Chapter 11
Ridge
The conference room is packed. I stand at the back with my arms folded, taking in the rows of faces.
There are nurses in scrubs, a few doctors still in their white coats, and the admin staff clustered near the windows.
Carla is off to one side with a tablet balanced on her knee, scribbling notes every time Robyn makes a point.
Robyn is at the front, running through an agenda that’s clearly been carefully thought through. She’s wrapping up now, voice steady, eyes moving around the room as she talks.
“Last item before we move on to the most important part of the meeting,” she says.
“We’ve had three near-misses this quarter with controlled drug logs.
Nothing that ended badly, but near enough to worry me.
From Monday, every controlled pharmaceutical, and I mean every single one, gets signed by two people at the point of dispensing.
I’ve made it a rule. It’s been added to the SOPs.
” She glances at a lady sitting at the front.
“Jaki will send out an email before she goes home today with the update and the new form.”
“You’ll see it in your inboxes by end-of-day,” Jaki says, looking around the room at nobody in particular.
There’s a small murmur around the room. A nurse in the second row writes something down.
“I know it’s more admin,” Robyn continues. “I know we are all stretched thin as it is, but I would rather we all do a little more paperwork than risk what comes if we get it wrong. Thank you for your understanding.”
She pauses, takes a breath.
“Which brings me to the current situation.” Her voice shifts, gentler now.
“I want to address this, because I know it’s on everyone’s mind.
For now, it is business as usual in this hospital.
A lot has changed since the incident at the vaccination center.
We all know that. The war between Mistveil and Draig is still ongoing.
There have been more casualties since the news about the Mainland’s deceit broke than in the months prior. That is the hard truth of it.”
The room goes still.
“Even if a ceasefire is called tomorrow, there will not be peace overnight. These things take time. Months, even years. We are not going to fear monger or jump to conclusions. We are all going to remain professional and keep doing our jobs, so I want to be very clear with all of you. Every single one of your jobs is secure. Nothing is changing. We carry on doing what we do, which is saving lives. At this point, there is no reason for anyone in this room to be concerned about their position or about their safety here at this facility.”
She lets that land and a few shoulders relax around the room. There are even a few sighs.
“Which brings me to my next point,” she says. “Some of you may have heard that we are undergoing a security review. The Council has identified this hospital as one of several high-priority sites on the island that need an upgrade. I am fully on board with it.”
Her eyes find me.
“This is Commander Ridge from Security Central. He is going to be with us for the week, possibly a little longer. I will let him tell you the rest.”
She steps aside.
I walk up to the front. Every pair of eyes tracks me across the room.
Robyn is a step to my left, hands folded in front of her. She’s still in her scrubs.
“Good afternoon.” My voice carries. “I’ll keep this short. I run Security Central. I’ve been reassigned here by the Council to do a full review of this facility.” I go over all the aspects I will be investigating and why they’re pertinent, keeping it brief and to the point.
A male in scrubs near the door crosses his arms.
“I am not here to catch anyone out. I am not here to get anyone in trouble. I am here because this hospital is one of the most important buildings on Draig, and right now it is not protected to the standard it should be. My job is to change that. By the time I leave, you’ll have upgraded systems, better protocols, and a dedicated security detail that reports to my office. ”
I glance around, making sure I have them.
“As Dr. Keller said, I’ll be around for a week, possibly longer.
If I stop you in a corridor and ask you to walk me through something, I am not interrogating you.
I am learning how this building runs. The more cooperative you are, the faster I am in and out.
I hope to make this as quick and painless as possible.
I’m here to ensure your ongoing safety.”
I give them a second to absorb it, then step back.
Robyn moves in smoothly. “Thank you, Commander. As I said, everyone, please make yourselves available. If Commander Ridge or any of his team need you, drop what you’re doing, unless critical, of course.
Know that he is here to keep this facility and each of you safe.
I want full cooperation across the board.
He has been granted full access to all areas, all files, all computers, all personnel… all of it.”
She glances at her watch.
“That’s everything from me. Thank you and keep up the good work.”
Chairs scrape back. The room starts to empty in pockets. A couple of staff look my way as they go past. Most give me a small nod.
Carla gives me a huge smile. “Are you all settled, Commander Ridge?”
“I am, thanks.”
“Did you get what you needed from IT?”
“I did, indeed.”
“Don’t hesitate should you need anything…anything at all.” She winks at me.
“I think I’m good, but thanks.” I nod, following Robyn as she leaves, her folder tucked under her arm.
She’s fast, weaving through the stragglers in the hallway without breaking pace, nodding at a few of her staff as she passes. I stay a step behind.
