Chapter 9
Chapter nine
Levi
There were many ways I liked to spend Saturday afternoons: long walks with Sherly, trying out a new recipe, even the occasional couch-rotting session. Returning to the scene of the Theo Markis arrest debacle wasn’t one of them.
I blanked my expression as I pushed open the door to Marked, the tattoo parlor owned by Chief Fitzwilliam’s brother-in-law, Max.
The reception area was empty, but a buzzing bled from the back room above the thrum of heavy metal music.
I’d gotten enough ink to know interrupting someone in the middle of a job was never appreciated, so I walked around the tiny waiting room and checked out the tattoo photos decorating the walls.
I regretted arresting Theo for many reasons, one being that he was an incredibly skilled artist. If it wouldn’t be awkward as fuck, I’d have booked an appointment with him for a piece I had in mind.
The bell above the entrance sounded. I turned and froze as Everly Hendricks stepped inside.
She was dressed casually in a cropped pink sweater that showed a hint of her stomach.
I wanted to touch that sliver of skin, then slide my hands under her top toward the swell of her breasts. I told myself to get a grip.
I’d hoped for a little more time before facing her again.
Watching her help Bryant had pissed me off more than it should have.
Whether she believed the kid had broken the pills into doses for his own use didn’t matter.
She was doing her job, and I was out of line calling bullshit on her defense.
Except after so many months without a lead into the flood of drugs on campus, I didn’t want Bryant to wiggle free.
It was more than that, though. After talking with her at Church, I had a hard time reconciling the Everly there with the one across from me at the interview table.
My instincts told me Bryant was dealing.
He could be a low-level pusher in a bigger network or something more.
Either way, he deserved serious jail time.
I’d been annoyed she was defending the guy.
No wonder Everly had avoided me outside of work.
I clearly couldn’t draw a line between personal and professional.
“Levi,” she said, looking stunned. “Are you here for the meeting?”
I didn’t realize the meeting was with anyone except Max, though I suppose it made sense more people would be involved if the event was as large as Chief made it sound. “I’m volunteering to help with the Springboard event.”
Her eyes brightened and a huge smile broke across her face. It felt simultaneously like the most powerful gut punch I’d ever experienced and a grand achievement.
“That’s wonderful,” she said.
“Evie,” a gruff voice said behind me. I turned to face Max, who’d just stepped from the back room.
He nodded at me. “Thanks for joining us, Levi. Sorry to ask y’all to come here, but I only have a half hour before I have to pick up my girls from a birthday party.”
Either he’d completely forgotten I’d arrested Theo last year or decided to pretend I hadn’t.
“Is Theo joining us?” Everly asked.
Max shook his head. “He’ll help at the event, like always, but I don’t want him involved in the planning. He’d work himself to death helping if I’d let him, and I’d rather he spent the time enjoying his life for a change.”
Everly nodded, her eyes softening. She’d accepted the statement as fact, which made me respect Theo Makis a little more.
“I’m happy to help,” she said.
“Thank you, Evie,” he said. “And I appreciate you stepping in, too, Levi. I know my brother-in-law twisted you into this.”
Everly’s eyes widened, and she gave me a questioning look.
“I’m here for whatever you need,” I said, which was 100% true since my promotion depended on it.
Everly fumbled in her purse and brought out a legal pad similar to the ones she used in interviews.
I wondered how many of those she had in that massive bag of hers, or if she put everything in the same one and tore the pages out to move them into files.
A pointless thing to wonder, yet like everything about Everly Hendricks, I was curious.
“We should get started,” Everly said. She sank into a chair and crossed one long leg over the other, her body language stiff. She’d gone into full attorney mode, and I was likely the reason.
I felt like an ass. Max and Everly clearly believed in the work they were doing, and the fact I hadn’t jumped to volunteer must be disappointing, if not insulting.
“Can you give me a quick overview of Springboard and how you handled the event last year, so I’m up to speed?
” I asked, leaving a chair between Everly and me when I took a seat.
Everything in her posture screamed stay away.
The space between us wasn’t enough for me either.
Her delicate scent pulled my body tight with need.
