Chapter 8 #2
“I gathered that much. I’m not joking. How do my working hours have bearing on anything to do with security?” I ask.
“Everything that happens within this facility has bearing.”
“I need more information.” I keep my eyes locked on his.
“You were sent a detailed email.”
“When?” I pray it was recent. I haven’t so much as looked at an email in two days, but I could have missed it before then. I’ve been under the gun with my workload.
“Yesterday evening.”
Oh, thank god!
“That explains it. I was pulled into an emergency surgery,” I tell him. “I finished late…or early, depending on how you look at it. I got home after 2 a.m. I try to stick to my allocated shift times, but it isn’t always possible. My hours are what they need to be in order to get the job done.”
He tilts his head.
“Noted.” His whole demeanor softens a fraction. “Are we going to be able to work together for a few days, or do I need to excuse myself from this project?”
It would be better if they sent someone else.
He sees my hesitation and adds. “I would need to disclose our relationship if I excuse myself.”
“Stalker and stalkee?”
His mouth twitches. “Don’t.” He turns serious. “I would have to inform the Council that we fucked…” He clears his throat. “Had a sexual encounter. That there is water under the bridge.”
I swallow so thickly that I’m sure Carla heard it in reception.
“That’s what I thought,” he says. “I’m sure we can work together for a few days and keep things professional.”
“Of course we can,” I quickly say. “As long as you can stay strictly professional.”
Why did I say that?
“Absolutely.” He looks at me like I’m insane for even insinuating that he can’t. “What about you?” He lifts his brows.
I snort-laugh. “Of course I can.”
I suddenly realize that we are still standing in the middle of my office. I can’t really be blamed, since he caught me off guard.
“Good. It’s settled. I will handle the assignment, and we’ll work together for a short while. I’ll be out of your hair before you know it.”
I hate how unaffected he is when my gut is churning.
I can pretend for a few days.
I realize that Carla didn’t give me my coffee as promised.
She really is out of sorts.
“Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, water—”
“I’m fine.”
I pick up my handset and call her. “Carla, please can you bring me a coffee?”
“Oh sh…oopsie. Sorry! No problem,” she responds.
I put down the phone.
“Please…sit.” I gesture to a chair.
I walk around my desk and sit. He takes the chair opposite, which I have always thought of as a decent-sized chair, and somehow, he shrinks it by half.
“All right,” I say, folding my hands. “Apologies for missing the email. Please can you tell me what you need from me…from my staff,” I quickly add. It feels like everything I say is an innuendo for something dirty.
What do you need from me?
Plug my holes.
I need to stop this. We had a one-time thing, and now it’s strictly business. If I had known he was head of Draig Security and there was even the smallest chance I would run into him again, I would never have slept with him. And that right there is a bald-faced lie.
“I need to be on-site for a full review. I’ll need to see all of your cameras and access points, both shipping and receiving, pharmaceutical stores, personnel files, shift rosters, emergency protocols.
I need to talk to your staff. I need to walk every corridor and every back door.
I need to see how you handle a delivery and how you handle a shutdown.
I need to understand the flow of this place from the moment someone steps out of their vehicle in your parking lot.
Then there’s IT as well. I might need to bring in an expert, if necessary. ”
“You’re thorough.”
I wince inwardly. I know first-hand how thorough Ridge can be.
Stop!
“I am. I’ll need your full cooperation, Doctor.”
You have it, you totally have it.
I nod. “How long will you be here? Do you have a team, or will it be only you?”
“For now, it’s just me. I’ll bring in specialists as and when needed. I’ll need a week. Possibly longer, depending on my findings. You will more than likely need extra security staff on your detail. I need access to all areas.”
Access to all areas.
My nipples tighten under my shirt, even though he didn’t mean it like that.
I need to stop this, and right now. It’s that, or we need to tell the Council that we can’t work together, and I refuse to take that route. I plain refuse.
“Dr. Keller.”
I snap back to attention.
