Today I have a great short story written by Jaime Raven, author of The Rebel which is published by Avon Books. I love a good short story and I’m sure that you’re going to enjoy this one!
Blurb:
Jaime Raven
The Rebel
From the author of The Madam and The Mother comes a gripping new thriller that will have everyone talking!
Sometimes you have to take the law into your own hands…
DI Laura Jefferson will do whatever it takes to bring down London’s most notorious crime boss. When her team receive a deadly threat – stop their investigation or the police and their families will be targeted – but they aren’t willing to back down…
Then the killings begin.
A new body is turns up every day, and with no leads, Laura knows she has to take action. Her family is innocent and she’ll stop at nothing to protect them.
When someone close to her is hurt, she’ll break every rule in the book to get vengeance.
Short Story:
TIME SERVED
BY JAIME RAVEN
Author of THE REBEL
The day has finally arrived and it’s been a long time coming. Fifteen years, seven months and three weeks to be precise.
But having served my time I’m now going to walk out of those prison gates never to return. Sure, I face an uncertain future, but then so does everyone.
At least I’ll no longer have to endure daily threats and taunts and the endless cycle of violence.
I can still remember that bitterly cold December morning when I arrived. It was such a shock to the system that I didn’t think I’d be able to cope.
There were those awful smells that were impossible to identify and the cacophony of noise that gave me headaches.
I found everything about the place intimidating, especially the cold grey eyes of the man who for no particular reason took and instant dislike to me.
Tommy Butcher had already been banged up for five years of a ten year sentence for armed robbery. And he had a fearsome reputation as an uncompromising thug.
‘So what’s your name then?’ he asked me when I encountered him that first day in the prison canteen.
‘Samuels,’ I told him. ‘John Samuels.’
He gave me that creepy, gold-toothed grin that became so familiar, and said, ‘Well I’m gonna call you redtop on account of your ginger hair.’
Much to my dismay the name stuck.
‘Count yourself lucky,’ Bill Simpson said to me more than once. ‘They call me Homer and I hate it with a vengeance.’
Bill has been my best pal throughout. I’ll miss him, and I know he’ll miss having me around.
‘It’ll be my turn to get out next year,’ he tells me as we have our last conversation in the prison’s high-security wing. ‘And I really can’t wait.’
‘I don’t suppose you’ll be as nervous as I am right now,’ I tell him.
He laughs. ‘Try to relax, mate. You’ll be fine. You’ve so much to look forward to.’
I shrug. ‘It doesn’t seem like it. But then I’ve only got myself to blame. I messed up big time.’
We both fall silent and it gives me time to reflect on my mistakes and how much my life has changed since that day fifteen years, seven months and three weeks ago.
Susan divorced me, my only son got married, his wife gave birth to my grandchild and my ginger hair turned grey.
And so much around me changed as well in that time. Conditions inside the prison deteriorated as a result of overcrowding and underfunding. Violence reached an all-time high, and now it seems like every day is a riot waiting to happen.
I’ve managed to survive, though, despite everything that was thrown at me. And that’s no mean feat.
‘You’re still young enough to make every moment count from now on,’ Bill says, but I find that hard to believe.
And yet I know I’m incredibly lucky to have reached this point. Not everyone who’s in for the long haul comes out relatively unscathed.
Jaime Raven
About The Author:
Jaime Raven is a full-time author living in Southampton UK. Jaime spends some of his time writing at his second home on Spain’s Costa Calida. He has three daughters. He was born in London and grew up in the gritty streets of Peckham where his family were well known street traders.
The Rebel by Jaime Raven is out now in the UK and available from Amazon UK, you can pre-order The Rebel from Amazon US now.
If only I could read faster 