Framed

by C. P. Smith

  “I think that man is a choir boy compared to most of the inmates there. He gave up his career to take care of a dying grandfather; he won’t hesitate to drop the investigation if he thinks a woman he loves might die.”

  “Would you give up your freedom for a woman?’

  “Fuck no. Pussy is pussy. But I’m not an idealist who served his country for the greater good.”

  “No, you served your country to escape prison.”

  “And I got out as soon as I could,” White stated. “I’m not dying for anyone but myself. If you think I’ll lay down my life to keep you safe, you’re mistaken, Williams. I’m working on this with you to keep from ending up where Kingston is. Don’t think for a minute you have my undying loyalty. I’ll kill you as easily as I killed Sutton if it suits my purposes.”

  “Fair enough . . . Go take your pictures and let’s see if Kingston is as good a guy as you think he is.”

  White stood, ready to leave, but before he made it to the door, Williams called out.

  “Just so you know, I’d kill you first.”

  White grinned, nodding. He understood the man. ”I didn’t expect anything less from you,” he replied, then exited the room.

  “Cocksucker,” White mumbled as he headed for his van. Williams would no more pull a trigger than his mother did to keep his father from beating him.

  Pulling out a sheet of paper he’d written the dog trainer’s address on, he stared at her name. “Harley Dash,” he muttered. He got an erection just thinking about her fine ass.

  Twenty minutes later, he drove past the address and found it was a repair shop in an industrial neighborhood. He took a left, wound back around to the two-story building, parked a block up, and waited. Pulling out his digital camera with a telephoto lens, he raised it to his eye and scanned the building. He didn’t see Harley on the first floor, just mechanics working on automobiles. Scanning up to the second floor, he found a spot between two branches of a large oak tree where he could see an apartment. He took a picture to gauge how clear the shot would turn out, then adjusted for the distance. Bringing the camera back up to his eye, he focused again. As the shot came into focus, his breath caught and his cock hardened. Harley exited her bathroom wrapped in a towel and dropped it on the bed before picking up her panties.

  The camera whirled to life as White held the shutter down, taking picture after picture of pink tits, a bare cunt, and hips he could hold on to as he drove home. Then, miracle of miracles, she paused before dressing. His finger stopped pressing the shutter for a moment as his breath stopped all together. Whatever she was thinking about wasn’t training dogs as her hand ran down her stomach until she was touching her pink pussy.

  “That’s it, touch yourself,” White mumbled as his cock pushed painfully against his zipper. When her other hand came up and pinched her full breast, tugging at the pebbled nipple, her hips rocked into her hand.

  White pressed the shutter again, then released the button and zipper of his jeans and grabbed hold of his cock. The businesses around her apartment were spread out. He could sit there and jack off without anyone noticing. He figured with her apartment on the second floor and a tree blocking most of her view, she had a false sense of privacy; that or she just forgot to shut her blinds. Either way, he intended to watch his fill while he jacked off.

  When she fell to her bed and her hips arched into her touch, he felt his balls draw up. How he managed to keep taking pictures while he slid his hand up and down his length he wasn’t sure, but when she arched one final time and her mouth opened in ecstasy, White shot his load onto the floor of his van. His cum dripped from his cock as he caught his breath. He went to wipe himself clean before he pulled his pants back into place and an idea formed. He figured this would push the SEAL over the edge and gain his compliance at the same time. Aiming the camera at his swollen cock, he took a picture with his cum still dripping from the tip.

  After stuffing his cock back into his jeans, he pulled out his phone and called Drum.

  “I’m on my way,” he grunted out.

  “You’ve got pictures already?”

  “Oh, yeah. These are guaranteed to get a reaction,” he answered as he focused his camera and took one last shot as she dressed. “Give me an hour to make copies then I’ll be on my way. Make sure you give the note and pictures to Fat Bastard today. I want this guy neutralized by nightfall.”

  ***

  “Did I tell you about the time Stella and I struck gold?” Cooter asked as they entered the common area of cellblock C. Kade looked down at the old man as he walked Buck back to their cell.

