“I’m not chancing putting more of a strain on my back than I already have. He weighs a ton. The lights are bright enough to keep you awake and won’t do his head any good if he wakes up. If I were you, I’d prefer him sleeping. Only person on duty tonight is the dispatcher. The rest of us are out and about on patrol, or stationed at the fairgrounds.”

Alanna swung her legs off the side of the cot. “I don’t exactly feel comfortable knowing that I’m sleeping within six feet of someone who has done something illegal to get arrested.”

The deputy rattled her cell door. “Hear that?”

“Yes,” she gritted out between clenched teeth.

Taking a step back, he rattled the other cell door. “Here that?”

“Yes,” she muttered angrily.

“Then you’re all good?”

“I guess so,” she forced out. At this point, she just wanted him to leave.

The deputy walked back to her door. “Reckon I’ll see you in the morning. Want anything in particular for breakfast?”

“Pancakes with a nail file inside would be appreciated.”

The deputy shook his head, as if he was taking her sarcastic joke serious. “Sorry, my misses would have my ass if I lost my job when we just found out we’re expecting.”

“Then no, I don’t want anything.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged.

Alanna lay back down as the deputy moved away from the cell. At least he did make one concession by not turning the light off in the corridor.

Turning to her side to stare toward the other cell now that the deputy had moved out the way, she could see the man’s tall form lying on the bunk, on his side, with his back turned toward her. The cell had sat empty since her arrest. Owen had been placed in another cell further down the corridor.

There was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep, regardless of there being two metal doors separating the cells. She had never been able to sleep with someone else in the room after she had been taken in by the Fields. Owen and Kate had made nights a torture to endure.

The shadowy interior of the cells escalated her fears that came out to play in the dark. Sitting back up, she scrunched herself into a ball, in the corner of her bunk, to stare unblinking at the figure on the other bunk. Hitching her head upward when she nearly nodded off numerous times, she almost screamed out loud when she saw the man suddenly roll over to his back then sit on the side of the bed to look toward her cell.

Other than pressing her back against the wall behind her, Alanna froze. Could he see her? Shards of fear fissured through her body.