Dangerous to Know & Love (61 page)

A guard told him to check his pockets and stood over him while he did so. Daniel was about to try and make it through again when he remembered the implant. Feeling like an idiot, he explained the problem. The guard looked skeptical until Daniel pulled off his beanie and showed the guy his scar. He also had his tuning appointment letter in his wallet.

The guard read it carefully then returned it to Daniel’s wallet.

“Next time tell us before you try and go through the metal detector, son.”

Daniel was relieved – the guy could have been an asshole, but considering he worked in a jail, he was pretty damn nice about it.

He was told to wait in a room with a number of other visitors. He felt awkward standing with a group of women, most of whom seemed to have small children. One woman was crying, tears running down her cheeks, and snot pooling beneath her nose. Daniel looked away.

After a ten minute wait where the woman continued to sob pathetically, they were escorted through a number of gates to another holding pen. A large poster declared:

WEAPONS OF ANY KIND ARE NOT PERMITTED.

AVOID LOUD, EXCESSIVELY EMOTIONAL, OR DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR. PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHER VISITORS.

SPEAKING TO OTHER OFFENDERS OR VISITORS IS NOT PERMITTED.

HANDHOLDING IS PERMITTED ONLY IF HANDS REMAIN IN PLAIN VIEW.

A BRIEF HUG IS PERMITTED AT THE BEGINNING AND CONCLUSION OF VISITS.

AN OFFENDER MAY HAVE CONTACT WITH HIS CHILDREN.

IF YOUR VISIT BECOMES EMOTIONAL, STAFF WILL ASSIST AS NEEDED.

Daniel kept a close watch on the door. He hadn’t worn the processor because of needing his helmet. He’d tried it once and his
skull had felt bruised and tender, almost raw where the magnets met.

He saw a guard come in and call, “Next.”

He raised his hand and the guard checked down his list.

“Go through the door to your right. Make sure it closes completely behind you. When the buzzer sounds, go through the next door. Once inside, go directly to Table 12. Any questions?”

“Um, yeah.”

“What is it?”

“I’m, um, I’m deaf.”

“Excuse me?”

Was this guy fucking laughing at him?

“I’m deaf. I can’t hear the buzzer.”

“Do you want this visit, kid, because I’ve had just about enough…”

Daniel tore off his beanie and turned to show the guy his scar. “I’m fucking deaf, okay! I can’t hear any damn buzzer!”

He turned back and pulled the beanie firmly down his head.

The guard looked irritated. “Fine, I’ll have someone escort you.”

A few minutes later, an enormous woman in guard uniform walked toward him. “You the deaf kid?”

Daniel felt his muscles tense but he tried to keep his face neutral.

“Yeah.”

“Huh. You don’t look deaf. This way.”

He followed her through one door and down a short corridor. After a pause, she pushed open a second door.

“Have a nice visit.”

Daniel looked around and found a small table branded with the number 12. There were already several visitors sitting with prisoners. One man was holding a child of about two on his knee and blowing bubbles onto her stomach. Daniel could see that she was laughing.

His stomach clenched and he quickly swallowed the rising nausea.

A door at the far end of the room opened and he saw Zef. Daniel had expected him to be handcuffed and was relieved that he wasn’t. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the prison overalls, they could have been meeting in some cheap diner.

“Hey, little bro. How you doing?”

Daniel stood up and they hugged quickly.

“Thanks for coming, man. Shit, it’s good to see you.”

“Yeah, you, too. You look good.”

The weird thing was, it was true. Zef looked relaxed and clear-eyed, not strung out or high. Daniel realized it had been a long time since he’d seen his brother like that.

Zef laughed lightly. “It’s all the clean living,” and he raised his eyebrows.

“So, how is it? In here?”

Zef’s shoulders slumped, infinitesimally. “Well, it sucks, but nothing I can’t handle. ‘If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime’, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. Hey, I brought you smokes.”

“Fuckin’ lifesaver. Thanks, Dan.”

Daniel nodded.

Zef lit a cigarette and breathed in appreciatively. “You not having one?”

“Nah, man. I quit.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. Over a month now.”

Zef blew out a slow lungful of smoke and sighed. “That little girlfriend of yours must be a good influence, or something.”

