Page 7 of Bed of Thorns

I glanced over at Adam, watching as he performed his daily exercises, Tai chi moves that he’d taught me over the years. He’d once told me that only by reaching deep inside, pulling out the tangled webs of anger, allowing the wind to sweep them away, would I ever be free.

Free.

A word I had no understanding of. I’d never been free in my life, only exchanging one set of bars for another. Was I at peace? Perhaps to a point. She was safe. That had become the only thing in my world that was important. I took a deep breath, holding it and counting just like Adam had taught me. I even closed my eyes, which was rare for me to do, sleep almost nonexistent. You didn’t survive behind these walls if you closed your eyes for too long.

When I opened them, Adam was standing in front of me, a solemn look on his face.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

I patted him on the shoulder, even winking to try to give him comfort. “I’m ready for anything, my friend.”

“You’ve worked very hard, Edmond, and I’m proud of you.”

Proud. That’s a word my father had never used. Not when I’d won my first championship game or the day that I was offered several scholarships. He’d scowled and walked away, cursing me under his breath.

“Just remember to take your time with the exams. You’re intelligent and you know the material cold.”

Exams. I’d never thought I’d be given an opportunity to take college courses, let alone be one step away from graduating with a financial degree. I owed everything to my cellmate. He’d pushed and prodded, brought me down from the rafters more times than I could count. He’d also kept me from being swept away by my demons.

“Stop worrying, old man. You’ve taught me well.”

He smiled, his light blue eyes sparkling in the early afternoon sun. “Just remember what I told you from day one. Revenge will only destroy you. Use the anger to build on yourself, your wealth and your happiness. That’s the greatest revenge of all.”

Maybe he was right. I had plans, big plans, and nothing and no one would ever be able to take that away from me.

But the vengeance I sought was the fuel keeping the fire burning deep within.

The man would face my full wrath.

One day…

CHAPTER3

Mercedes

Present day

“Are you getting settled in?” Sheila asked as we walked out to the parking lot together. She’d been friendly to me since the day I’d started at Fernando’s company, always with a kind smile on her face.

“I think so. I adore the house, although it’s pretty small.” I’d been in town for a little over a month. While the weeks had flown by, I still wasn’t certain about the decision I’d made. Returning home almost felt like failure. However, living in New York City was ridiculous to maintain on the salaries I’d been offered.

There was also so much darkness there, memories that plagued me far too often. Maybe I was just fooling myself that I’d made the best choice. This definitely wasn’t home to me.

“Well, if you ever need any help painting, I’m pretty good at it.”

Laughing, I headed for my car. At least I’d managed to find a really good used vehicle. Maybe after a year or so, I could purchase a newer model. There were still so many things I wanted to do in my life. If I saved my money, maybe I’d find a way to go to law school like I wanted. Someone had to ensure there was justice in this world. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Don’t look now but you have company.” Sheila nodded over my shoulder.

As soon as I turned my head, I cringed. The last thing I wanted to do was to see William Villanova crossing the parking lot in my direction. “Great.”

“He is one eligible bachelor, you know.”

“Then why did he stay in this lousy town?” I said under my breath. He was the local prosecutor, although I’d heard through the grapevine that he had every intention of running for the Senate this year. He thought he was important. I’d been foolish enough to go on a single date with him.

Then I’d found out the role he’d played in sending Edmond to prison. Now he didn’t want to accept no as an answer.

His grin was wide as he headed in my direction, and he had a way about him that made him seem boyish, as if he was one of the good guys. I knew better. The ruthless pig walked on both sides of the law, at least in my opinion—which wasn’t shared by anyone else in town.

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