Birdy (Upper Echelon Duet Book 1)

voices over his shoulder just as Mack and Jordan come rushing up behind him.
Jordan joins him on the ground while Mack points his hard gaze around the table. When it lands on me, he crooks a finger and tips his head toward the box. “Let’s chat, Villanueva.”
Wonderful.

♫ She Is My Dream - The Tads
From my spot inside the box, I catch Mack and her ambling this way while Rodriguez does his best to get Kovitz off the floor and keep the other inmates contained. I’d be out there assisting however necessary, but Mack told me to clock out and go home before he ran out the door. So, here I am, watching this shitshow unfold as I punch out on the computer, my knee bouncing restlessly.
It’s taking forever.
The damn server keeps glitching, playing on my impatience all the more. Knowing Mack’s got Benni alone put me on an immediate edge after what Rodriguez shared with me during lunch—aka Mack’s not-so-lowkey obsession.
“C’mon, c’mon,” I mutter, repeatedly clicking the mouse over the “End Shift” button, but the hourglass just keeps spinning and spinning and fucking spinning like the Zipper at the fair.
“All right, ladies, seems like you’re getting a few extra hours of sleep tonight. Lights out, let’s go!” Jordan’s voice drags my attention away from the screen.
Much like this morning, teeth sucking and groans of protest ring out as they drag their asses to their cells. Shit, I’d be pissed, too, if I were being sent to bed at nine rather than eleven.
Moments later, the buzzer blares through the cell block, and in come two of the guards assigned to medical with a gurney. They rush right over to Rodriguez, who lifts a comatose Kovitz off the ground, and places her on top of the stretcher. Aside from her current Raggedy Ann state, she seems fine. I’m honestly surprised there isn’t blood pouring from her head or anywhere on the ground. Inmate Dennings yanked her back so hard and with such speed, none of us saw it coming until Kovitz was down for the count. Mack actually thought it was Benni who was gonna take the first hit before it all went down.
It’s inmate Villanueva, in-mate Vi-lla-nue-va. Get your whole shit together and stop calling her by her name before you get your ass into some shit.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I blow out a heavy breath and shake my head at myself. What the hell is happening right now? I get one look at the girl—albeit a beautiful one—and suddenly I don’t know how to do my job? The fuck?
The thought doesn’t sit well with me, but I force it to the back of my mind for now. This isn’t the time or the place for me to sit and mull it over. I need a beer and a long shower before I delve into any part of that and give myself a much-needed pep talk. It’s been a long-ass day, over twelve hours. Fifteen hours and twenty-five minutes to be exact as per my time stamp now that the system stopped glitching, and I’m officially clocked out.
Hallelujah.
Rising from the light pleather office chair, I make a beeline for the door and amble out into the silence of the block. All of the inmates are in their cells, prompting Jordan and Rodriguez to go through the motions of the final head count before the doors lock and the lights go out. It’s not until I start toward the block’s exit gate that I remember Mack had pulled Benn, er, Villanueva aside. They’re right beside it, chatting quieter than would be deemed appropriate.
As I approach, Mack turns his head toward me and lifts a curious dark brow. “Took you long enough to clock out, Bala.”
I feel my expression morph to mirror his, head jerking back just slightly. Does he need me gone for a specific reason? “The computer kept freezing,” I explain, observing him with a keen eye.
He’s not too close to her, but he’s got her cornered against one of the thick round columns holding up the second floor, which automatically screams red flag to me. There’s no reason for her to be in such a vulnerable position, especially when what transpired minutes ago wasn’t her fault.
She isn’t being hostile, either.
She’s also not the only one in a vulnerable spot. Takes everything in me not to make eye contact with her, when I can feel her stare burning a hole through my forehead.
Mack sighs profoundly and shakes his head. “That means third shift hasn’t been restarting it before we come in for the mornings. My bad, man. I’ll let them know when they get here in a bit.”
“You’re good.” I wave him off. “See you in the morning. Have a good night.”
Closing the small distance to the gate, I swipe my access card through the reader and wait for the telltale buzzer to signal my exit. It doesn’t come, though, the small light on the card reader blinking to a solid red rather than green.
“Your card’s likely not activated yet,” Mack states, stalking over to give me a hand.
I have no choice but to step aside and allow him space, and before I can stop myself—much less process what I’m doing—my gaze flicks her way. She’s still watching me, arms crossed in front of her chest. The very corner of her mouth tilts in a smirk as our stares connect.
Fuck my life.
I didn’t think it could be possible, but she’s even more gorgeous up close. Heart-shaped face, arched brows highlighting sleek, almond-shaped eyes. High cheekbones, a cute little nose, full li—
The buzzer shakes me out of my silent ogle fest, one that was all too obvious given the satisfied expression now etched on her face. And the sexy little wink?
Shit nearly kills me.
“Maybe Rodriguez should walk you down. The other readers might not catch it either. If it’s still not working tomorrow morning, let me know, and we’ll get it sorted before you leave.”
Yeah, I barely