I’m with her.
I’m home.
The pad of my thumb actually itches with the need to graze her rosy cheekbone, but I resist the urge once more. “Hi,” I murmur back.
Kev, who also wants to greet me, arrives at my side, breaking the spell. His hug is brief but intense, with two powerful pats on my back before he releases me. We sit down at the round table, with them opposite me.
“Twenty minutes,” the guard reminds me before leaving us.
“That’s all the time we have?” Andrea disappointedly asks.
“They need everyone out of here for lunchtime.”
“We’ll try arriving sooner next time,” Kevin decides. “Or we’ll come in the afternoon.”
Andrea nods as she adjusts her dress. “How are you doing?” she asks.
“I guess it could be worse. I’m alone in my cell for security reasons. Everything was on TV, so the other inmates know who I am and that I come from money. The guards are keeping me under tight watch to make sure nothing happens to me. And I can afford anything from the commissary, so I can’t really complain. The food is shit, though.”
“Are you completely cut off from the other inmates?” Kev asks.
“No, I’m still with them for lunch or in the yard. My basketball skills have finally become useful. We’ve played two games now, and they seem to like me.”
“How are you handling boredom?” Andrea wonders.
“I’ve been going through the United States Code to see if I can find something that can help.”
“With your brain, you’ll probably be able to pass the bar once you’re free,” she says with humor. My smile never fully forms, held back by the implications of her words. She still believes there’s an exit out of all this.
“Anything so far?” Kevin asks.
“Not really, but I’m only on volume eighteen.”
“Of how many?”
“Fifty-three.”
“Oof… Some light reading.”
I shrug, unfazed by the number. It’s not like I have other things to do here. There’s that, exercising, and… “I’ve also done a lot of thinking.”
There must be something in my tone that gives away the gravity of what I’m about to say, because they both tense. “I’ve had reports from my lawyers, and I know my situation has been hurting Kelex’s image. We lost investors, and the shares are losing value.”
“It’s okay. Things are stabilizing already,” Kev explains.
“That’s not enough. We can’t risk losing Kelex because of what’s happening. We can’t fail our employees and their families.”
“So what?”
“So I’m removing myself from the equation. I’m transferring you my shares and stepping down as co-CEO so my name won’t affect Kelex further.”
Their jaws drop with shock in a way that’s almost comical. The decision wasn’t an easy one, but I’d rather lose my brainchild than see it taken down with me. If I’m spending the rest of my life in prison, I’dlike to at least know I helped make the world better with Kelex. Kevin will manage well without me, especially with Andrea on the dev team.
“You’re resigning?” he utters, shaken.
“Yes.”
“Lex, I can’t accept this.”
