by Hope Stone
All you could do with Lucy was laugh sometimes. She was a wild one. I made my way to the glass doors and proceeded to my vehicle.
USP Atwater Penitentiary’s conditions were diabolical. The prison needed a major overhaul. Many prisoners were committing suicide in their jail cells and the death rates were steadily climbing quarterly.
“Our hands are tied. We can’t do much about it. We’re externally funded and they won’t give us the money to upgrade.” That’s what the Warden Smith told me on my last prison visit. I wanted my brother Hector out of there as soon as possible. My mind flashed back to my brother as I spoke to him on the prison phone.
“I’m going to get you out of here. You don’t deserve to be in here. Those charges were ridiculous that you copped.”
Hector with his shaved head put his hand to the glass sliding his fingers down it. “Sister. I appreciate it, but we already appealed the other one and it didn’t go through.” One guard stood at the back of the room as I watched the clock. I had five minutes of talk time left that day.
I splayed my fingers on the glass where his fingers were. “Little bro, this is what I do. Prison reform. You can’t stay here, you're not safe. They just stabbed the prison teacher in here last year! The common room is too small. You’re all bunched together. Over 1000 inmates cramped in. There’s bound to be a break out of violence.” My eyes bugged out of my head.
Hector with his bright blue eyes looked back at me with hopelessness. “Give up for a while. I’m just going to ride it out. I know what happened. My homeboy let me know what happened. It wasn’t in my section.”
I closed my eyes and grasped the steering wheel a little tighter as I thought back to the moment. It pained me greatly to see my brother like that. The lost look in his eyes. I vowed to do everything I could to reduce his sentence and protest about the conditions at UPS.
As I contemplated my brother's case I cleared my head to think about the reason for my current visit. Charlie Winters and his baby girl Bella. As far as I knew Charlie was in a cell with one other man. I wondered how it was going for him. I guessed I was about to find out. UPS Atwater was right at the back of Merced in the middle of nowhere, a fifteen minute driver and close to Castle Airport. I had plenty of time to gather my thoughts with the questions I had for Charlie as I drove there. I turned in where the sign said UPS Atwater Penitentiary and found a park. The parking lot was a little empty and the main building not anything to write home about. A single tier sandy colored building greeted me as I got out of the car. I checked my purse for my official badge. I walked in the front door. The warden welcomed me.
“Amber. Hey how you doin?” I smiled wide, important to stay in the good books with Warden Smith so I got the visits I wanted and the access to achieve the prison outcomes I saw for the future of UPS.
“Hey Warden Smith. You’re looking good today. How’s your sweet wife doing?” Warden Smith was a average looking man of normal height and a penchant for power. He ran a tight ship but from all I knew was a just man.
He smirked a little but he couldn’t hide the blush that came over his face. “You’re just saying that. C’mon who are you here to see?”
“I’m here to see Charlie Winter. It’s about his daughter.”
“Ah. Charlie. Mr Outlaw. He’s been behaving, he's just about served his time. Six month to go on his sentence. He’s a good inmate and example for the others in here.”
I nodded my head. That gave me some insight into the guy.
“That’s good to hear.”
“So you know the drill. You have one hour with the inmate. I’ll just do the standard check of your bag.” I opened my bag as I approached the backside of the jail and the warden scanned it and me. The scanning paddle that he had made a weird noise and then stopped. “Ok, you’re clear. He’s waiting for you in the standard meeting room.
“Ok, thank you. I will see you on the way out.”
A knot formed in the bottom of my throat. I always got a little nervous walking into the prison. The air changed when I walked in. A guard let me in the prison side and led me to the meeting room on the left. A yellow stained door with a small window in it. He gestured me forward into the room.
“He’s all yours.” I smiled at the guard.
“Thank you.”
I stepped in clutching my manilla folder tightly. I struggled to maintain a neutral face as I scanned Charlie Winters. His presence at the table took up a whole expanse of space. His eyes captivated me at first. Ice blue pools of piercing coldness. I moistened my lips as I approached him. His sandy blonde hair was neatly cropped on both side and his highlights on tip stood out. His square masculine jaw was clenched in position as he waited for me to speak first.
I held out my hand for him to shake. “Hi, I’m Amber Atwood, the social worker for your daughter Bella.”
He stood up and I secretly admired his height and his impressive physical build. His large manly grip engulfed my small hand as he gripped it lightly and let go. A lightning bolt of attraction surged through my system. I pulled out my chair and sat down as quickly as I could. His blue eyes twinkled letting me know he was equally impressed by me.
“Great. I want to thank you for all your doing for Bella. I’ve spoken to her on the phone and she said you’re a really nice lady.”
I pulled out my case file from my purse and sat in front of me. “I’m so glad to hear that. She is a bright young seven year old, she’s a pleasure to work with. She misses you.”
Charlie looked down at his massive hands in guilt. “Yes. I know I can’t wait to get out of this hellhole. I just want to see my girl.” The love for his daughter was evident in his voice.
“Charlie, would you like some water before we get started?” I reached out the middle of the table where the water sat and attempted to pour into the plastic cups.
