“Yeah. Exactly. And that’s just one thing. My dad wouldn’t let me go on birth control.”
“Is that why you’re still a virgin?”
She snorted. “Say it a little louder why don’t you? Some prisoners on the other side of the compound didn’t hear.”
He grinned at her, ruefully. “Sorry, babe.”
She just rolled her eyes. “And no, to answer your question, that isn’t why. There’s such a thing as condoms, ya know. If I’d wanted anyone badly enough, I’d have done it. As it was, my dad was such a pain through high school that dating just wasn’t a possibility. Not without him threatening to pull me out and home school me.”
“You’re shitting me,” Spyder said on a long, low exhalation.
“No. Unfortunately, I’m not. I also knew not to even dare rebel against that. I wanted to finish high school too much to risk it. They all think I’m ditzy. This stupid blonde Barbie, but I’m not. Ava wasn’t the only one who wanted to go to college.”
“He’d have really pulled you out?”
“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that’s exactly what he’d have done if he found out I disobeyed him by dating one of the boys in my year.” She bit her lip and looked at him from underneath her lashes. “Do you understand? Just a little what that was like for me? I know they didn’t abuse me, and they did it out of love, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling like all my life I’ve been a puppet, moving around to someone else’s cues.”
He nodded and reached for her hand. Squeezing it, he murmured, “I’m sorry for judging.”
“Hell, I’d judge too,” she confessed. “And though I admit to being a baby sometimes, I swear I’m not all the time.”
His grin was wicked.
“Don’t you dare turn this around to sex,” she chided with a chuckle. “This isn’t exactly an atmosphere conducive to romance.”
He snorted. “You’ve not watched enough porn, babe. Prison wardens and prisoners getting it on, hard-core.” He grinned as she sniffed. “That’s the height of romance.”
Before she could hit him, hard, a warden called their names. They strode over to him, went through another body search, yet another identity check, and finally went into the visitors’ room.
“Dear Goddess, how long did that take?”
“From start to finish?” He looked at his watch. “About forty minutes.”
“Goddess, they take the piss here.”
“They’re in charge,” he said with a shrug. “One time, when I was visiting Sammy, they held me in that waiting room for two hours. I thought I was going to die of boredom. Then, another time, I waited over an hour and they turned me out without even seeing my bro. Some dick had started a fight and they’d put the compound on lock down.” He grunted. “Those days were a barrel of laughs.”
Spyder paused near the entrance, then looked around. Obviously spotting Joe, he grabbed her hand with his, and with the other, waved at the man in question.
He led her to the table, waited until she sat down and said, “Joe, I’d give you a hug, buddy, but I don’t feel like having them frisk me on the way out.”
Joe snorted. “I’ll have that lucky privilege, so don’t worry, I don’t mind sparing you the experience.”
Spyder grimaced. “What can I get you, man?”
Jessie frowned at that. “It’s not like we’re in a coffee shop, Spyder,” she chided.
Her mate just chuckled and pointed over the other side of the room. “There’s a vending machine, babe.”
“Oh,” she said, cheeks blushing.
He winked at her, then looked expectantly at his friend. Joe immediately rattled off a list, which had Spyder chuckling. “Sammy was just the same.”
“That shit costs a bundle in the commissary.”
“Junk food does?” Jessie asked politely when Spyder headed over to the vending machine.
“Yeah. It’s ridiculous.” He smiled at her so sweetly that it was hard to think he’d smashed his ex’s head in, and Ava had never mentioned what he’d done to the boyfriend who’d been abusing his daughter, but Jessie could only imagine it was a thousand times worse. Hell, everyone had a tipping point. “You know, when I got Spyder’s note and read that he’d been married, I have to admit, I was stunned.”
“I’ll bet. He wasn’t exactly the settling down type, was he?”
Joe chuckled. “Nah. He definitely wasn’t. But I guess, when you find your mate, you find your mate.”
Her eyes widened at that. “I beg your pardon?”
