CONVICT: An Unfit Hero Novel Read online

  Biting the corner of my lip, I wonder if I could, if I had time before the bus shows.

  “Hey,” she exhales next to me.

  “You here for your weekly visit?” I ask, jerking my head toward the prison.

  She nods, turning toward me a bit more. Her body language is open, her tits straining under the skin tight low scoop neck top. My eyes stay glued to her cleavage. Goddamn, I haven’t seen real tits in five years. Five fucking long years.

  “Visiting my old man. Texas don’t allow conjugal visitation,” she pouts.

  I lick my bottom lip, “No? How long he been in?” I chance asking.

  She leans forward, giving me a perfect view of her tits. “Six years, and he’s in for life,” she breathes.

  Standing, I clear my throat. “Goin’ to the bathroom,” I offer.

  If she wants some dick, I’ll be more than willing to give it to her. Walking over to the men’s bathroom, I grab a couple quarters out of my pocket and shove it in the condom dispenser, thankful that it’s here. I’m typically not one to fuck bare, but I would definitely have to make an exception today, I’m horny as fuck.

  As soon as the condom falls into my waiting hand, the door flies open and she’s there. Turning to watch her, she flips the door locked and stalks toward me. I watch as she hikes her skirt up, revealing her lack of panties.

  “It’s gonna be fast,” I warn, my cock already hard enough to pound nails.

  She grins. “Good. Make sure it’s hard too.”

  Wrapping my hands around her waist, I pick her up, pressing her back against the wall. She reaches between us, unbuckling and unzipping my pants like a goddamn pro. I shove them down my legs and quickly sheath my dick. Lifting my hand to my lips, I spit on my fingers, bring them to her pussy and slip them inside of her warm heat.

  “Oh yes,” she moans, letting her head fall back. The bitch is soaked, completely fucking soaked. “Fuck me, hard. Show me how bad you are,” she demands.

  I smile, realizing that she’s a kinky little bitch, I’ll take it. Curling my fingers inside of her I feel that rough spot that I know will drive her insane. She opens her eyes and gasps as my thumb presses against her clit. Her hips wiggle and I enjoy the way she soaks my hand.

  She’s close, I feel her pussy flutter around me, and I know that she’s about to fall over the edge. She’s panting, her eyes wide as she looks at me, watching me. I slide my fingers out of her cunt and coat my condom covered cock with her wetness. Wrapping both of my hands around her hips, I sink inside of her. It isn’t slow, it’s a quick, hard, thrust.

  “Shit, that’s a goddamn monster, don’t rip me in two,” she shrieks.

  I chuckle, pulling out and then slamming back inside. Her head bounces off of the door, but I don’t give much of a fuck. I sound like a dick, but goddamn I haven’t been inside of snatch in five goddamn years. She gasps, her nails digging into my shoulders as I fuck her against a dirty bathroom door.

  My thrusts are short, hard and fast. She lets out a squealing sound as her pussy clamps down around me. I let out a grunt of my own as I bury myself inside of her and come—hard. I have no doubt that if I didn’t have this condom on, as much cum that’s in my balls, it would no doubt impregnate her.

  Honest to fuck, the last thing I need is to have a baby. Especially with some bitch I don’t know, whose old man is locked up for life. Fuck. That. Shit.

  “Damn, that was so good, baby,” she coos.

  Pulling out of her, I take a step back and tug the condom off. I tie it in a knot and toss it in the trash. Bringing my jeans over my hips, I zip my pants back up, then walk over to the sink and wash my hands.

  The chick is still leaning against the wall, her heaving breaths filling the room and echoing off of the walls around us. Once I’ve dried my hands, I turn to her. She lifts her gaze to mine, her lips turning up into a smile.

  “Anytime you want to fuck, just come back here on visiting day.”

  “This your thing? Fucking newly released inmates?” I guess.

  She smiles even wider, pushing off the door and walks toward me. She places her hands on my chest and tips her head back. “I like to send off the cute ones, into the general population, with a smile.”

  Her lips touch mine and then she turns around and walks out of the door. I watch, snorting when the door slams closed behind her. A regular Mother fuckin’ Teresa. Shaking my head, I follow behind her.