Charlie placed his hand over mine. “Let me. It’s the least I can do and call me, Colt.” His beautiful gleaming teeth made an appearance. I swear I started to swerve at the table from the sex appeal he oozed.
“Ah. Thank you. I appreciate it.” I gulped as a second knot formed in the pit of my stomach. His icy blue devils making the rounds over my body. I was modestly covered. I was wearing a blazer and a white top underneath. I opted for black slacks not too tight and not too baggy. Just right. Hard to conceal my ample chest. It was sizable and his eyes inadvertently moved there for a moment. His eyes watched me as he sipped his water. I let mine sit on the table.
“Shall we get started?” I realized I had my thighs squeezed together under the table in protest and loosened them a little.
“Yes. We can do that. How is my sweet Bella?”
His tenderness made my heart swell. “Bella is doing great. She is making strides at school and seems to be really enjoying it. She does ask a lot of questions about her mother. I do want to prepare you for that when you get out. I know it must be hard for you to talk about personally.”
This man's forearms and biceps were like fully loaded cannons. I tried desperately not to look at them. Colt ran a hand through his blonde hair and laced his fingers together. “I know. I mean I’m going to have to talk to her some more. We talk on the phone about it. I don’t want her to feel like she can’t talk about her mother. I personally am just sucking it up. Obviously Anna didn’t cope well with me being locked up.”
“That must have been upsetting for you to lose her like that.”
“Yes. It was. I wish she could have thought about Bella more instead of herself. Thing is I had no control over the situation. I couldn’t be there to stop it from happening.”
“Hey it’s not your fault.”
“Well no offense but it is my fault that I ended up in here and Bella’s without her father.”
I straightened my jacket out a little and took a sip of water. When I looked up Colt’s intense gaze was honed in on me.
“So Colt, any plans for when you get out? Do you have a plan? I think having a solid exit plan will help you re-
establish your relationship with Bella.”
Colt fidgeted a little. “I agree. I have a plan. I want her to know that she’s not going to lose me again and that she can rely on me.”
“Good. Tell me about Bella.”
Colts handsome face lit up as he began talking about her. “My girl loves horses like her Daddy. She grew up on the farm and loves the outdoors. Climbing, running, swimming in the brook. I raised her to be a country girl. She loves the whole world my Bella. Real people person. Everybody loves her. What’s not to love about Bella.” Colt paused and took another mouthful of water. “I used to read to her at night. I would rock her to sleep in my arms. She was so tiny. I’ve missed everything. She’s grown up without me.” I watched as Colt dropped his head on top of his hands and slouched forward on the table.
‘Hey. It’s not long to go now. Just take your time. It’s going to be an adjustment when you get back home to her, but maybe your bond with the horses can be the entry point.”
He lifted his head. “ Maybe you’re right. She used to feed them every morning and talk to them. She can ride the Stallion bareback you know. She’s got a special way with them.”
“See. That’s a good start. And how about you? How is your mental health in here? I know the conditions aren’t the best.” I frowned as I looked him over.
“I’m not going to off myself if that’s what you mean. But I’ve seen it. One of the guys in cell block D braided a bed sheet together and put in the grill above him and tightened the knot. The guard found him blue and limp hanging in his cell.” He said matter of factly. I winced when I heard this. I hated that anyone felt so low in life that they needed to take their own. My eyes averted to the clock behind Colt’s head. We’d been talking for a good little while and our time together was almost up.
“That’s terrible Colt. Why do you think the rates of suicide are going up in here? Do they not have enough counselling sessions here?”
“Nah. It’s nothing to do with that. We’re on top of one another. If you go out to the yard there’s no room to move. That’s why I ended up doing a lot of inhouse activities to keep my mind alert. Going to classes. Signed up to cook. Just so I can get out of the cell.”
“That’s a great idea. You have new skills now. Are you going to live with Bella alone? Or will you keep her at your mother’s house? I want to make sure Bella is as comfortable as possible.”
“Me too. I’ll have to ask my little queen what she wants to do. Hopefully she’ll come back with me and live on the farm.”
I noted a few things down on my sheets and drank the last of my water. “Colt, thank you for your time today. I see the time is almost up. I think you and your daughter will be just fine when you come out. I’ll talk to you next visit about things you can do now to ease her into the changes.”
Colt brushed his eyes over my body one more time sending a heat signal right to my sex. This man emanated primal masculinity. “Thank you again, Amber. You’ve set my mind at ease. I see that Bella is in good hands.” He shook my hand once again as my hand slipped from mine I relished in the sensation of the soft pads of his fingers on mine. I signaled the guard for my exit.
I smiled courteously at him. “You’re so welcome, Colt. I will let the Warden know so I can be added to the visiting list for next time.” I raised up in my seat and collected my things.
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Hope Stone is a contemporary romance author who loves writing hot and steamy, but also emotion-filled stories with twists and turns that keep readers guessing. Hope’s books revolve around possessive alpha men who love protecting their sexy and sassy heroines. Here’s the deal though…
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