Page 27 of Pen Me

I opened my eyes with a groan and focused until I could clearly see what was making the sound. I reached for it, and she let envelope feather against my hand before jerking it away again.

“Who is the lucky girl?”

I narrowed my gaze at her and the letter dropped back into my palm. She grunted and walked off without saying another word.

“Asshole,” I mumbled, placing the envelope on my chest.

I closed my eyes, having every intention of going back to sleep, when the alarm sounded and the lights in the hallway began to flash.

A slew of curses sounded from down the hall as my fellow inmates took note of it. We all understood what it meant. Another incident in the general population, which meant more time on lockdown for all of us. It wasn’t such a big change, if you weren’t aware of it, as I’d learned the last time we were placed on such restrictions.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes before pulling the contents from the envelope. If they started shaking down the cells, I’d risk losing it to the chaos and rubble. Judging from the sounds of the adjoining unit, that was exactly what they were getting up to.

Menace,

Sorry I was such a bitch at first. I guess you caught me with my claws out. I’m usually not so combative. I feel bad turning that energy on someone who already has nowhere to unleash the chaos and everything they’re carrying around with them daily. It wasn’t fair of me to add to all of that. I appreciate you reaching out to me. No one except my brother and my bestie knew that I was home.

It isn’t that I resent my dad or have animosity toward him. Rather, that he and my mother can be overwhelming together. I was looking for the right time to tell each of them that I was home for good, but Sauce took the liberty, and I ended up facing off with both of them last night as a result of his loose lips.

I don’t know you. All I know of your patch is the title my father threw at me when he intercepted your last letter. I’m not even sure what it means, or what a person with such a title could have done to warrant prison time. So, what did you do? I mean– what are you accused of doing?

I don’t dislike bikers. I disliked growing up as the daughter of the president of the Dirty Savages. Trying to find a job in high school was a joke. The guys at school wouldn’t look at me twice. They’d all been warned. Everyone knew I was off limits. I never evenhad a guy ask for my number until I was in the military. It took two promotions and a few thousand miles before anyone could look at me without the shadow of my father and his club impeding their vision.

I resent that.

I’ve included two pictures for you. One is a desert sunset. I swear you can see the heat despite the late hour in that one. The other is me and another recruit in Chicago. It was taken the day we completed basic training. I was so happy in that picture; I was sure the accomplishments of that day guaranteed I’d never end up back here.

Yet, here I am.

Blah. Enough of all that. I have a procedure scheduled tomorrow that will leave me laying around for a while. Send me a distraction, would you? How old are you, Lennox? You write a lot, do you read? Do you have an ol’ lady?

Sammy

I’d have paid good money to have seen Ziggy’s face when he confiscated that letter. I paused when I read about it and smirked, envisioning the scene. I felt for her, but– damn.

He kind of had one to the nuts coming for leaving me like this.

I folded the letter, forcing myself not to place the blame of shit on Zig. I was a man. I did what I did. It just sucked that he hadn’t given me a chance to make shit right or explain myself outside of cuffs.

I didn’t have to wait long to explain myself, since we were only on lockdown for three days. Exactly thirty minutes after the status was lifted, Larissa appeared at my cell.

“What the fuck did you do?” she whispered, her eyes round with excitement and her smile wide, despite the seriousness of her tone.

I whipped around on my bunk to stare at her.

“The fuck you on about?” I mumbled.

“You fucked Jolene Nash, didn’t you?” She hurriedly shoved the key into the cell.

I slowly stood up, confused as hell by the confrontation and more than a little disturbed by her suggestion. It was her opening the cell without another guard present that alarmed me most, though.

“What’s going on?” I panicked.

“I ain’t never seen Ziggy that fuckin’ mad. He looks like one of them animals they puff up before a fight. I’m telling you what– Even the visiting room officer is on high alert. He refused to leave Zig’s side. Just standing there like he’s guarding a national threat.”

She threw the door open, and I stepped back.

“What are you doing?” She laughed. “Do you want your visit or not?”

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