I placed the nearly full pack into Juke’s hand. “There. We good?” Juke counted the cigarettes and stuffed the pack under his mattress. He then stood and walked over to the toilet in our cell. “Juke?” He shushed me and fell to his knees as he gripped the edge of the filthy bowl. “Ayo, Flint!” He leaned halfway down the bowl and listened.
What the fuck is he doing?
“Flint!” he repeated. Within seconds, a distant and faint voice shouted back up to him. It was fucking astonishing. Somehow, Juke and this other person were able to speak through the pipes of the toilets. It was fucking impressive. I couldn’t make out what Flint was saying but Juke could. “I got a biter!” he shouted back. Juke listened for a bit, nodding along to the muffled and distant voice.
“What are they saying?” I asked.
Juke shooshed me and leaned further in. “Uh-huh. Okay.” He then smacked the side of the bowl twice and flushed before returning to his bunk.
I watched him carelessly sit there and pick at his nails. “Well?”
Juke’s eyes raised to me. “Patience, hothead. Good things come to those who wait.”
What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
Within a good ten minutes, a guard had suddenly appeared at our cell. He unlocked the door and huffed. “Let’s go.” I looked at him, completely confused.
Juke motioned to the guard with his eyes. “Your ride’s here.”
A guard? A guard was taking me to Xavier?
I stood and approached the guard.
“Hey, hothead?” I spun to see Juke standing close. He grabbed my hand and held it tightly. “Be smart.” Juke nodded, and I nodded back as I kept my hand clutched tight.
“Let’s go.” The guard shoved me into the hallway. “This way.” I cautiously followed him and tried to process Juke’s words.
The two of us ventured a ways until we finally reached the laundry room. The guard opened the laundry room door and motioned for me to step inside. You could hear the washers and dryers running from inside. The overwhelming smell of bleach and detergent filled the air. It almost choked me.
“Move.” The guard roughly shoved me inside while he remained at the door.
“Well, well, well. If it’s the infamous Kash.” I looked straight ahead to see an older man with dark hard and a darker olive skin tone. He was wearing the typical orange jumpsuit all inmates wore as he sat at a desk and smoked a cigar. His sleeves were rolled, and I could see his muscles and tattoos. He looked to be oddly in shape in spite of his older age. The man had piles of cash and drugs stacked neatly around the desk, asif he had been interrupted in some underground drug dealing business. The three little goons from earlier were all sitting behind him, smoking cigarettes and playing cards, while a few random inmates were doing the laundry. “Welcome to my little kingdom.” The man stretched his arms out. He looked past me and waved the guard away. “Now, to what do I have this honor?”
I waited until the laundry room door shut to answer. “I wanted to know if you were the man who hired that wannabe photographer to stalk me and my family.”
He puffed on his cigar for a bit before chuckling aloud. “You mean the man you murdered, dismembered, stuffed into a bag, and tossed into the lake? That man?” I nodded. He smiled, and I noticed one of his front teeth was gold. “I am.”
So, this is Xavier.
“But you already knew that.”
The corner of my mouth curled, and I tucked my hands into the pockets of my jumpsuit. “I had a hunch, but I needed to be sure.”
Xavier leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “How’s my boy doing out there? I hear he’s got some real talent. It’s a real shame he ventured so far from the path I laid before him. After that whole mess with his trial, I was so sure he’d return to me. But he chose to run away like a coward. A real shame and waste of potential.”
My jaw tightened at the mention of Motley. “He’s doing just fine without you. And he’s not a coward.” My words burned like venom in my mouth.
“So I hear.” He reached into a desk drawer and pulled out an envelope. I watched as Xavier dumped tons of polaroids out onto his desk, and I gasped. He shuffled them around and shook his head before raising one up. “Oh, Kash. Did you really think Guy had the only copies?” Xavier rotated the photo, and I stared at an image of me and Motley. Together. “But you’re right.Motley seems to be doing exceptionally well…in your arms.” He tossed the polaroid in my direction. It fell at my feet. “You see, you killing that pesky little photographer actually worked out rather nicely for me. “ He tossed another and another out in my direction while he spoke. “That man was demanding more than we agreed upon and, well, I didn’t feel like paying him. He threatened to take these photos to the press if I didn’t do as he asked. Such a pain in my ass.” He stopped and raised two separate photos up. “Oh my. It seems Guy was enjoying himself a little bit while on the job.” Xavier rotated the images, and my heart sank. They were nude photos of both Carmen and Twila, taken without their knowledge. “What a naughty little thing.” He tossed them at me, and my eyes began to burn as they fell at my feet. “I never expected him to get so close.” Xavier shoved the remaining photos from the desk. “Tell me, Kash. Did you really kill him? Or did Motley finally snap?”
I didn’t hesitate to answer. “I killed him.”
Xavier raised a brow before he put his cigar out. He then snapped his fingers, and the random inmates doing laundry immediately stopped and exited the room. “Now then, let’s talk plainly. I know you lied to the police when you confessed, and I know you’re lying now. But what I don’t understand is why. Why lie?”
My jaw tightened, and I slightly raised my chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Xavier sucked his teeth. “Yes, you do. I know my boy’s work. Are you protecting him because you love him? Or is it to keep him from returning to me?” My face hardened at his question. “Ah.” He smiled and snapped his fingers. “There it is. My reputation precedes me!” He laughed. “Oh, I like your style, Kash. I'll tell you what, I’ll make you an offer.” He stood from his chair and slowly walked around the desk as he spoke his proposition. “I’m always looking to expand my business. Andhaving a famous singer fall into my hands is quite a business opportunity.”
“Pass.”
