“No.”
“Quit. He’d take good care of you. Nice-looking girl like you should have little ones swinging on her tits.”
Gillian narrowed her gaze, furious with the grinning man. “Goddamn it, McPhee. Shut the fuck up.”
He snickered. “It’d be quite a sight, all right. Almost wish I was young enough to make a run at you, too.”
She slammed her cup on the console, aimed a deadly glare his way, and turned to leave, but Wilkins, another of the guards, stood in her way. “The LT wants you two to shake down some cells.”
“Me, with him?” she said, shaking her head. “You sure about that?”
“I’m to man the booth.”
“Fine,” she said, her voice clipped. She eyed McPhee, warning him silently that their conversation was over.
“Loverboy’s gonna be jealous,” he murmured as they made their way down into the barracks.
“Why me?” she said, shaking her head. “Let’s just get this done. Got the list?”
“Yeah,” he said, holding it up. “First stop’s eleven-thirty-two, Vlahos and Ames.”
She clamped down the shiver of excitement that radiated from her belly and shivered toward her breasts and pussy. No time now to think about those sexy dreams.
Gabriel watched as Gillian Priest and old man McPhee made their way up the metal stairs. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at his cellmate and approached the cot where Ames lay on his side, reading a book.
Furtively, Gabriel palmed the shank Kalicek had given him, and then he closed his eyes and reached for Ames, felt his mind separate from his body and hovered for a moment over the other man.
While delving into Ames’s subconscious, he dropped the makeshift knife on the bed, watched as Ames’s gaze swung toward him, a frown drawing his eyebrows together.
Then Gabriel was inside, punching through. He felt Ames’s gasp as he slid deep, felt his cellmate’s resistance as he forced him to pick up the small shank and cup it in his hand to hide it. And then, he strode toward the back of the cell, waiting for the two officers to arrive.
From inside Ames and from his post at the back of the cell, he watched as Priest stepped into the cell. “I need you both against the wall. You know the drill. We’re shaking down this cell.”
Ames shook his head, moaning, but his hand remained around the shank. I’m not gonna get burned for your goddamn weapon! he shouted inside his mind.
That’s the least of what you’re going to do for me now, Gabriel replied, keeping his inner voice a quiet, monotone. Take a deep breath. It’ll be over in a second.
Then he forced Ames off the cot. Ames’s feet hit the floor, and he launched himself toward Priest. His arm, held close to his side, curled upward with the shank aimed at Priest’s belly.
No, no, no! he screamed, but Gabriel held him with an image. Priest wasn’t the one in front of him now, the man who’d fucked his girlfriend, the man he’d killed when he’d caught them rolling on the bed together was standing in front of him, a leer on his face, his body naked, his cock still glistening with his girl’s juices.
Ames’s fury exploded, and Gabriel pulled back. Ames’s arm rammed toward Priest.
“Watch out!” McPhee shouted, and shoved her aside.
Ames’s arm continued forward, striking McPhee in the side and sinking deep.
Gabriel cursed under his breath and slammed his hands against the wall, turning his back, because he couldn’t be caught up in the takedown.
So, things hadn’t gone as planned. The woman wasn’t out of the way, but at least, he’d given The Wizard blood.
> Gillian had only a moment to haul herself off the floor where McPhee had pushed her. Adrenaline spiking through her veins, she whirled and launched herself at Ames, whose arms was rising again to strike at the old man.
She tackled him, barely registering McPhee’s tight voice as he keyed his mike and called for all available officers.
She slammed into Ames, taking him to his back and wishing she had more room to roll him to his stomach, because he was too big and too hyped up to hold for long by herself. She straddled his waist and reached with both hands for the one holding the shank and pounded it on the concrete. But he was already rolling her back, taking her under him.
No way was she going down again. With McPhee bleeding out beside her, urgency pumped through her body. The officers rushing toward them might be too late for the two of them. She had to do this herself.