Page 113 of Creed

“Ain’t nobody gonna forget you, Pook.”

“That’s the plan.”

“We need a favor,” I said, cutting through all the theatrics.

“Okay. That’s what I’m here for.” Pookie’s grin softened, and he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands so he was looking directly at me. But his eyes still flickered over to Goose every few seconds like he couldn’t help himself. “What can I do for you, papí?”

“There’s a new guy in here.” I leaned in and tried to keep my voice low as I told him, “Brian Maddox. He’s a cop.”

“I saw your little coppy friend when they brought him in. He’s got a snooty face and a bad attitude.” Pookie scowled. “He’s trying to play it tough, but we all know he’s rattled.”

“That’s good,” Goose said, smirking. “We need him scared.”

“You want me to shank him?” Pookie didn’t even try lowering his voice as he told us, “I can get him while he’s on the shitter. Cause, you know, cops are full of shit.”

“Yeah, I get where you’re going, but no shanking. We don’t want him dead.”

As tempting as it might’ve been, I didn’t want to be the one who ultimately put an end to Austin and Chrissy’s father. It was hard enough for them to face him being behind bars. They didn’t deserve having to see him six feet under, too. “No, just the opposite. We need you to keep him breathing.”

“He’s under your protection?”

“To some extent. A good ass-beatin’ from time to time wouldn’t hurt him. But we need him alive.”

“That’s all?”

“I have a feeling it’s not gonna be that easy.”

“No, cops don’t fare well in here, but I’ve got pull. I should be able to keep him going.”

“And if he happens to mention anything about girls or where he might’ve sent ‘em or anything about ‘em, I need to know about it.”

“Okay. I’ll keep an ear out.”

“And he starts bragging about who he was working with, I need to know that, too.”

I knew our chances of finding any of the girls Maddox had trafficked were slim, but I had to try. For Devin and for the club. We’d never confirmed what Maddox had meant when he said we were connected. I had my suspicions. Preacher did, too, but I needed to know for sure. We all did.

“You got it.” Pookie batted his eyelashes at Goose, “But what’s in it for me, handsome?

“What are you asking for?”

“You boys already do plenty.” He ran the tip of his tongue across his bottom lip before adding, “But I could use a couple of cartons of cigarettes, maybe a few extra hours out in the yard, you know I love the sunshine, and I could definitely go for a conjugal visit with my favorite Fury stud.”

“We can work on the cigarettes and time out in the yard, but I wouldn’t hold ya breath on the visit.”

“Worth a try.” He gave me a shrug. “But no matter. I’ll babysit your cop friend.”

“Thanks, man. We’ll owe you.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“And Pookie,” Goose added, leaning forward, lowering his voice just enough to make it sound like a promise, “Don’t work out too much. It’s not fair to tease folks like you do.”

“You better stop it.” Pookie’s eyes sparkled as he added, “You gonna make a girl blush.”

He winked at Goose, then blew him a kiss as the guard came to collect him. Goose shook his head as Pookie sashayed out of the room. I chuckled as I told him, “You’re gonna end up with a stalker on your hands.”

“Won’t be the first. Won’t be the last.”