  Once I’m back outside, I watch as the bus pulls up. Glancing around, I look to see if she’s still around, but she’s nowhere to be seen. With a shrug, I head toward the waiting bus. It fucking smells in here. Oh well. It’s still better than being in the joint.

  Closing my eyes, sated from a quick fuck, I attempt to relax as much as possible. I have a long ride ahead of me, and since I don’t know what I’m going to do once I arrive, I need some goddamn rest.

  CHANNING

  Inhaling a deep breath, I try not to throw up everywhere. Though I don’t know how I could, I’ve emptied everything that could possibly be in my stomach. Dipping my head, my long blonde braid falls over my shoulder as I hurry toward the motel door.

  I don’t have to lift my hand to knock, it flies open as soon as I approach. The man isn’t in the doorway though, he’s standing behind it, naked. He slams it closed, locking it behind me. I’m unable to speak, his mouth slams against mine, his teeth knocking my own with his force.

  Placing my hands on his chest, I push against him. “Oh, are we playing the rape game again?” he chuckles.

  Taking a step back, I crash against the door, shaking my head. “No. I need to talk to you,” I practically beg.

  He sighs, running his hand through his hair. “We aren’t talking about this again, Channing. I can’t leave her. Not right now. She’s…” His words trail off.

  Usually he doesn’t tell me what she is, but I know that she’s something. He just says she has him by the balls. I believed him when I was eighteen, when I was his student. Two years later, I don’t believe him anymore. He just wants us both, and me? I was stupid enough to believe that he would change, for me. That we would live happily ever after. That I was special.

  As the days go by, I realize that it probably won’t ever happen. At least, that’s what I thought. Until today, until this morning when I took the test. The test that is going to change everything. I’m finally going to have my happily ever after, I can feel it.

  “What is she?” I ask.

  His eyes lift to mine and he sighs. I watch him walk over to the bed and sit down on the edge. “I slipped,” he mutters. “She got me drunk and we had sex on her birthday. She’s pregnant.”

  He’s lying. He didn’t slip. I’m not stupid, or naïve enough to believe that he hasn’t been fucking the both of us all this time. No wife would sit back and not have sex with her husband for over two years. Even if I don’t want to believe that he sleeps with her, I know that he does.

  “You never stopped sleeping with her, did you?” I whisper.

  I need to hear the truth. Even if I’ve known it, I need to fucking hear it. His gaze lifts to me and the truth is there, it’s big and bright and slapping me in the damn face. He shakes his head.

  “How far along is she?” I whisper.

  “Eight weeks,” he mutters.

  It feels like a knife is twisting in my stomach at his words. Eight weeks. It wasn’t her birthday, it was mine. Her birthday was six months ago. He fucked her on my birthday. After he left me, he fucked her. My shoulders jerk, as I attempt to hold in my tears.

  “We can still see one another, this doesn’t have to change, we don’t have to change. All it does is push back our plans,” he quickly rambles.

  Shaking my head, I lift my hand to my own stomach. “I’m eight weeks pregnant too, James.” His eyes widen and a look of horror crosses his features.

  “No,” he breathes. “You have to go get it taken care of, Channing. Jennifer cannot know. This cannot happen,” he begs.

  “Take ca
re of it?” I ask with a frown. “You want to keep the child with your wife, but not ours? We made this baby out of love, James. How could you even suggest it?” I ask.

  “Love?” he spits as he stands.

  I watch him walk over to his clothes and quickly dress. He looks angry, pissed off, and I am so confused. He’s never been mad at me, not ever, and right now I’m scared to death. What is his problem? We’ve been together for over two years. We’re in love. Why would this baby be such a burden?

  “You were a hot young piece of ass I could fuck on the side. I’m never leaving Jennifer, you stupid little bitch. Don’t you dare come after me for child support of that little bastard, either. I’ll deny it, and I won’t pay you a fucking penny.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I straighten my back slightly and take a step toward him. “The paternity test won’t lie, James. You are the father. Why are you being so damn cruel?” I ask.

