Inside the small room were even more guards; two of them to be exact. Both were male and both of them looked like people that Cary did not want to associate with. And he hoped that Bianca had as little contact with them as possible. It was a thought that surprised him, for rarely had he shown concern for someone he'd put away. He tried yet again to remind himself that he wasn't responsible for Bianca being sent to this prison, which was even worse than the prison she'd been in before. And sure enough, the guilt he'd been ridden with for so long returned.

The guards eyed him suspiciously, even after he flashed his ID for what seemed like the tenth time since he'd arrived.

"Cary Agos." He said by way of introduction.

"What business do you have here?"

He fought the urge to roll his eyes at the stupid question. Jesus, what was wrong with these morons? Clearly he wasn't some lowlife that walked in off the street. That much should have been evident by his appearance.

"Mr. Agos?"

He looked up, almost having forgotten where he was. "Yes?"

"What is your business here?"

"Oh, I'm here to see Bianca Price. I'm her lawyer, Cary Agos." Immediately he winced. Damn why was he fumbling over his words? They already knew his name. He'd said it about a half dozen times since he'd arrived.

"All right, let's see here…" The guard picked up a notebook that sat on an adjacent table and thumbed thorough the pages. "Here we are; Inmate 96253. Hold on a second."

Cary sighed. "She's not a number. Her name is Bianca Pr-."

"Hey Harold!" the guard yelled. "Tell Robert to get 96253. She's got a visitor. Some lawyer named Agos."

"Um, Cary." Cary corrected him. Chances were, that Bianca might not remember Cary's full name. It was understandable. In a place like this, he'd lose his mind too.

Harold, a guy who looked to be easily in his eighties, simply nodded and headed or the door. But then he paused and turned to the guard. "Um, what was the number?"

"Oh for God's sake Harold! Why don't you listen for a change?" the first guard snapped. "96253. Tell Robert to get her! Now!"

Cary was fuming, but he didn't realize how much his pent-up anger had risen to the surface. Suddenly his body was shaking and he could no longer control his actions. His hands were on the guard's shoulders, slamming him against the wall. "Damn it, she's not a number! She's got a name, you got that? Bianca Price! Say it! Bianca Price!"

He was grabbed from behind, yanked away from the guard, his arms forced behind his back. And whoever had a hold on him, certainly had a firm grip. He could hardly breathe. His arms hurt like hell and he was sure they would be broken in seconds, when suddenly he heard;

"Stop it, please! Don't hurt him!"

Immediately Cary was released, and as he shook off the feeling of the guard's hands on him, he saw the attention move toward the woman who stood in the doorway. But it did little to extinguish the embarrassment he felt for his outburst. He looked at the guards sheepishly. "I-I'm sorry. I-."

"You're damn right you're sorry!" The guard snapped. "And you're going to be even sorrier if you try that crap again! Do you understand?"

Cary swallowed hard and glared at the guard. "Yeah." He said; his voice barely audible to his own ears. The guard caught on to Cary's insecurity quickly; too quickly. "What was that?" He yelled, making Cary flinch.

"Um, yes sir. I'm sorry. I-." Damn, suddenly he felt like a scared kid. Bianca must have thought him a complete idiot. No wonder he couldn't get her off.

"It won't happen again, RIGHT?" The guard yelled, causing him to flinch from the volume.

He stared at the guard. "O-of course not. I-."

"Leave him alone!" Bianca yelled. When all eyes moved in her direction, her expression softened. "Please…"

While he feared for her safety, he was also grateful for her concern. "Thanks" he said, his comment directed toward the guard, but intended for Bianca. For good measure he threw in a smile, but as he expected, it was not returned.

"Ten minutes." The guard snapped. "Not one second more."

"Thank you." Cary said again. For some insane reason, he expected (or rather, hoped) that the guard would leave so that he and Bianca could have some privacy. But no way in hell was that going to happen. And he had no idea why the thought even entered his mind. He sat down at the table as Bianca walked slowly toward him. And that's when he noticed her; really noticed her.