The Torment of Incarceration
All right, just a few more days in this hellhole and then it’s back to your normal life, I thought, as I used every ounce of willpower to get my ass out of bed. When I stood up, I heard the rattling of the cell door opening, and I quickly made my way out, not wanting to cause trouble by dawdling. Ugh, how I wish I were at home and not around these horrifying criminals.
¡Yo solo ojalá ese maldito ser asqueroso pedazo de mierda nunca la hubiera tocado! (I just wish that fucking disgusting piece of shit had never touched her!) If he hadn’t, I never would have ended up here. But before I could spiral any further into thoughts about that night, I reached the mess hall and snapped back to reality. Well, let the games begin.
As I waited in line for the horrible gruel they call food in this place, I tried to make myself as small as possible, hoping I would go unnoticed and avoid the usual conflicts that followed being here.
Mmh, that looks appetizing, I thought as nausea and disgust overwhelmed me at the sight in front of me. Could they really not find anything better than this slop?
“Mmmh, well, well, well. What do we have here?” I suddenly heard behind me as I shrank into myself and cursed the fact that I had been noticed. “If it isn’t The Black Knight himself.”
Oh, fuck! I know that voice. Knowing full well there was no way out of this, I slowly turned around, only to face the most notorious gangster LA had seen in years, Cessair Paccioretti.
“You know damn well what’s about to happen, so why don’t you just do us both a favour and stand up before my men, or I, make you?”
I inhaled deeply before swallowing my pride and standing up. Let’s just get this over with, I thought as I followed them out into the same deserted hallway as always.
We were barely even in there when the first punch landed. “You know…” Cessair said before throwing another punch, “If you didn’t want this to happen, you shouldn’t have beaten up one of my men, who then ratted me out to avoid being sent here.”
Well, how was I supposed to know who he was? I thought as I keeled over after receiving a gut punch that landed me on the floor. I mean, I maybe wouldn’t have if I had known the consequences, but at the time I didn’t, so of course I stopped ese gilipollas repugnante (that disgusting asshole) from raping that girl.
Seeing that I was on the floor, the rest of his men joined in, only stopping and leaving me when I was barely conscious, just as they had done practically every other day since I came here.
“Holy fuckshit!” I shouted as I jolted up in my bed. “I can’t go back! I can’t go back! I won’t go back! I will never go back to that horrible place…” My breathing was erratic as I tried to calm down and regain my senses.
Okay, Ezra, relax. You’re at home, you’re in your own bed, so just try to take a deep breath and relax, I thought as I ran my palms down my face and kept them there as I rested my elbows on my knees. Just breathe in… and then breathe out. You’re okay, you are out, and as long as you are careful, you are never going back there. So just take it easy, relax, remember that you’ve been out for a few weeks, and enjoy your first day back at the club.
Having spent the last six months in prison for a simple battery charge, I decided to take it easy the last few weeks to get re-acclimated and readjust to my life on the outside before finally returning to the club my best friend and I owned together.
As I tried to prepare myself mentally for what was to come, I stayed in bed, hoping to shake off that horrible nightmare.
“Ughhh, I just fucking wish I hadn’t been caught. The only reason it happened was because I had a flashback to the night I lost her and kept seeing that disgusting douchebag’s face instead of the guy’s I was actually beating up, and therefore got lost in rage, and so I didn’t realize to stop and get my ass out of there before the cops came.”
My chest tightened as the darkness started spreading its slimy tentacles throughout me at the memory of losing her.
No, come on, you seriously do not have time to fall into that black hole, so come on. Get your ass out of bed and into the shower, I thought, as I did everything I could to prevent the darkness from taking over.
Then, with all the strength I had, I hauled myself out of bed and into the shower.
It felt strangely comforting to feel the water envelop me as my feelings threatened to drown me. The feeling of loss, as well as the following grief and depression, had just completely overtaken me, so feeling the familiarity and comfort that the water brought me was so good and exactly what I needed.
Needing a moment to myself to gather my thoughts and come back to reality, I leaned my hand against the shower wall, my head hanging down as I let the water thunder against my skin.
“Well, Liam, let’s hope you kept everything in check and didn’t get too distracted by the girls in my absence,” I muttered as I buttoned up my shirt.
Liam was my best friend and co-owner of our club, The Sinner Angel, but coincidentally, he was also just about the only person I tolerated being around, at least for extended periods of time. We’d met at university, but we were roommates there, and had been best friends ever since.
“I mean, I know the girls are incredible, and they definitely can be quite irresistible, but you still need to keep it in your pants, you little horndog.”
Now, I wasn’t going to put myself on too high a pedestal compared to Liam. It’s not like I was some saint, especially not when it came to women. But I at least had the decency and smarts to separate work from pleasure. Although, mmmh, I have missed blowing off steam with some beautiful girls, I thought as I took one last look in the mirror and headed out.
I jumped into my black Ferrari F8 Tributo and sped out of the driveway. As the speed rushed through my veins, exhilaration penetrated every cell in my body, and I was one with the car. Mmmh, there really is nothing quite like the thrill of the race.
After driving for a while, a smirk spread across my lips when I read the street sign. “Hello, darling, long time no see,” I said as I turned onto Sunset Boulevard.
A sense of calmness washed over me as I drove past all the familiar establishments that led toward our club. And when I finally saw the familiar gate, I inhaled deeply and quickly flashed back to all the good times I’d had in there. Okay, let’s do this.
As I walked towards the entrance of The Sinner Angel, I noticed that even though I had been away for six months, people still cowered in my presence. Well, it’s good to know that some things never change. A devilish smirk came across my lips as I enjoyed this effect.
Oh, how I’ve missed you, old friend. It’s been far too long since I could enjoy your sinful distractions, I thought as I walked inside and took in the familiar ambiance.
