Page 169 of Bound By Fire
“Okay. Thanks.” I turn to go.
“Was it something I can help with?”
I turn back. “Oh, no. It was about the security review. I’ll catch up with him tomorrow.”
“Okay, then.” She smiles at me.
I step out of the office and make my way out of the hangar. I’m not needed here. I push back through the double doors and take the stairs up. My legs are heavier than they were on the way down.
The corridor on my floor is quiet. Carla is on the phone when I pass her desk. I look at my watch and note that it is almost time to leave for the day.
I really hope to see Ridge later.
I’m going to tell him how I feel about him.
I won’t talk myself out of it, no matter how loudly the voice in my head tries to. I won’t dress it up or soften it. I’ll tell him I have feelings for him. Just lay it all out there.
I can’t be a chicken. I need to face it. If he walks away, then it’s on him. If I let him walk away without saying anything, I’ll never know what might have been.
He first has to walk through my door. I pray he does.
Ridge
I pace the length of the small conference room from the door to the window and back again. I’ve been doing this for over two hours now.
I can’t sit.
All I can do is wait, and I’m not the most patient person.
I had my meeting with Reed. The forensics team has the logged evidence. After handing it all in, I gave my statement, and now I’m waiting to hear while they process everything.
I check my phone again. There’s nothing from Flint. I shove it back into my pocket and turn for another lap.
My dragon is restless under my skin. He has been all day. He wants me to go to Robyn. He wants me to protect her. He doesn’t like what I did, and that makes two of us. The fact that it was the only move I had doesn’t make it sit any better.
I stop in front of the window. The courtyard below is empty except for two males in uniform walking toward the main building.
I sit and then stand again right away and start pacing. It’s the only thing that keeps me halfway to calm.
The door opens behind me, and I turn.
Reed steps in and shuts it behind her. She’s frowning deeply and even sighs. She pulls out a chair from the long conference table, but she doesn’t sit. She just rests her hand on the back of it.
“What did they find?” I ask.
“I think you should sit down, Ridge.”
“I’d rather stand.”
“Fine.” She lets out a slow breath. “I’ll give you what we have. The burner is clean of prints.”
“Okay.” I nod. “That’s good, isn’t it?”
“The messages on it, however, are signed off by name. Multiple texts going back and forth with a number we’ve alreadyflagged as Mainland-affiliated. Every outgoing message ends with ‘Dr. Keller.’”
I stare at her.
“How convenient and how damned stupid,” I say. “Why would she, or any asset for that matter, sign their own name? They wouldn’t. It’s planted to make her look guilty.”
