Auctioned to the Prisoners (Auctioned #4)

24

ROCK

REBIRTH

I’m coming for you, Little Bird. I can’t think of what else to write because getting out of here is making my mind antsy. All I know is that waiting to be with you again has been the sweetest torture.

Keep safe, and I’ll see you soon.

Rock

“Tomorrow,” a gruff, familiar voice says. I look up from the book I’m reading, finding Warden Grady leaning against the bookshelf closest to me. I straighten in my seat, lowering the book to my lap.

“Yes.”

The library isn’t busy, but people are around, so this conversation is awkward.

He nods. “We won’t see you again.”

“You won’t,” I assure him.

“Good. Good.” He presses his lips between his teeth. His watery eyes move around the room. “Sometimes, people pass through our lives for bad, sometimes for good. The journey isn’t always easy… but I think it gets us where we’re supposed to go.”

The man is cryptic as fuck, but I think I understand what he’s saying. My journey wrongly put me in a place where I could do a good thing for him, and he could do a good thing for me. I’d do a lot of things to get back the years I spent in Blackstone. A lot. But I wouldn’t give up Lory. If I had to do the time as the only way to find her, it was worth it. She’s my destination.

I’m getting released early because Grady put in a request on account of my good behavior and participation in educational programs. According to him, I’m rehabilitated. A changed man.

The truth is, I came into prison innocent of the crime I was convicted of, and I leave guilty of a worse one I’ll never face charges for. Make that make sense.

“Bella’s a sweet little thing,” he says, his throat catching. “She’s okay now.”

“That’s good.” Whether it’s true that his niece is okay, I’ll never know. Who goes through something so terrible as a child and comes out without permanent scars? Look at Hyde, for fuck’s sake. The man’s been shattered by his experiences, but he’s living, and he’s found a love that is keeping him on the right track.

“Have a good life, Colton,” he says as parting words.

It’s been a while since anyone called me by my given name, and, like a change of skin, I’m new. Rock is a name I’ve worn while I’ve had to wear armor against the world. Colton has a chance of being a better man.

“That’s all I want to do.”

***

A woman waits by a red minivan as I squint my eyes into the sunshine. When the gates slide open, I want to drop to my knees with relief, but I keep myself upright, wanting to preserve my dignity. She raises her hand, and I blink, uncertain. There’s something familiar about her dark hair and owlish eyes that I can’t quite put my finger on. When I get closer, she holds out her hand. “I’m Kennedy.”

Of course. Lory’s sister.

“She sent you?”

“I’ve got something to give you.”

She hands me a small bag, which I open. Inside is a change of clothes, some basic supplies, a cell phone, and a bundle of cash. Everything I need to get me where I need to go. “Is she okay?” I ask.

“Better than okay.” She smiles, and it’s so much like Lory that my heart skips a beat.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks to my sister. She told me what she did. She told me you were good to her. I never would have wanted her to do something like that.”

“That’s Lory, though. She’s selfless like that.”

“She is.”

“She did a good thing of her own free will. You shouldn’t feel bad about that.”

“She’s happy,” she says. “She’ll be happier when she sees you.”

I nod, knowing it’s the truth.

In her last letter, she told me she was waiting to have my hands on her again. Waiting to kiss me. Waiting to get on her knees for me. Her words gave me power and the will to get through the last week of my incarceration.

“Will you visit?”

“Yes,” she says.

“Then we’ll have a chance to get to know each other.”

She nods. “I’d like that. I’ll give you a ride into town.”

“Thanks.”

I’m free, but I’ve got a long way to go to fully let go of the shackles.

***

I’ve never traveled outside of the US before, so experiencing a different culture, listening to a different language, and eating different food is all new. I’m a fish out of water, kind of the same way I felt when I was first sent to Blackstone, except this is exciting, and I’m not overwhelmed by a tsunami wave of doom like I was back then.

As much as I wanted to get to the little town that Kinkaid, Lory, and Hyde have been living in for months, I was released on a Sunday, and there was no way I was going to make the journey in two days, so I’ve taken some time to soak up what it is to be free and in Mexico. I’ve stayed in tiny hotels and eaten in restaurants surrounded by only local people. I’ve tried strange foods and different beers, and I’ve slept restlessly, as eager for the end of my journey as I’m enjoying the steps to get there.

On the second Tuesday of my freedom, I’m at the Monument by 1 p.m., so eager to find my brothers and my girl, I can’t wait another second. I brought a book about Mexico, picked up along my travels, and read in the shade, wiping sweat from my brow and guzzling the water I packed in my bag. But by 2:50, the words swim on the page, and I close the book and stretch out in the sun, scanning the area for a familiar face. A part of me keeps wondering if no one will show up, despite knowing I’m being stupid—they went to the trouble of sending Kennedy with a package for me. But when you want something this much, it’s hard to believe it’ll happen.

“Rock,” a lilting voice calls from behind. I whip around and there she is—Lory, clutching a coffee in one hand and a straw bag in the other.

All the noise and movement around us fades into the background as I stare, barely able to believe she’s real. She’s picked up some color from the sun, and her hair’s a little lighter around her face. Her dark eyes trail over me, taking in my black cargo shorts and gray t-shirt, like she’s sizing up how I look out here, dressed like a regular guy. But I’m not the same. And when I finally tear my eyes away from her face, I notice the small bump rounding her belly under her light green dress. Her hand moves to it, almost self-conscious, like she’s afraid I’ll react badly.

“Lory,” is all I can manage.

Careful not to disturb her coffee, I wrap my arms around her petite frame, just breathe her in. The days we spent together in that dingy wing of Blackstone are a distant memory, but with one touch and one breath, I’m back there again with Lory in my arms. I gaze down into her soulful eyes that are welling with tears. Bending to kiss her sweet lips, I cradle her face in my too-big hands.

“You’re really here,” she says, touching my shoulders, my neck and my face. “You’re all really here.”

“And you,” I smile. “You’re pregnant.”

She gazes down at her belly and shrugs. “Guess I left that Blackstone Penitentiary with a little more than I bargained for.”

I straighten, surprised. I’d imagined the baby was Kinkaid’s, but if she conceived at Blackstone, it could be any of ours.

“When are you due?”

“Four weeks,” she says.

“Seriously?”

I touch her belly, marveling at the firmness of it. Beneath my palm, a little human shifts and kicks, nudging so hard I gasp. “Wow. It’s got a strong right foot.”

“Or left.” She glances past me. “We should go. They’re waiting for you.”

I shove my hand into my pocket, grasping the small paper shape. When I hand her the tiny paper rose that I made from her last letter to me, she beams and kisses my cheek.

“You’re really here,” she whispers again.

“I am.” I take her bag in one hand and her hand in the other. “No more waiting. It’s time for all of us to start living.”