  He smirks. “You’re so stupid. So damn clueless. You think that I would leave her. That I gave a shit about you? Never. You were nothing but a willing hole to fuck. That’s it. Get over yourself, Channing. I could fuck any one of my students, and I do. You are not unique,” he shrugs.

  I stand there, quietly watching as he quickly finishes dressing in his jeans and t-shirt. I’m speechless as he walks past me. My tears fall as he slams the door, leaving me alone in the motel room. It’s cheap, dirty, and ugly just like our relationship—or lack thereof.

  Chapter Two

  RYLAN

  Stepping off of the bus, I take a deep breath, inhaling that fresh Texas Hill Country air. It feels different than the day I was hauled off in cuffs. It’s cleaner. Fresher. Brighter. Or maybe that’s just me. Maybe I’m the one that’s fresher and brighter? I know I’m not cleaner, not in the fucking slightest. I’m fucking filthy and I always will be that way.

  Walking over to the local coffee house, I take notice of my surroundings. Nothing has changed, fucking nothing. Everything looks exactly the way it did five years ago. Dipping inside of the coffee place, I stand in line and order my first civilian coffee.

  “You got a phone I could use?” I ask the little teenager behind the counter.

  Her face turns pink and she giggles. “We aren’t supposed to let customers use the phone,” she breathes.

  Looking around, I notice that the place is dead. I lean over the counter, placing my palm flat. “I won’t tell anyone, if you don’t, doll,” I wink. Her face turns an even deeper shade of red and she sways slightly.

  “Here, you can use my cell,” she whispers. I watch as her eyes trail my body. Giving her another wink, I take the phone and my coffee, walking away for a bit of privacy.

  Dialing the number, I’m surprised as fuck that I remember it at all, but I do. I wait for it to ring, anticipating the moment when the person on the other end picks up.

  “Hello?” he grunts.

  Shaking my head, I clear my throat. “Wyatt?”

  “Fucking shit, is that you Ry?”

  He sounds downright fucking surprised to hear from me. Why wouldn’t he? I haven’t spoken to my cousin in years. When we were kids, we were thick as thieves. Wyatt’s my cousin, though his parents aren’t quite the gems mine are. He was lucky, his dad changed his life and turned it around for the better, while mine drown in their own shithole.

  “I’m out. Wanted to know if I could stay with you for a while? Don’t really want to go home,” I mutter.

  Thirty years old and I’m homeless. Sure, I could go to the trailer I grew up in, but that would mean putting myself back in the shit environment that created the man who was sent to prison. I don’t want to be that man, not ever again.

  “You can’t sell or do any of that shit at my place, Ry. Seriously, I won’t stand for it, and you got to get a real job.”

  He’s been thinking about this moment, about me, and something warm unfurls in my chest. Lifting the hand holding my coffee I rub the center of my chest. Fuck. Clearing my throat, I let out a sigh. “I’m not that man anymore, Wy. I’m changed. I want to be better, do better,” I admit.

  Maybe admitting it should be embarrassing. It isn’t. I fucked up, royally. I’m a dick, but I’m not enough of a dick to not feel remorseful for the pain I’ve caused. I have a second chance at life, and I plan on grabbing it by the goddamn horns and taking full fucking advantage.

  “Where are you at?” he asks.

  Clearing my throat, again, I attempt to get the knot out of the base. I tell him where I am and end the call. Walking over to the counter, I hand the phone back to the giggling school girl with a smile and a thanks. I don’t flirt with her anymore, she’s young enough to be my kid, and I’m not that skeezy.

  Choosing to walk outside, I sit at a table, enjoying the breeze and the sunshine as I wait for Wyatt. I watch the cars drive by, not thinking of anything in particular, just enjoying being free. All this shit, I took it all for granted. Never again.

  When a lifted pickup pulls up a few moments later, I chuckle knowing it’s Wyatt. I watch as he hops down from his oversized Ford F-250 and shake my head.

  His dark eyes meet mine and I watch as his lips twitch. He’s broader than he was the last time I saw him, seven years ago. But fuck, he’s a sight for sore fuckin’ eyes.

  “You got some kind of compensation to make up for with that big ass truck?” I ask, tilting my head to the side and glancing down to his crotch.