  “Pretty sure I would remember if you told me about striking it rich.”

  “Weeeeell, we didn’t exactly strike it rich.”

  “What exactly would you call it?”

  “See, there was this jewelry store that just got a shipment of . . . Is that fat bastard actually standing outside your cell?”

  Kade looked up and saw the man himself leaning against the open door. Buck started growling within feet of Leroy, so Kade put him in a sit and stay.

  “You wanna see me about something?” Kade bit out. The man had balls, that’s for sure. Not many men would try to kill him and then wait for him outside his cell as if they were friends.

  “I came to tell you that I’ve called off the hit. It was nothing personal, Kingston. Just business.”

  “It felt pretty fucking personal to me.”

  “I’m inclined to believe you. But what I meant was, it wasn’t personal between you and me. You have an enemy, Kingston. One with deep pockets and long arms.”

  “You got a name?”

  “Nope, just know he wants you to stop looking for the real killers.”

  “That’s not gonna happen.”

  Fat Bastard pushed off Kade’s cell and reached into his pocket. “These came in this evening. An incentive, I was told.”

  Kade looked down at the envelope in Fat Bastard’s hand and dread crept in. Snatching the envelope from the man, he entered his cell, dropping the envelope on the bed. Moving to Buck’s cage, he opened the door and instructed the dog to get inside. When he was done securing Buck, he turned and stared at the envelope for a moment. It stared back at him like a snake ready to strike. He didn’t have a choice and he knew it; he had to open it and look inside. Reaching for it, he carefully pulled out the contents. He knew it would be bad, but he hadn’t expected what he saw. Picture after picture of Harley naked, touching herself in a way he’d been dreaming about for years. He felt his temper spike instantly at the thought of another man watching, then it erupted when he saw a picture of a man’s swollen cock dripping with cum. With what was left of his control, he unfolded a note that came with his special delivery. “Do the time, accept your fate, and your lady love lives. Keep investigating, and she ends up like Sutton.”

  The whole cellblock was quiet while they waited for him to react. Fat Bastard had waited outside his cell, expecting a reply to the threat. No one could miss the sound of the note being crushed between his fingers, or the pictures being shredded into tiny pieces. When he was done shredding the pictures so no one else saw them, he delivered the reply Fat Bastard had been waiting for. It was swift and painful; he put his fist right into Leroy’s jaw.

  No one moved when the big man went down, they just waited to see if Kade would finish him off. Standing over the godfather, Kade reached down, pulled him up by the collar and seethed, “You tell that son of a bitch there won’t be a hole deep enough to escape me if she so much as stubs a toe while I do my time.”

  Fat Bastard nodded without hesitation.

  “Boy? You’re giving up?” Cooter asked in shock.

  Kade dropped Fat Bastard back to the floor and stepped over the man. He neither answered Cooter nor looked back at Leroy lying prone on the floor. He walked over to his TV, jerked at it until he pulled from the wall, then lifted it up, and threw it across his cell as he thundered, “FUCK!” The guards had been watching cautiously as Kade too
k down Fat Bastard, but they knew he was a powder keg now and came running.

  Past caring about anyone’s safety at that moment, he took them all on, one after another, in a state of blind rage. In his mind’s eye, all he could see was Harley’s naked body covered in blood, pale in death just like Sutton’s, and he lost control further. Each jaw he cracked, each punch he threw, was fueled by desolation. For his parents not loving him enough to stick around, for being framed for a murder he didn’t commit, for not being there for his grandfather when he needed him most, and for having tasted something as pure as Harley only to have her ripped from his hands.

  He hadn’t lost control like this since he was sixteen and his father came to town looking for money. He knew he’d do a week in solitary for attacking the guards and that was fine with him. It’s where he needed to be. He’d kill someone if he wasn’t locked down until he gained some semblance of control.

  Kade could barely walk when they finally beat him back with their batons and hauled him out of the cell. When they passed by Cooter, he grunted out, “Take Buck to class tomorrow and give him back to Harley. Tell her I’m done. Tell Harley to tell the boys, I’m done, to go home.”