By the time we reach her office, she’s already got her hand on the door. She sees me behind her.
“Well,” she says, pushing it open. “I think that went as well as could be expected.”
“Yep. Thanks. It makes my job a whole lot easier.”
“I meant it. The sooner you have everything you need, the sooner you can go back to…doing whatever it is that you do.”
“I’ll be assigned to the next building. For now, this type of work is my main objective.”
She drops the folder on her desk and moves around to her chair. She doesn’t sit. She starts gathering things. She shuts down her computer screen with a sharp tap of the key.
“I’m calling it a day,” she says, not looking up. “I’m exhausted. The lack of sleep last night is starting to hit me hard.”
“Sounds good. I’m going with you.”
Her head comes up. Her hand goes still on the drawer she just opened.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m going with you,” I repeat. “I told you earlier that I’m assigned to this hospital, but also to you. Your safety is paramount, Dr. Keller.”
She doesn’t say anything for a beat. Then she closes the drawer and turns to face me properly.
“Does it have to be tonight?”
“As I said, we discussed it this morning, Dr. Keller. I need to see your vehicle. I need to drive your route home. I need to walk through your building, your apartment, check every window, every door, every weak point. I need to assess your home security. That’s the whole point.”
“I know what you said this morning.” Her tone is cool. “I’m asking if it has to be tonight. Surely tomorrow is fine?”
I watch her face.
She’s tired. That much is true. There are faint shadows under her eyes that weren’t there when I first walked in. But there’s also something else going on. She’s flustered and trying not to show it.
Why doesn’t she want me at her place tonight?
Is there something at home she doesn’t want me to see?
I don’t know her well enough to recognize what the tell actually is. It could be guilt. It could be nothing.
It’s my job to find out.
I’ve had the better part of the day with her laptop and her office drawers.
I went through her emails, her calendar, her sent items, and her deleted items. I pulled logs off her work machine with the IT guy standing over my shoulder, none the wiser.
I opened every filing cabinet in this office and leafed through every folder.
There is nothing incriminating. Not a scrap.
That doesn’t mean she’s clean. It means I haven’t looked in the right place yet.
The right place could very well be her home.
“I’m sorry, but it needs to be tonight,” I tell her. “I don’t have much time to run this assessment and implement changes. I was told I needed to get in and out.”
In and out.
Fuck! Why does my brain head straight to the gutter?
“In and out,” she repeats, and my balls tighten. “That sounds good.”
They tighten up some more.
Why me? Why?
“Fine.” She says it through a tight smile that isn’t a smile at all. “Come home with me then.”
“I will.”
She stares at me for another second, then turns back to the drawer. She pulls out a soft leather bag and starts putting her things into it.
“I need to change,” she says without looking at me. “I’ll be two minutes. This time, please don’t barge in on me because I will be forced to go with my stalker theory.”
I feel the corner of my mouth tug.
“Don’t worry. I won’t. For the record, this morning was an accident.”
“If you say so, Commander.”
She disappears through the side door before I can come up with a response.
I’m halfway to another hard-on. This isn’t like me at all.
I guess it’s because I know how good she feels and the noises she makes when she’s about to come.
I enjoyed being inside her snug-as-fuck pussy.
I haven’t been with anyone since. I haven’t had the time or the inclination.
Perhaps it was wrong to deny myself. Right now, I wish I hadn’t.
I collect my laptop, unplug the cord, and wind it up. I close the two folders on the corner table and stack them.
I bend down and pretend to look for something in my bag so I can adjust myself without having to watch my own reflection in the window.
I take a few deep breaths, willing my cock to stop its shit.
She’s in the same jeans and blouse she wore when she came in this morning. Her hair has been re-done; it’s smoother now, higher on her head. She’s also put on a little makeup. Not much. A bit of something on her lips and some more mascara.
I straighten.
“Are you planning on following me in convoy?” she asks, slinging her bag across her chest. “Or will you see me at my house?”
“I’ll follow you.”
She looks me head-on. “In true stalker style.”
I huff out a short breath. “Stop your shit.” I have to bite back a smile.
She grins. It’s the first real smile I’ve seen from her all day, and it lands somewhere low and hot, straight down to my cock.
For one second, one stupid second, I reconsider the whole thing. I could call Reed. I could say the angle isn’t going to work, that there’s a conflict of interest, that someone else should take this on.
I don’t.
I have a job to do. I’m going to do it.
“I need to stop at the store on the way,” she says. “Is that going to slow down your stalking schedule?”
“I’ll manage.”
“Excellent. Let’s get this over with.”
She walks past me and out the door, and I follow.