Joe grinned, pleased that he’d surprised her. “One thing about jail. There’s hardly any smell. Sounds weird, but there isn’t. Or at least, no new smells. When you walked in, I scented you straight away. Bear, right?”
She gawked at him. “Are you a Shifter?”
He nodded. “Wolf.”
“That’s how you...”
Joe grunted. “Yeah. The mother of my daughter wasn’t my mate. I shouldn’t have grown impatient. And I shouldn’t have let her get pregnant, not when I knew she wasn’t my life mate. Bears have it easy. They can only knock their mates up. It’s not the same for wolves.”
“I’m so sorry, Joe. I had no idea.”
“Why would you?” he said with a shrug. “I never told anyone. I certainly never told Spyder.”
“Are you without a Pack?”
He nodded. “Yeah. My dad was no good just like me. He dumped my mom, who’s pure human, and did a runner. I had to learn my shit the hard way. Just like my daughter.” His jaw clenched. “They won’t let me see her, but I can write. Still, that kind of stuff isn’t something you write in a letter, is it?”
Emotions clogged in her throat at his predicament. “Why didn’t you tell your defense? You know Shifters get treated differently by the justice system. You know they give you different privileges. Plus, they’d put you in a separate part of the jail. Would let you out to shift and stuff. Your Wolf must be going insane by now.”
Things had been different back in her father’s day. He’d often said that the hardest part of being inside was holding the beast in during lockdown for however long the term was.
Since his last trip inside, the time before he’d mated her mom, prisoner’s rights had changed to protect Shifters too. After all, it did no one any good to have a Shifter change in the middle of a riot full of humans.
That had happened too many times, and the public outcry at the unnecessary carnage had provoked the required changes in law. Mixing humans and Shifters in this kind of potboiler scenario could only end one way.
With human blood being spilled.
Shifter rights had come about to protect humans, not Shifters, but it was a win-win situation.
“I wanted to be the big man. I did the crime, and I was more than willing to do the time,” he admitted wryly. “I fully confess to being stupid.”
“You know the jury would have looked at you differently though. A Wolf going on the rampage is far easier for them to swallow than a human. You know humans expect Shifters to be walking on a tightrope. It’s like they’re just waiting us for to go nuts.”
He grimaced. “Like I said, I regret my stupidity now.”
She held out a hand. The gesture surprised him, but he held out his too. She squeezed his fingers. “Look, we’re here for an ulterior motive.”
“Figured as much,” he said. “Spyder’s been cool. Kept in touch. Sent me shit. But he’s not visited. Truth is, what with Sammy being locked down here, I knew he had too much on his plate anyway.”
“You know The Nomads, right?”
“The MC?”
“Yeah.”
“I know of them.” He looked at her cautiously now. “Why?”
“My dad sits on the Council. He’s a brother.”
“Shit. You mean to tell me The Nomads are a Bear Clan?” He whistled. “Now there, you have knocked me for six. I didn’t see that coming.”
“Should I be jealous?” Spyder asked, pointedly staring down at their joined
hands as he dumped shit loads of candy and chocolate on the table.
Jessie rolled her eyes. “I’ll make it up to you later.”
The Wolf Shifter grinned. “I expect a thank you letter, Spyder.” Her mate chuckled, but Joe continued, “Congratulations at the mate bond, buddy. I couldn’t wish it on anyone nicer.”
If she’d been surprised, Spyder started choking on some chewy candy he’d just popped into his mouth. She whacked him on the back until he was breathing normally again, and when he was, he demanded hoarsely, “How the hell do you know?”
“He’s a Shifter too, Spyder,” she said softly.
He gawked at that. “No fucking way.”
Joe grimaced. “Way.”
“What the hell are you doing in a human jail?” he demanded. “They put Shifters in special prisons now, don’t they?” He frowned, then answered his own question. “But it never came up in court that you were a Shifter. Otherwise I’d have known. You dumbass, why the fuck didn’t you tell anyone? They’d have been more lenient on you.”
Jessie shot him a look. “Now do you see why I was holding his hand?”
