Chapter 27

<Gavin Forrester>

I'm about one month into my prison sentence and it's every bit as bad as I thought it would be. First off, I live in a tiny cell with one other person who has the bunk above me and snores all night long.

I've tried to make friends with him but he doesn't really like talking to me. We mostly just sit in our cell with our backs to each other, doing our own separate activities. The guards let us out a few times a day to go to the exercise yard and the mess hall but other than that I'm stuck in my cell with a person who has no vocabulary past grunting.

Before I came to prison, I was allowed to go back to my apartment and get a few things that were within the rules to bring with me. I grabbed a few of my favorite books including the Bible because I thought it might give me some guidance through prison. There's no time like the present to look for forgiveness...I also got my deck of cards in case I needed entertainment more than books.

Then I allowed Slick to drive me to Attica because I don't think he'd survive if I hadn't. There were some more awkward tears and then he drove off. I had to be searched by prison guards and then they had to get my papers in order. I stayed in this place that the guards deemed 'The Fish Tank' while they got everything in order. Then I was moved to my cell with the non-talker and have been here for about a week, I think. It's hard to tell time in prison.

I've made friends with some of the other convicts in the exercise yard which implies that they don't beat me up or try to kill me. It's quite pleasurable to know that I'm not a target.

Many of the convicts have heard of Talon Tenebris and are in this place because of him or his operatives and since I shot him, I have a bit a street cred in here so, that's why the convicts don't target me.

The other convicts also seem to fear me because I won't join a gang and I very rudely stand up to anybody who comes within a foot of me. I think prison is taking away my charming edge. Gosh, I need out of here otherwise I'll lose my whole identity.

Calm down, stupid, you'll survive in here...

It's morning which means the guards should be coming by soon the wake us up for breakfast. My cellmate is still snoring, deep in sleep, as the guards come by and bang on our cell doors for us to wake up. I've been awake since they told us to go to bed last night because the metal bed is so uncomfortable and the snoring above me keeps me up so much that I've actually contemplated suffocating him just so I can get an hour of sleep.

Thankfully, I thought better of it because I'm pretty sure trying to suffocate my cellmate would constitute solitary confinement for the rest of my stay in prison.

"Get up." A gruff guard shouts and bangs once more on the bars of my cell.

The guy above me finally wakes up and climbs down the ladder so he's on the ground.

"Good morning." I say politely.

My cellmate just grunts in response before going off to the sink to brush his teeth. I unbutton the top 2 buttons of my orange jumpsuit while I wait for my turn at the sink.

The guy glares at me as he wipes off his mouth and goes to wait by the door of our cell to be let out. I walk over to the sink with a look of disgust. I'm never going to get used to this. I put some toothpaste on my toothbrush and brush my teeth as fast as I can.

"Are the appliances not up to par, pretty boy?" I turn my head, surprised that my cellmate actually can speak.

"Wow, I'm so glad you can speak; it was getting lonely in here talking to a brick wall." I roll my eyes and stand next to him, waiting for the guards to come let us out.

"You better keep your big mouth shut, asshole." My cellmate cracks his knuckles and I roll my eyes.

"Save your strength for someone you can actually beat in a fight." I pat his shoulder and enjoy the annoyed look that crosses over his face.

"I could take you, you're a twig. You'll snap..." My cellmate glares down at me.

He's at least 4 inches taller than me and about 2 times as wide. Despite his size, I still think I could still take him in a fight.

"Oh you mean like your neck?" I maintain eye contact with him and then a guard comes and unlocks our cell door.

"You better watch it, asshole." He nods as the guard cuffs his hands behind his back.

"It's Gavin actually...Did your parents even bother naming you?" I ask in a sarcastic tone.

The vein in my cellmate's head throbs and his face contorts with anger.

"Santiago." He grunts as he gets carted off to the mess hall.

I'm next and the guards waste no time slapping the cuffs on my wrists. They shove me out of the cell and down the hallway towards the mess hall. The minute we reach the mess hall, the guards take the cuffs off and force me into line. The convict worker hands me a bowl with cereal and milk. The worker next to that guy gives me a glass and then I move off to the drink area. I fill my glass up with orange juice and then I take a seat next to Santiago.

"What do you think you're doing?" Santiago grunts as he breaks off from his conversation with a happy looking man.

"I think I'm sitting down." I mutter with an eye roll.

"You picked the wrong table to sit at." He states like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I can sit anywhere I want to...last time I checked there was no sign here saying that I wasn't welcome." I smirk and take a bite of my cereal.

"Why don't you go sit with the other fishes over there?" Santiago points at a group of short wimpy looking convicts sitting in the corner.

"You wouldn't want me to do that because you know I can whoop your ass...Wouldn't you rather have me on your side then against you?" I chuckle and take a sip of my juice.

"You must've done something pretty bad to get an ego like yours...How'd you get locked up in Attica, my friend?" The guy sitting next to Santiago grins and awaits my answer.

"I shot Talon Tenebris and the police chief's wife." I cross my arms and give them an amused grin.