  “You can’t let them win,” Cooter shouted.

  “They already have, old man. Just do what I asked.”

  “They won’t stop just because you say so,” Cooter answered back.

  “They will when you tell her I’m guilty and decided to quit lying to her and everyone else.”

  Cooter kept up with Kade as they walked him across the common area. “I won’t do it, boy, I won’t send them away.”

  Kade locked his legs when he heard that, stopping the guards in their tracks. Before the guards could shove him through the door, he turned cold, dark eyes on Cooter.

  “You tell her what I said or you’re signing her death sentence, old man. If anything happens to her, I swear I’ll hold you personally responsible, Cooter.”

  Cooter stopped, open-mouthed gaping, after Kade and the guards left the room.

  Before they disappeared behind the security door, Kade thundered over his shoulder, “You tell her what I said, Cooter. You hear me?”

  “He’s not lying, Cooter. They’ll kill her if his friends don’t back off,” Fat Bastard said at his side.

  “Threatening women and framing heroes. The world’s gone to piss, Leroy,” Cooter mumbled.

  “That it has, old man. Used to be a man got out of line you just shot him in the head. Now people are shootin’ up the hood, putting babies in the grave, and threatening beautiful women to get their way. No honor among criminals anymore.”

  “Thieves,” his second corrected. “No honor among thieves.”

  “Do I look like a thief?”

  “No, boss.”

  “Then don’t call me one. Nothin’ worse than a thief,” Fat Bastard replied as Cooter continued to watch Kade being hauled away.

  ***

  Gray clouds hung over Renault like an omen Wednesday morning. When I caught sight of Prez and Mickey leaning against their rental, I knew without a doubt that something was wrong when I looked at their faces. Taking a deep breath as I got out of my Jeep, I braced for whatever was coming.

  “What’s wrong?” I blurted out as soon as my feet hit the parking lot.

  “Kade’s in solitary. He took on four guards last night,” Prez informed me.

  “What? Why?”

  “That’s what we’re hoping you can find out. Can you talk to the shrink and see what’s happening?”

  “Yeah, sure. Let me talk to Michelle about taking over my class, then I’ll head to Hinkle’s office. Are you gonna wait here?”

  “Yeah, we’ll hang outside ‘til you know something. We’re waiting on a call back from an old SEAL buddy who’s gonna do some recon for us on Consolidated.”

  “Okay, I’ll meet you back here as soon as I talk to Hinkle.”

  I’d left Buttercup at home, so I was able to move quickly through admittance to the prison. I handed over my purse and waited to be patted down. Once they were done checking for weapons, I headed to the classroom. Michelle was already there, so I moved towards her as inmates started filing in with their dogs.

  “I need you to cover class today, there’s been an emergency.”

  Michelle nodded and took my clipboard. “Sure, no problem,” she answered.

  “If I can get back before you’re done, I will, I just have to—”

  “—Harley?” a gruff, old voice asked. I turned to find an old man with a bald head and really bad teeth. He was also escorting Buck.

  “Hey boy,” I mumbled, reaching down to scratch Buck’s ears.

  “Can we talk over here?” the old man asked, pointing to a corner. I assumed that since he had Buck he knew what was going on with Kade. Nodding, I moved with him until we were out of earshot of the other inmates.

  “My name is Cooter Hays and I’m here with a message from Kade.”

  “What happened to him?

  “He, ah . . . he told me to tell you . . . Shit, this ain’t easy.”

  As I listened to the old man stammer over his words, a million and one scenarios ran through my mind. But I sure as hell wasn’t prepared for his answer.

  “Kade told me to tell you to take Buck home. That he’s guilty and he don’t want you nor his friends bein’ troubled anymore. He’s gonna do his time like he should. He said them boys should just go on back home now, ya hear?”

  I actually chuckled when he finished. “What’s the punch line?”

  “No punch line, Harley. Kade is done trying to fool everyone. He did the crime, now he’s gonna do the time. So just take this here flea bag home with you and get on with your life.”

