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  “I tried. It’s either teach the class or get fired.”

  “Then come work for me.”

  “No,” she refused gently. She didn’t want to hurt her brother’s feelings, but she had to make a stand for the independence she had fought for from her family. “I love my job and the town. I’m not going to quit over something that’s really not that bad.”

  “You have to teach in a fucking prison.”

  Grace winced.

  “I’m not quitting,” she said firmly.

  Silence from the other end had her biting her lip.

  “Grace…”

  “I already know what you’re going to say. I’m safe. I promise. Have I ever made a promise and not kept it?”

  “No,” he answered begrudgingly.

  “Then listen to me. I’m telling you I’m perfectly safe. Nothing can happen. They have too many safeguards.”

  A deep sigh came over the phone. “All right. But it’s just this semester or you quit.”

  “Okay,” Grace agreed. She had already decided on that point.

  “You doing all right? Dating anyone?”

  “I’m fine. And if I was dating someone, you would already know. CeCe would have told Mom.”

  “I have a friend—”

  “I have to get some sleep. I have an early class,” Grace broke in, used to her brother trying to fix her up with someone who lived closer to her family.

  “Okay, okay, I get the message. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Bye, Dax. Love you.”

  “I love you, too. Bye.”

  Grace hung up the phone with tears in her eyes. She missed her big brother. He was funny and sweet. They were not only siblings but best friends. He was rock-solid, and she could always count on him.

  Grace turned off her light, lying down on the bed. Her mind went back to Ice, wondering if he had any family.

  Quickly forcing her thoughts away from him, she made herself think of her classes for the next day and the lunch she planned to have with CeCe to give her hell for tattling to her mother.

  * * *

  Grace entered the classroom, her face still bright red. She laid her briefcase down on the desk and opened it, pulling out her notes. She began teaching right away, using the computer in front of her, which showed on the overhead as she taught. It took several minutes for her speech to slow and relax as she taught the lesson she had prepared.

  As she taught, the frosty gaze staring at her inadvertently caught her eyes. Disconcerted, she dropped her own eyes to her computer, feeling as if he somehow knew what she had experienced on her way to the class.

  Unintentionally, she had left a small fingernail clipper she had used that morning in the pocket of her skirt. When she had passed through the x-ray machine, it had gone off. One of the guards had asked her if she had any metal objects. Searching through her pockets, she had found the clipper and shown it to the guard, who had rudely jerked it out of her hand and thrown it in the trash can by his desk.

  “Already trying to sneak something in to one of the prisoners. What is it about criminals that attract women?” His comment had flustered her.

  “I wasn’t trying to sneak anything inside,” Grace had protested.

  He didn’t believe her.

  “If you want one of those assholes, you’re out of luck. They’re going to be locked up for a while. On the other hand, I’m not doing anything tonight. I can bring one of the uniforms, and we can play pretend.” He had laughed, and the other guard waiting to escort her had laughed along.

  Grace hadn’t replied, turning on her heels. She had walked off, leaving the guard no choice other than to follow. This job was becoming a bigger pain in her ass each time she came to the prison.

  There was no way Ice could have known what had happened, yet Grace sensed he knew something had occurred to upset her. She couldn’t understand the silent understanding the two of them shared. It was disconcerting that it was happening now with a man who was in prison on drug charges and had been incarcerated previously for an assault.

  Finishing the lesson, she gave out the assignment they would work on for class. A couple of the prisoners raised their hands when they encountered a difficulty with the assignment, and she went to each one to help them while the guards watched from their positions.

  A hand in front went up and Grace moved to Ice, standing at his shoulder. Looking at his screen, she couldn’t find the problem.

  “You needed help?”

  Ice raised a finger, pointing at the screen. Grace frowned, still unable to see where he was having a problem.

  “I told you not to come back.” His voice was low.

  Grace should have immediately walked off. Instead, she leaned forward and typed, “If you don’t stop, I’ll tell the guard.”

  She waited a second to give him time to read it before she hit delete.

  Ice’s fingers went to the keyboard. “It’s not safe for you here. Get someone else.”

  Grace hit delete before she typed again. “There isn’t anyone. Stop or I’ll tell the guard.”

  Again, she waited a second before hitting delete.

  “Bullshit. Why didn’t you show them my note?”

  “I didn’t want to get you in trouble, but if you don’t stop, I will.”

  “Go ahead.”

  Grace lifted her head, seeing a guard moving toward them. Hastily hitting delete, she typed in a code and straightened just as the guard came up behind them.

  “There, that should fix it,” she said, moving away.

  The guard stared down at the screen, frowning for several seconds before moving back to his position.

  The Church raised his hand and reluctantly, Grace moved to his desk where it took several minutes for her to help him

  As she leaned over his desk, she was aware of him sniffing her hair. Then, when she was typing, Church put his hands on the keyboard and brushed against hers. Grace jerked her hands away, taking a step back. The guard moved closer, but she had already begun moving away.

  Grace gave the men a few more minutes to complete their work before telling them to send it to her computer. The teacher in her was pleasantly surprised at the abilities of her students. The men in the room had possibilities if they would take advantage of the opportunity of learning to broaden their knowledge.

