Read Online Fallen-Angels by Ashlynn Monroe - Free Book Online Page A

recommended the death sentence
and she saw the gleam in the supervisor’s eyes when the gavel had hit.  
                She was
only a little surprised that Grace hadn’t been at her sentencing.   She wondered if Grace had even known, or
cared, that the trial had gone badly for her sister.   Deep down she wondered if, for spite, Grace’s
husband had paid the judge to see her hanged.   Justice had always known her life would be short, but she had hoped her
death would be quick too. That she would die quickly and bravely in a shoot out.
Not like this, caged and humiliated in front of an entire town.
                Justice sat
in her cell on the last night of her life.   Purity hadn’t come to see her after the trial and it hurt her a
little.   She knew that her sister wasn’t
handling the news well, and that Purity might not be able to face her, knowing
that she suddenly had a clear expiration date.   One of the church ladies had brought her a lovely picnic basket full of
food.   It was a sumptuous last meal and
she was honestly grateful.   Part of her
had been hoping to find a key or a gun when she had bitten into the pie, but
unfortunately, it was only full of delicious cherries.   There was so much food that she had shared
with the crazy man who was constantly shouting obscenities at her.   He must have felt a bit sorry about her
sentence because she noticed that after the trial he stuck to just talking to
himself and left her alone.  
                The sound
of a motorcycle made her go to the cell window and gaze out into the moonlit
night.   Wistfully, she thought it almost
sounded like her motorcycle.   She
pictured it rusting as the sand buried it, along with the derelict house.   She would never have the joy and freedom of
riding it again.   She grasped the window
bars and looked up into the twinkling night as a Zeppelin sailed majestically
overhead.   She wished she were a
passenger on the airship, going about a safe, average life—that she had married
Heath and talked him into going west, starting up a little farm, and staying
out of trouble.   She shook her head.   That would have been a prison of another
kind.   She had lived her life without
asking for permission, she had no real regrets.   At least she wasn’t going to die a virgin.   Steel might have betrayed her, but at least
he had given her wondrous pleasure to dream about on her last night on
Earth.   She lay down on the hard metal
bunk, closed her eyes and let herself conjure up Jeremiah’s face above her,
whispering comfort to her as she drifted asleep.
                The
rattling of her cell door woke her early the next morning.   She sat up groggily and blinked.  
                “I thought
my execution was set for noon,” she said through her dry mouth. “This sure as hell
can’t be noon.”
                “Your
sister left you the clothes she thought you’d want to be buried in.”
                The jailer
set down a bundle and left.   Justice
stood up and picked up a cup of stale water.   She choked down the warm, foul liquid. At least it soothed her throat.   When she opened the bundle, she smiled.   Purity had sent her a message.   Her sister must have her share of the money,
because these were the clothes Justice had left at Jeremiah’s hide out.   He must have decided to do the right thing by
her and give Purity her money.   A sense
of peace filled her and she quickly donned her own clothes.   Days in the stifling robbery dress had made
her eager for britches and her own sleeveless corset.   Putting on her trench coat and hat, she felt
more like herself than she had in a month.   She even had her own boots to wear.   She hoped Purity would come to her, one last time, so she could thank
her.   Even after the years of strain, she
felt the closeness and love as if they were children again.   This one simple message had