One Blood

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

 

Four years earlier

1998

Angola, LA

 

“Baker. You’ve got a visitor,” the guard said, as he approached Lincoln and two fellow inmates shooting basketball in the yard.

Lincoln swished a three-pointer. “Wasn’t expectin’ nobody.”

“Well, someone’s expectin’ you. Bring your ass.”

Lincoln followed the guard through a succession of gates leading to the visitors camp. There was something oddly familiar about him. Just before they reached the visitors camp, the officer shoved Lincoln into a shadowy corridor between the buildings.

“What the fuck?”

“Shhh!” the guard hissed. “Shut the fuck up.”

Lincoln debated whether or not to break the hand pinning him to the wall. “Nigga…”

A deep voice greeted him from the shadows. “Hello, Lincoln.”

The guard released him and a moment later a tall, thin, dark-skinned man with short gray hair emerged from the darkness. He strolled toward Lincoln nonchalantly, as if he could walk out prison anytime he wanted.

Lincoln knew this man. Shit, everyone knew him. He was Angola’s most recent and most infamous resident—Panama X.

Lincoln sized him up. They were both dressed in standard prison attire, but Panama X wore his as if they were vacation clothes. Appearing much younger than his years, Panama X exuded an aura of power and self-control. Awareness blazed from the man’s one good eye; a patch covered the other.

Wonder how he got that?

Lincoln got an uneasy feeling as Panama X’s good eye analyzed him. He’d heard stories that Panama X was some sort of voodoo priest and worshiped the devil. Supposedly he could possess a man just by uncovering the patch on his bad eye. Lincoln didn’t know about all that, but kept a watchful eye on that patch, just in case.

Panama X looked over at the guard and smiled. “You were right, Amir, he does look just like his mother.”

“What the fuck you just say?” Lincoln blurted.

Panama X continued to gaze at Lincoln in silence, as if he were seeing a ghost.

“I understand that you’re new here,” Lincoln warned through gritted teeth. “But you might want to watch yo’ mu’fuckin’ mouth.”