Page 9 of Black Jack (Advantage Play 5)

3

Jack

What the hell is taking so long? They said twenty-four hours or so. It’s been eight days. Eight fucking days where I’ve been caged for a crime I didn’t commit. And I actually trusted those assholes.

Pacing the small six by eight rectangle lined with bars, my frustration escalates as I replay the conversation over and over again.

They were right. I needed an alibi. I needed to stop running. And while I was doing that, they were going to set up a time to meet with Reed. They were gonna hold up their end of the bargain to catch him red handed.

So, why haven’t they done it?

My jaw tightens.

Because they’re the mafia. That’s why. I can’t believe I was wrong about them. They don’t need to help me. Honestly, I’m not sure why Kingston let me stay in the first place. I need to get out of this mess on my own. I need to––

Heavy footsteps echo against the concrete floor and cut off the inner dialogue that’s been on a constant loop inside my skull since I wound up here.

I cock my head to the side. They’re getting closer.

The jingle of keys mingles with the steady scuffing of boots against concrete before the guard reaches me. Ted used to be a bouncer on a small island in the Maldives but decided to use his massive bodyweight for throwing around prisoners instead.

“Hey, man,” he greets me.

“Hey.”

“Can you put these on?” He weaves a set of cuffs through the bars, and waits for me to lock them in place. On autopilot, I do as I’m told while waiting for the “you’re free” comment to slip out of him. Unfortunately, it never comes.

Satisfied with my compliance, he unlocks the door, and my pulse skyrockets.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“You have a visitor.”

“Visitor?”

“Yeah. She’s pretty, man.”

“She?”

He pushes the prison door the rest of the way open. “You didn’t tell me you were getting married. Congrats, man.”

Married?

I don’t move a muscle. What the hell is going on? Is Dominic’s sister here? Why would she come to see me? It doesn’t make any sense.

“Everything okay?” Ted asks with one hand on the barred door while scanning me up and down. “You comin’?”

I clear my throat and force my legs to move. “Yeah.”

“So when’s the big day? I know that being in here isn’t exactly convenient, but….”

“We haven’t really talked about it,” I mutter.

“Oh. Yeah. Got it.”

Ted leads me down a hall to the front of the building, then into a large, square room littered with tables and chairs. It’s empty other than a single person.

My fiancée. Or at least that’s who I assume she is. It’s not exactly like we’ve had the chance to meet.