Page 68 of Condemned Soul

“Are you kiddin’ me? These boys idolize you.”

“That’s ‘cause I’m their uncle. Bein’ a parent is different. What sorta example am I gonna set?”

“Screwy, I’mma let ya into a little secret.” I pierce a juice box for each of the boys, and then one for Screw too, it's too early in the morning for a beer, apparently. “I’ve been where you are. When Alex told me she was pregnant I was scared.”

“That ain’t a secret. You freaked the fuck out,” he reminds me, sucking on his straw and looking pleasantly surprised with how it tastes.

“Let me finish.” I sigh in frustration. “Yeah, I freaked out, but then I thought about the chance I was bein’ given. Life ain’t long, Screw, you can’t come out the other side of it with any regrets. Lydia wouldn’t wanna bring a kid into the world with you if she wasn’t convinced that you’d be a good father. She sees what everyone else around here sees,” I tell him.

“I don’t know what that is.” He looks confused.

“It’s you comin’ in here and thinkin’ you should be the one who goes inside to protect Prez. It’s that bullet wound ya got in your shoulder from where you dived in front of Nyx last year, and all those cigarette burn scars you earned yaself, from Rick, when you took the blame for me breakin’ that kitchen window with a football when we were kids. You’re selfless and that's what you have to be when you’re a parent,” I point out to him.

“Selfless or stupid.” He looks up at me and sniggers.

“Well, you're that too, for even doubtin’ whether you’d make a good father. Now, get up.” I drag him by the shoulders and raise him onto his feet, “And go home so you can knock up your wife.” Taking the juice box outta his hand I send him on his way then rub my hands together as I close the door behind him. “Auntie Lydia is gonna get lucky.” I fist-pump both the boys before I save the eggs from burning.

When breakfast is finished, I attempt to square up the kitchen, but the boys deciding to take a shit at the same damn time takes me away from it. Since they’ve started walking, keeping ‘em down long enough to get ‘em changed is impossible. Alex opens the door to find me wrestling to get a diaper on Cohen while Casey toddles round the room naked from the waist down.

“Wow, he’s followin’ after his daddy already, can’t keep his pants on.” Jessie manages a smile for the first time in days when he and Maddy follow Alex through the door.

“How’d the meetin’ go?” I catch my breath after I manage to get the tabs fixed down, and as soon as I let the little fucker free, he pulls them apart so the diaper drops to the floor before he runs off to join his brother.

“Whose idea was it to have twins?” I stand up from the floor noting how everyone is staring at the mess in here like it’s my fault.

“The meeting went well. Monica had some positive ideas.”

“It sucked.” VP cuts off Maddy who’s trying her best to be optimistic. “She says there’s nothin’ she can do if Prez is strikin’ a deal that’s approved by the DA, best she can do is advise that he adds inside protection to whatever they offer him.”

“So, he’s gonna do time.” I take a deep breath and think about what that’s gonna mean for the club.

“How much time will depend on how much information he gives ‘em, and to be gettin’ immunity for us all… it’s gonna be costin’ him a lot,” Jessie informs me

“What ya thinkin’, Jess?” I can tell by the look on his face that whatever it is, ain’t good.

“He’s gonna get a life sentence, the DA ain’t gonna accept anythin’ less.”

“Shit.” I breathe out heavily and swipe my hand over my face, quickly realizing that it still smells of shit and almost choking.

“And there’s nothin’ else we can do?” I’m still gagging as I quickly head to the bathroom so I can wash my hands.

“He’s determined,” Jess calls out so I can still hear him.

“And is it too late to change his mind?” I come out and see all three of them staring at me hopefully.

“Guess it’s your turn to try.” Alex smiles at me sadly. When a trickling sound comes from the corner of the room, we all turn our heads, and Cohan smiles back at me as he pisses into the oversized plant Alex’s mom sent her home with after her last visit.

“I wonder who he got that from?” Alex questions and all eyes are on me when I turn to look back at them.

“I’ll go get ready for that visit.” I lift my boy up from the floor and hand him to his mother, kissing her cheek before I rush to get changed.

* * *

The older woman on the security desk looks up from the gift bag she’s checking through with a judgmental glare before she nods her head to clear it and sends me through. Troj was right when he said this place was strange. I’ve visited many prisons in my time and none of ‘em were like this.

I place the gift bag on the table in the center of the room, waiting for the guards to fetch Prez, and as I look around the walls, I can’t help feeling grateful that it ain’t me in here. There was a time when I was convinced I’d end up inside. Me and my brother were off the rails when we left home. Getting into trouble was the only way we could forget what happened to our sister, and back then we weren’t exactly smart about it. What we did had no purpose, but that all changed when Jimmer Carson took us in.

I hear a buzz and when the door slides open and Prez steps through it, he’s looking way better than I expected him to.

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