Page 135 of Bound By Fire
I don’t have the luxury of feeling it right now.
I need to get Magma freed.
I leave the bedroom.
After a quick scan of the living room, I pick a lamp on the side table. The base is heavy ceramic, almost iron weight, and the bulb sits inside a fabric shade. Underneath, where the bulb housing meets the base, I ease the second device up into it. The adhesive grips.
I straighten. I check the lamp from a few angles, making sure that the device is not visible. You’d have to lift the entire lamp and turn it over to find it, and even then, you’d need to know what you were looking for. Both devices are lightweight and small. I doubt she’ll find them.
I scrub a hand over my face, and then I move around her apartment, checking the windows and door to make sure that they’re locked.
When I’m done, I leave, testing the door to make sure it locks behind me. The hallway is empty. I quickly make my way down. The night guard is in the lobby at the desk, where a bank of televisions has been set up so that he can keep an eye on the CCTV cameras around the building. He sees me and nods. I have security arriving bright and early to escort Robyn to work. She’s safe in her apartment.
I push through the glass doors and out into the night, doing a double-take at who is standing outside leaning against my SUV. Flint’s arms are folded, and his jaw is set. He’s in full leather; his bike is parked one slot over. He straightens when he sees me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” My voice is low and rough.
“I needed to speak with you.” He stands straighter. “When I queried your whereabouts with the office, I was told that you were carrying out a security check at Dr. Keller’s private residence.”
“That’s right.”
“I thought you would have been done with your ‘security check’ hours ago, so when I needed to talk to you, I went to your house. You weren’t there. I tried calling several times. When you didn’t answer, I did a ping of your cellphone and was shocked to find that you were still here.” He looks at his watch. “It’s been over five hours, Ridge. I’ve been standing here for a good long while. That’s some ‘security check.’ You certainly are very fucking thorough.” He folds his arms, glaring at me. “You’re fucking Dr. Robyn Keller, Ridge, really? Holy shit! I can’t fucking believe it. You?”
“Are you going to give me a chance to talk?” I ask.
“Have you lost your mind? She’s potentially an asset for the Mainland, and you’re in bed with her. Do you have feelings for this female?”
My head snaps up. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me. You heard every word.”
“So you know she could be a potential asset?”
He nods.
“Reed knows I’m sleeping with her.” I keep my voice low. “She not only sanctioned my sexual relationship with Robyn but encouraged it. I was able to plant two bugs just now.”
He goes still. “Reed sanctioned this?”
“Yes.” I nod. I’ll let him interrogate me all he wants, and then he’s going to have to answer my questions.
“You didn’t need to fuck her to plant bugs.”
“No, but it did make it a whole lot easier. I’ll get the job done faster and more effectively.”
“You keep telling yourself that.”
“I will,” I snap.
“It’s wrong,” he growls.
I nod. “It is, and I’ve accepted that. I haven’t promised her anything. It’s just fucking.”
“It’s still wrong.”
“You bang a different female every week.”
“Not quite.”