  Grace gave them their assignment for the weekend, making sure she didn’t glance in Ice’s direction again. She then left the class, feeling optimistic about her chances of completing the semester, despite Ice and the Church’s antics.

  * * *

  Ice watched her go out the door, giving the guard the cold shoulder. He was well aware the guards were assholes, and from her reaction when she had first entered the classroom, something had happened to upset her.

  He didn’t know why he gave a shit. The woman was obviously stupid; she was back today after he had warned her away. He had expected her to show his note to one of the guards; instead, she had remained silent, even talking to him over the computer during class.

  Ice walked behind the others to the common room, frustrated he had been unable to scare her away. He wanted to put her over his knee and spank some sense into her.

  As soon as the door slid back to close after the guard left, Ice headed toward Jackal.

  “That bitch is going to be mine.”

  Ice paused in his tracks as he overheard Church talking to one of his men.

  “How are you going to manage that?” Yo-Yo asked.

  “That bitch wants me. She didn’t say shit when I touched her. I can tell I made her hot as Hell,” Church bragged.

  “Yeah, that’s why she looked like she wanted to vomit,” Ice’s sarcastic voice broke in between the men’s conversation.

  The room went silent as Church turned to him, his beady eyes boring into Ice’s.

  “You got something to say?”

  “Other than you’re fucking nuts if you think she wants anything to do with you? No, I don’t have a fucking thing to sa
y to you, Church.”

  The barrel-chested man moved to stand in front of him. “Why do you give a shit what I say?”

  “I don’t.” Ice felt Buzzard move to stand behind him as Church’s men moved to stand behind Church.

  “I think you do. I think you want that sweet pussy for yourself.”

  Ice burst out laughing. “Are you on fucking Drano? Her pussy is probably as cold as she is, no matter how sweet it smells. If I’m going to go after a bitch, I want her to cream on my fingers not give me frostbite,” Ice sneered at Church. “Not that I couldn’t make her melt but stuck up bitches has never been my thing.”

  “She sure as shit wouldn’t get wet for a dumb-fuck like you. But I see the way she looks at me when the guards aren’t watching.”

  The man was dumber than he thought. He was already banging her in his imagination. Men like Church were dangerous—the ones who built imaginary relationships based on their own sick fantasies. Grace was too attractive to have been placed in a room full of men who hadn’t touched a woman in years.

  “Keep thinking that, and I’ll remind you of it when they’re dragging your ass to solitary.”

  Church’s hands clenched into fists when the sliding door opened and two guards entered. The two men staring each other down wisely moved away from one another, but their heated gazes left nothing to be guessed; the time was coming when they would be facing off against each other.

  “What the fuck was that about?” Buzzard lowered his voice so the guards couldn’t hear their conversation.

  “He’s going to make a dumbass move on the teacher.” Ice took a seat at one of the empty tables.

  “Why do you give a shit?” Buzzard sat down next to him while Jackal moved within listening distance at his back, remaining silent. Jackal always covered his back so if someone was going to stick him while his back was turned, they would have to go through Jackal first. Good luck with that. They would find themselves gutted before they knew what happened. Jackal had the reflexes and instincts of the predator he had been named after.

  Ice shrugged. “I don’t, but him being in that class could fuck everything up. I wanted him to take a swing at me. If he’s in solitary, he’s not in class.”

  “I thought we didn’t want to confront Church until we had to. He’s not going to stand for being disrespected in front of the others.”

  “It was only a matter of time, and I would rather it was on my time.” Ice wasn’t used to explaining himself to his men, but he couldn’t appear soft where the teacher was concerned.

  “He’s going to be out to prove he can take you down.” Buzz warned.

  “Let him try. I can handle Church. What I don’t need is to get stuck serving the rest of my sentence because she was able to alert the guards. Do you?”

  “No, I don’t. I guess you’ll have to use your charm to make her believe we’re all just harmless,” Buzzard joked. Ice didn’t have a charming bone in his body.

  Ice’s stony gaze turned to his vice-president. “Max can charm her. If she keeps me from getting out of here, Church will be the least of her worries.”

  Buzzard’s mouth snapped closed as Ice stood to his feet, going to his cell.

  He wasn’t going to have any fuck-ups; every detail had been planned. The pesky teacher was already taking too much of his attention. He had to get his mind back on track for the job ahead and couldn’t let any woman distract him, even one who had legs that went on for fucking forever and a mouth, which had him hard every time he saw her.

  Ice shook all thoughts of her from his mind. He couldn’t afford to become preoccupied with her. His own life and his men’s depended on him keeping his attention where it needed to be. He liked to plan every little detail and she had placed a wrench in his plans. She had made a mistake taking the teaching position; Ice just hoped she lived to regret her mistake.

  Chapter 4

  Grace sat behind her desk, feeling Church’s steady gaze on her. She had learned to deal with it for the last two weeks but was becoming fed up with the man.

  The guard next to her spoke in his handset then motioned to the two other guards, who left the room.

