February's Book: The Games that Break Us (Upper Echelon #1)

Genre: mafia, romantic suspense, prison romance (First in Series)
Author: Dee Garcia
Character: Birdy
Pronouns: She/Her


Willa Drew: What should I call you? Do you prefer a nickname? 

Birdy: My birth name is Benita Adriana Villanueva. Mostly everyone calls me Benni, but on the streets I was La Jefa. Here in prison I go by Birdy. I’ll let you choose. 

WD: Think I’ll go with Birdy. Welcome and thanks for agreeing to talk to us today. 

B: No biggie. Not gonna lie, though… I’m surprised the Warden allowed an interview, given I just got out of Ad-Seg a few days ago. 

WD: Ad-Seg? Not familiar. Can you explain? 

B: Administrative Segregation, otherwise known as “The Hole”. Remember when you were a kid and your mom would put you in timeout for acting like a brat or getting into trouble? Yeah, well, this is the inmate version of timeout. Picture it… tiny cell, all concrete, no windows. A stiff bed, a toilet. That’s all she wrote. And you’re in there until… well, until the guards or the Warden see fit. It’s pure and utter hell. 

WD: Shall I ask the Warden to get you something to drink? Water? Soda? Coffee? Wine? Whiskey? 

B: Ha ha we’re in prison, hun. Ain’t no wine, whiskey, or alcohol for miles. The coffee tastes like dirt, too, so I’d say just stick to water. 

WD: Tell me a little about yourself? 

B: Well, I was born and raised in Cuba. Came to the states when I was 13, not so legally or without trauma I should add. There aren’t many opportunities for illegal aliens, though, so my family struggled as much as we did in Cuba. Eventually, my older brother stepped up to provide… I knew what he was doing wasn’t exactly the best choice, but I looked up to him, wanted to be like him. Didn’t take long for me to follow in his footsteps and start running the streets. Only I ended up taking it a few steps further, on a grander scheme, if you will. As you can see, those choices didn’t come without consequences. 

WD: Prison. Right. Where did you live before the state put you up here? 

B: The vibrant cultural melting pot better known as Miami, Florida. 

WD: Do you have any jobs or hobbies in here? 

B: My current job assignment is laundry. Pays crap, but all the jobs here do. It’s one of the better positions, though. At least I’m not stuck on maintenance or kitchen duty. As for hobbies, I’d say making money, but I’m not exactly securing the bag these days, so we’ll go with playing dominos and catching a few rays during yard time. Amongst other things I probably shouldn’t discuss with you… 

WD: Yes, let keep things…above board as they say. What are some of your likes and dislikes? 

B: Likes… hmmm? I’d have to say money. And I mean, who doesn’t? Living paycheck to paycheck isn’t exactly ideal, and let’s face it… it sucks. As for dislikes? Snitches, hands down. Snitches get stitches, friends. Remember that. Also, though… seedy, juiced up prison guards. There’s no shortage of those nasty bastards around here—except for one… 

WD: Sounds like maybe you’ve made a friend? (she says cautiously) 

B: Um, yeah… We’ll call him a friend, I guess… 

WD: What’s a day in your life like? 

B: Oh, honey, you don’t want me to bore you with that type of monotony, but to give you a basic run down of what my day looks like…. I wake up, get dressed, make my bunk, head to Chow Hall for breakfast, and then depending on the day, I either go straight to work assignment or come to the Block and chill for a bit before going to work. And then after that… it’s like any other day. You have lunch, wrap up the work day, come back, sometimes we get yard time, take a shower, and keep yourself busy until “lights out” which is at 11. And then… we go to sleep… and do it all over again the next day. 

WD:  What is your greatest fear? 

B: Something happening to my family while I’m stuck in here. Already went through it once. Not looking to do it again. 

WD: Tell me about your family. 

B: I have two siblings. My older brother, Tommy, may he rest in peace, and my younger sister, Noely. She’s currently holding down the fort at home and looking after our mom. 

WD:  If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be? 

B: I mean, look around you… I’m in prison. I’d definitely not get involved with Ángel and the Upper Echelon. Would’ve spared myself this hell, that’s for sure. 

WD: Are you happy we know your story? 

B: I don’t know if happy is the correct word choice here, but I suppose you can call me a cautionary tale. 

WD: Fair enough. Let’s try something different. Are you in love? 

B: I plead the fifth. 

WD: Okay. Message received. Do you have an event or people in your past who affect you today? 

B: Yes to both. The day we came from Cuba and what transpired during the trip still lives rent free in my mind. And as for people who affect me… Well, I’m sure you can guess who I’m referring to without me having to say as much… 

WD: Is there anything you want to say to your fans? 

B: Just that… not everything is what it seems… That’s all. 

WD: Can we look forward to reading more of your story? 

B: Yes, you can. Dee is hard at work penning the finale of my story. It definitely won’t be easy to read for some, but I think it’ll prove everything happens for a reason and true love always prevails. 

WD: Oh, I think the Warden is circling. Our time must be up. Thanks for chatting with me today. 

B: Thank you for having me. I’m not usually a fan of being grilled considering I get enough of that on the daily, but this was a nice break from my grueling reality. If you have any other questions for me, you can always slide into Dee’s Discord and drop by the D Block channel. 

WD: I’ll do that. Good luck staying out of Ad-Seg. 

If you’d like to read Birdy’s story and find out more about what happens in jail, connect with Dee on Instagram and TikTok. 

About the Book 

Rule #1: Don’t f*ck with la Jefa.

Rule #2: Don’t get caught. 

Rule #3, and most importantly: DON’T fall in love with your boss—especially when he’s the faceless, elusive mastermind behind the international and highly covert organization known as the Upper Echelon. 

Arcángel might have chosen to forego some of that anonymity when it came to me, but the man still had secrets he refused to share. Secrets that came back to haunt us when he suddenly wanted to whisk me away and rescind the terms of our “no strings attached” relationship for something more. 

I considered it, warring between rationality and my heart’s desires. 

Until the Feds stepped in and I found myself trapped in tight, shiny cuffs. 

Now, I’m paying the price, rotting away at the hands of the judicial system and facing possible deportation after serving his time. After all these years, Ángel should be nothing more than a ghost from my past, and yet he’s ever-present, popping up at the most random and inopportune times. 

My heart can’t take much more of this maddening game, but fate seems to have other plans… 

Enter Andrés Bala, the new CO who can’t keep his eyes off me. I shouldn’t encourage him, knowing damn well anything between us is considered forbidden, illegal, but there’s this inexplicable pull between us neither one of us can ignore—and being bad always did taste so much sweeter. 

The question now is: despite Andrés vowing to wait for me, can he handle la Jefa and all of her baggage outside the confines of her cage, or are we doomed to crumble before I even step foot into freedom?