The sun was shining so brightly on Easter that year, the smell of spring was wafting through the air like an expensive perfume. There was a slight breeze that felt great on the skin since it was 87 degrees out, which in Ohio was blazing hot. All of the flowers were blooming and the trees had vibrant green leaves that made Dani's green eyes blaze. She had been so nervous to meet my family today, but she did it for me.

Phyllis was going to be there and Dani knew she could hang around her if she got uncomfortable.

Dani looked gorgeous in a soft sleeveless green blouse, white capris, a pair of strappy sandals, and her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She definitely beat me. I was dressed in a loose white blouse, fitted jeans, my black Converse, and my hair was pulled back into a ponytail with my bangs brushing against the top of my glasses.

For Easter I had bought Dani a cuff bracelet with our anniversary engraved on it in roman numerals. She had bought me a heart shaped locket with our picture inside of it.

We drove down on the Harley. The traffic wasn't bad at all on our way down, which was surprising considering it was Easter. The cool wind blew air through my shirt, drying the sweat that had accumulated on my skin. I was almost as nervous as Dani, I knew my family would love her, but I didn't think they would think that I was good enough for Dani. She was smart, funny, beautiful, so much more than my words could ever express.

She was going to college for Neurology and I was majoring in technical theatre while selling pot and organizing heroin shipments. I wasn't the kind of person you took home to Mom and Dad. But Dani still didn't know what I did. She knew something was up and some nights she would try to get me to fess up, but she never pried too hard. I felt awful about lying, but I didn't want her to leave me, I couldn't let her leave me. It would destroy me.

"We're almost there!" I shouted over the purr of my motorcycle.

"Sounds great!"

My aunt Theresa held Easter at her house every year, our entire family would show up. The adults would hide eggs for the kids for the egg hunt. While the kids were hunting we would set out gifts for the kids. There were numbers on the gifts and in the eggs so the kids would match up what the got and trade off what they didn't want.

Theresa's house sat on 10 acres of land with woods and was surrounded by the Muddy Creek.

We drove down the rough gravel road, pieces of gravel spewing from my back wheel into the air. The road was awful back here, my front tire kept trying to veer out of my hands. But I kept the bike under control. Dani's arms squeezed me tighter to her, making sure not to crush my breasts.

Finally I drove across the bridge that connected Theresa's yard to the patch of dirt that came after the gravel. My family saw me on the bridge and some waved, others stared at the bike I was driving. I heard my uncle Larry hooting and hollering, already drunk I knew. I pulled in next to my grandpa's van. I took the keys out of the ignition and started to get off, but Dani's arms anchored me down to the bike.

I flipped my face shield up. "Come on babe, we gotta move."

"I'm nervous," I grasped her hands.

"I'm here, there isn't any reason to be nervous when you're with me."

"Hannah…"

"They're gonna love you, probably more than me."

"Whatever." Dani let go of me and we both climbed off the Harley. We took off our helmets and attached them to the seats.

"Are you ready?" I reached out my hand towards her.

"You got my back?"

"Always." She took my hand in hers and we walked up to the house. I waved to my cousins playing corn hole, I would talk to them when we all went to eat dinner. Phyllis was waiting at the bottom of the steps with my Aunt Lynda next to her.

"Howdy stranger!" Phyllis wrapped me in a hug so tight that it was getting hard to breathe. "The house feels so empty without you around." She released me, but only to arms length. She planted a giant wet kiss on my cheek. "I love you so much Hannah."

"I love you too Phyllis."

She pushed me back a little bit and grabbed Dani, I walked over to Lynda and hugged her. "You're girlfriend is gorgeous, Hannah."

"Thank you Aunt Lynda," I could feel myself blushing.

"And you look fantastic, have you been working out? And I see you have had a bit of a wardrobe change." Lynda and I spoke a little bit more, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Dani. Phyllis had her laughing and it was music to my ears, she was being herself.

"Hi, I'm Dani," she said extending her hand to my aunt Lynda.

"Honey, in this family we hug. All of us hug so don't try to shake our hands," Lynda reached out and Dani hugged her in return.

"Thank you for telling me."

"No thanks needed." She let go of Dani. "Now Hannah go introduce her to the rest of the family."

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't ma'am me." We smiled at each other.

"Love you two."

"We love you too," they answered back at the same time.

Dani and I walked around the back of the house to the coolers. "Your aunt Lynda is so nice."

"Everyone here is nice, okay?"

"Okay."

"Tell you what," I grabbed her hands stepping as close to her as I could without touching her, "After you meet everyone I'll take you down to the creek to my spot."

"You have a secret spot?"

"I liked to explore a lot as a child."

"I wish I knew you back then," she gave me a little smile.

"Trust me, by the time we leave tonight you're gonna practically know every single embarrassing story about me."

"Promise?'

"On my life." I leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. She returned my kiss, letting it stay soft, we pulled back and let our foreheads rest against each others. I heard the side door swing open, I turned in time to see my cousin Sara walking at us.