Daniel frowned and Zef spread out his hands in a gesture of capitulation.

“I don’t mean anything. It’s cool. It’s great you’ve got someone.” He paused. “How’s the hearing thing?”

“Okay. Weird but getting better. I can hear some sounds, but it’s still kinda muddy. They say it’ll take up to a year before it’s fully functioning.”

“That long?”

“Could be sooner. No one can say for sure.”

“Have you worn it to school?”

“Once. It was pretty shitty. It sounded loud in the hallways but I couldn’t pick out one sound from the others – it was garbage, so that was a bit crap.”

Zef nodded slowly. “No regrets then?”

Daniel paused. “No, I just wish…”

“What?”

“I thought… I thought I’d be able to hear music. You know, maybe be able to… I tried but it’s just a bunch of fucking noise.”

Zef’s face was sympathetic.

“Shit, I’m sorry, man. I know that was a big thing for you.”

Daniel shrugged. “Yeah. Whatever.” He looked directly at his brother. “So, are you going to tell me why I’m here? Why you were dealing fucking
meth.
”

Zef gave a wistful smile. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

Daniel rubbed his hand across his jaw. “You’re my brother.”

“I wish I’d been a better one.”

They shared a look.

“I mean it, Dan. I’ve been a shitty brother. I wasn’t there for you. All the shit that went down – you tried to get me to stop and I was too fucking blind to see it. But you know what? I’m not sorry the cops caught up with me because I don’t think I’d have got out alive. I was into some pretty heavy scenes that I haven’t even told you about. I just kept getting pulled in deeper.” He gestured with his hands. “Here, well, in prison, I get a chance to clean up my act. I might only get five years.”

Daniel took a sharp intake of breath.

“Hey, don’t sweat it, little brother. This place is a picnic compared to where I was headed. Besides, I can study. Might get my degree before you. And the state prison has got a pretty good mechanics shop.” He sighed. “So, um, how’s the house?”

“I was going to torch it.”

Zef’s eyes bugged out. “Sweet baby Jesus! You didn’t, did you?”

“Lis stopped me.”

“Well, thank fuck for that!”

“Yeah, turned out okay. Her folks helped me fix it up. I had some photos on my phone, but I wasn’t allowed to bring it in. Maybe I could print some out for you?”

They both knew that Daniel was really asking if Zef wanted him to visit again.

“Sure, that’d be cool.”

The guard approached, signaling the end of the visit.

They shook hands, and Zef pulled his brother in for a hug. “I’m so fucking sorry,” he whispered, knowing that Daniel couldn’t hear him.

The guard loomed closer and Zef pulled away.

“Look, one more thing. Just… don’t trust Roy, okay?”

“What the fuck? Zef?”

But Zef was already being led away.

Daniel didn’t go back to school after visiting Zef. He didn’t go home either. Instead, he drove to the coast and found a patch of beach where he could stare out at the ocean, watching the waves curl onto the pale sand.

It had been a kick in the guts seeing Zef in jail. He was glad his brother wanted to use the time he’d have to serve to clean up his act, but fuck – five years. That meant Zef would be nearly 30 by the time he got out. It seemed a lifetime away to Daniel.

He’d lost his parents and now his brother had gone, too. And what was that shit about Roy? Why hadn’t Zef told him outright what was going on?

His phone vibrated and when he pulled it out, there was a text photo that Lisanne had taken of herself, pulling a silly face.

* L: see what you don’t have to keep on missing?

Hope it went ok. LA xx *

* D: pick you up 40 mins? *

* L: Got a ride with R. be at your place. R has a date!!! LA xx *

* D: ?!*?!!&! *

* L: I know! Later. LA xx *

Daniel smiled to himself. Baby Doll could always make him smile. And Rodney had a date. The guy moved fast.

He drove back slowly, thinking about all the meanings of the word ‘home’: what his home had been, what it was now, what it could be or would be, even what it
should
be. Mostly, he thought about Lisanne waiting for him.

It was nearly 7 PM when he arrived back, and Rodney’s car was still parked outside. Daniel was disappointed. He’d been looking forward to having Lisanne to himself. Rodney was okay – living with him was easier than Daniel had thought and although he wasn’t the tidiest person, it was nothing after living with Zef and his asshole customers for two years. At least he didn’t feel the need to lock his bedroom door anymore – not that he had anything worth stealing. He patted Sirona’s saddle – except her.