  Church raised his hand. Tempted to tell him to send it to her email, she reluctantly stood and went to his desk. His smirk raised her hackles as she leaned over to look at his computer.

  His page was a mess. He had only completed a fourth of the page and what he had done was wrong.

  She was about to correct his mistakes when she felt his hand on her butt over her slacks. She attempted to take a quick step back, but his other hand came around her hip, holding her still.

  “Church!” the guard by the back door yelled, beginning to come forward.

  Grace reached for the book on the Church’s desk, picking it up as his hand slid down her butt, trying to wedge between her thighs. With the book in hand, Grace smacked the prisoner in the face with all her strength. His hands dropped as he grabbed his face while she continued beating him with it.

  “You fucking bitch!” he yelled.

  The guard moved her out of the way then quickly pulled Church out of his chair.

  The struggle between the two men frightened Grace, but she remained calm when she saw the guard subdue Church. The other two guards then ran back into the room, watching while Church was dragged away.

  “He doesn’t come back,” Grace said firmly to the guard.

  He nodded, talking on his radio.

  “Do you want to end the class for today?” he asked when he finished.

  Grace looked at the clock. They still had an hour to go. “No.”

  Gathering herself, she walked back to her desk. Ice was staring at her with a half-smile on his lips. She was proud of herself for not freaking out, and his surprised gaze showed he was, too.

  She picked up her class notes and taught the next section of the lesson, not letting herself dwell on what had just happened. She was just relieved she wouldn’t have to deal with Church leering at her for the rest of the semester. Now, if she could only get her reaction to Ice under control, everything would be perfect.

  * * *

  “Did you see her smack the shit out of him with that book?” Buzzard laughed next to Ice after class. “I almost pissed myself I was laughing so hard.”

  “She made an enemy out of him when she did it,” Jackal said, coming to stand next to Ice and Buzzard as they stood to the side where no one could hear them.

  “Yes, she did. What punishment did they give him?” Ice asked.

  “Solitary, I’m sure. He definitely won’t be returning for more lessons,” Jackal answered.

  Fade joined the group. “Word is Church went ape-shit after they pulled him from the room. He’s in medical now.”

  Ice gave a low whistle. “Our pretty little teacher made an enemy from Hell, and she doesn’t even know it.”

  “Seems to me she handled him just fine,” Buzzard joked.

  “Because she had a guard backing her up. What happens when he gets out?”

  They went quiet, their amusement dying.

  “Damn,” Fade said under his breath.

  “The sick fuck thought she was actually attracted to him,” Ice said.

  “I don’t think he’s the only one,” Buzzard said under his breath.

  “You got something to say, spit it out,” Ice stiffened.

  “I see the way you look at her. It’s no different from the way Church does. You want a new bitch to warm your bed, pick another one, not one who’s going to cause problems. I’m sick of this place.”

  Ice didn’t lose his temper. He never lost his temper. That was how he had gotten his nickname—coldly and methodically making decisions, which would make another man hesitate.

  “Since when have I ever made a bad decision for the club? She may be hot and I like looking, but that’s because I’m stuck staring at your ugly faces.” His cold voice lashed out like a whip.

  Buzzard nodded, his hand running over his closely cropped head. “Sorry, Ice.
I’m just getting stir-crazy.”

  “We all are.” Ice didn’t relent, staring down the men facing him.

  Only Jackal stayed behind as the other two moved away. “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Ice snapped. “Have you gotten any info on her yet?”

  “Just the basics. For the last few years, she’s worked at the college. I asked Rave to check her out, and it was all she could come up with until we get the report back from Henry.”

  “He needs to hurry.”

  “I passed along the urgency of the situation. Rave said she would make sure he understood we needed the information pronto. We do know she’s worked at the college for the last five years after she graduated from UT. She lives alone in a house she makes regular mortgage payments on. No credit cards. No bills. She only socializes with her boss and his fiancée, and her only friend is another teacher named CeCe Brown, who seems to be in a mess at work for fucking her students, which Grace doesn’t do. She hasn’t had a date or a boyfriend since she moved to town.”

  “She on anyone’s booty list?”

  “Not that Rave could find out,” Jackal answered.

  “Why’s a beautiful woman like that living like a nun?”

  “Don’t know. It seems strange to me, too. Maybe she’s fucking a man with a ring on his finger?”

  Ice didn’t seem to think so. The woman’s attitude screamed uptight. She was so buttoned up that, if she didn’t wear skirts occasionally and have tits, he would think she was a man. She made no attempts to heighten her femininity, wearing no makeup and pinning her hair back in a tight bun. Maybe she just did it when she came to the prison, but Ice didn’t think so.

  Why couldn’t they find any information on her before Stephenville? Rave hadn’t been able to find any proof she had attended UT other than that was what she had stated on her job application for the college she had attended.

  “Get Rave to meet up with Grace’s boss again. Try to get more from him, too.”

  “That’s not going to be easy. She managed to catch him when he was piss-assed drunk at the local bar. The dude’s engaged and hasn’t returned any of her calls so far.”