Davis hated the orange jumpsuit, but more than that, he despised being locked up in jail. His bail was denied and his future was dependent on a public defender. Beau was true to his word and refused to have anything to do with him.
He was on his own, and it was a bit traumatic for him. His cousin had always been there to have his back, even over his own brother. Beau was untouchable, and without him, Davis was an easy target.
He had reached out to Ansley a couple of times because he wanted her to hear his side. Since she wouldn’t accept his calls, Davis wrote a letter pleading with her to visit him, but she never responded.
Davis believed there was still some part of her that cared for him. Sure, she was hurt, but what she felt for him could not have just been fleeting. Ansley had fallen for him, and while she never said it, he could feel it when she looked at him. She wouldn’t abandon him, when he needed her most. He believed this with his entire being.
“You have a visitor,” a guard announced.
Davis followed him to the visitation room. He was surprised to see Ansley sitting at one of the tables. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, it was clear that she uncomfortable being there.
“Hey, thank you for coming,” he said. Davis reached for her, but she paused him with her hand. He shrugged and sat across from her.
“What do you want?” Ansley asked, getting straight to the point. She had her arms crossed over her chest. He tried to read her expression. She was guarded.
He rubbed his hands across his face. “To tell you the truth.”
“I’m listening.”
“Yes, I stole from you and I lied to you, but I’m not a career criminal,” Davis declared.
Her forehead creased. “Seriously, you were arrested for the solicitation of murder, kidnapping, and trafficking drugs and weapons.”
His lower lip trembled. “I-I-I owe my cousin money. He asked me to pick-up a package while I was in Chicago. I didn’t ask any questions. No one questions him. I didn’t know what I had gotten into.”
As her lips twisted up, he could tell she was dissecting everything he said line by line, and from what she’d heard so far she thought he was full of crap. “So your cousin is the brains of the operation and you’re just the clown that got caught up in it all. Is that what you’re saying?”
Davis glanced around the room. “Why are you asking me that? I’ve already said way too much.”
“I ask because if you know what he’s into, why not work out a deal and get yourself off? You brought trouble on yourself. You knew what kind of business your cousin was into, and regardless of what you say, you knew that package contained something illegal.”
Davis nodded. “You’re right. I do know that he may or may not get involved in some seedy business. But he’s family, and he’s always been there for me. I told him that I didn’t want to get involved in anything that could harm anyone and he assured me that I wouldn’t ever have to get involved in anything like this.” He looked down at his hands. “It’s my fault for not getting all the details, but I owed him money and I did what I thought was just a quick delivery of a package. I trusted that my cousin was taking care of my best interest but this time around, he was just looking out for himself.”
Ansley considered his words. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think you’re telling me the truth.”
“I am,” Davis stated. “I’m in a real mess, Ansley. I could go to prison for a long time. I don’t have any money and my mom won’t help. I have a public defender and like you, he wants me to try to get a deal by ratting out my cousin.”
Ansley threw her hands up. “If you’re so innocent, then why don’t you? Why don’t you tell them what happened and what he’s involved in? I’m willing to bet it’s him that they really want anyway.”
“Beau is my cousin, but he is not someone I want to go up against.” Davis’s eyes filled with water. “I need your help, Ansley.”
Her mouth set in a hard straight line. “There’s nothing I can do.”
Davis’s eyes pleaded. “There is something you can do—I need a good attorney.”
She shook her head. “Okay, so this is the real reason you wanted me to come see you.”
“Ansley…”
She rose to her feet. “I hoped that you wanted to apologize and have a clear conscious, but that’s something a mature man would do and not a little boy still living street dreams.” Ansley eyed Davis for a moment before saying, “I wish you well.”
She started toward the door.
He muttered a curse. “How can you do this to me? I chose you. I could have any woman I want, but I invested my heart in you.”
Ansley looked over her shoulder at him. “I guess it turned out to be a bad investment for the both of us. Take care.”
She took off her visitors badge and tossed it in the trash on her way out.
“Ansley wait…”
The guard announced, “Visitation is over.”
Davis’s hope evaporated with every step Ansley took as she walked out of his life.