Oranges & Roses

Got Any Other Ideas?

Unedited. One chapter left, my dears. Let me know if you want delayed gratification or if you want me to post it tonight.

Chapter Forty-Eight

One of the guys pounded on the top of the car about five minutes later, signaling my brother was here. I pulled back from where I’d been cuddled up against Rey’s chest, not really ready to get out of the vehicle yet. Rey was reluctant to release me so I could go that far and I could just imagine what it would be like when I got out of the car.

But he looked half awake and a little more than happy when I looked at him.

I chuckled. “You going to survive?”

“Not if you do that often.”

I reached down and without touching him too much, put everything back in its place. He was watching everything I was doing closely, almost as if he didn’t fully trust that I wouldn’t do anything else. And just because he was being an ass about it, I rubbed him through his pants one last time before hoping off him and getting out of the car.

My focus automatically turned to the corrections facility van that was parked across the lot. The windows were tinted out but upon seeing me, the driver and accompanying passenger got out. They were both dressed like guards so that’s what I assumed they were. You never knew these days especially when the FBI was involved.

Rey got out on his side and came around to stand next to me.

“I’m going to get you back for that,” he whispered into my ear.

Without taking my eyes off the van, I smiled and said, “Three months.”

“Yup.” He stood quietly next to me but scooped up my hand. I was rather surprised as I never really held hands with anyone before. The things you miss out on without knowing. When they finally unloaded Vince, I was more than a little startled. He was in the customary orange monstrosity incarcerated people had to wear, black letters running down his left pant leg saying where he’d been locked up. But I wasn’t really paying attention to that. Just the bulletproof vest he was in and the cuffs both on his wrists and his ankles. The sight was startling and actually made me tear up. I never wanted to see my brother like this because of me. When I took a step forward so I could walk over to him, both Rey and the guy that was standing next to us stopped me. I glanced at Rey in irritation but he just shook his head. “They have to release him into our custody first.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Vince wasn’t exactly thrilled with his pair of escorts and he looked like he was about to go berserk. His whole frame was rigid and he kept twisting his wrists. My brother was no stranger to irons but he looked like he was twitching to get his hands around someone’s throat. There was discoloration around his eye and cheek. I didn’t even want to know what he had to go through with the stigma of being an abuser. Most guys locked up didn’t take kindly to hearing that one of their fellow inmates was in for beating on a woman.

They stopped about halfway over to us and that’s when Rey let go of my hand.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

I glared at him. “How come you get to go but I have to stay here?”

“Federal agent.” He pointed to himself. “College student.” He pointed at me. “So stay here. I’ve got to go sign for him.”

“You make it sound like he’s a dog.”

“To them he is,” the other guy said. “More than likely, that bruising on his face is from them.”