A Family Man by Sarah Osborne

deserved the beat-down he got. His ribs hurt like a bitch, though. Once shackled, he stood waiting as his president was brought out. Samson grinned at the expression on his brother's face as he shuffled through the door. "It's all good, Tiny. I'll be back to my normal handsome self in no time."
    "Silence!" The guard pushed him hard in the back, causing Samson to growl. Joe clenched his fists. One day that nasty little shit would get his.
     
    Once back in their cell, Joe eased himself carefully onto his bunk. "I'm sorry, man."
    Samson chuckled. "It's cool. Would appreciate it if you could refrain from any more shit kicking between now and the next parole hearing, though. I really would like to get out of here."
    "I'll do my best." Joe gave a rueful grin. "Pretty keen on getting out of here, myself."
     
    Samson sat on his own bunk and watched his cell mate. This wasn't the first time they'd done a bid together, and it was unlike Joe to lose his cool. He figured that it had something to do the mother of the kid he was writing to. Since finding out she was knocked up, he had been walking on a knife edge, and it was only a matter of time until he really lost his shit. He sighed. Tiny wouldn't be the first to be brought to his knees by some gash, and he doubted he'd be the last. He glanced at the bunch of kid's drawings stuck to the bulletin board. "Kid doing okay?"
    "Yeah." He gave a small smile. "She's a tough kid. Ain’t much keeps her down."
    Samson nodded but said nothing. He couldn't imagine loving a kid that wasn't his own, the way Joe did. There could be no denying, though, Joe did love that little girl, as much as if she was his own.
     
    Finally, they had a release date. In two weeks' time, after serving two years of a four year sentence, they would be going home. Joe walked back from the payphone with a huge grin on his face. His mom had cried at the news, and Amy had screamed with delight, especially when he had promised to fly out to see her as soon as he could.
    He knew that until his parole was up, he was going to have to act smart. The Feds had only been able to make the bribery charge stick. Both Joe and Samson had denied knowing what was in in the container, where it had come from, or where it was headed. They both stuck to their story about being approached by a stranger in a bar. And despite the fact it was obviously bullshit, without any physical evidence to tie either of them to the stolen car parts, the smuggling charges were dropped. It did mean, however, that the Feds would be watching them like hawks. One little slip-up and they would be back in the slammer before their feet touched the ground. Luckily the little fat port official who had double-crossed them had been taken care of while they were inside, giving them an airtight alibi.
    Joe had already decided that as there were no travel restrictions tied to his parole agreement, he would spend the next two years traveling as much as possible. Maybe spend some time on the east coast and the midwest. But as soon as he'd visited his ma, he would head out to Miami. He needed to see with his own eyes that Amy really was okay.
     
    He stood on the parking lot of the Harley dealership, gazing at the gleaming Dyna. It was perfect, pure outlaw. He grinned as he approached the sales office. He would never be able to thank Beth enough for lending him the shortfall. His credit rating was nonexistent, and there was no way he'd be able to get financing. Although he knew she earned good money as a legal secretary, it must have been a stretch for her to find six grand, just like that. He'd pay her back, every damn penny, with interest. She'd laughed when he told her that. Just kissing him on the cheek and saying he'd earned it by looking out for Maria and Amy all those years.
    They'd always been close, ever since they were kids. He'd always looked on her like his baby sister. But during his latest bid they'd grown even closer. She was a lovely girl, open and honest,