The Warden

Sharee ended up being my cellmate, and that ended up being both good and bad. She’d been incarcerated here before but said there was a warden turnover so that meant a whole new set of rules. She didn’t have the influence she had before and told me it would take her some time to get back on top of things. Again, I had no idea but was grateful for her friendship or what she could offer with no strings attached. The warden could fast-track your parole hearings or stall them dead in the water. Sharee was convinced the last one was giving special perks to inmates, and I was hoping to bide my time and avoid that. I didn’t suck cock as a habit, which is what got me in here in the first place thanks to my dipshit lawyer. I definitely wasn’t sucking one to get out either.

“Hey, Cruz.” I looked up at one of the guards, a male, maybe in his mid-thirties and stacked with muscles. Obviously he hadn’t heard I was going by Nene. He seemed to think he was the shit, and I read the nameplate under his badge as Garcia. As good looking as he was and fit, it begged the question of why he was working in a women’s prison, but I wasn’t about ask him about his job choices.

“What?” I calmed the heaving breaths from my chest and looked him straight in the eye.

“You missed a spot, newbie.” Smiling, he poured a carton of milk on the floor at my feet, and it splashed up against my plain slip-on sneakers.

“Fucking hell.” Groaning, I looked down at the wet spot bleeding through the canvas. Spoiled milk reeked, and these would be my only shoes unless I could get something through the commissary. Maybe I’d wear them into the shower once I got an opportunity to clean them off. I couldn’t stand the smell of rotting crap, and this was going to be a problem for me if I couldn’t fix it.

Everyone filed out, and we headed toward the common area. My feet squished with each step as my nausea rose. The day wasn’t going to go any quicker.

Sharee nudged my arm.

“I’ll see if I know anyone in the laundry. Might be able to get you some clean stuff.” A kind gesture, but now I owed her a favor, and I couldn’t have that hanging over my head. Too many favors might obligate me to the wrong people.

I placed my hand over her arm and stopped her, shaking my head no extending my appreciation. “Sharee, I’ll figure it out, but thanks. Thanks a lot.”

I made my way over to the table in the corner alone.

Alone was good for me. I could observe my surroundings and work on relearning my childhood Spanish between the growls of my hunger pangs.

Four

Cohen

I waited for the door to click shut and listened to the rubber-soled boots filtering down the hallway from my office. Garcia had given Maris quite the look over before leaving, and I didn’t like it. I knew guards could be abusive, but seeing it there like a movie in slow motion waiting to happen didn’t ease my conscience. I had few options as to what I could do without blowing my cover and endangering my partner.

I slapped the top of the desk, pissed. “What the hell were you thinking, Maris?”

“What did you want me do? Blow the perfect opportunity to get in?” She shrugged me off, taking this role on a bit thick for my liking.

She crossed her arms, with a petulant look, giving me attitude worthy of a delinquent teen. It was disturbing, and I released the stress I’d been holding onto with a deep breath.

Looking up at the chipped tile ceiling I rolled my neck before speaking, “Maris, Maris, Maris…”

“What? I did what I had to do. I took an opportunity to get the Tribe’s attention. Besides, that girl killed her boyfriend or some shit.” She shifted in her chair seeming to not care at all.

“Maris.” She knew better than to take stupid chances. My gut twisted with worry and I regretted taking this assignment.

“Oh come on, she’s not some innocent lamb, Cohen.” The darker part of me wanted to put Maris over my knee and spank her ass until the attitude stopped. Unfortunately the things we knew about each other prevented that from happening. We tried that as a one time thing and knew instantly it would never work-us-together. Maris was every bit as dominant as I was. It made us great partners in the field backing each other up, but it also kept anything more from happening during the time we worked together. Instead, we were at an impasse, butting heads.

“That doesn’t matter,” I said, pissed off.

She scoffed, “It’s not like I was going to let anything happen in the cafeteria.”

I didn’t like her tone of voice and let her know it.

“The guards have tasers and a job to do, one that includes taking down insolent prisoners.” I pointed at her.

“Well, I’m willing to take that risk.” She rolled her eyes at me and I had to hold back from throwing something and causing the kind of sounds that would have the guards running back here to protect her-from me.

Maybe I was getting too old for this shit.

“I can’t protect you if things go to hell in the cafeteria with cameras all over the fucking place.” I didn’t doubt her ability; I questioned the actions of others in that cafeteria I had no control over.

“Cohen, I was fine.” Maris placated.

“We also don’t drag others into this unnecessarily.” I reproached her.