A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram #1) - Darynda Jones Page 0,140
ago.
Poetry leaned on his elbows and pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes.
She leaned over and unlocked the cuffs.
He removed them and then covered his eyes again.
“I’m sorry about your brother.”
Overcome with emotion, he only shook his head.
“I just have one question for you. How the hell did you do it?”
He cleared his throat and said, “Sorry for the act.”
“The tough-guy act? I’m sure it came in handy in prison.”
He raised a brow. “You could say that.”
“But really, how the hell did you pull this off? Your fingerprints wouldn’t match your brother’s, and yet you went to prison for him? For three years? Why? Did he have something on you?”
His laugh held more sadness than humor. “You said you just had one question.”
“I’m sorry.” Sun had to admit, this was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen during her entire career in law enforcement.
He showed her his hands. More to the point, his fingerprints. They were covered in scars. “I chew them. You know, to hide my prints. The COs used to laugh at me. They’d remind me I was already in prison. I was already convicted. No use in trying to hide my identity now.”
“I’m stunned you pulled this off. I’m beyond stunned.”
“They don’t care, you know? It’s not like they compare your fingerprints once they have you. You could be the pope, as long as they have someone in that bed come lights-out.”
“But how did you even end up in your brother’s place?”
“He was out on bail. He skipped. I was mistaken for him and hauled in right before the trial.”
“So, you just went with it? You let them believe you were your brother? That you’d committed armed robbery?”
“I owed him.”
“You spent three years in prison for something you didn’t do. You did time for your brother.”
“What was I going to do? Rat him out? I got busted. They thought I was him. I just let them.”
“I am astoundingly impressed.”
“Don’t be.”
“I hope he knows how lucky he is.”
“He’s not that lucky. We all have penance to pay.”
“That we do, Poetry.”
“How did you know?” he asked her, seeming impressed himself.
“The footage from the transport van and the mug shot.”
“What about them?”
She slid some screenshots to him. “You guys did a good job keeping your tats identical, but you must’ve gotten a new one in prison.” She pointed behind her ear, indicating the cross he had that ran from behind his down the side of this neck.
“You caught that? Damn.”
“Well, that and you’ve clearly eaten better than he has. He’s gaunt compared to you.”
He looked at the mug shot again. “He doesn’t look well.”
“Maybe prison will do him good? Get him clean?”
“Prison doesn’t do anyone any good.” He took a drink of the hot chocolate. “Your kid’s pretty great.”
“Yes, she is.”
“So, is that why you dragged me in here? To gloat?”
“No, I can gloat anytime. Would you like to see your brother? I can arrange it. On one condition.”
He’d gone from intrigued to wary in the time it took to snap. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I have an opening. I need a deputy.”
He stilled again, only this time, his expression would suggest he was questioning her sanity. Why were people always doing that?
“You have the instincts. You clearly have the guts. You’re level-headed AF. You have a bachelor’s in criminal justice. You’re like the poster child for entry-level law enforcement.”
“Right, only you forgot a couple of things. I’m a convicted felon. And I just spent three years in prison.”
“No. Your brother is a convicted felon. You haven’t spent a single day inside. You’ve never even been arrested. I checked.”
He took another swig and shook his head. “Look, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I’m not your guy.”
“You saved that little girl’s life.”
His surprise shone through in glowing Technicolor. “That wasn’t—I didn’t mean—that wasn’t what it looked like.”
“You didn’t jump off a cliff onto a frozen lake to save a little girl’s life?”
“Yeah, but it’s not like I gave it a lot of thought. It just happened.”
She held out her hand. “Welcome to the force, Deputy Rojas. I’m your sheriff, Sunshine Vicram.”
A set of dimples emerged when he offered her the barest hint of an astonished smile. He took her hand. “I can’t believe this.”
“I know. Aren’t they soft? I use extra moisturizing lotion. A girl can’t be too moisturized these days.”
He breathed out a laugh as though unable to wrap his head around the events of the day.
Quincy appeared at the door. “I know what you’re thinking,” he