Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
My heart dropped into my stomach. The list of names seemed to be progressing in alphabetical order. I tapped my foot impatiently while waiting for the guard to reach W.
“Graham Whitehall,” he finally yelled.
Uncle Logan and I immediately jumped to our feet. He took my hand as we made our way over to the heavy door that the other visitors had gone through. The young guard raised his hand, stopping us.
“One visitor at a time,” he said.
“Why just one?” Uncle Logan asked, tightening his grip around my hand. “My brother’s attorney specified two guests.”
“New rule for high-level inmates.”
“And what level is Graham Whitehall?”
The guard shrugged and held up a clipboard. “Whoever’s going first needs to sign in.”
“My niece isn’t going in there alone.”
“Then I guess she’s not going anywhere.” His lanky fingers creased the paper as he shoved the clipboard at my uncle’s chest.
Uncle Logan snatched the plastic board out of the guard’s grasp and scanned the paper. “Give us a minute.” He tugged me over to a plexiglass window before the guard could ask for his clipboard back. “This is horseshit. I’m sure he’s just being a dick, but it’ll probably take a while to sort this out through official channels. We can come back another day. Your dad will understand.”
I didn’t expect to feel a rush of emotion at the thought of not getting to see my dad today. Maybe it was the knowledge that he was waiting for me somewhere close by that pushed me to rest my hand on Uncle Logan’s forearm.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll go first.”
“Hails, I really don’t like the idea of you going back there alone.”
“I won’t be alone. There are people and cameras everywhere. I promise I’ll scream my head off if anyone tries anything.”
He glared at the young guard over my shoulder for a long moment, then sighed. “If you’re sure you want to do it like this.”
I wasn’t sure of anything, except maybe us. No matter what happened between me and my dad, I knew that my uncle would always be there for me.
“I’m sure.”
He kissed my forehead. “I love you. You can do this. Take deep breaths. I’m sure your dad’s way more nervous than you are.”
I very much doubted that. He turned the clipboard toward me and handed me the pen so I could sign. As we made our way back over to the heavy-looking door, I prayed that this wasn’t a mistake.
Uncle Logan slapped the clipboard against the young guard’s chest, fixing him with a knifelike scowl.
“If anything happens to my niece, I’ll make it my personal mission to erase any and all traces of your existence from the planet.”
The guard’s lip curled in a snarl. “Is that a threat?”
“More like a promise.” Uncle Logan pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped at the screen, then held the speaker end up to his ear. “Inspector General, glad I caught you…”
My uncle’s voice trailed off as I followed the young guard down a brightly lit hallway. The door slammed behind us, and I jumped, even though I knew the sound was coming.
“You’re allowed one hug,” the guard said briskly. I practically had to jog to keep up with his long stride. “No phones or other contraband is permitted.”
“I know.” I had read the rules and regulations at least a dozen times.
The guard brought me into a large room with bars on the windows and laminated posters taped to the walls. Inmates and their guests perched on hard plastic chairs clustered around blue plastic tables. The prison certainly didn’t want anybody getting too comfortable.
My heartbeat thundered in my chest as I scanned the open space. I almost skidded to a stop when I spotted my dad, seated at a table in the far corner.
He’d already noticed me, his gaze like a magnet pulling me forward.
I felt a tickle in my lower belly, which I struggled to ignore. Instead, I leaned into my self-consciousness, tucking my hair behind my ear and smoothing out my skirt. Was the knee-length sundress I’d picked out inappropriate? Should I have brought my dad a gift? Would a phone call have been a safer option for my heart?
The guard escorted me all the way to my dad’s table. Dressed in a dark-blue jumpsuit, he looked the same as I remembered, with maybe a few more gray strands in his dark hair and beard than before he went to prison.
My dad stood as I approached. He moved in like he wanted to hug me and then drew back, as if he’d realized I might not welcome his touch. I wasn’t sure if I was more grateful to him or disappointed for respecting that physical boundary.
“Visiting hours are over in thirty minutes,” the young guard said.
“She knows,” my dad grumbled. I thought I heard him whisper something about cowboys under his breath, but that didn’t make sense, so I ignored it. He motioned for me to take the seat across from him, so I sat down. He glanced around the room. “Isn’t Logan with you?”