Page 14 of Pretty Cruel Love

“That’s not how I run things here.” His eyes are cold. “I don’t appreciate you fucking with me.”

“We had other inmates to drop off,” one of them offers. “If you’re so upset, would you like us to take her back?”

Ignoring that question, he rolls his eyes and opens the door wider to let us inside.

The sudden blast of cold air hits my wet jumpsuit, making me shiver.

As if everyone else has been through this operation before, the guards move with robotic precision, guiding me to a sleek metal chair and unclasping the shackles from my ankles.

They remove the black box that guards my waist chains, but they leave the ones on my hands.

While they speak in code to each other, I look around the space in utter awe.

Glass walls wrap around the entire cabin, giving it a voyeuristic openness. Cream appliances gleam in the kitchen. Above the stove, a red neon sign reads:Welcome to the Process.

Everything looks exactly like the pictures in the brochure, minus the gray double doors in the back that read “Weiss Staff Only: Do Not Enter.”

As a guard checks the sole of my shoes, a truck roars outside and within seconds, more guards flood the cabin.

They’re sweeping every inch with scanners and wands, opening drawers, and directing dogs to check. One of the female guards blushes bright red when Dr. Weiss offers her a small smile.

Or is he smiling at me?

“Let’s do this.” She strides over to me, snapping her fingers.

“Arms up, Pretty,” she demands. “Turn around.”

I oblige, and she presses her palms on my shoulders. She takes her time patting down every inch of my body.

“Tilt your head back and open your mouth.”

I avoid Dr. Weiss’s gaze as she shines a flashlight under my tongue.

“Hair check.” She hooks a finger beneath the elastic at the base of my ponytail. Without warning, she pulls it hard until it breaks—forcing my hair to tumble over my shoulders.

Then, as if I’ve somehow hidden a weapon between getting out of the van and walking inside this house, she pats down my hair in sections.

She grabs the waistband of my uniform next, pushing my wet pants to the floor.

“Pull down your panties and bend over,” she commands. “Hold still until I tell you to cough.”

“No.” Dr. Weiss’s voice cuts across the room. “That won’t be necessary. You can stop your power play now.”

“With all due respect, she’s still state property, Dr. Weiss.” She pulls an inspection stick from her waist belt. “Part of being an inmate means full body searches whether you like it or not.”

“Did it sound like I was making arequest?” The iciness in his tone freezes the entire cabin, and it’s suddenly pin-drop silent. “If it did, let me repeat myself…”

“You’re already three fucking days late, and your reasoning is full of shit.” He glares at her. “I doubt she’s managed to smuggle in anything between now and her last body check, but if she has, I’m sure you’ll see it since you have twenty-four-hour camera access to everything that happens here.”

She looks around as if she’s waiting for one of the other guards to step in and say something, but no one says a word.

Her gaze finds mine and he steps in front of me, instantly blocking her intrusive view.

“You don’t need to humiliate her any further,” he says. “Get over your fucking self...”

She tucks the mirror away with a scowl and walks outside.

Dr. Weiss turns around to face me, keeping his voice low. “Pull your pants up, Sadie…”

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