Thirty-Seven
Simone
“Veronica, you wanna come with me?” I said.
Like she did most days, Veronica was sitting in the back of the common area. Kane was not too far away. And neither of them talked with anyone else. Arben would occasionally shoot a dirty look and glare at Kane, but for the most part, they were left alone.
All things being equal, I was sure they didn’t mind, but I could use company, and I had the perfect hook.
“Why?” Veronica said, more than asked.
I smiled at her. “Found something that might be useful,” I said.
She arched a brow. “And what would that be?”
I lifted the items I had behind my back.
“Is that leave-in conditioner?” she said.
“Yeah. Why?”
She scowled. “It hasn’t even been opened. Where did you get it?”
“Commissary.”
“And you’re offering to share it with me?” She looked at me through narrowed eyes, her face strangely even more beautiful with the harshness of her expression.
“Yes,” I said.
“And what’s it gonna cost?”
“A conversation,” I said.
She stared at me for a moment longer and then smiled, her eyes radiant. She laughed. “I’ll talk for free, but I’m not gonna turn it down.” She stood and started to walk.
I fell in step beside her, and then she looked over at me. “Where are we going?”
I chuckled. “You stood up. I was just following.”
“Yeah. Well, we can go to my cell, have some girl time,” she said.
I smiled, but was almost taken aback. I hadn’t seen this side of her, but then again, when would have been the opportunity? We made it to her cell, which was drab and depressing.
As if she’d caught me looking, she said, “Yeah, haven’t had much chance to decorate, but we make the best of what we have.”
“I always have,” I said. She gestured toward the bunk bolted to the wall, and I plopped down.
“You have a sister?” she asked.
“No, you?”
“Five. But I’m the baby…was the baby. Am the baby.” She frowned. “I don’t know. I keep telling myself I’ll get back home, and they’ll be there and chew my ass out for scaring them. But I don’t know…” She trailed off, her expression taking on a heaviness that I understood.
“Nobody does,” I whispered.
“Yeah, well, anyway. I say all that to say I am absolutely terrible at hair. Can’t do it. But if you detangle, I can make a French braid.”
I nodded and smiled, and we got started.
We washed, detangled, conditioned, and finished. “That actually is a really nice French braid,” I said a bit later.
“I agree. Not so bad, even if I do say so myself.” She smiled, and I wondered if her face hurt like mine did. I wasn’t sure I’d ever had a better girl’s day out, which probably said more about me than anything, but I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Thanks for this, Veronica.”
“Thank you. You found the goods,” she said, tapping the bottle with the purple plastic comb.
“You know it’s not what I’m talking about,” I said.
She chuckled. “Yeah, whatever.” She went serious for a moment and then met my eye. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“What’s with you and Marku?”
“I…” I said.
Veronica wore a deadpan face and blinked at me. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I mean, nothing. I used to work for him.”
“You also testified against him.”
“That was supposed to be a closed proceeding.”
The prosecutor had assured me my testimony wouldn’t be common knowledge. The prosecutor had lied.
She chuckled. “It was a closed proceeding. But you testified against him, and you’re still alive,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s complicated. And who knows how long that’ll last,” I whispered.
She shook her head and smiled at me. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. At least not from him.”
“Well, it’s nice that you think that, but I think you’re mistaken.”
“All right,” she said. “Can I ask another question?”
“Of course.”
“How’d you end up working for him?”
That question froze me, and I was silent, trying to work out an answer. “I…it’s—”
Veronica reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m not judging you. I’m just curious. But my big sister always said I talk too goddamn much anyway, so I’ll shut up.”
“No, it’s not you, it’s just…I don’t really think about that, haven’t in a long, long time. But I just fell into it, I guess,” I said with a shrug.
Maybe that was a tenth of a fraction of the story. But it was all I could muster.
“Yeah. We do just fall into things sometimes. Well, I’ve monopolized you enough, and if my speculation is correct, Mr. Marku is looking for you.”
“Yeah, you’re probably wrong about that,” I said.
Veronica chuckled. “We’ll see.”
I turned a corner and collided with a hard chest and muscular arms that belonged to Rubin. Veronica had not been wrong.