He locked her securely in the garage and headed inside. His nostrils were immediately assailed by the heady scent of strong aftershave.

Rodney wafted past looking excited, a bright smile on his face.

“Fuck, man! You smell like a whore’s bedroom!”

“I know,” said Rodney, winking at him. “Don’t wait up!”

Shaking his head, Daniel went to look for Lisanne. She was in the kitchen unpacking food from a shopping bag. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

She twisted around and rested her head against his chest. When she looked up, her eyes were soft and concerned.

“How did it go today?”

He grimaced. “Okay. As okay as it could be, I guess.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“But will you? Maybe later?”

He sighed. “Yeah, later. Maybe.”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

She laughed lightly. “You’re always starving. Okay, I’ll make something – Rodney’s Thai extravaganza has been put on hold. Oh, hey, did you wear your CI today?” He shook his head and she pursed her lips. “You know Dr. Devallis said you had to practice
every day
. Go put it on while I get dinner.”

“Baby d…”

“No, I mean it, Daniel. Go put it on. Now.”

Grumbling and muttering to himself about how bossy she was, he headed for his bedroom and fished the device out of its box. He checked the battery and hooked it over his ear, then attached the magnet.

He still felt self-conscious about wearing it, so he pulled his beanie back on, then ran downstairs. He stopped halfway, aware that he could hear himself running. The shock travelled up his body and lodged somewhere in his chest.

He saw Lisanne’s anxious face peering up at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fuck. I… I could hear myself… on the stairs. It just freaked me out a bit. ‘S’okay, I’m good.”

Her face lit up. “It’s getting better, isn’t it? You can hear more with it?”

“I don’t know if it’s hearing more or… like my brain is working out what different sounds are. It’s hard to explain.”

He walked down the stairs and jumped the last two steps, landing with a thud. A huge smile spread over his face.

“I definitely heard that!”

Lisanne’s face crumpled and Daniel was immediately uneasy. “What’s the matter, baby doll? What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and scrubbed at the tears that were threatening to fall.

“I’m just… happy!” she said. “You heard that. You really heard it!”

He swept her up into a tight hug and his mouth slammed down on hers. She responded immediately, and her tongue dove into his mouth, twisting and twining with his.

He felt himself growing hard as his body pressed against her.

“Bed!” she gasped.

Daniel picked her up and felt her legs wrap around his waist. He turned and carried her up the stairs slowly, refusing to lose contact with her mouth. They crashed into his bedroom and fell sideways onto the bed.

Lisanne grabbed at his t-shirt and tugged it roughly over his head, dragging the beanie with it.

Daniel’s hand moved to the device, ready to yank it off.

“Leave it on,” Lisanne breathed. She pulled back slightly so he could see her face. “Leave it on.”

He looked at her doubtfully, but then she pushed him down and straddled his thighs, running her tongue up the centre of his body. He stretched his arms above him and held onto the headboard, his biceps bunching, making his tattoos ripple so that Lisanne wanted to lick those, too.

Daniel felt his cock hot and heavy in his jeans and he breathed deeply, enjoying the feeling of her warm body moving over his. He sat up suddenly and caught her before she fell backward.

He pulled her toward him by her shirt, unfastening one button at a time, before slipping the sleeves down her arms.

“Fuck, I love your tits,” he said, and pushed his face between them, feeling their softness and fullness.

She moaned and he looked up. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard something or maybe it was the damn device and its phantom sounds.

She opened her eyes, and they were filled with dark, sexy humor.

“Maybe you’d rather have dinner?”

“Yeah, I would,” he said. “I’m going to eat
you
.”

He could see Lisanne’s whole body heat up and his heart started to hammer. His cock punched at the zipper on his jeans, demanding to be freed. He lifted her away from him and dropped her onto the bed before yanking off his boots and getting rid of his socks. He kept his eyes on her face as his jeans joined the rest of his clothes on the floor.

His cock leapt free, hard and proud, and aiming straight at Lisanne.

She licked her lips and his cock waved at her, impatiently.

Daniel crawled slowly up the bed, his whole body dangerous and predatory.