I know she’s here without even having to check. I can feel her presence near me. It’s the same as the moment I walked by her and knew I had to save her. I don’t regret what happened, only that she had to witness it, because she’ll never want to look at me again. I might have saved her, but in that moment I became a monster in her eyes.
It’s not like she would have wanted anything to do with me before that moment though. She’s a beautiful girl. Soft and clean. I’m dirty and rough with nothing to lose. Why would she ever take a second look at me? But I guess that doesn’t matter now.
I feel the cool steel of the cuffs come around my wrists and click into place. There’s a buzz in the courtroom behind me as the judge tells them to take me away.
I hear people behind me, but I don’t turn around. If I see her there it will be an image I can’t erase for the next five years. She’ll either have a look of horror as she watches them take me away, or it will be one that wonders what the hell she did wrong. She looked so sweet and innocent she might even blame herself. I can’t stand the thought of it and I know that no matter what I see it won’t do me any favors on the inside.
“Is there anyone you want to say goodbye to?” the officer asks before he leads me away.
The image of her horrified expression when the cops pulled me off Pretty Boy flashes in my mind.
“No,” I answer as I walk out of the courtroom and behind bars.
It’s not the first time I’ve been in jail, which may be the reason it was so easy for the judge to throw the book at me. But really all he needed was a slight nudge.
I guess things could be worse. It’s not like I had a lot going for me on the outside. I’ve some money socked away from working construction. I made good money doing it and had plans to open my own company. I guess there’s still time and that’s all I’ve got ahead of me. I can use the solitude to plan it out and decide what to do next.
I’m transported to a minimum-security facility three hours from the city. It’s in the middle of nowhere, so even if someone could escape, good luck trying to find your way to civilization on foot.
When I get there I’m strip-searched and told the rules before I’m given my cell. This is a single-seater lockdown, so I get a room to myself. That’s the only positive thing about it though as I step in and look around. It’s so small, that’s why there’s not room for two, but at least I don’t have someone with me trying to show me where I rank in the prison. The worst part about being on the inside is having to watch your back. I plan on keeping my nose clean and getting parole early for good behavior. The only problem is I’ve never been well behaved.
The entire ordeal of court and getting moved takes all day, and by the time I make my cot and lie down on the rack it’s dark out.
I stretch out and close my eyes and the first thing I see is her. Only this time there’s no look of horror, only a sweet smile just for me.
It’s going to be a long five years.
Chapter 3
Lizzy
“There’s really no rent?” I ask as I stand in the three-bedroom home. The house is so new I can I can still smell fresh paint. It doesn’t look like anyone has lived here, but there’s furniture in all the rooms.
“Yep. You just have to keep the place up while the owner is working abroad.” The man says with a shrug of his shoulders. He’s not a big guy, but he’s built. It put me a little on edge when I got here, but he gave me space as if he knew I needed it.
“You checked out so you were an easy pick. You’ve never been in trouble and you’re trying to put yourself through school. The owner figured you’d respect the place,” he adds, probably because of the look on my face. I’m not buying it.
He points to the papers on the counter, which I already read when they were emailed to me yesterday. A girl who worked at the front desk of the hotel I was staying in gave me his number. She told me if I was looking for something more permanent I should give the number a call.
Within seconds of making the call he emailed everything about the house along with guidelines to staying in the home. The rules the owner had were simple. Always keep the door locked and the alarm on even when I was home. No guys or overnight guests were allowed over, which was an odd request but wouldn’t be a problem. I plan on staying away from men altogether.