Free BelleBehindBars by Wynter Daniels Page B

worked my ass off for?
    She wished her captain had explained better what he wanted
her to do.
    Get to know what working in operations entails. Shadow
Sergeant Ramsey , he’d said. Yeah, the guy she’d just beaten out for a
promotion was sure to be extra helpful. Not to mention that he’d dumped her two
years earlier.
    She’d nearly forgotten about Ram’s incredible turquoise eyes
and that sexy-as-sin cleft in his chin. Those amazing broad shoulders looked
even more massive than they had last time she’d seen him, if that were
possible.
    Damn my libido .
    Why had she volunteered for his defensive tactics
demonstration? The close contact had turned up her thermostat about a hundred
degrees. She hadn’t meant to make him look foolish in front of his crew, but
neither had she particularly felt like lying down and playing dead.
    Ram loudly cleared his throat. “Can I help you find
something, Lieutenant ?” She stood up and squared her shoulders as she
met his stare.
    I will not allow him to intimidate me .
    “Captain Carter suggested I get to know what it’s like to
work in operations. In case I…” Damn. Why had she gone there?
    His eyes narrowed and tiny muscles around his jaw quivered.
“In case they move you over here? To be my boss?”
    She gulped. “I want to shadow you. Just for a few nights.
I’m sure it won’t take me long to learn the workings of the job.” At his scowl,
she realized how bad that had sounded. “I didn’t mean—”
    He cut her off with a stiff hand in the air. “No need to
explain, Lieutenant.”
    She took a step toward him. “Do we have to keep this so
formal, Ram?” Lord, he towered over her.
    “This is my shift, my crew, my building. As long as you get
that straight, we’ll be fine.” With his hands on his waist, he looked like a
damn brick wall in front of her. A brick wall of pure muscle.
    “Fine.” She ought to be offended by his territorial
statement, yet she couldn’t deny that his gruff attitude made her nipples peak.
And his scent—pure male—permeated the air around her.
    I shouldn’t be having these thoughts .
    He’d made it clear after they’d gone out on a few dates that
he wasn’t interested. Sure, he’d made some excuse about his divorce putting him
through hell, but then he’d never called her after it was over.
    “You want to see what I do or not?” Ram opened the door and
gestured for her to go ahead of him.
    Squaring her shoulders, she strode into the hallway. “What’s
our agenda?”
    “ Our agenda?”
    She ignored his smirk.
    “First I like to check all the control rooms. Since we just
moved everyone into this building from the old main jail a few weeks ago, I
want to make sure all my control desk monitors are comfortable with the new
system and that the equipment is working properly. If we need tech support,
best to let them know before midnight or else it takes hours to get them over
here.”
    She fell in step with him down the white-on-white corridor
but she practically had to run to keep up with his big strides. By the time
they arrived at the first control room she was practically gasping for air.
    Ram hit the green button by the entrance and one of the
officers inside glanced up at them through the Plexiglas and nodded. The door
buzzed then opened with a mechanical hum.
    The three officers in the control room—two women and one
man—all sat up straighter when she entered ahead of Ram.
    “Relax, folks.” He tipped his chin toward her. “She’s just
shadowing me, learning about how the jail works.”
    Isabel clenched her jaw.
    Learning about how the jail works .
    As if she hadn’t been working there for more than seven
years. The moment they left the room and the door slid shut, she grabbed his
arm and dragged him to a stop. “I resent that you implied I don’t know a single
thing about how this place runs. I’ve got a degree in criminal justice and I
and fought my way through the ranks just like you. I’ve worked my tail