Page 68 of His Obsession
“I never said I was a good man. I said I wasn’t like this before.” He waved his hand around with a cigarette between his thumb and pointer—ash falling to the floor. “You aren’t listening,” he said, slurring his speech.
Jimmy pulled out his phone, and my heart jumped. My legs shook with panic. My body now automatically reacted at the sight of his phone. I knew what was coming; I knew what would happen. I didn’t bother to beg or plead anymore. I couldn’t let Alek see me like that.
He walked towards me, pulling the last of the ember down to the filter, and sucked a big gulp of air through his teeth. Bracing himself before me, he leaned over and blew the smoke in my face. My eyes blinked rapidly as they burned, and the stench irritated my nose. He placed the glowing ember to my collar, putting it out on my skin.
The smell of charring flesh made my stomach roll as my skin crumbled into ash, and my blood-curdling shriek pierced the air.
I’m sorry, Alek.
I turned my face away from him so he couldn’t record my face and bit back the next sob that tried to escape. I couldn’t cry anymore. I needed to stay quiet so he wouldn’t show anything to Alek.
A tear slid down my face, and I released a shaking gasp. I clenched my jaw and wiped the tears on my other shoulder, and sniffed.
“There we go, that’s better. Ready to listen?”
I nodded, keeping my face turned away from him.
The firebolts of pain from my sensitive nerves ran up my neck and down my hands—my blood pumping in my ears,thump, thump, thump—the tension in my brain building.
“Right, so when I was in prison, I met a guy named Kris. He said his club, ‘Dirty Bones,’ told him to take the fall for a crime. Some complicated things that I didn’t pay much attention to.” He paused, leaning against the table and crossing his arms. “His family got slaughtered while he was in, and the MC did nothing about it. So, he stayed in good standing with the club so he could keep his access.”
Tears slipped down as I tried to follow the arbitrary story of his time in prison. He did this from time to time—told me things that helped me create a picture of reasoning. He filled in the gaps that Alek should have talked to me about from the beginning.
“When he got out, I found myself being transported to a hospital. It was genius, really. You see, ordinarily, death row inmates don’t go anywhere.” Jimmy tapped open another pack of cigarettes, eliminating the anticipation of him leaving at some point. “Kris planned for his squad to ambush the ambulance, freeing me from my shackles, and I’ve been hiding out ever since. He met his end of the deal. Then it was time for mine.”
My heart picked up its pace, ready to leave my chest as he lit the smoke. “What deal?”
“If he sprung me free, I’d help him avenge his family.”
I thought death row inmates were in solitary confinement their entire stay. How would he be able to meet another inmate?
“My son is an Arms Dealer or some shit like that. Thanks to Cray, I could get loads of information to help me.”
“Wait… Mr. Donovan?” I interrupted.Alek is an arms dealer?I shook my head. What did that mean, he sold guns? Like in the movies? Does that exist? I thought you just got your firearms at the store like everyone else.
“Oh yeah, see, it was his responsibility to find me, and he did a piss-poor job of it, seeing as how he never found me, and I was right under their nose. I guess that’s why Alek stabbed him. He has anger issues, you know?”
“Is that how you got my number?” I asked.
“Ah, ah,” he said, waving a finger in my face. “Don’t get ahead. I followed him from the office with the pretty redhead to a doctor’s office. Once he got in his cab, I followed him and nabbed him from there. He was pretty doped up on painkillers, so it was easy to do.”
He took another drag off his smoke and pressed it next to the fresh burn, not bothering to capture the moment. Searing agony strafed across my body, and I bit my tongue, tasting the metallic flavor of blood. A small, quiet sob escaped despite my efforts.
“You’re getting better at that,” he applauded.
My leg started bobbing uncontrollably, generating more pain. I blinked back the tears and took a deep breath, letting it out at a slow, steady pace.
“Anyway, you’re right. That’s how I got your number, but even better… that’s how I found out about you,” he said.
I didn’t give him the gratification of shock. “Lucky me,” I mumbled under my breath.
“See, he sang like a pretty bird about you,” he continued as if he didn’t hear me. “Did you know that they hired you because of Alek? They didn’t even need your position. That’s why you sat around bored out of your mind,” he said, putting his hands up in defense. “His words, not mine.”
This dude was beyond delusional.
“Right, because it matters who said that.” I rolled my eyes. “Are we done with your external monologue now?” I said, annoyed. “I’d like to go back to sitting in silence.”
I knew what he was trying to do; he was trying to turn me against Alek, and I couldn’t listen to it anymore—I wouldn’t let him. When I met Jimmy, he gave me a choice, my life or Alek’s. My morals still hold true today as they did then, only with a different motivation.