A sharp hiss escaped my lips, but before I could even cry out, fists rained down on me from every direction.
"So this is the one the boss told us to give a warm welcome."
The women exchanged a look, and the blows came harder.
All I could do was curl into the corner and shield my head with both arms.
At some point, the one-sided beating finally stopped.
Three days. Just get through three days, and I'll be free.
The thought flickered through my mind as I curled into a corner and drifted into unconscious sleep.
On the first day, a guard rapped on the cell door.
"Thelma Pruitt, you've got a visitor. Clean her up, ladies. Make sure nothing shows."
The women laughed as they answered, smoothing my hair with deceptive gentleness.
"Don't even think about telling anyone," the ringleader hissed in my ear, her fingers finding a bruise and twisting until I nearly blacked out. "Or one day you'll just quietly stop breathing in here."
I stumbled to the visiting room in a daze. The moment I saw Colton Abbott, the tears came before I could stop them.
"Colton..." I picked up the phone, my voice shaking beyond my control. "It's Mommy. Colton, look at me. Please look at Mommy."