Treacherous Desire

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

Two Years Later...

After being locked up for two years and four months, it was finally time for Julian's first parole hearing.

During the time he had been locked up, he had received visits and letters from Deanna begging for forgiveness and a second chance.

He didn't know if he was going to give her either one, but he couldn't focus on that right now. He had to show up and show out at that hearing so he could finally be released and at least be able to see his kids again and start his life over.

By now, everyone knew he was retired from boxing, and even if he wasn't, no one wanted to represent a washed up convict.

He showered, shaved, put on the suit he had Kristin buy him, and prepared the sappiest speech he could think of. This was no different from when he boxed and pretended to have mutual respect for the opponent he was getting ready to knock the hell out.

The C.O came shortly after he was dressed and escorted him to the parole hearing meeting room.

On the panel sat his lawyer, Kristin; the judge who had sentenced him, Warren Bailey; the warden, Patricia Mayfield, whom Julian had endured long conversations and built a friendship over the past two years; the lawyer representing Lawrence's family; and two other men he didn't recognize.

"Julian McKnight, over two years ago you took a plea deal for assault with the intent to kill," Judge Bailey said.

"Yes, Your Honor," Julian replied respectfully.

"Given the violent nature of your crime, why should we let you out before your scheduled release date?" The judge gave him a stern look.

"Your Honor, can I approach the panel?" Julian asked.

"No, but you can stand and say whatever you have to say."

Julian sensed that his boxing reputation and the nature of his crime intimidated some of the people on the panel.

Julian stood up, keeping his hands where they could see them, and looked each one of them in the eyes.

"I realize what I did was reckless to say the least. As a professional fighter, I was always taught not to use violence and to only throw blows when necessary. So it was never my intention to harm Mr. Hines." Julian paused and drew in a breath, thinking back to that night. "However, what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life turned into the worst when I came home and caught him in bed with my wife. I know that doesn't excuse what I did, but my heart felt like someone had ripped it out and smashed it to pieces, which is the only reason why I reacted with such rage. But I am truly sorry for the pain I caused Mr. Hines and his family. If you decide to give me a second chance today, I will not let you down.

I just want an opportunity to start over, rebuild my life and figure out who Julian McKnight is outside the boxing ring. I want to raise my son to be a better man than I ever was. I want to hold my daughter and teach her how a man is supposed to treat a young lady. I want to give back to the community which is what I'd planned to do before I was caught up in this unfortunate situation. Again, I'm sorry for my actions and I've spent the last two years wishing I could take it back." Julian flashed them a confident, yet friendly, smile and took his seat.

"When you say give back to the community, what exactly do you mean?" the warden asked.

"It was always my goal after retiring to come back to my hometown and open a community center allowing me to mentor and train young men to use their abilities for positive things. Boxing saved my life when I was a young boy roaming the streets of DC. So if I can use what I've learned to do the same for the new generation, I think it would make a world of difference," Julian explained.