“Yes. Sorry. You have my full cooperation. I have a staff meeting at three. I was going to raise the security review then, regardless. I’ll fill them in and tell them to give you whatever you need. If you want, I can introduce you officially then?” I lift my brows.
He nods. “That would be helpful.”
“As long as you know that the safety of my staff is my top priority.”
“Good to know. I’ll start working on your IT systems today. I’ll need to meet with you regularly throughout the week. Not only are this building and your staff a priority, but you are too.”
“Me.” My voice sounds all breathy. “What do you mean?” It’s still breathy. I don’t talk like that, and yet I can’t get myself to stop.
“The Council has identified you as a potential high-value target should hostilities escalate with Mistveil or the Mainland. You’ve been marked as essential personnel. That means your security is part of my remit.”
“Why? I’m technically just a vet.”
“Hardly.” He looks at me through narrowed eyes.
“You are the top shifter surgeon on this island. You are Head of Shifter Medicine. You are the central signatory for every controlled pharmaceutical shipment into the three main hospitals on Draig, as well as all the clinics. You are considered to be essential personnel and a potential target. I need to scrutinize everything about you. I will need to shadow you as part of this assessment. I’ll need access to your home, your—”
“My home? Shadow me?” I’m repeating words he says like an idiot, but I can’t help it.
“Don’t bring up the stalker thing again,” he says in a rough voice.
“I wasn’t going to. It’s just that I prefer to keep my personal life separate from my work life.”
“You may be targeted at home, Dr. Keller. Political threats do not happen in neat boxes. They could come after you at your place of residence. Quite frankly, your building would be easy to break into. Your home, too, unless you’ve upgraded your security since I…you know…was last there.”
How could I forget?
“You’re scaring me.”
“This is purely precautionary, Dr. Keller, but we can’t take any risks.”
I sit with it for a moment. Then I nod.
“I take it that you’ll need somewhere to work. I don’t have a spare office, I’m afraid.”
“Although I won’t be at my desk all the time, it would be great if I had a workstation. That table in the corner of your office would be great.” He glances at it. “It’s quiet in here, and I won’t be underfoot.”
“You might be more comfortable in our conference area. There’s plenty of space, and a coffee machine that—”
“I saw it on my way here. Your office has the best privacy in the building. No glass walls and a solid door.”
I do not love the idea of sharing this room with him for a week. In fact, I hate it.
But I have to admit that he’s right. He would get the most privacy here. Although I have plenty of paperwork to attend to, my work isn’t always between these four walls. Still, I don’t like it at all.
Trapped in here with him for a whole week…maybe longer. Craaaap! For a moment, I’m tempted to have him remove himself from this assignment. He’d have to tell the Council that we had sex. My boss would find out.
No.
Just no.
“No problem. You can take the corner table.” I gesture over there.
“Thank you.”
He stands and moves to the table. He opens a slim leather case and starts laying things out. There’s a laptop, a couple of folders, a pen, and a small notebook.
Carla knocks and brings in the coffee. She puts my huge purple mug on my desk.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything…um…Mr. Ridge?” She giggles, her cheeks going pink.
“No thanks, Carla.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes…very.”
She chews on her bottom lip and then gives him a goofy smile. She’s staring. I hope I didn’t look at him like that.
“And Carla?”
“Yes?” It’s all breathy…like I sounded earlier.
“It’s Ridge. Plain Ridge.”
“Okay.” Another giggle. Then, after ogling him for a few more seconds, she turns, catching my attention on her way out.
She widens her eyes at me.
I have to work not to roll my own.
She closes the door behind her.
“I need to get to work,” I say, standing. “I’ve got to check on a patient. You make yourself comfortable. We have a staff kitchen up the hallway. There is a small canteen in the main hospital building. It’s a bit of a walk, and the food is very average. Carla can get you water, juice, or a coffee.”
“Thanks.” He sits. “I appreciate it.”
Ridge adjusts the angle of the laptop screen, and I force myself to stop staring at him. I refuse.
This is so weird.
I escape into my bathroom. The next week is going to be…interesting.