“Errol?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then let’s go, boys.”
Same shit, different day. We made our way to the yard. There was no point in showering before then. I spotted Austin in the yard. He was sitting on the bench, the same as last time. Frank was with him again, and they were deep in discussion.
Frank’s cool demeanor cracked slightly. I watched the edges of his mouth twitch as he spoke.
“Thought I might find you here.” The overcast sky gave me the impression we wouldn’t be in the yard long. “You got news, Frank?”
His steely eyes glanced around the yard. Austin sat silently, observing the scene. I gave him a head nod, and he nodded back.
“Your guy is Thomas Peterson. White guy. Some little gangsta wannabe chump, a drug gopher for Las Balas. We got a location. I know where he eats, where he shits, and where his momma lives. It might take a couple of days. I’ll send the word like I said.”
I thought I would feel something else when he gave me the news—triumph or a sense of retribution—but that’s not what I felt. I only felt a vast emptiness. Frank stretched his fingers back, giving me a look over.
“Okay. I got something else I need to be looked into. What do you know about Hector Atwood?”
“Ah. That kid. Word on the street is Las Balas got beef with him. All right kid. Nothing to say. He ain’t brought trouble our way. Why?” Frank quizzed.
I lowered my tone as the clouds got a little grayer. I felt the chill on my skin and goosebumps starting to rise. “A friend of mine is his sister. He’s out now. I just wanted to know if the kid is legit. He’s got a hit out on him. Two hundred thousand down.”
Austin popped out his bottom lip and got up from the bench. “Looks like rain. He’s a good kid. I talked to him a few times. He got into a few brawls, and I told the guys to back off him.”
“I got an idea to get Las Balas off his back. The kid’s sister is my social worker. I owe her in a way. She’s taken care of my daughter. I need to make sure everything is good.”
Frank’s cold eyes crinkled from a smile. “Ah. That nice piece that comes around every month to talk about prison reform. I would want to make sure about that, too.” Frank slapped Austin on the arm, and they shared a laugh.
“She’s really sweet. I think I can get the Russians involved.” I ignored their innuendos, eyeing the sky again.
Frank squinted as the raindrops began to fall. “You mean Vlad’s guys?” He spat to the side as the other pussies started heading undercover to shield themselves from a few droplets of rain.
“Yeah.”
“Might work. The way I see it, you did the team a solid, so he has to meet you halfway.”
“Exactly,” I agreed.
The splattering of rain turned to heavier drops, and it coated the yard. Prisoners in their sandy uniforms started moving from the yard and ran to the entrance. I found the rain refreshing, and I wished it would wash all my sins away.
An announcement came, and then the bell. “All prisoners, please return to your cells. If the weather changes, we will run another half-hour later in the afternoon. All prisoners back to your cell blocks.”
“Stay tuned, brother. Keep your head up. Be careful. You have minimal time to go. Raymond’s been on the warpath. He sent two already on the south ward to the hole,” Frank spoke out the side of his mouth as we marched back to our cell dens.
“I’ve been warned,” I responded with a somber tone.
“See you on the next merry-go-round, brother,” Austin said as his rangy frame departed down the prison hallway. If I had a magic wand to take these guys out of prison with me, I would.
Once back inside the cell, I called Vlad from a burner phone that was delivered to me inside of a library book. “Hey, brother.”
“Brother. Good to hear from you. You all right in there? See Frank yet?”
“Yep. I’ve seen him. We’ve talked. Everything’s good.” I put my hand behind my head. “I need a favor.”
Vlad, with his thick Russian accent, responded, “Anything. You know that. What do you need?”
“I need access to the Russians.”
