The silence after the corridor exchange lasted longer than words would have.
Shawn did not return me to my desk. He led me through the executive wing at a measured pace, expression unreadable, every step controlled enough to pass as routine.
No one questioned it.
No one ever questioned him.
The private conference room at the end of the hall unlocked on approach. He entered first. I followed. The door sealed behind us with a soft click that sounded louder than it should have.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
He stood with his back to me, hands braced on the polished table, shoulders rigid beneath his jacket. Not anger exactly.
Containment.
“You should have called me sooner,” he said at last.
The words were quiet. Which made them more dangerous.
“I wasn’t in danger.”
“That is
