The night before, she hadn’t been sure she’d be able to sleep, but they’d made love until the early morning hours and then weariness had won out. She showered groggily and then she and Mace made their way out of the hotel and into his truck. It was only when they began to drive, the bright sunlight shining through the sunroof, that she began to feel awake enough to talk. The large coffee Mace had stopped and bought for her helped, as they zoomed toward the prison. They were outside of the maximum-security compound far sooner than she’d been prepared for. The trip could’ve taken a year, and she still wouldn’t have been ready. She surveyed the more than half empty parking lot, was glad the warden had approved her coming on a non-visiting day when there would be no crowds. She didn’t think she could bear watching the people heading inside, their bodies heavy with grief, with the knowledge that they would leave without someone they loved.
