Free Thin Ice 6 - Hangman & Socrates by KR BANKSTON Page A

honestly.
    “ Blue, you can’t be following me and stuff, that’s crazy,” Lauren told him.
    Her mind was racing as he explained he only wanted to make sure she was safe at school and that Kenny didn’t bother her. Lauren had planned to slip away right after getting her money. She didn’t want to hurt him anymore than she already knew he would be; now she had to either lie to him or tell him goodbye.
    “ Why are you crying baby,” Blue asked, his face filled with concern.
    Swallowing hard, Lauren showed him the object she was clutching. It was a picture of Auriel, her mother.
    “ I’m sorry baby,” he told her gently, knowing the how of her mother’s death.
    “ Is that why you came back,” he asked, still having no clue her plans.
    “ Yes,” Lauren returned simply, not enlightening him of the rest.
    “ You ready to go, I’ll drop you off, or you can come to the house with me,” Blue tried, really wanting to spend time with her.
    Lauren definitely didn’t want to go back to school, and she needed to gather herself for a while outside the walls of this house of horrors.
    “ Let’s go to your place,” she replied as Blue smiled and told her okay.
    Rising Lauren grabbed her book bag and tote, quickly placing the photo of her mother inside, before leaving with Blue, going back up the stairs and finding their way out of the mansion back into the crisp morning air.

 
    8
     
    Carlo knew it had to come sooner or later, and finally it did. The jury announced they’d reached a verdict this morning and they had immediately returned to the courtroom where they now sat, waiting for the twelve men and women to return and take their seat. He didn’t kid himself, Carlo already knew the verdict and he knew the sentence. The thing that bothered him was simply knowing this was his last day in the spotlight. After today he would fade into a simple bad memory for most, or a long faded legend to those on the street. As much as The Association was still running in some semblance of form, Carlo knew it wouldn’t be long before it ceased to exist at all with he and Cartier to rule it with the iron fist they used to keep it flowing before. Carlo also still wanted to know the who behind them being exposed. It had to be someone close. The information given to the authorities was deeply personal and there were only a handful of people who knew about its existence. Told you not to trust that bitch, his mind prompted concerning Hope. He suspected she had far more to do with his incarceration than was being told. That was the real reason he wouldn’t sign the papers giving her custody of his daughter. If she would sell him up the river, what manner of evil would she do his child?
    The jurors slowly filed in, eyes on the floor. Carlo looked each of them over with every one of these either not returning his gaze or quickly averting their own. The judge entered moments later as they were all prompted to rise and wait for him to be seated on the bench.
    “ The jury has reached its verdict,” he asked.
    The foreman rose telling the judge they had.
    “ Please pass the verdict to the bailiff,” Judge Bishop advised.
    Carlo sat unimpressed, passive, and bored as they went through the motion of reading each charge and adding the guilty finding to it. At the end of the litany, Judge Bishop thanked the jury for doing their job and returned his attention to Carlo.
    “ Mr. Cisneros,” he began as Carlo and his attorney’s stood.
    The judge fixed his gaze on the man in front of him while his mind worked. He was slightly irritated by Carlo’s obvious lack of remorse or even casual respect for the proceedings. Glancing over the courtroom he saw the woman on the front row as usual, this time crying softly. He assumed this was the one relative left in the world who gave a damn about Carlo or his life. Returning his attention again to the task as hand, Judge Ronald Bishop passed sentence.
    “ It is the ruling of this court that you be