Carrie Emberlyn liked the quiet of the 3 a.m. security check. The casino floor below her was a graveyard of blinking lights and silenced slot machines. This was her third shift of the week—not a job, but a ritual.

"Good. Take five."

TS Carrie Emberlyn

The night supervisor, a gruff woman named Delia who'd never once misgendered her, laughed. "Coffee's fresh. You did the west stairwell log?"

"Always," she replied.