  Wyatt wraps his arms around me, his hand beating my back. “Shut up, you cocksucker,” he chuckles against my ear. “Goddamn, I’m glad to see you.”

  He takes a step back and looks at me. “You look bigger, fuckin’ healthy too. Goddamn, you look good cousin.”

  “Feel pretty good,” I admit.

  “You got a bag or somethin’?” he asks looking down at the ground.

  Shoving my hands in my pockets, I shrug. “Don’t got shit, man. Doubt Mama kept any of my stuff in the trailer either,” I shrug.

  I refuse to look at the pity in his eyes, instead I lower my gaze to my feet. I kick a rock and inhale deeply.

  “Called my boss, we need a ground hand if you’re willin’ to work a hard-labor job. You gotta take a piss test, but they won’t blink at your background,” he murmurs.

  My head shoots up, my mouth dropping slightly and my eyes round. “You shittin’ me?” I breathe.

  He shakes his head. “Wouldn’t do that, cousin. Give you a loan for a good pair of boots and necessities, but the job issues jeans and shirts. Plus, it pays per diem since we work about an hour away. We can carpool, split the cost of fuel,” he offers.

  “How? Why?” I stammer, unable to form a coherent sentence.

  He lifts his hand, wrapping his fingers around my shoulder and squeezes. “I still remember the kid you were. I remember how you didn’t want to be like them. Somewhere along the way you slipped, but Rylan you’ve never been like them, not really.

  “This is your second chance, and if you’re willin’ to work for it, I aim to give you a boost. I won’t enable your ass, but I live alone and make good money. I’m in a position to at least give a bit of a helping hand, so I’m gonna do it. Not just because you’re family, but because I think you want to be better than them,” he says, speaking of my parents.

  “Sounds fair,” I say, lifting my chin.

  Wyatt grins, shaking his head. “Get in the fuckin’ truck. Let’s get you situated,” he smiles.

  CHANNING

  I wipe my hands on my apron before I take a pad of paper out of my pocket and head toward the next table. I freeze when I approach. It’s her. Jennifer Bridges. She doesn’t know who I am, she doesn’t know that for two years her husband and I had an affair. She doesn’t know that the babies we both carry are siblings. At least, I didn’t think she knew.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” I ask her, after taking a deep breath.

  She looks up at me, her short dark hair almost hitting her shoulders when her head tips back. “I’ll have water, and maybe a small glass of m
ilk? I’m pregnant, milk helps settle my stomach,” she informs me.

  I feel my stomach drop at her words. Of course I know she’s pregnant, but hearing her say it, does something to me. I smile and turn away to gather her water and milk. Frowning, I fill up the glass with milk, wondering if I’m doing it all wrong. I haven’t had any milk at all since finding out about this baby, unless ice cream counts. I drowned myself in ice cream after James suggested I get an abortion.

  Returning to the table, I notice another woman has arrived. She’s talking as I walk up to them. “Is James just the happiest man on earth or what?” the woman asks with a twinkling giggle.

  “Oh my gosh, at first he was surprised, but last night he came home with onesies and a teddy bear. He is so excited, keeps saying he doesn’t care what it is, but I know he is dying for a boy.” My feet trip, but I gather my composure almost immediately as I set the drinks down.

  “Sweet tea,” the other woman announces. With a small nod, I hurry away, not wanting to hear any more about how fantastic that asshole is.

  I quickly deliver her tea then take their orders. Thankfully, they don’t ask for anything too specific and complicated so I’m able to leave their table quickly. I check on the rest of my tables before I’m able to slip into the kitchen and take a deep breath for myself.

  “Heard you got yourself in trouble,” Lulamae announces with a pop of her gum.

  Lifting my eyes to her, I nod as tears fill them. She shakes her head. “Hard being a pretty girl in a small town. I was once in your shoes. Found me a good man, eventually. Slept with a lot of frogs to get there,” she states.

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m in this alone.” I shrug. “No more frogs, not ever,” I state as the cook points at me to tell me my next order is up.

  Lulamae laughs shaking her head. “Don’t count on it, hun. You’re pretty, young, and bun in the oven or not, some man will want in there,” she winks.