He ground his teeth, lifting his chin and showing no emotion as he walked the line down to his cell. Anything would have been viewed as weakness. He made eye contact with a few guys. Acknowledgement. Of him, not them. They were all trying to stay on his good side. It was a smart move on their part. Wraith was the last man to make an enemy of.
The loud siren squealed, and his cell door opened. Knox looked up from his bed but made no move to welcome him back. That wasn’t how they’d done it in jail. They kept it all locked down. Even on the outside, there wasn’t any softness. No hugs or welcoming words. A simple firm handshake said it all. But they were brothers, and taunting was to be expected.
“Not gonna lie. It was fucking nice having thissuiteall to myself.”
The corner of his mouth curled, and Wraith snorted. “Shut the fuck up.”
A small cackle sounded, but Knox made no move to get down from the top bunk. It was perfect. Wraith didn’t need any fanfare. He’d get it in the courtyard from the others, along with fear and intimidation. Standing at six foot six had its advantages.
The only saving grace to his prison term was bunking with his brother. It was usually prohibited due to their affiliation, but their president, Ace, had made some calls and cashed in a few favors.
“Where’s Cross?”
Their VP had gotten locked up around the same time but sent to another prison. He’d recently been transferred here to ride out his sentence until release. Aside from yard time, they hadn’t seen much of him. For Wraith, he’d only seen him and another brother twice before getting sent to the hole.
“Two cells down with Cypher.”
Wraith breathed easy knowing their VP was rooming with another club member. It was a solid alliance with a strong backup from other allies. This stint would be an easy one. Not too long.They were all two years in, with only one more left. It wasn’t his first stay at the prison, but it was his longest. Wraith rolled his shoulders, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. This freedom was small but more than he’d had in the last seven days.
“Mail is on the desk,” Knox said, not bothering to look up from his book.
Mail. It was rare and only came once a week. In solitary, he’d gotten nothing. He stared across the small cell at the metal table. There were a few envelopes stacked up and one standing alone.
It had been over two months since he’d received anything. Before that, it was a twice monthly ritual. Two letters every month. Nothing more, and coming from a complete stranger. If not for her, Wraith wouldn’t have gotten anything. With no family, the club was all he had.
He wasn’t even sure how it started. Knox’s sister randomly wrote to him. The note was generic, impersonal, but so very sweet, awkward, and kind. As time went on, she opened up a little more about her life. It wasn’t much to speak of, even she acknowledged that. The weather, her daily routine, and her shitty jobs. Other times she talked about her home, what she saw, what she did. How she felt. But she wasn’t honest. Her words were carefully curated, never giving too much detail. It took both him and Knox to read between the lines. Wraith knew all about Knox’s past with his mother. An alcoholic, an addict, abusive, and toxic. Knox had gotten away. Cleo hadn’t. There was hope things had turned out differently for his sister, but all signs were pointing to no such luck.
Oh, the irony.Two men willing to lay down their lives, fight hard, and kill, if need be, couldn’t do a goddamn thing locked behind metal bars and barbed wire. Cleo hadn’t said anything too revealing in her letters, but there was an underlying fear. Wraith sensed it. So did Knox.
Wraith grasped his jaw, eyeing the small envelope a few feet away on the desk. One envelope, one letter, and familiar writing. He’d memorized her script, the way her Asometimes looked likean E,and how she carelessly forgot to cross her Ts. It was her personal style, as he’d learned throughout the years.Yeah, years!That was how long she’d written to him.
While he’d never admit it to anyone, he liked it. Looked forward to her letters that seemed to come on a rigid schedule. Then, they’d stopped. The first week he’d chalked it up to a delay. The next week, he brushed it off.Who the hell cares anyway?By the third week, he realizedhedid. Missing out on her letters fanned an anger festering inside of him. Something he’d come to think of as his possession had been taken away. A lot of people had suffered as a result of his rage. All for lack of a letter.From her.
Wraith slowly angled his head, reaching across the small space, grabbing the letter, and tucking himself in the lower bunk. He stretched his legs and eyed the address. It was definitely her handwriting. Prim and proper, a little bubbly and soft. Very feminine. It was exactly how he’d envisioned Cleo.
How long had it been since he’d felt a woman’s touch? Two years felt like forever. Wraith had never been a stranger to women. A lot were intimidated, but more were intrigued. His size, muscle, and brutal yet handsome looks attracted them all. He’d bedded hundreds of women.But where the fuck are they now?Those women had been happily by his side. Until shit got real. Now he was alone except for his brothers in the club. Andher.
He slipped his finger inside the envelope and pulled out the lined paper, unfolding it. A sweet scent wafted, firing his senses. He wasn’t sure if she’d done it intentionally, or if it just carried her scent. Either way, it had become familiar, and in a way, comforting.
Hi Wraith!
I hope this letter finds you safe and well. I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to hear from me. But Knox said you would, so here goes.
Nothing much has changed since I’ve last written. I’m still at thesame jobs. The hours are long, but it’s pretty good money. And I just got a fifty-cent raise. It’s not much but it’s something, right? Remember Mario from the pizzeria? I mentioned him in my last letter. Well, he found out Albert was skimming from the register, and they had an actual fistfight in the middle of the dining floor. In front of customers and everything! It was wild. Needless to say, Albert got fired, and Mario’s court date is set for next month. We all have our faults, right? Hahaha… Not too much else to report. I’m kind of boring.
If you want to write back, I’d love that. And if you don’t, that’s okay too. I know we’ve never met, but any brother of Knox’s is a brother of mine. If you don’t want me to write, just tell Knox and I’ll stop. I don’t want to bother you.
I’m not really big on prayer. I’m more of a spiritual soul. So, sending you lots of positive and safe vibes.
Your friend, Cleo
Wraith read the letter again. And again. By the fourth time, he had it memorized. He glanced down at the very bottom of the note.
P.S. I enclosed a picture of me. It’s from my yearbook. It’s not my best. I guess it’s kind of silly actually. But I thought maybe putting my face to the letters might make me seem like less of a stranger to you. Anyway, bye Wraith.
He dug into the envelope and pulled out her picture.
Fuck!
