Page 57 of Altius
“Most of the starting defensive line is injured,” Dr. McEwen said. He gripped the arms of his chair, posture tense, like a loaded cannon looking for any excuse to fire. “That’s not pushing the limits, it’s negligence.”
Redwing’s head legal counsel agreed, setting off another round of protracted discussion.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I suppressed the urge to sigh.
My aunt wanted solutions, not excuses, and it was up to me to deliver—a thankless task I had no choice but to accept.
Otherwise, she would withhold approval for Cal and Morgan’s special consultant agreements.
It had taken weeks to convince her, culminating in an hour-long negotiation after Thanksgiving dinner. Concessions were required, of course.
One of my other projects had to be delivered three months earlier to help offset the increased cost of PheroPass development.
And the vibration therapy module had to hit the market in two years.
In return, I was allowed to offer Morgan a salary on par with Cal’s hourly rate, with generous medical and heat leave allowances.
Scanning my quagmire of an inbox, I noted a status update from my assistant. The offers should be ready within the next two weeks if HR and legal didn’t present any unforeseen obstacles.
I glanced across the table, where Morgan was busy typing meeting notes on her laptop. Her gaze was focused, fingers flying across the keys. Nothing like the pale, shaky figure who couldn’t stay awake a little over a week ago.
My gaze lingered on the geometric silver pendant around her neck, paired with a crisp blouse, which highlighted the slender column of her throat.
While t-shirts and scrub pants were suitable for her work as a physician, the clean lines of professional attire suited her better.
Returning to my inbox, I tackled several pressing emails, content to ignore the alpha posturing and circular arguments at the other end of the table.
Ten minutes later, they were still bickering about what level of inaction would be least negligent.
And my patience expired.
I met the gaze of Redwing’s legal representative and nodded. They interjected, introducing the only agenda item of consequence—my aunt’s not-so-veiled threats.
Either the university took the pheromone intimidation issue seriously, or Redwing would investigate, starting with the detailed timeline Morgan sent over late Sunday night. It documented with crystal clarity that multiple Narwhal defensive linemen had emitted pheromone spikes at the line of scrimmage, disarming the Garroway Forest players. This left their quarterback unprotected, resulting in a catastrophic injury.
We might not be able to prove pheromone intimidation, but reckless disregard and negligence were another matter. They knew their players were too amped up to play by the rules, and we could prove it.
Cal leaned over, intending to whisper something to me, when his phone exploded. He grabbed it, holding it in his lap as repeated texts from Heather and his various parental figures poured in.
A few keywords stood out: flatline, resuscitation, and critical condition.
Charles the First’s life was in danger once more.
“I’ve heard enough. Since you refuse to listen to reason, do whatever you want.” Dr. McEwen stood up. “But don’t complain to me—or my staff—when this blows up in your face and Redwing walks.”
After ninety minutes of casual avoidance, Cal and Morgan looked at each other.
It was a fleeting glance. Unremarkable to anyone ignorant of the true nature of their relationship. One flash of brilliant amber as she lowered the screen of her laptop, meeting his troubled gaze.
Morgan canted her head toward the door, encouraging him to leave first, but Cal didn’t budge, resistant to putting his family before her. He squeezed his phone to the point where I feared for the integrity of the screen.
“Van Daal, let’s go,” Dr. McEwen said on his way out the door.
She followed him with swift, confident movements, sparing only one brief, professional smile in parting—for both of us to share.
The chance of her betraying their clandestine affair while on the clock was zero.
Cal stood, intending to follow her, but his phone started vibrating again. It was a call from Chaz.
