Page 67 of Hard Heart

“That is a fair point.”

Levi took a steadying breath and pushed for what he needed. “Promise me that for the next month, you’ll study for your exam and nothing else. Don’t go chasing ghosts, don’t try speaking to any murderers, and forget about driving down here.”

Sera’s mouth set in a hard line. Uh-oh.

“You don’t want to see me?”

“Yes, but I want you to pass the bar exam more. If you set up a phone account, I can call you.”

Her pout said she didn’t love that idea, but tough shit.

“Will the conversations be recorded?”

“Unfortunately. I can push the guards to bend the rules with visits, but not calls.”

“Then I’ll come every other weekend.”

“Sera…”

“Learn to compromise, darling.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” She seemed surprised. Hadn’t the ex entered into the spirit of negotiation?

“As long as you promise to do nothing but study the rest of the time.”

“Fine.” She gave a heavy, contented sigh. “I promise.”

Levi ran a fingernail along the arch of her foot, and she shuddered. “Good girl.”

In his cell, Levi flopped onto the lower bunk with an equally weighty sigh and stared at the springs on the bed above. He had a picture of Ruby tucked into them, but the only woman on his mind lately had been Serafina Hennessy. For better, for worse.

“How was the meeting with your ‘lawyer’?” Diesel asked. “Did she give you a foot job yet?”

“She’s lost her fucking mind.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”

“Bad. Definitely bad.” He summarised Sera’s recklessness for Diesel, who gave a low whistle.

“Yeah, she’s hotheaded, all right. High IQ, low survival instinct. What’re you gonna do?”

“The only thing I can do. I need Jorge’s cell phone, and I need a favour from your dad.”

Levi had spent the better part of a decade building up points in the unofficial prison barter system. Thanks to the painting, he had a well-padded commissary account, and he’d been teaching art skills to the others. He used his influence to bend the will of the guards, which meant friends escaped punishment for minor infractions and folks could get extra yard time if they wanted it. And Levi had taken Diesel under his wing and worked to tame his impulse control issues, stopping him from doing anything foolhardy that might land him in more trouble than he was in already.

Now it was time to cash in some of those points.

And probably go to hell while he was at it.

“So you want this Oryn Jacobs taken out of the picture?” Duke asked a half hour later after Levi had given him a brief precis of the situation.

“Not like that. I’m not asking for a fucking hit. Serafina has her exam in a few weeks, and I just want her to stay safe. Jacobs needs to understand that she and her friend are off-limits.”

“Yeah, we can do it.”

“No blood.”