  Cooter’s face had turned hard as he spoke, and my smile fell as I realized he wasn’t joking. My world halted and I felt my heart skip a beat until it righted itself and began pounding again in my chest. Cooter’s message frightened me and I felt off balance. Tiny shivers ran down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. This wasn’t the Kade I knew; he didn’t give up without a fight.

  “He’s lying,” I bit out. “Kade didn’t kill anyone.”

  “He killed lots of people, missy. You’re only foolin’ yourself if you think he hasn’t.”

  “That was war,” I defended.

  “Not this time.”

  “I don’t understand. Why is he doing this?” I whispered. A knot formed in my throat; I could feel my eyes begin to burn with unshed tears as I tried to will the man to tell me the truth. “Why are you helping him lie?”

  “I’m not doin’ nothin’ but delivering a message from Kade. I’m sorry darlin’, but he don’t wanna see you no more, you hear me? He don’t wanna train no fleabag mutt. He don’t wanna lie no more about what he done. He’s a killer and he didn’t feel right about foolin’ you. He couldn’t live with himself no more and he got in a fight with a man and ended up in solitary for his trouble. He was gonna tell you today ‘til he lost his cool.”

  He tried to hand Buck's lead back to me, but I just stood there and shook my head.

  “No, you’re lying.”

  “I’m not lying,” he bit out. “Just take the damn dog and leave the boy alone. He’s been through enough. You’ll just upset him more if you come back.”

  I was numb by the time he finished and barely moved when he handed me Buck’s lead before turning around and exiting the room quickly. I stood there in silence, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened.

  Kade was no killer. I’d never believe that.

  The boys, they’ll know what to do.

  Half in denial and half in hysterics, I took off down the hall with Buck in tow. By the time I made it to security, I was holding back tears. While I waited for them process my release, I stared blank-faced at the guard, running over Cooter’s words repeatedly in my head.

  Five grueling minutes later, they opened the door for me to leave, and I started running again, dragging Buck with me. I wound a
round the halls that lead to the parking lot and hit the glass door hard. Once I made my way down the steps and had the boys in sight, I started shouting. They turned, saw the tears that couldn’t be contained, and went from good ole boys to scary SEALs in a blink of an eye.

  “Talk to us,” Prez growled.

  “It’s Kade. He sent a man to find me. He’s telling everyone he’s guilty and he doesn’t want to see us anymore!”

  Prez sucked in a sharp breath and looked at Mickey. Mickey’s face grew hard and he nodded towards me as some silent SEAL language passed between them. Then Prez turned, looked me straight in the eyes, and smiled as if I hadn’t just told him Kade confessed to being a killer.

  “It’s all good, Princess. Dry those tears now; we’ll handle this. Give me the name of the man you spoke with, then get on home to your dad’s house and wait for us until we get back,” he said, wearing a calm expression that spoke volumes.

  “What? I’m not leaving until we know what the hell is going on!”

  “There’s nothing you can do today,” Mickey placated as he wrapped his big hand around my arm and tried to walk me to my car.

  “But—“

  “—Run on home and let us handle this,” Mickey continued. “We’ll be there as soon as we get done talking with this inmate you spoke with.”

  “What’s his name?” Prez asked.

  “Cooter Hays,” I supplied, looking between the two men. They both acted as if it was no big deal that Kade was acting out of character. “What’s going on? Why are you both so calm?”

  “It’ll be all right, Harley. Don’t you worry,” Prez smiled again, but it was more of a grimace and it didn’t meet his eyes.

  “You don’t actually believe I’m buying this crap, do you?” I replied firmly.

  Prez narrowed his eyes at me and Mickey chuckled. Crossing my arms, I stood my ground, not about to leave until I had answers.

  “All right, have it your way. No way is Kade guilty. If he is sending us home, then it must be dangerous for us to stay. We can’t worry about the both of you until we know more. So get your ass in the Jeep, go home, and don’t leave until we get back. Does that work better for you?”