A light blinked on the console a second before a buzz sounded, and she turned to watch as Officer Hedron strode toward them.
She straightened, noting the crisp edges of his uniform, the shine on his boots. Probably ex-marine by the look of him. So many of them fell into the prison system, their training making them ideal for the life. Without the dark sunglasses, his blue eyes nailed her from a distance.
He didn’t look happy to see her.
Too bad. They shared the same shift. He’d have to get used to it. She’d met enough men who believed a woman shouldn’t be working anywhere but in the warden’s office, pouring his coffee, that she really didn’t care.
“You two already meet?” McPh
ee asked.
“When I arrived,” Gillian interjected before the stern-faced man in front of her could get a word in edgewise. She gave him a tight smile and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
He stared at her hand for a moment before taking it, pressing her fingers quickly and dropping it as though it burned. “Better get you out on the floor. The boys are already gettin’ restless.”
She liked the deep rumble of his voice, even liked the steely glare he gave her. She shrugged away the thought and gave him a crisp nod. “After you.”
As soon as she entered the floor, she could feel the tension escalating around her. A new male officer would warrant curiosity. A female on the floor only intensified the scrutiny. Slowly, men who’d been playing checkers and dominoes or watching TV formed little groups, their gazes never leaving her as she strolled by.
“Know the prisoners’ schedule?” Hedron asked, without looking her way.
“Yeah, nothing happening until lights out.”
Hedron’s gaze narrowed on a group of prisoners whose mouths were curving into smirks. Any second now one of them would pucker up and make a loud smacking sound.
When it happened, Hedron’s head swung toward the con.
Gillian stepped past him, halting directly in front of the prisoner who’d kissed the air. She lifted her chin and locked her gaze on him. “Got something to say?” she bit out.
“No, ma’am,” the prisoner said, his gaze sliding down her body in a blatant sexual insult. “Just tasted somethin’ good is all.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Be careful what you say,” she said softly. “You wouldn’t want to catch paper, would you?”
His dark eyes blinked, his expression hardening. But he lifted his gaze from hers, staring straight ahead. “No ma’am. Don’t want no trouble.”
“Keep it that way.” She strolled by, nodded to his pals, and then moved on.
Hedron’s chest lifted. “Keezee’s got a couple of years to go.”
So, the threat of being written up held some power. Good to know. She nodded that she understood. A prisoner could lose “good time” for insolence toward an officer. Incentivizing lifers to behave wasn’t nearly as easy.
They climbed the concrete stairs to the tiers, glancing into cells. Murmurs followed her, but no one else attempted to confront her. They’d wait until they got her on her own and see if her courage had been bolstered by the big man beside her or whether she could hold her own.
“That’s all there is to see,” Hedron said as they headed back down the stairs from the last third tier of cells. “They’ll be heading to the library in a little while. It being a weeknight, we’ll lock it down at ten-thirty.”
“Thanks.
“Not carrying pepper spray on your belt?” he said under his breath.
“Why would I? Most of them would just lick it off their faces. It’d hurt me more than them.”
He nodded. She hadn’t missed the fact he didn’t carry any of his own. The guards had only limited access to weapons to protect themselves—the bigger danger lying in being overpowered and a weapon turned on them rather than running into a slamming fist.
“Don’t go looking for trouble. I know it’s your first day and you might want to show them you’re tough. But if you incite a riot in my housing unit, I’ll have your ass.”
Gillian jerked her head back. “Do I look like I’m trolling to jack some prisoner up?”
“You’ve got a chip on your shoulder. And you’re too damn good looking. That’s invitation enough.”