Free Oblivious by Jamie Bowers

a pawn shop. And we all know that they charge more than they’re worth. I bet that’s more than your mark-up as well.’ Bruce smiled at Joe with a snide grin.
    ‘You’re smart kid, but I’m not stupid. My mark-up is usually ten percent; forty on one-off items but this is something different. I want five thousand from you, up-front, you get me what I want, and you get what you want.’ Joe pondered for a moment, biting his lip as he thought.
    ‘How would I get the money to you? Is there someone on the outside that I can get it to, and they keep it for when you get out?’ Shaking his head in disbelief, Bruce wasn’t impressed.
    ‘Do you think I was born yesterday? How do I know you aren’t going to try and pull a fast one with your buddies on the outside? You want the goods in here, I want the cash delivered to me in here, then, and only then do I start working my magic to conjure you up what you want. I don’t care how you do it, just get me the money and we start talking real business.’ Bruce stepped away and headed towards the men who he had been earlier trading with.
    ‘Now if you don’t mind, I have a business to run.’ He turned to the men and took the plastic bags back out of his pocket, ‘Where were we gentleman?’ he shouted as Joe was left standing by himself. Joe felt the large hand of Ken on his shoulder.
    ‘What have you just done?’ he said as they watched Bruce continue to take money from the inmates, ‘I wouldn’t mess with Bruce, not even if it meant to get what I wanted.’ Joe turned to Ken,
    ‘What are you so afraid of? I’m sure you can handle yourself against him.’ he asked.
    ‘It’s not him I’m afraid of,’ explained Ken, ‘you don’t know how many inmates and guards he has in his pocket, on his payroll. Believe me you do not want to get involved with him, no matter how desperate you are.’ Joe walked slowly towards the steps that led up to the door inside, speaking over his shoulder as he limped away.
    ‘It’s too late for the advice, besides, I know exactly what I’m doing.’ Ken shook his head in disbelief, wondering what was said between the two men and what agreement Joe has made.
    As Joe reached the bottom of the steps, he stared up at the two guards who were looking all around the yard except for where Bruce was doing business. Taking a few steps up the concrete, holding the rail to balance himself, he felt a sharp pain throughout his body that quickly immobilised him. He quickly dropped to one knee as the pain worsened. One of the guards shouted down to him.
    ‘Hey!’
    Joe turned himself away from the guard and sat on the step to gain his breath as the guard continue to yell.
    ‘No stopping on the steps. You’re either up or down, which one is it?’ Joe ignored the instructions as he didn’t have the energy to move any further. He could hear the guard walking down the steps as he continued to bark orders. ‘Are you deaf or stupid? I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. Now move!’ He pushed the sole of his boot into Joe’s back that made him stumble down a couple of steps, reaching his hand out to the rail to stop him going any further. The guard took two more steps; he was now one higher than Joe. Taking his baton with a firm grip in his hand, the guard pressed the end of it onto the nape of Joe’s neck.
    ‘You’re either going to move or I make you, there’s no stopping on these steps.’
    Ken, who had previously taken his spot back on the concrete ledge, spotted the guard standing over Joe’s frail body. He heard the odd word coming from the guard but nothing that made him aware of the subject of the altercation. Quickly standing from his perch he walked across the dirt ground towards them.
    ‘What’s going on?’ he shouted as he got to the bottom of the steps. The guard looked up at Ken.
    ‘This don’t involve you, nigger,’ he said pointing his baton at Ken, ‘Now get back to your business before you give me a reason to bust open