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I’d passed all the security checks without incident. The staff were polite but distant. I sat in a waiting area, along with everyone else hoping to see a loved one.
There were women with small children and babies, trying to keep them entertained as the minutes ticked by. I couldn’t imagine how any mother would want to bring her child to a place like this, but I guessed most of them had no choice.
A little girl with inky black hair toddled over, a ragged doll gripped firmly in her chubby fist. She stared at me for a moment. I tried to smile, but it was impossible. What was there to smile about in this hell-hole?
“Luisa, vuelve aquí!” The mother hissed at her daughter while juggling a grizzling baby. I tried to indicate non-verbally that I didn’t mind her daughter hovering in front of me, but she jumped up and yanked the child away. “No te vayas de mi lado!”
Nobody else looked at me. They were all too busy staring at the door, waiting to be called. An hour ticked by. Then two. Sweat trickled down my spine. I desperately needed the bathroom, but I had a feeling that if I disappeared for five minutes, I’d miss my chance.
Eventually, a hulking guard appeared. Everyone jumped up and followed him through the door and into a large visitation room.
I sat down on a scuffed plastic chair. The table was covered in scratches and looked a bit grubby. Prisoners began to file in, most looking pleased to see their loved ones. There was a vending machine selling drinks and snacks, but it wasn’t seeing much action. Most of these people probably couldn’t afford to throw money away on a bottle of soda. I certainly couldn’t.
Touching wasn’t allowed, I’d been told at check-in. One woman made the mistake of trying to hug her man and a guard yelled a warning at her. She jumped back immediately. I had a feeling there were no second warnings in here. Two strikes and the visit was over.
The sliding door on the opposite side of the room opened and Dad walked in.
My mouth fell open in shock. His complexion was gray and pallid, his hair shaved. Before the arrest, he’d been a jovial man, always ready with a smile. Now? He looked gaunt. Either the food in here was dreadful or he wasn’t getting enough to eat.
He looked around and spotted me. For a moment, I saw a ghost of a smile, but it didn’t last long. He made his way over and sat opposite me.
From the way he winced as he sat down, it was obvious he was carrying some kind of injury. There were also faint bruises across his cheek. Fear gripped me. I’d expected him to have lost a bit of weight, but this was way more than that. He looked ill and defeated.
“Estella, how are you holding up?”
“Dad, I’m fine, what’s going on?” I wasn’t sure if Michael had told him about the car accident but now didn’t feel like a good time to mention it.
Tears pricked my eyes and I fought the urge to dive into his arms. I really needed a hug. Seeing him brought home how much I’d missed him.
He wasn’t perfect, but he was my dad and I loved him. He was all I had.
Chapter 59
Quinn
I glanced at my phone for the millionth time but the screen remained blank aside from the usual rubbish notifications. Stella had left hours ago. We knew it could take a while to see her dad, but the waiting around was driving me nuts.
We’d used the hotel gym already but even an intense workout hadn’t been enough to quell my anxiety. It was ridiculous. Nobody knew we were here, aside from her father’s lawyer and the prison. There was zero chance of anyone recognizing Stella. Not with the hat and glasses she wore.
Almost anyone could remain anonymous in an urban sprawl like this. Many people came to NYC to chase the Great American Dream, but others were hoping to disappear, quietly sink below the surface, never to be seen again. Big city life offered anonymity, which was a bonus considering the intense interest in Stella.
Leaving college had been a trial. We’d been forced to throw a blanket over Stella as she hid in the footwell behind the driver’s seat. It was the only way to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Thankfully, none of the reporters hovering around the gate paid too much attention to us. A quick glance to check whether someone matching Stella’s description was in the car before they went back to staring up the drive and chatting among themselves.
I just hoped they’d get bored and move on soon.
Surely there were other more interesting things happening in the world. Like an earthquake or political scandal.
My fingers drummed the arm of the chair. Harley lounged on the sofa in the living area, flicking through the cable channels. It had been an hour, and he still hadn’t settled on anything to watch. Frankly, he was driving me fucking nuts.
“Can you just pick something?” I snapped irritably, tossing my phone down.
He huffed. “No. There’s nothing worth watching.”
“Come on, let’s head out. There’s a coffee shop in the Civic District I want to try. We may as well drink something decent while we wait.”
“You Googled it didn’t you?”
