She looked around, taking in her surroundings. Her curious brown eyes took in the exits, two in front of her to the right and to the left and three behind her. Her eyes took in the number of guards around her, a guard at each exit behind her…two of them on The Wolf Pack’s payroll and two more guards in front of her, not on the payroll. Not to mention the guard escorting her into the S.H.U. Her ears were assaulted by catcalls and whistles as she walked down the stark white corridor of the S.H.U.
She kept her head up and ignored it all. She was there to see one person and one person only. She had paid a lot of money to see him and she wasn’t going to waste her time dealing with horny, lonely prisoners. This visit was costing her a lot, not only money but time away from her family and the club and especially time away from Justin. She honestly never expected them to let her back here. Randall Timberlake wasn’t exactly an outstanding resident of the Tennessee Correctional Maximum Security Prisons.
No, he wasn’t just in solitary confinement…he was in the S.H.U. A place ten times worse than solitary confinement. A place she had spent a lot of time in when she did her time. The S.H.U. also known as Solitary Housing Unit was where they put the prisoners who were a threat not only to fellow prisoners but the guards and themselves as well. Believe it or not she preferred the S.H.U., she found it peaceful but it could drive a weak mind crazy.
Twenty-three hours and fifty minutes in a stark white cell with no windows not even on the damn door. One tiny slot connects you to the outside world just big enough to slip about five envelopes through. Your bed consisted of a big block of white cement jutting out of the wall with a small mattress on top. Not the best thing to sleep on but after time you get used to it. A tiny white toilet seat in the back right or left corner depending on which side of the hallway you were on. At least they gave you a white desk shelf made out of cold steel to write letters on or writing your fucking life story if you wanted too.
She gave the guard a small nod as he opened Randall’s cell and quickly stepped back. She walked into the small cell, jumping slightly as the heavy metal door behind her slammed shut.
“Hard to get use to that when you’ve been on the outside, eh Aiden?” Randall said as he looked up from where he was sitting on his bed.
“Yeah, I don’t miss it. How’ve you’ve been Randy?” Shift asked as she took a seat next to him and offered him a cigarette as she lit one of her own.
He took her offer, lighting it with a match she handed him before speaking up again, “I’ve been better. Just rotting away like usual…so, what can I help you with?”
“I-I just don’t know what to do…Justin has so much shit on his shoulders and I don’t know how to lessen the load. He keeps talking about having more kids and…and I want too but he already has so much going on PawPaw. I don’t want to be a burden to him. What should I do?” Shift asked as she looked at him expectantly.
“You need to talk to him about this. He needs to know how you feel about having more children. As far as this load…there are other members in the club. Justin and you need to delegate instead of handling everything. If it’s a trust issue for ya’ll then have Trace handle it. Ya’ll trust him, right?” Randall asked her as she nodded her head, “Okay then. Is that all that’s been on your mind?”
“No…” Shift said as she looked away from Randall’s curious gaze, “What does the name Erik Massey mean to you?” She whispered so low Randall had to lean closer to her.
“Uh…” Randall said as he let out a sigh, “What did Justin tell you about Erik?”
“Just that they did some time together and that he beat him up but…I know there’s more to it than just that.” Shift said as her curious brown eyes met Randall’s all-telling blue ones.
“N-Nothing…I mean… nothing happened between you and Erik, right?” Randall asked as Shift’s head snapped up.
“No! Never!” Shift told him as she shook her head adamantly, “I served with Erik in the Marines. He watched my back and I watched his, that’s about as far as anything ever went,” Shift said as she lit another cigarette and handed Randall another one, “He stopped by Millington the other day. I think he has some plans regarding Justin. I just need to know if he’s still a friend or if he’s a foe.”
“Have you asked Justin?” Randall asked and she chuckled.
“Yeah right because he’s so forth coming with information about what went down in here.” She told him with a shake of her head and he nodded in understanding.
“Erik liked to talk smack about Justin. Called him Ass-Tapper for about as long as Justin could handle it. You know how my son is when it comes to anything that deals with you. You know about the fights we set up in here…well Erik was Justin’s first fight. He beat Erik pretty bad. So Erik tried to make Justin’s life in here hell but once the whole “operation” started Erik wanted a piece of the action. Justin of course wouldn’t have it. Erik’s been bitter ever since. I can only imagine how he felt the other day seeing you with Justin. Everyone in here knew he was pining away for some girl and I can only imagine that if he stopped by Millington it was to catch a glimpse of you not my son.” Randall told her as she muttered a few cuss words under her breath.
“Stupid stupid Erik. You know he’s in trouble making an enemy out of my man?” Shift said as she stood up.
“Question will be, if it comes down to it who will you protect?” Randall said as he put out his cigarette.
“Do you even have to ask? I protect Justin and I will until the day that I die. I’ll make sure Erik knows that too,” She told him as the guards opened up the door to his cell, “Take care Randy. I put some money into your account,” she let him know before she left and the cell door shut again.
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He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as his head fell back and rested against the cool concrete of the jail cell he was in. Shift was going to be pissed when she got back from visiting his dad. They had gone to the club and handcuffed him in front of everybody, brought him down to the station for questioning. Then they threw him in this cell and waited. They were waiting for him to crack before they questioned him but that wasn’t going to happen. He was used to it by now. He was used to being locked up, handcuffed, questioned…the whole damn system. Shift was going to be so pissed!
His girl was like that. She didn’t like him locked up, away from her in some cell. More importantly she didn’t like his dick locked up in some cell away from her.
He wished they would just question him and get it over with. He didn’t even know why they wanted to question him. Somehow he had a sneaky suspicion that Erik Massey was behind it all. Shift had trusted Erik back then but he knew she didn’t trust him now. She didn’t have to tell him, it was all in her eyes and the way she questioned him about the time he did with Erik. He gave her some details but now all. He wasn’t one for rehashing his prison time with the love of his life. Some things were meant to be kept and never talked about. To him, what he did in prison was one of those things.
He lifted his head as the jail cell doors opened and Sheriff Teller walked in. He didn’t say a word as Sheriff Teller escorted him down to the questioning room. He took a seat and lit a cigarette as an ATF agent walked into the room. The same damn agent that had arrested him and brought him in for questioning.
“Mr. Timberlake, I’m Agent Bonner. We brought you in because we have a witness that says you participated in setting up a drug smuggling scheme while in prison.”
“Are you asking me if I did? Because the answer is no. Tell your damn witness I was released early on good behavior.” Justin spat out as he took a drag of his cigarette and expelled the smoke from his lungs, “Are you going to hold me or what?”
“Mr. Timberlake, do you understand these are serious charges being made against you?” Agent Bonner asked him.
“Are you charging me or not?” He asked as the door to the interrogation room opened and his lawyer walked in.
He smiled to himself as he saw Shift standing in the hallway.
“It is my understanding that you arrested my client without reading him his rights and you started questioning him when he asked that his lawyer be present. Unless you’re charging him with a crime…we’re leaving,” His lawyer stated and Agent Bonner shook his head no, “Let’s go Justin.”
He rose from his seat and walked out into the hallway, grabbing Shift by the waist and pulling her close to him. She smelled like citrus and cigarettes, a combination that always managed to turn him on.
“Tell Erik Massey that he better get his facts straight before he goes accusing my man again.” His girl told Agent Bonner and he had to smile as he kissed her JT tattoo.
Shift’s grip on his hip tightened as they walked out of the police station together. He thanked his lawyer as Shift got in the passenger seat of his Cutless and waited for him. Her choice between him and Massey was clear to him. She was standing by his side and making her choice obvious, just like he knew she would.
