Chapter 32
Robyn
Ridge has been at the office for hours. He came in around mid-morning, set up at the corner table the way he always does, and has barely said two words to me since.
He’s mostly been working on his laptop, his jaw tight. Something is off.
I clear my throat. “Did you eat anything at lunch?”
“No.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’ll get something when I’m done.”
I know what this is about. At least, I’m quite sure.
“Have you been able to see Magma yet?”
His hands go still on the keys. “It’s none of your business.”
That stings.
I know we’re not together. We’re not even friends, but…still.
He stops typing, sucking in a breath. Then he lifts his eyes to mine.
“I’m sorry, Robyn. That came out wrong. I’m…” He huffs out a breath. “I’m not in the best place today. I did go to see Magma, but he refused to allow me entry. I feel like shit.”
“Oh, Ridge. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah. Well…” He leans back in his chair. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I feel like an asshole. I just…” He shakes his head. “I feel really guilty about all of it.”
“It isn’t your fault.”
“Isn’t it?” He pushes out a laugh that holds no humor.
“No.” I shake my head. “You couldn’t have told him about the investigation. You weren’t allowed to. You would have lost your job or ended up in jail. You did the right thing.”
“I’m starting to think I should have told him anyway.” His eyes lift to mine. They’re dull. He looks defeated. “He’s my friend, Robyn. He’s been my friend for years. What is a male supposed to do in a situation like this? Tell me. Because right now I cannot figure it out.”
“You did do the right thing. You followed orders. You couldn’t have helped him at all.”
“Some lines shouldn’t be crossed, though. Doesn’t matter who gave the order. He’s my friend, and I let him walk into that without warning. That feels so damned wrong on every level. I don’t know how to live with it.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself.” I push some hair behind my ear. “Magma will come to see that. Maybe not right away. But in time, when he has the full picture and he understands what you were up against, he will. As you said, he’s a good friend to you. He’ll figure it out.”
Ridge looks at me for a long beat. He almost smiles, but it doesn’t quite get there. “I hope so.”
“I know so.”
He nods once. Then he sits back in his chair and rolls his shoulders. “I just—”
My desk phone rings, and then my cellphone starts vibrating across the desk a second later. And seconds later, Carla bursts through the door without knocking.
“Robyn. The shifter from last night has popped his stitches. They need you in the hangar right away.”
I’m already moving. I grab my cell on the way past the desk and swipe to answer. It’s Brody.
“I’m coming,” I say.
“He came out of deep sedation.” Brody is talking fast. “He started thrashing. We got him back under, but he’s bleeding pretty bad, Doc. Lena is putting pressure on it.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.” I cut the call.
“Duty calls,” I say to Ridge.
He nods.
I’m out the door a second later.
Ridge
The door swings shut behind her, and I stay where I am for a second, blowing out a long breath. Carla is still in the doorway, looking after Robyn.
She turns back to me. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water? Something to eat?”
“I’m good. Thanks, Carla.”
She nods and starts to turn away.
“Actually,” I say, and she looks at me. “If you have a minute, I have a few questions about how things work here.”
“Sure.” She steps fully back into the office. “What do you want to know?”
“Does Dr. Keller spend more time at the main hospital or in the hangar?”
“The hangar, by a country mile. The big patients are her specialty. The shifters in human form get treated in the regular wing. We have several fantastic human surgeons and doctors, but not everyone is a top-notch large reptilian vet. I’d say easily seventy percent hangar, thirty percent main hospital.
Sometimes more like eighty-twenty when things are busy. ”
“Got it. And in the hangar itself, what areas are restricted? Where can she go that most or all other staff can’t?”
Carla thinks for a moment. “The pharmacy back room. That’s where she signs out the controlled drugs.
There’s a key and a code; aside from the pharmacist, only Dr. Keller, Dr. Jenkins, and Dr. Patel have access.
Then there’s the records room behind the nurses’ station, where the master charts are kept.
Same thing, key and code. The surgical prep area is restricted to surgical staff only, but that’s not just her.
Oh, and there’s a small storage room off the main bay where the high-end supplies are kept.
Specialty sutures and expensive imaging gear.
Again, only surgeons and charge nurses have access.
There are keypads at all of these entry points. ” She shrugs.
“I need to look at all aspects of safety, including storage and the administration surrounding scheduled drugs,” I explain, since her eyes have narrowed in confusion.
She smiles, brightening up. “Of course. That makes sense.”
“You’ve been helpful, thank you.”
“Is there anything else you need from me?”
“No. That’s all.”
“Robyn is going to be tied up for a while. Call if you need anything.”
“That works out for me. I need to make a couple of important calls. Would you mind closing the door behind you?”
“Sure.” She pulls the door shut as she leaves.
I wait until I’m sure she’s gone, and then I cross to the door and turn the lock.
Although I’ve already checked here, I start at Robyn’s desk.
I check everywhere, trying to think of places I haven’t already checked.
I look under everything and rap my knuckles on the wood, trying to find secret cavities.
I lift the keyboard, and as expected, there’s nothing.
Then I move to the cupboard behind her chair and check that too.
Her degree is framed on the wall. I take that off, along with a colorful abstract painting.
I check every freestanding item in her office, including the planter in the corner.
I even dig my fingers into the soil under the pot.
Lastly, I lift the rug. There’s nothing left to check.
I’ve covered every surface and every cavity in this office.
Then my eyes land on the closed door of her private bathroom.
I’ve only done a very basic check in there. I need to do a proper job.
I unlock the office door, go to the bathroom door, and push it open. The light comes on automatically. I’ll listen for Robyn’s return and pretend I used the bathroom. If she arrives and her door is locked, she’ll know something’s up.
I feel like such a dick, but what can I do?
