“Not at all. Whether he chooses to visit you or not is completely up to him.”
“The only visitors I’m allowed are lawyers and immediate family.”
“I know.”
“Then how’d you get in here?”
“Oh, I have my ways.”
Until this point, her gaze has been glued to my ring, but now, she looks up at me with something like fear. Good.
“You should leave,” she snaps.
She twists in her seat, looking for the guard.
“It’s in your best interest to hear me out first before I do.”
Her head jerks back around.
“Is that a threat?”
“No. But this is. This little vendetta you have against me? It ends. Now.”
Rolling her eyes, she huffs a small laugh. “And if itdoesn’t?”
“I’m serious, Janine. I’m giving you one warning. You’re going to want to take it.”
“No.” She smirks, shaking her head. “I don’t think that I do.”
“That’s your choice. But I want you to think about how easy it was for me to get in here. And if I can get in to talk to you, I can get in to talk to your fellow prisoners.”
“So?”
“You seem like the kind of woman who might have a hard time making friends. Actually, you seem like the type who might have a whole cellblock of inmates you’ve rubbed the wrong way. I’m sure one of them would be more than happy to take care of you for an extra couple of jars of peanut butter in their account at the canteen.”
She swallows hard and my smile grows.
“Obviously, we’re never going to be friends,” I continue. “But trust me when I say that you donotwant me as an enemy.”
“You’re a Fed. You wouldn’t dare do anything like that to me.”
“Oh, wouldn’t I?”
Leaning across the table, I lower my voice. “I’ve already had to cross a couple of lines I never intended to because of you. I won’t hesitate to cross another. Turns out, it gets a little easier each time, which is good, because I fully intend to enjoy a long, happy life with Jake. No matter what I have to do to get that chance.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“As long as you leave me alone, you don’t have to be.”
With that, I stand to leave. Pause just as I’m passingher, as if I’ve been struck by an afterthought.
“I almost forgot. If youarestupid enough to keep this little… whatever it is, going, you’re going to have to find someone new to do your dirty work for you. Garrett’s retired.”
Bending at the waist, I whisper in her ear, “I’m afraid I had to kill your poor brother. And you better be glad that I did, because he was seconds away from murdering your son. But, I’m willing to let you live as long as you play nice.”
I press a noisy kiss against her cheek and straighten. Look down into her terrified eyes.
“For now,” I say, wiggling my finger in a wave. With that, I walk out of the room.
