Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Juliette let out a sigh. “I just… I like when you’re here at night.”
There was nowhere I liked being more than next to her. And that’s exactly where I’d been for the last three months. We hadn’t spent a single night apart since I’d flown to New York with her to see her mom after her dad got arrested. I didn’t want to leave her now. And lying about why I was going back to the East Coast made me feel a hell of a lot worse.
I swallowed. “It’s only one night. I’ll be back late tomorrow before you go to bed.”
“Where did you say you were doing the training?”
I hadn’t. “It’s an on-location shoot, somewhere downtown.”
“Oh.”
I avoided her eyes, focusing on getting the rest of my crap together. I just couldn’t look her in the face and lie—not again. Been there, done that, and I’d sworn I’d never go down that road with her again. But this particular white lie felt like a necessity.
I looked at my watch. I was going to get to the airport way earlier than necessary, but that was better than digging myself any deeper with Juliette. Leaning down, I brushed my lips over hers.
“Traffic is going to be a bitch, so I’m gonna get on the road.”
“All right. Call me later.”
“Love you.”
She smiled. “Love you too.”
Her words warmed my chest. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of hearing them.
Outside, Tommy was sitting in the car. When he saw me coming with my suitcase, he got out and started up the walkway. We met halfway, and he set a hand on my shoulder.
“Take good care of my girl while I’m gone,” I said.
“Will do. And good luck, man.” He lowered his voice. “With the boss.”
***
The metal detector beeped and lit up bright red.
The corrections officer sighed and pointed to my feet. “Probably the boots. Steel toe aren’t allowed.”
Shit. They are steel toe. I bent to untie them, figuring they’d just run them through the conveyor belt like they did my wallet and jacket, but the officer shook his head again. “Step off the line. You’re going to have to find other shoes.”
“I can’t just take them off and run them through the machine?”
“This facility doesn’t allow steel toes.”
“Rikers allows ’em.”
His eyebrows lifted. “This ain’t Rikers now, is it?”
“So, what? I’m supposed to go in barefoot?”
“Nope. Shoes required.”
“What if I don’t have another pair?”
“Sounds like a you problem.” He jerked his chin to the person behind me. “Next!”
What a dick. This might’ve been the first time I’d wished I still had a badge to flash since leaving the force. Though something told me not even that would’ve softened this guy. Luckily, I’d packed a pair of sneakers in my bag, in case I wanted to go for a run. My suitcase was in the rental car, though, a solid hike across the parking lot. By the time I made it back and got through the metal detector, it was more than thirty minutes later, and the officer acted like he’d never seen me before. Fine. Whatever. I was just glad to get in. I’d been a nervous wreck all day waiting for this.
After clearing security, I joined yet another line to get into the actual visiting room. When it was my turn, I gave the name of the prisoner I was here to see. The officer scanned his clipboard and pointed to a wooden table backed by a thick glass panel. A phone dangled from a hook on the wall beside it. “Seat thirteen. The inmate will be brought out.”
The room smelled like industrial cleaner, and the plastic chair creaked every time I shifted—which was often since I was nervous as shit. Ten minutes went by, and a few men wearing khaki-colored prison uniforms came and went on the other side of the glass. Then eventually, the door buzzed at the far end and Vince Ginocassi stepped in. The CO escorted him to the seat across from me and uncuffed his wrists. He didn’t look too surprised to see me, probably because he wasn’t—I’d had to request to have him put me on his visitors list. Though he didn’t look happy about it, either.
His eyes locked on mine through the glass. No nod. No smile. Just the same cold stare he’d perfected long before landing in here. I picked up the phone and brought it to my ear. After a long beat, Vince did the same. His jaw was tight, and he didn’t say anything.
“Hey.” I smiled nervously. “How you doing?”
“What do you want?”
Okay, then. Straight to the point. I shifted in my seat and cleared my throat.
“I, uh, called in a favor with a guard who’s an ex-cop. Met him before his shift started this morning. You’ll have some fresh food waiting in your cell when you get back. I went to Defonte’s and got you the Nicky Special—Italian bread with capocollo, salami, ham, fried eggplant, provolone, and marinated mushrooms.”