The guy emits a low whistle and stares at me with admiration.

"Talon is the reason I got locked up in this place. He promised me if I killed his mistress, he'd give me 2 million dollars and protect me from the cops. I got 25 to life and a gas station gift card." The man looks bitterly at the wall. "So, thank you for putting a bullet through that man."

"I'm just sorry he lived...he'll be back to torturing more people the minute his shot wound heals." I shake my head and give him an apologetic look.

"Why'd you shoot the police chief's wife?" Santiago asks with narrowed eyes.

"She was cheating on her husband with Talon and wanted to murder her own daughter...She also stabbed me so, I wasn't going to let that slide." I say coolly, drawing in a deep breath.

"I'm guessing you loved her daughter..." Santiago chuckles and gives me a knowing look.

"I still do," I push my tray away from me and watch as Santiago laughs at me.

"You're such a sap, Gavin." He pats my shoulder and then the bell rings for us to go out to the exercise yard.

~~~~~

I'm back in my cell after spending at least 2 hours exercising alone. I'm actually glad that the convicts know to leave me alone because they're not exactly the kind of guys I want to fraternize with. I just want to lay low until my prison sentence is over and I can go back to Victoria. She's really the only thing that keeps me from snapping the necks of half the guys here.

See, if I snap their necks then I'm never going to get out of here and I can't stand not being able to see Victoria for the rest of my life. I shuffle my deck of cards as I flip through the pages of a James Bond novel. A guard comes by my cell and unlocks it. I look over at Santiago and we both shrug.

"Gavin, you have a visitor waiting for you in the no contact visitation area." The guard grumbles and handcuffs me as he leads me out of the cell.

A million ideas about who's waiting on the other side of the glass race through my mind but I'm hoping above all else that it's Victoria waiting for me. I swear if Talon is waiting on the other side of the glass, I'm not going to even bother talking to him. I have nothing more to say to him and I can't harm him with that Plexiglas protection between me and him. I walk and continue to think as we reach the no contact visitation area.

"Why can't I have contact visits?" I ask as we wait at the door to be let in.

"Those are a privilege...Show me you deserve them and you can have them." He states simply as another officer opens the door, revealing a long corridor with seats and Plexiglas windows and phones attached to the wall so prisoners can talk to their visitors.

"He's the one at the very end." A female guard says to the guy that's controlling my handcuffs.

My nerves increase as we walk down the corridor towards the window at the very end. I sit down in the chair and turn, my eyes meeting the deep brown ones of the only person in the world I want to see right now. Tears well up in her eyes as she places her hand on the glass.

The metaphoric symbol of being so close to touch her but not being able to, is breaking my heart. I put my hand on the glass right where hers is and I pretend for one minute that our hands are actually touching. The guard points to the phone and I pick it up.

"Don't cry, V. I'm right here." I smile and watch as the corners of her mouth turn up.

"I'm tired of being alone. I want you back and to think this is because my damn parents wanted me dead...You did all of this to make sure I would live." Victoria runs the back of her hand under her eyes but the tears won't stop coming.

I want so badly to reach out for her and comfort her but this Plexiglas is barring me from doing anything of the sort. I sit and wait for her to gather herself.

"Victoria, I shot them and I'd go back and do it all over again if I had the chance because I would never let anything happen to you. You understand this, right?" I ask, giving her a serious look.

She nods and sniffles.

"Let's calm down. Tell me how things are going on the outside." I say in a calm tone.

Victoria gives me a harsh glare, apparently not amused by my use of 'the outside'.

"I moved out of my parents' house. Carter has gone completely MIA and my dad divorced my mom after they got a paternity test of the fetus. Turns out there's going to be a little Talon junior coming into the world in nine months." Victoria rolls her eyes and leans forward in her chair.

"I thought that after me shooting her stomach, there'd be no possibility of Talon's child surviving. I mean your dad was so pissed when he found out that I shot his pregnant wife because he thought the fetus was dead."

"Oh, he's pissed off even more now since he knows that the child isn't even his. The divorce was brutal and my dad thankfully got to keep all of his possessions and most of his money. The downside is that my mom moved in with Talon and is working in his office, I mean as of a few weeks ago. Gosh, I can't even look at the woman without wanting to throw-up." Victoria scoffs and twirls a piece of hair around her index finger.

"As you should, have you mentioned to anybody what happened that night?" I ask with a slight note of curiosity in my voice.

"I told my dad and he tried to bring my mother and Talon in for questioning but they'd fled the country. He's trying to track them but apparently they aren't using anything that can be tracked." Victoria taps her fingers on the table and gives me a sad pout.

"Don't worry, they're both stupid; they'll slip up any moment now." I wink and smile at her.

She blushes a little but maintains eye contact with me.

"I also kind of, may be house sitting for you for the next 9 years..." She gives me a coy look and leans forward, her head resting on her hand.

"Are you now? I don't remember giving you a house key." I smirk and lean forward so my nose is almost touching the glass.

"I may or may not have stolen Blaze's..." She winks and continues staring at me.