I held still, pushing down the memory of her soft hand in mine, the brush of her loose hair against my cheek as I positioned her body to throw those damn darts.
I’d wanted her before then, but the longing had become painful since.
Max leaned against the counter, facing us with his arms crossed.
“I do prison ministry year-round,” he said, finally giving me a distraction from Everly.
“I typically know the people we’re trying to help before they’re released.
Gives me a sense of what I’m working with, and if I’m being completely honest, allows me to weed out folks. ”
I raised my eyebrows at that. “You vet the participants?”
“As best I can,” Max said. “Not sure what my bro-in-law told you, but I did time before I got clean. I know what it’s like being inside.”
Though I had no idea Max had a criminal record, I did my best to keep the surprise from my face.
“Some people are just waiting to get back to their old lives,” Max continued. “I leave them be. The ones who got clean inside or just want a fresh start are the people we try to help.”
“And the ones who shouldn’t have been in there in the first place,” Everly added. “Like Theo.”
I wanted to bring up the argument she’d made after Bryant’s interview, that she trusted the system to dish out the punishment people deserved. Now wasn’t the time. Especially with Max standing right across from me and Theo in the back room.
“He was the first person I helped on the outside,” Max said, pointing over his shoulder toward the back.
“I can see how he’d motivate you to help more,” I said.
Everly relaxed a fraction at my words, and Max flashed me a smile.
“Yeah, no question he deserved a second chance. Not everyone we’ve helped has built a life after like he has.
You know the recidivism rates as well as I do.
Even if Springboard only helps one person get back on their feet, I consider it a huge success.
At first, it was just me knocking on doors trying to convince local businesses with high turnover that they should hire folks on probation.
Another problem is housing, not just for people leaving halfway homes but years down the line. ”
“Being a felon isn’t a protected class,” Everly added. “Businesses and landlords can discriminate without repercussions.”
Which made it harder to rebuild a life. I had a lot of sympathy for anyone doing that since I knew how hard it could be, even without a record. “So, you find businesses and landlords who’ll consider applicants with records.”
“Exactly,” Max said. “Only one out of every twenty businesses I approach even agrees to hear my pitch. Even fewer will take part. There’s a lot of prejudice that comes with being an ex-con.
” The look he shot my direction suggested he hadn't forgiven me for hauling Theo and him to the station. “I think I’ve taken the program as far as I can. I’m hoping you two have better success convincing more places to take part. ”
Everly nodded and her eyes filled with sympathy. “Me too. You’ve built an amazing organization.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I put together a list of the businesses and apartment complexes who’ve already agreed to participate and another of the places I think you should try. I’ll email you both when I get home.”
“Have you worked with the university before?” I asked.
Max shook his head. “I sent a request to the philanthropy contact last year and never heard back.”
“I wonder if the Criminal Justice Department would help?” I asked. “They might not have jobs or housing, but the event could be a good volunteer opportunity for students. Assuming you need them.”
Everly smiled. Though it wasn’t as bright as the one that nearly knocked me over earlier, I’d take it. “That’s a fantastic idea.”
“My partner is still close with one of his professors,” I said. “We could drop by his office the next time we’re on campus.”
Max nodded. “I like it. The actual event is a bunch of booths in Centennial Park for the places that agree to participate, but we can always use more help.” He glanced at his watch, looked up at us, and sighed.
“I never seem to find the time to make this what it should be. A second chance is more than a job or a place to live. It’s feeling like you’re valued.
In an ideal world, the people we help would use their success to help someone else.
It’s what I did, but nothing I’ve done would have been possible without people encouraging me every step of the way.
I want as many businesses and housing opportunities as we can find. ”
“Is Joyce still coordinating the kid’s activities and food vendors this year?” Everly asked as she wrote notes at a speed that made my hand hurt.
“Kid’s activities?” I asked.
“We want the entire community involved,” Max said.
“You want to take away some of the stigma,” I said, going straight to what he wasn’t saying.
“I want to celebrate second chances,” Max said. “If that helps people see one another as more than the mistakes they’ve made, all the better.”