Spyder pouted. “Sort of.”
“Stop being a baby,” she retorted, but she was grinning as she reached for his hand with her spare one. “That better?”
He winked. “Much.”
Jessie huffed out an exasperated breath, then said, “I’m not leaving you in here, Joe. We’ll arrange an appeal or something.”
“I’m in here without parole.”
“I don’t care. There must be something we can do.”
Spyder snorted. “We managed to get Sammy out of jail. I reckon there’s definitely something we can do.”
She nudged him in the side, and he grunted an apology. Unfortunately, Joe saw both of their reactions.
“Don’t worry. Whatever happened, I’m just glad it did. No way a kid like Sammy belonged in here. When they let him out, no one was happier than me. Your family was always good to my mom and me, Spyder. It killed me that I couldn’t do more for him in here, but we were in different blocks. All I ever heard was about him getting beaten up and being in the clinic.” He grimaced. “They were terrorizing him in here.”
“I know,” Spyder said grimly. “It’s a long story, but we know who your cellmate is.”
“Martinez?” Joe lifted his brows. “Yeah? What about him?”
Before Spyder could say a word, Jessie stated, “Joe, I want you to know two things. Whatever you say to our proposal, we’re going to get Savannah out of state care. I don’t know if we can wrangle it so she comes and stays with us, but if she’s a Wolf Pup too then maybe the authorities will let us take hold of her. Especially if we big up how volatile pups can be at her age.”
Joe’s eyes widened. “You’d do that?”
“We were always going to do that, but now I know she’s a pup, it’s more imperative than it was before.”
“Are pups really dangerous?” Spyder asked, tone urgent.
“No. Of course not. But the humans don’t know that, do they?”
Spyder shot Joe a look. “That’s a relief.”
Jessie sighed. “Let’s get back on track. Anyway, we’re going to do our best for Savannah, and once I tell my daddy about your situation, I just know he’ll want to help, too. So, those two things will happen whether you agree to help us or not.”
Joe’s eyes were wide as he asked, “Help you do what?”
“We believe Martinez arranged for Jessie’s kidnap on the outside. We also believe he was trying to start a war between Spider’s Venom and The Nomads. We’re trying to make sure he stays out of our business, and stops targeting the MCs.”
Joe turned from Spyder to study her in concern. “He didn’t succeed, did he, Jessie? You weren’t hurt?”
“No. I met Spyder first, and my travel plans changed.”
Joe blew out an obviously relieved breath. “I’m really glad to hear it, and I understand what you’re saying about trying to get him to stop targeting the MCs but... how are you going to do that? The son of a bitch manages to run the Cartel from inside this place. By all rights, he should be in a federal prison, but his lawyers pulled a hail Mary and managed to keep him in a state one.”
“If possible, can you remember this number?” Spyder recounted it by heart.
“I can try. You might have to tell me it a few times, but what is it?”
“It’s one of Martinez’s bank accounts. The one he uses to fund his family’s living expenses.”
Joe blew out a breath. “Goddess.”
Her smile was tight. “Someone,” she said, clearing her throat. “has hacked into it and emptied it. If he wants it back, then he needs to leave us the hell alone.”
Joe slumped back in his seat. “Fucking hell. Are you sure it’s wise to pull the tiger by its tail?”
“For fuck’s sake, he’s not a Shifter too, is he?” Spyder demanded, making both Jessie and Joe chuckle.
Jessie stated, “As far as I’m aware, no. But Joe’s the one to ask.”
Her mate’s friend shook his head. “Nah. He’s not a Tiger. It’s just the old saying, you know?”
Spyder grumbled, “I do, but just wanted to make sure.”
Joe’s grin was lopsided. “You guys don’t ask for much, do you?”
“Part of the deal of him getting his money back is not beating the ever-loving shit out of you,” Spyder said, his tone cheerful enough to have Jessie rolling her eyes.
“I’m relieved to hear you’ve thought of every eventuality,” Joe retorted, but he was grinning as he complained.
