I stare at him.
“I know you didn’t do it.” He drags a hand back through his hair. “I know you’ve been framed. The same way Magma was framed. I’ve gotten to know you. My gut is telling me you would never do something like this. I believe you, Robyn.”
My eyes are burning. I refuse to blink because if I blink, the tears will come, and I am not crying in front of him.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
He stares down at me. I watch his throat work as he swallows.
And there it is. That look. The look I caught on his face last night. The one I didn’t recognize at the time. I couldn’t place it then, but I can now.
It’s guilt.
He feels guilty. And he should.
“I wanted to talk to you tonight,” I tell him. “I know that we have an arrangement, but I wanted to tell you that I’m falling for you.”
“Robyn…please…”
“No! Hear me out. My ex broke me. He broke my trust, and I swore I would never put myself in this position again, and to think I was getting ready to take a chance on you. I was going to tell you about my feelings tonight.”
“Robyn, I— Fuck. I don’t know what to say to that.” He scrubs his jaw. “This was never meant to happen. Not any of it.”
“Which part?” My voice sounds like someone else’s. “Us sleeping together? Me falling for you? Or you finding evidence against me, which, I’m assuming, is what you’ve come to tell me. Not that I’m guilty, just to be clear.”
“All of it,” he says quietly. “All of it was never meant to happen.”
I look down at my hands. They are doing this strange twisting thing in my lap, fingers braided together. I make them stop.
“I’m so sorry, Robyn,” he rasps. “I had no choice. I was given a job to do. I was told to upgrade the security at the hospital and at your apartment. I was also told to investigate you for treason against the island. I was given a direct order. I did what I was told. I had no choice in the matter. I couldn’t say a word.”
“And sleeping with me?” I lift my head. “Was that part of doing your job?”
He looks like I’ve slapped him.
“Robyn—”
“I was intimate with you, Ridge.” I keep my voice steady because if I let it go, I’m going to start shouting and I’m going to start crying, and I won’t be able to stop either one. “I shared things about myself with you. Things I don’t tell just anyone. I let you into my home. I let you into my bed. You were right when you said you should have stepped away from this assignment. You said it yourself. You should have.”
“I know.”
“What you did was wrong.”
“I know that too.” His voice is rough and deep. “I know. I feel fucking terrible. I was clear with you from the start, though. I told you it was purely physical. I told you there was no relationship at the end of it. I didn’t lie to you about any of that.”
“You still lied about everything else.” My eyes are stinging again. “Everything that mattered. You lied about why you were in my life. You lied about what you were doing in my office, my home, my car. Inside me! All this time you’ve been building a case against me.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Of course it was. You once told me not to lie to you. Well, I’m going to tell you the same thing right back. Don’t lie! You were gathering evidence against me.”
He doesn’t answer that. He can’t.
“I feel betrayed,” I say. “I know you were doing your job. And just like with Magma, you were gagged, and you weren’t able to say a word to me about it. I get that. None of it makes what you did any less wrong. None of it makes this any easier. I trusted you.”
“I’m close on clearing Magma.” His voice is low and urgent now. “I’m on the verge of proving he didn’t do what they said he did. I have proof, Robyn. Solid proof that he was framed. I’m going to do exactly the same thing for you. Whatever organization did this to Magma is the same one that did this toyou. I will tear it apart. You are about to be arrested, and you are going to be thrown in jail, but I will get you out. I will. I promise you that. I will make it right.”
“I—” I start to say, but there is a heavy thump of boots in the corridor outside my apartment.