"The thought of you living in my apartment is giving me chills." I wiggle my eyebrows and watch her roll her eyes.

"I'm not only living there. I'm sleeping in your bed and watching TV on your couch..." She murmurs in a slow, seductive voice.

"Please stop this, Victoria. I need to get these fantasies out of my brain, where's my Bible?" I mutter and search around for the guard.

"Sometimes I walk around you apartment in just a t-shirt." She puckers her lips together and gives me an amused look.

"I need to be bathed in holy water...Thanks for that Victoria." I roll my eyes and let out a sigh.

"I thought it'd be pretty entertaining since there's this Plexiglas between us." Her puckered lips turn into a smirk. "Your reaction proves that it was worth it."

"You're so mean, seducing a man when there's a thick piece of glass blocking you from him? What kind of sorcery is this?" I ask in a dramatic way.

"It's called being a woman...I'm doing my job." She gives me a dismissive wave of the hand and then her eyes travel from my face, down my torso and then back up.

My eyes gleam and I give her an amused smirk as her eyes reach mine once again.

"Quit checking out something you can't afford." I wink and watch her eyes roll in response to my comment.

"I didn't think it was possible for your ego to get even more inflated, yet here we are." She looks up at the ceiling, trying to compose herself.

"You know what they say about a man's ego?" I ask and look at her with raised eyebrows.

She makes an annoyed noise and then holds her hand up.

"I really don't want to know because it's probably some sexual innuendo that really should never be said out loud."

"Well, you see, it's all in their..." I give her an amused look and watch her annoyance increase.

"That's enough, please don't finish that sentence, I where you're going with that....Just please don't; I should not have to pray for forgiveness after talking to you." She shudders and looks me straight in the eye.

"You have such a dirty mind, Victoria...I was just going to say it's all in their brain." I put a hand over my heart in mock surprise.

"Of course you were..." Victoria mutters slowly and shakes her head.

"You brought this upon yourself with that t-shirt comment, babe." I wink and lean forward.

"Orange is really your color. It tones down the asshole in you." She grins and wiggles her eyebrows a little.

"Thanks, V. I thought it was pretty nice too." I say in a sickly sweet tone.

"You know those cops tried to take your letter away as evidence." Victoria admits, completely out of the blue.

"Of course they did..." I exhale deeply and glare at the guard who's watching me from the exit that's right next to my window.

"I wouldn't let them and my dad backed me up. Apparently, he's not that mad at you anymore. He's more indifferent rather than angry."

"You're amazing, honey." I tilt my head and take in her beautiful features.

I see her cheeks tinge pink as she continues our conversation.

"Thank you so much for that beautiful letter; it made me forget everything for a few minutes and all that mattered was the words you wrote on that page that were just for me. It made me feel like I was in the same room as you, like I could feel you in every word you put on that page." She wipes away a tear that fell down her cheek while she was reminiscing.

"I promise, someday I'll be able to hold you again and tell you all those things in person but I thought a letter was a pretty good alternative." I smile, my heart breaking as I look at her and how upset she is.

"Gavin, are you still going to want me after 9 years? Are you still going to want me even though I'm part of the reason you're in prison in the first place?" Victoria lets her tears fall freely as she stares down at her lap, the phone still pressed to her ear.

"Victoria, look at me." I say in a stern voice.

She looks up with tear-filled eyes. I so badly want to put my fingers under her chin and tilt it up but then I remember the glass separating us.

"I don't care what's happened between us...I wanted you before, I want you now and I want you for the rest of my life. This is not your fault and you should never feel like it is. You are the only thing that keeps me going, knowing that I'm going to see you again someday is the reason I continue on. I never want to see you in another man's arms. I don't want to watch you smile with another man and I don't want to ever have to watch another man kiss you. I want to be the reason for your smile and I want to be the only pair of lips you kiss for the rest of your life. Please understand, I'm never going to stop loving you and I'm never going to want to be with anyone else. I want to be yours for the rest of my life." I whisper, my voice cracking at the end.

"You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now, Gavin Forrester." Victoria smiles through her tears and takes in a deep breath.

"Every word of that is true...I want to be yours and only yours. I can't even imagine being with anyone else."

"Gavin, I want you to know that you are my one true love and true love is worth waiting for. I'll wait an eternity just to see you again." She smiles softly as she stares at me through the glass.

"You're so beautiful, don't you ever forget that." I whisper in an amazed tone.

"I love you, Gavin." She places her hand on the glass and I do the same.

"There are some things I need to tell you that I can only say in a letter. I'll write you as soon as I can." I exhale and watch my breath fog up the glass.

"Okay, but make it quick...You know how impatient I am." She winks and removes her hand from the glass.

"I love you. Forever." I say in a serious voice and wait for her to respond.

"Forever." She assures and stands up.

I watch her hang up the phone and walk away. She looks back at me and blows me a kiss before she disappears from sight. The guard puts my handcuffs back on and leads me back to my cell. Once I'm behind the metal bars, I request a pencil, some paper and an envelope to write my letter to Victoria.