the same woman who 'asked' for me and the beat me do what she wishes with me and she would turn the other cheek as if nothing was noticed.
I hadn't had a thought of death come to me until this woman had the urge to tell me about what a problem I was. I had become used to being a person's down fall, but I had a particular hate for this woman I couldn't explain. I just prayed, for her sake, that I wouldn't loose my self-control, find an escape and harm her like she's never dreamed.
"Maranda."
My glare ripped from the guard and turned towards the voice. My demeanor was hard, I'm sure, but I could feel my insides soften as I peered into those blue eyes I held dearly to my heart.
Brian
She was angry, no, angry was not enough of a word to describe that look in her eyes. It was murderous. I gave a slight nod of my head in the guard's direction and rolled her eyes.
I smiled; relieved it wasn't my tardiness that had brought such a hard look.
"Can we have some privacy?" I asked as polite as I could manage.
"Yeah." She turned to Maranda. "Remember what I said. No trouble."
"Bite me." Maranda growled after she was gone.
I sat down in front of her. Her face had tired, lonely, mad and sad all over her. I wanted to comfort her, fight for her, kiss her and just be there. I was doing all I could right now, but I still felt the need to do more.
"What's she talking about?"
"Selling me." Maranda rested her cheek on her hand and closed her eyes.
"Selling you, for what?"
"Sex, beatings, what ever else Sammy wants from me."
"Sammy? Who does this guy think he is?" Rage filled my veins.
Maranda eyes flicked open. "Sam's no guy. This is the woman's section of the prison. No men allowed."
"Sam's a…a girl?" I nearly choked on the words.
My Maranda was being sold to a lesbian? My Maranda? Where did that come from, I wondered. Though…it didn't sound half-bad.
"What are you thinking about Brian?"
I looked at Maranda. She was paler, thinner; her glimmer in her eyes was fading, nearly gone. The thinner and paler seemed to almost compliment her. She seemed to be able to carry off any weight at all, any color. But her eyes, she needed the spark.
I was determined to keep it there. "Thinking of you."
"Me? You're looking right at me. Why do you have to think?"
"Even when you're with someone you care about, you still think about them."
Maranda nodded, mumbling something I could quite understand, but left it. After all, everyone has his or her mumbles here and there. I also wasn't certain that her temper was back to normal and didn't want her to lash out.
"Where did that come from?" I mumbled. "She hasn't ever been mean to me."
"Who hasn't?" Maranda seemed only half interested, half-drained.
"No one. Are you doing OK? I think the President's speech helped you a lot. How'd you know the President?"
"I'm a very good liar." Maranda said with a shrug. "I just lied my way in." A small smile crept to her face. "And I blackmailed him."
"Blackmail?" I was shocked. "The President?"
"Yes, but as part of the deal, though I say he broke his half, I was vowed to silence."
"How'd he break it?"
"I should be convicted now." She looked closer at me. "I'm sorry the way you were treated. That DA's a jerk. I'd like to wring his neck…more than once as a mater of fact."
I smiled. "No you don't. He just ruffles your feathers."
Maranda laughed and laid her hand down on the table. "And you're trying to smooth them out."
"Trying, is it working?"
"Yes, surprisingly it is. Not many can calm me when I'm in one of my foul moods."
"You're in a foul mood?"
"Yeah." She presented a glare in the direction of the guard reading a newspaper at a desk, far off in the other side of the room. "I want to do her great damage." She looked back at me. "And that, I'm afraid is the nicest way to put it."
I nodded, my throat tightening. That look could smolder building in an instance. It was a look that could kill. I was instantly glad that the guard was 'rewarded' with that look and not me.
"Can I smooth those feathers?"
"Not likely."
I decided to try. I got up and walked around the table, sitting on the bench next to her. Maranda looked at me confused. She opened her mouth to question me and I took it as a sign. I brought my lips to her, hands on either side of her face, holding her to the kiss. My tongue probed, missing those lips, missing her mouth.
She never knew about the moment of absent-mindedness after each of their kisses. I felt myself drawing a blank even now. She had some effect on me that I couldn't quite explain and wasn't sure I wanted to.
When the kiss broke her eyes were closed and lips slightly parted. She opened her eyes and lust misted over them. I couldn't help but smile at the fog that clouded her brain. I wanted to keep her like that. Always foggy and wanting me.
"Brr…" She stuttered. I smiled.
Nick
"He's taking a long time."
"Well he misses her." AJ snapped. I'd been passing the 'waiting room', if that's what you want to call it, for hours and everyone was both tired of me and of police stations in general.
"I know, I just wish we could talk to her." I thought a moment. "I wonder what Brian thinks of having his girl as a convict."
"Nick!" Kevin shot a glare my way.
"Sorry, I didn't mean anything. I just thought that it would be strange to date someone who's been in jail." I amended quickly.
Kevin nodded, and reeled back his claws. I smiled at that and nearly laughed.
We all looked up at the sound of a buzzer, and in a ruling manner: announcing Brian's return.
I was surprised to see him smile.
"She's even pretty in an orange-jumper."
We laughed at Brian.
"She's doing all right, then?" Howie questioned.
Brian laughed. "She's forced herself to see the light in this situation. Saying that this is the way it was meant for her and she wasn't going to spend her life in jail depressed."
I shook my head. "She's an odd one."
A frown crossed Brian's face. "They're trying to sell her and she doesn't act fazed in the slightest."
"Sell her? What are you talking about?" Aj and the guys crowed around Brian.
"For sex, to the other female cell mates. Well, they aren't trying…"
Kevin jumped in. "You mean they are?" His voice was stern and accusing. It made me glad I never did anything to really tick him off.
"No, I was saying that they only threatened her. I guess as leverage to keep her in line. She's never done anything though. She was tired. Very tired. She laid on me for most of the time and just slept. She said she felt safe and I could feel her let her guard down. She said she basically sleeps with one eye open." Brian shook his head. "I'm going to find a way to get her out. But first, I've got to settle a few things."
"I thought you weren't leaving this city until after the verdict was made." I wondered.
"I want to find her family. She's seen very little of them She was sixteen when she left. They've only seen bad I'm sure. They haven't heard any good about her."
I smiled and gave him a hug, because he looked like he could use one and I was proud to be a friend of his.
"She's real lucky to have you. I'll call if anything big happens."
Brian nodded to me and then said his good-byes and as off in a cab.
For a few moments there was silence.
AJ was the first to question. "What now?"
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