Page 2 of Rascal

I’d cut my long hair into a short bob, which made it harder for bitches to grab and pull. It highlighted the scar running along my left cheekbone, where I’d been sliced.

The biggest difference was my physical appearance. It was no longer soft, but muscled, toned, and a fighting machine. I could hold my own against the best of them, and they knew it. Nobody started shit with me. The timid woman who’d given up blankets and shoes did not bend to anyone now. Along with my body changing came a huge shift in my personality.

Hallie Milton, the meek, mild-tempered individual, became a bitch from hell.

I used to be a nice person, a good girl who helped charity, kept her head down, and didn’t make waves. I’d been an administrator for a chain of coffee shops and had loved my job. Until my backstabbing fiancé, who’d cheerfully sent me to prison for something I hadn’t done. Shane Morris had accused me of a heinous crime and then took the stand against me. With his eyewitness testimony and that of some of our acquaintances, I was incarcerated for attempted murder and given twenty-five years to life.

My love for Shane turned to hate on the spot as he celebrated my downfall with my family and friends. Whoever Shane was protecting, he cared for more than me.

A scowl formed on my face. I wish the person who had stabbed him through the heart had succeeded and ended his worthless, cheating existence.

“Inside,” Harvey stated, swinging open the warden’s office door.

“Hallie,” Warden McKay greeted unhappily.

“You asked to see me,” I replied, standing in front of him.

“Sit down,” McKay ordered.

“Whatever you are going to accuse me of, let’s just get it over and done with,” I retorted. “I wanted to finish my workout.”

“You’re being freed.”

My knees weakened, and I walked around and sat in the chair. “What?”

Behind me, Harvey gasped.

“New evidence came up in your case which semi-proved your alibi. It had been mislabelled and mishandled. Your lawyer moved to have your conviction overturned and won.”

“Huh.”

“Is that it?” McKay asked, surprised.

“I said I didn’t do it all along. What did you and your guards state? Oh yeah, ‘Everyone says that.’ What do you want me to say? Hey, it seems I wasn’t a liar. Fuck you. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer about my treatment here.” I fingered my scar, and Harvey shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, I’ll bet that’s going to cost a pretty buck, especially as I was innocent.” I leaned back in my chair.

“Well, that is for the lawyers to deal with,” McKay stated uneasily. “Harvey will escort you to your cell. Collect your things.”

“Don’t bother, there isn’t anything in there I want,” I murmured. I was reeling.

What could have partially proven my alibi? My old lawyer said nothing existed. The lawyer King hired must have discovered something. What had Harry Lynch found? He’d informed me he’d uncovered something significant, but I’d not wanted to know what. Too easy to get your hopes up, only to have them dashed.

Had the cops misplaced evidence on purpose? Damn them, and screw Shane. I guess Karma was a bitch, because I was coming for him. I’d take Shane down and sell my story so every fucker in the USA knew what a dirty bastard he was. And whoever Shane was protecting, their moment had arrived too.

I left the prison and sucked in a breath. For the first time in five years, I breathed free. I gazed at the road and spotted the bus stop. I had fifty bucks, my ID, and nothing else. A car roared up, and I grinned. No guessing who that was.

It skidded to a halt, and Kingston Albert chuckled. His teeth gleamed against his dark skin.

“Jailbird,” he chortled, removing his sunglasses.

“Asshole, what, no flowers?”

I rounded the convertible, placed a hand on the door, and vaulted over it. King laughed, grabbed me close, and pulled me in for a kiss and a hug. King had never doubted my innocence.

“Where we off to?” he asked.

“Lawyer’s office back home. I’ve two inheritances to collect. Then I’ll walk through town and let those fuckers see I’m free. That their golden boy lied on the stand. Then I’ll check in with this new lawyer, start several civil suits, and go after Shane. I want his ass nailed, and to announce to the world what a lying cunt he is,” I said mildly.

King grinned and agreed. “Let’s kick some white man’s ass.”