Spyder reached for a bag of Skittles and shrugged. “This ain’t no half-baked plan,” he said in his best Texan twang.
“I’ll do it,” Joe told them. “What’s he going to do? Lock me up until the reaper comes for me?”
Jessie’s smile was toothy. “I really hope you don’t have to shift, Joe. I hope it’s not necessary, at any rate, but if it is, then try to take a chunk out of him, won’t you? For our sakes?”
He chuckled. “Sure.” Joe studied her a second. “Do you really mean it about getting Savannah out of foster care?”
“I really do.”
“But how?” He shook his head despondently. “My mom’s been trying but they just won’t listen.”
“It takes money. Fortunately for you, we’ve got that, and if you’re on our side, then you’re on the right team.”
“You’re pretty free with the MC’s cash, babe,” Spyder said around a mouthful of candy.
“Nah. I know someone who’ll help. Regardless of whether the Prez approves or not.” They shared a look. Ava would help out, and so would Annette. It didn’t matter whether Mars was happy about it or not.
There was no way Jessie was leaving a Wolf pup in state care. They wouldn’t have a clue how to rear her properly. Female She Wolves could shift at will, unlike She Bears. There was no way a state institute would be able to cope with that.
Joe released a shaky breath. “You’d have my undying gratitude. I hate that she’s in a fucking home and all because of me. I was trying to make things better and fucking failed.”
“There’s no other way your beast could have reacted,” Jessie tried to soothe. “Your Wolf wouldn’t be able to countenance what was happening. That’s why you should have pleaded your heritage as part of your defense.”
“I’m not on the register,” he admitted. “They’d fine me for not having signed onto the ‘list’.”
“So? Better to be fined than stuck in here until you’re dead, surely?”
He grimaced. “Fair point. I’ve never admitted it before, if I’m honest. Not to anyone. I only shared with you because I knew you were Bear and if Spyder said he was married to you, then that meant mated.”
Jessie smiled. “I’m glad you did. It changes things. If any of the Council didn’t feel like helping you before, well, this will change their tune.”
“I don’t need pity,” Joe warned.
“Don
’t you?” Jessie demanded. “I thought you’d need all the help you could get?”
Silence fell at that, until Spyder cleared his throat. “She kind of has a point there, bud. Only way you’re getting out of here is in a coffin, after all. Can’t sink much lower than that.”
Joe blinked. “You two really don’t know how to pull your punches, do you?”
Jessie pulled a face and admitted, “No. Not at all.”
Joe chuckled and shook his head at her downcast expression. “Come on. Tell me that number again. Last thing I need is to forget the fucking thing before I even start.”
Eyes brightening, Jessie said, “Thanks, Joe.”
After a couple of minutes spent with him reciting the number back to front and front to back, he asked, “Do you need me to get in touch with you over this?”
“Only if you want. But what I want is for you to make it clear that you’re only acting as a messenger because you know Spyder. He’s already done something to fuck Martinez off. He can stay in his spotlight for a little while longer. He’s got thousands of Bear Shifters guarding his ass. You, though, don’t have diddly squat.”
“Again, with the pulling your punch thing.” Joe grimaced and reached for the candy. “I need the sugar,” he confessed and poured some down his throat.
“She’s that kind of woman,” Spyder teased. “Drives a man to candy.”
Jessie batted her lashes. “I’ll remind you of that. Later.”
As Joe hooted out his amusement, Spyder squeezed her knee under the table.
Somehow, this was all going to work out right.
Jessie knew it. She could feel it in her core. And that, for the moment, was all she needed.
“You don’t make easy promises, do you?” Chris asked later that evening as she explained to Ava what she’d told Joe.
Chris seemed madder than her, though. But that was because Ava dealt with most things the same way. Be it the desperate need to do laundry or the news she had to somehow pull another miracle and get another man out of jail, she just blinked. Then she turned her attention back to the screen.
Jessie sometimes thought she could yell, ‘Fire’ and it would induce the same reaction in her, but she’d never been brave enough to try out her theory.
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