Page 11 of His Favorite Felon

She finally looked up briefly, just long enough for our eyes to meet. There was more than fear. Sadness and exhaustion, as if she’d been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

She quickly looked away again, and I wanted her eyes back on me. Beyond the pain and hurt, her eyes were gorgeous up close. They held a hint of gray.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Stay out of trouble.” I nodded quickly, then headed back to the officers’ station.

As I walked away, one question kept circling in my mind. How did someone like her end up here? I glanced back at her and found she was watching me too.

I had no idea that this woman sitting alone was about to change the course of my life.

CHAPTER 5

Justice

MARCH 22, 2021

It’d been five months since I’d been waiting to see a judge. One hundred and fifty-one days in total. I’d been held here, awaiting someone else to decide my future, but today was finally the day.

I was a nervous wreck, but I was praying to all the gods that I would be released today. The guards woke me up at three a.m. and drove me to Jessup Courthouse, where I had been waiting for hours to see a judge. I thought I’d be the first one called, but nope, they had me sit until an hour before noon.

The sound of cuffs clinking around my wrists echoed through the nearly empty hallway as a deputy led me to courtroom three. The orange jumpsuit, once unfamiliar, now felt like a second skin, and somehow that realization hurt more than the metal digging into my ankles. I was getting used to this life, and it wasn’t meant for me.

I never imagined this would be my life.

Five months ago, I was worried about passing my next nursing exam on time and about enjoying my twenty-first birthday, but now I was worried about getting life, or some bullshit.

The deputy stopped outside the courtroom doors.

“You ready?”

Fuck no! I shouted to myself.

I wanted to yell because who was ever ready to hear their future spoken by a judge? I took a deep breath and nodded anyway.

I walked through the massive wooden doors. As I entered the courtroom, every conversation inside died the moment I stepped in.

I felt like I was going to throw up, the urge rising in my throat, but I kept my head high, refusing to let anyone see how badly my knees wanted to buckle.

The courtroom wasn’t crowded, with only a few reporters, the prosecutor, and my attorney present. Once I confirmed everyone was present, my eyes quickly scanned the rows.

Please be here. Please be here.

The first face I recognized was my sister, Jamie, and I felt like I could finally breathe. The second was my best friend, Sage. Seeing them together brought tears to my eyes. It didn’t help that they were already fighting back tears.

Two more familiar faces sat beside them. They were friends I’d grown up with, women who had known me long before the headlines labeled me an airport drug-mule baddie.

Then my gaze drifted to the empty chair beside my sister.

Daddy.

My father’s chair was empty. My stomach dropped even though he told me he wasn’t gon’ make it. Fuck. I wanted my daddy more than anything. I wish I knew why he didn’t try harder to come today.

My sister caught my eye. She saw the hurt on my face and still tried to put on a forced smile.

It wasn’t much, just enough to say I’m here.

I smiled back as best I could, even though it took everything I had not to break down. The deputy guided me to the defense table, then removed one set of restraints.