I’m pretty sure what I said in the conversation I had with her earlier was more about her than Magma. How fucked up is that?
I look around the bathroom. It’s a small space with everything you would expect, including a closet. I close the door behind me and start with the closet, finding nothing.
Next, I check the cabinet under the sink and the sink itself.
Straightening up, I look at the toilet. I crouch behind it and feel along the back.
There’s nothing on the wall side or bowl rim.
I lift the lid of the tank. And there it is.
A see-through waterproof pouch, suction-cupped to the inside of the tank lid.
It’s a list of all the staff working at the hospital, including their contact details and home addresses.
This would be valuable information to the Mainland.
I close my eyes for a second and shake my head.
Crap!
It’s exactly what I expected, and yet I’m still gutted.
“Noooooo,” I say under my breath. “Fuck!”
I lower the lid back down, gently, exactly the way it was. I straighten up and look at myself in the mirror as I walk past, and I don’t like what I see.
Grabbing my laptop bag, I dig out a pair of disposable gloves and an evidence bag. I pull the gloves on as I cross back to the bathroom, where I lift the tank lid again. It doesn’t take long to gently peel the pouch off the underside. The suction is good, and the pouch is surprisingly dry.
I slide it into the evidence bag, then put the pouch in a second evidence bag. I seal both. I wipe down the lid where I touched it and lower it carefully back into place. I check the floor and the surrounding area for anything I might have dropped or spilled.
When I’m sure that everything is as I left it, I leave.
The evidence bag goes into my laptop bag. I’ve only just stripped off the rubber gloves when I hear someone approach. I stuff the gloves into the bag as the door opens.
Robyn walks in. Her hair is in a messy ponytail, and there’s color in her face.
She looks tired, but she’s smiling. “Hi,” she says.
“Hey. How did it go?” I clear my throat because my voice is gruff. I force a smile.
“It was a mess. Lots of blood. But we got him back together. Dr. Patel is going to have to keep a close eye on him tonight. Some of the dragons don’t respond as well to the sedatives we give them. You guys have a fast metabolism.”
“We do, indeed.” I nod.
She notices that I’m standing, and her eyes drop to my laptop bag.
I unplug my computer because why else would I be standing with my bag in my hand?
She frowns. “Are you heading out?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Are you nearly finished?”
She glances at the clock on the wall, and her eyes go wide. “I had no idea it was that late. No wonder Carla’s desk was empty when I went past — she’s probably gone home.” She turns back to me. Her smile is softer. “Are you coming over later?”
I push my hand into my pocket. “I’ve got something I need to take care of tonight.” I need to log the evidence and speak with Reed to fill her in. It would feel wrong to go to Robyn after hanging her out to dry.
“I have a couple of things I need to do, so I’m not sure I’ll make it. I’ll do my best.”
“How is the assessment going? Are you nearly done?”
“I need to spend some time in the hangar tomorrow, if that’s okay?”
She nods. “Of course. You have an all-access pass.”
“That should conclude my assessment. I’ll need one more day to finalize everything, and then I’ll be done.”
I see the disappointment written on her face. She looks away, trying to hide it.
“So, two more days and you’re gone?” Her voice is soft.
I nod. “Yep. I’ll be out from under your feet.”
She walks over to the office door, and I hear the small click of the lock. I turn. “What are you doing?”
She crosses back to me. “It sounds like we don’t have much time.”
Her hands come up to my chest, flat against me. She tips up onto her toes and kisses me.
“This isn’t a good idea,” I say against her mouth.
“It probably isn’t, but our risk is at a minimum. Carla’s gone, and if anyone comes by, they’ll assume I’ve left for the day…as long as you’re very quiet.” She drops down to her knees in front of me.
“Ummmmm… Robyn…you…”
Her hands are on my belt. She pops the buckle and slides the leather through the loops. She works the button on my jeans and pulls the zipper down.
“Robyn, it’s not a good idea.”
I’m hard and have been since she went down on her knees.
She tugs the front of my boxers down and pulls out my cock.
I go harder.
“You don’t have…”
She wraps her hand around the base and takes me deep. Fuck. Her mouth is hot and wet, and her lips stretch around my girth.
My hand goes to the back of her head before I can stop it. I groan low in my chest. She sucks. Slow at first, then faster. She pulls back, her tongue swirling under the head, and then she takes me deep.
My cock hits the back of her throat, and she swallows around me. I make a choked sound, and my balls pull tight.
She cups my sac in one hand, rolling it, while her other hand works the base of me, and her mouth keeps moving. She looks up at me from under her lashes. Her eyes are dark. Her mouth is full of me.
I’m the biggest asshole alive, but I can’t seem to bring myself to make her stop.
I cup her cheek.
Then I take her face in both my hands, rocking gently into her, making another grunting noise.
“So good,” I rasp. “You’re so good and so fucking sexy.”
She frowns and pulls back, turning her face slightly into my palm and sniffing.
“You smell like latex.”
My stomach goes cold.
“Have you been wearing rubber gloves?”
“Ummm…no. I can’t think why that would be.”
“Weird,” she whispers, then she closes her eyes and deep-throats me.
My eyes roll back. I’m not going to last. I hate this. I fucking hate this. Fuck. She makes a soft groaning sound, and the vibration goes through me.
Then she picks up the pace, her hand working me. Her mouth is soft and wet.
“I’m going to come,” I whisper.
She groans and sucks me off even harder…faster. That’s me; I come hard. I shudder and grip the back of her head as I empty myself into her mouth and throat. She swallows down every drop, making these desperate, greedy noises.
When I’m milked dry, she stands and licks her lips.
I’m still hard.
I reach for her, and she shakes her head. “Not here. I can’t be quiet. Come to my place later and return the favor? Even if it’s late.” She lifts her brows.
I nod.
Shit!