CRIMINAL.

CHAPTER 19

I run down the dark hallway towards the other side of the prison, hearing panicked yells and the static of walkie-talkies going off. I nearly cry when I get to the first row of male prisoners. Cell #13 has to be in here.

I have to hurry too.

I begin to walk towards the row, but stop when I spot two guards sitting in plastic chairs against both walls to the entrance. I'm going to have to create some sort of distraction.

Quickly, I take out my gun and shoot two bullets into the wall furthest from me.

The guard jump, looking up. I flatten myself against the wall, willing myself to become one with the darkness. "What was that?" I hear one guard ask. I hear the chairs squeak and loud footsteps come near me. I shrink farther into the wall, holding my breath. "It might be in the hallway," one of the guards say, and the footsteps fade away.

Once I'm sure their gone, I quickly make my way through the rows of prisoners, ignoring the yells and screams, the arms trying to grab hold of me. I look for cell #13 and find it near the middle. I nearly trip over my own two feet trying to get to the cell.

I spot Ricky sitting on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed. I grip the jail bars, feeling tears well up in my eyes.

"Ricky," I say loud enough for him to hear.

Ricky jumps and looks up at the jail door. When he sees me, his expression holds happiness, shock, and love.

"Kate?" he says.

He gets up and slowly makes his way to the jail door where I am.

I stretch my arm through one of the bars, desperate to touch him, to feel him again.

He suddenly sprints to me, his hand closing around mine. He kneels down in front of me, his face only blocked by the jail bars.

He's changed a lot since I last saw him.

He had recently got his hair cut shorter, has stubble on his upper lip, chin, and jaw line, and I see that he's gotten some new tattoos. There's a dragon winding around his left arm that wasn't there before and a tear drop outlined in black ink is on his right cheek, looking like he's crying.

"Oh, my God," he says, touching my cheek.

I feel tears slip down my cheeks as I lean into his touch.

"Kate, baby, what are you doing here?" he asks. "You should be back home."

"I'm getting you out of here," I say.

"What?" His eyebrows knit together in confusion.

God, I forgot how much I loved his eyebrows.

I forgot how much I loved everything about him.

"I just got the girls out," I say.

"Who? Liv and them?" he asks.

I nod frantically. "But we need to hurry. Liv said she and the girls would meets us outside."

"How are you gonna get me out?" he asks.

I dangle a hairpin in front of his face with a smile and unlock his cell door. I stand up and pull it open for him.

As soon as he steps out, he closes the door and I lock it again with my hairpin.

"Is anyone else in there?" I ask.

He seems to get the picture because he says, "Nah. I was put in there with this other guy who killed his parents."

"Oh, my God," I say, covering my mouth.