Read Online Time to Hide by John Gilstrap - Free Book Online

to her chest. “So, what did you do?”
    â€œWhat do you think we did? We ran. But the security cameras caught it all. I was arrested that night.”
    â€œBut you didn’t kill anybody.”
    Brad allowed himself a bitter chuckle as he shook his head. “That’s not how it works. Because we were committing a crime when the shooting happened, all of us were guilty.”
    â€œOf murder ?”
    â€œOf capital murder. That’s what they call it. Opens the door for the death penalty.”
    â€œSo, you were convicted.”
    â€œThe trial didn’t even last a whole day. The prosecution showed the video, my jerk-off public defender made a speech, and I was sentenced to twenty-five-to-life. Just like that.” He snapped his fingers.
    â€œThen, it was just like you see in the movies. They cuff your wrists to your waist, and your legs to each other, and then they put you on the bus to Hell. You can’t imagine anything as awful as the Michigan state prison. It was like being thrown into a damn lion’s den. Maximum security. Anyway, it took eight months to figure out how to get out of there, and I did.”
    â€œHow?”
    He blushed. “You’re not going to believe it.”
    â€œTell me.”
    â€œWell, you know, I built up all these fancy plans on how I was going to get out. I thought about tunnels, and I was always looking for a hole in the fence or something where I could slip through, but nothing ever came of any of those. The place was just too tight.”
    â€œSo, what did you do?”
    â€œI hid in a laundry basket.”
    Nicki gaped.
    â€œYep, the biggest cliché of all, and I just did it on a whim. Nobody was tending this laundry cart, so I climbed in under a bunch of dirty underwear and uniforms, and they rolled me right out into the truck.”
    â€œThey didn’t see you when they unloaded it?”
    â€œThey don’t unload it!” Brad laughed as he said it. “That was the biggest surprise of all. They just roll the cart into the back of the truck and drive off. How stupid is that?”
    â€œWhat about security at the gate?”
    â€œI heard the guard ask if they’d ever left the truck unattended, and the driver lied. It was amazing. After all that planning, all I had to do was lie down and they took me right out. That was five months ago.”
    Nicki closed her eyes tightly as she tried to process it all. “So, you really are a fugitive.”
    Another laugh. “Well, yeah.”
    â€œI just—Wow.” She thought a moment more. “But you still haven’t told me—”
    â€œOh,” Brad interrupted, realizing that he’d never gotten to her question. “Through all the bad times in the joint, I swear to God, the image that I kept thinking about—the one that kept playing itself over and over again in my head—was of you and that stupid glass of milk. I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s the God’s honest truth.”
    Nicki giggled.
    â€œI think you had a crush on me.”
    Nicki’s shade of red went beyond mere blush, to something closer to scarlet.
    Brad leaned a little closer to her on the bed. “I think you wanted me to kiss you, didn’t you?”
    Nicki allowed herself to nod.
    â€œWell, I wanted to kiss you, too.”
    â€œThat’s twisted,” Nicki teased. “I was only twelve.”
    â€œYou didn’t think you were twelve,” Brad laughed. “You thought you were twenty-three. But I kept my hands—and my lips—to myself.”
    He moved a little closer, and Nicki leaned in to meet him.
    â€œSo, you actually thought of me?” she baited.
    â€œEvery night.”
    â€œI probably don’t want to know the details.”
    â€œI bet you can guess them.”
    Nicki saw the contour of his erection growing under his robe and looked away. The fluttery feeling returned, but it was somehow