Page 45 of Birdy

I wish I could hear what he’s saying to her.

“Bala,” Jordan’s voice rings out before the slam of the door. “I need to take my fifteen. Can you man the block?”

Don’t need to ask me twice.

I’m not really feeling his little roid-fueled attitude, but he couldn’t have chosen a better time to take one of his many breaks. That’s one thing I’ve learned about Jordan. He takes more breaks than the rest of us combined. It’s kind of ridiculous. Claims it’s ‘cause he needs to eat to keep his metabolism moving, but I wouldn’t put it past him to lock himself in one of the broom closets for a quick jerk.

To be honest, I don’t care what he’s doing. He can jerk it as much as he wants.

All I care about is getting out there and parking my assrightin Mack’s vicinity so I can listen in.

“Yeah, man, I got you.” Dropping the shitty magazine onto the table, I push out of my seat and stalk past him out the door as casually as possible.

The block’s pretty damn quiet, I’ll say that. There’s chatter and bouts of laughter, but nothing too extreme, making it easy to maneuver my way around without a single interruption. I’m not even that close, and I can already hear him threatening her with a shot.

“Are you serious right now? We were hugging!” Benni snaps at him.

My jaw tightens, teeth grinding at what she’s just voiced. Some prisons have a no-touch rule, meaning the inmates can’t even hug. It’s considered “sexual misconduct” and after three shots, you can get hit with a Free World Charge and have to register as a sexual offender,all for hugging a fellow inmate. The Annex doesn’t have this rule, but Warden Kent has implemented a rule for the officers to use as a rule of thumb. If it looks like sexual misconduct, it likely is. Otherwise, don’t dehumanize them.

He’s a good guy, honest to God.

These women may have made bad choices, some worse than others, but at the end of the day, they’re still human.

“That was a little too touchy-feely, Villanueva,” he counters, this sick swirl of amusement dripping off his tone.

I don’t get it; I really don’t. What does he benefit from treating her like this? And not just her. Any of them. Our job can be taxing enough as it is. Why would you want to tack on the stress of provoking, and essentially, harassing, an inmate?

Because he wants her, and he can’t have her,my subconscious reminds me.

The thought straightens my spine as I take my spot at the head of all the benches, about twenty feet away from Benni’s cell. Thatispart of Rodriguez’s story, too. Mack’s drowning in bitterness. He can’t have her, so he’s resorted to harassing her.

A worrisome fact because I want her too.

Could this be something that ends up happening to me as a result? I mean, going day in and day out feeling this intense vibe with someone and not being able to do anything about it wouldhaveto take its toll, right?

Then again, in Mack’s version of our sordid tale, his affection is also unrequited.

I may not know what the hell this is brewing with Benni, but I can tell you it, without a doubt, isn’t one-sided. She feels it as much as I do.

“I’m just gonna go,” Reynoso states. “This is stupid as hell.”

I’m expecting Mack to stop her as she brushes past him, but he doesn’t. He just stands there staring Benni down. I can’t see her; he’s blocking her out, but the amount of animosity that surges from that side of the room puts me on high alert.

That is, until a soft “Psst” meets my ears, cutting my eyes toward the sound. It’s Reynoso. She points behind her curvy frame with a subtle tip of her head and mouths, “Get him out of here.”

I swear to you the blood in my veins freezes over almost instantly.

For one, she definitely knowswhyI’m suddenly right here in this very spot, and two, the fact that she feels like someone needs to intervene Mack is shooting up all kinds of red flags.

Again.

I will snap that motherfucker in half if he has or ever lays a finger on her.

Fuck professionalism right up the ass at that point. If he’s hurting her, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep a lid on it.

“Hey, Mack,” I call out evenly—with absolutely no plan whatsoever other than to get him away from her.

The way he tenses only heightens my newfound suspicions. He barely turns all the way around, peering at me from over his shoulder.

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