"Well, were you two just gonna stand there or say hi?" Sara was a year older than me, about the same height with long brown hair. She looked a lot like my mom's sister, Kim, but she was Theresa's daughter. Since I lived with Phyllis I saw Sara a lot growing up, we were fairly close. We had a lot in common, from theatre to our favorite movies and she loved the fact that I finally had a girlfriend.

"Hey, Sara." Dani let go of my hands so I could hug Sara. "Long time no see kiddo."

"Well New York is a busy place and it's tough to work around my school schedule." She pulled back from the hug. "But that's irrelevant. Is this the Dani?"

"Yeah," I said as I moved to the side.

"Hi," Dani's nerves were obvious, especially to Sara.

"Girl there is no reason to be nervous," Sara said, stepping in for a hug. Dani obliged.

"So Hannah Carmen has a beautiful girlfriend and she is holding a steady job that is paying rent for her very own apartment. They grow up fast."

"Shut up," I slugged her in the shoulder lightly. We both laughed.

"I gotta do down and play with the kids. It was nice to finally meet you in person. You'll fit in just perfect with our family, just don't be so nervous hun."

"Thank you Sara," Dani said.

00000

"Hannah? I'm sorry about what I said in the rec. Room. I thought you'd laugh, I mean you normally laugh at that." Nicky was standing outside of my bunk wall.

"Just go away Nicky, I'm not mad at you." I had my face buried in my pillow, trying to hide my blotchy red face from everyone.

"What's going on with you? I saw you storming through the halls to the kitchen."

"Nicky please go away."

"Okay." I heard her boots squeak as she walked away.

I needed to pee, but I didn't want to move from my bunk. Though my bladder was going to win either way so I climbed off of my bunk and grabbed a roll of toilet paper out of my side of the cabinet I shared with Chapman.

My assigned bathroom was close to Spanish Harlem, the dorm where most hispanics were placed. The walk only took a minute, maybe two before I reached the door. Only two stalls in here had doors so if they were full I would just keep my pants up most of the way. Why do prisoners even need doors? Can't we just make them like animals? The questions echoed in my mind.

I walked through the doors, but to my surprise the bathroom was practically deserted. Only one of the stalls was occupied so I went into the other. I did my business then walked out to wash my hands.

I let out a sigh, it was rare to find a quiet spot in the prison, especially during mid day. I turned on the cold water faucet, filling my palms with the cool clear water before splashing my face. Another low sigh escaped my lips, the quiet and the water relaxed me.

"It's always quiet in here around 3 o'clock every weekend, I come in here to read," the voice startled me at first, but I realized who it was and I calmed back down.

"Hey Mendoza."

"I'm sorry about your aunt."

"Red told you?"

"Red and I talk about everything, Hannah." She walked up to the sink and mirror next to me. Looking at her eyebrows, she sat down her book.

"So I guess you know about what happened earlier today?"

"Yeah, but Red didn't need to tell me. I was in visitation with my son Benny when you were talking to that woman. I also know that it isn't anyone else's business, so your secrets safe with me." Mendoza turned to look at me. "I like you Hannah, you're different than most of the women here."

"Doesn't mean I don't deserve to be here."

"I didn't know you were an importer. Did you ever work with Vause?"

"No, we worked for different cartels actually, but yeah I was an importer. One of the best in the game."

"Did she turn you in?"

I rested my hands against the counter and stared at the sink. "She sure did, thought that maybe she could get me out of the game that way."

"You call it a game, why?"

"Because, it was a game to me, one of the most intricate games to play because one misstep could not only end my career it could end my life."

"Did you love it?"

"I did, it paid more than well and it gave me all I ever wanted. Up until the end."

"Because of her?"

"Because of her… I would have done anything to get out and be with her, but she got me out instead. Just not the way I thought she would."

"Do you still love her?"

"More than anything in the world."

"That sounds painful."

"Worse than any gunshot I ever received."

00000

"Dani…" My breath was gone but I had to get ahold of her. My hand was shaking with a horrifying tremor and the screen was smeared with my blood. My other hand was pushed against the hole on my lower abdomen. The source of the bleeding. I felt dizzy and tired, but I knew that was the blood loss, I had to fight off the sleep.
"Hannah? It's three in the morning, what's going on?"

"Help… follow phone… tracker… me now," I hung up. "Pressure," I whispered to myself.

The blood had spread from my shirt to my pants and I could feel it rolling down my sides and my legs. I had had enough strength right after I had fallen to crawl over to the wall so I could prop myself up. All I could smell was the metallic stench of my blood. Bile was rising in my throat, but I choked it back. I started to cry.

'What if I never see her again? I should have told her I loved her on the phone. I should tell her the truth. She deserves to know the truth about what I do. Dani. I love you.'

Her name kept floating in my brain, flashing across my vision like a movie picture. I focused on her and only her, not letting myself close my eyes. I would die. Too much blood had come out of me. I was dying. I could feel it.

'I love you Dani.'

Those were the last words I thought when my world started to go dark. My eyes were closed before I could see the cop cars and ambulance pulling up to me. And behind them Dani's gut was wrenching in the front seat of my car.