The CEO Above My Desk (Mckenzie Shinabery) novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Rowan

I don’t take Avery upstairs.

That alone should tell me something is wrong.

She’s draped across my living room couch when I get home, heels discarded, lipstick smeared, the sharp smell of alcohol clinging to her skin. The television hums softly to no one. She murmurs something incoherent when the door closes, but I don’t slow. I don’t look back.

1 go straight upstairs.

I shut the bedroom door behind me and stand there for a moment longer than necessary, hands braced against the wood, jaw tight.

Because Violet Pierce is still in my head.

Not the way she usually is-efficient, precise, quiet in the background of my day. Not the way I notice her competence and file it away as useful.

Tonight, it’s the dress.

Black. Sleek. Shining faintly under the restaurant lights. The way it fit her like it had always been meant for her body, not Avery’s. The way she moved in it -careful, contained, like she was wearing armor she hadn’t asked for but refused to let crack.

She didn’t preen. Didn’t enjoy it.

She endured it.

And somehow, that made it worse.

I strip my jacket off and toss it over the chair, unbuttoning my cuffs with sharp, impatient movements. My reflection in the mirror looks unchanged- controlled, collected-but my thoughts refuse to follow.

She belonged there.

That’s the problem.

She looked like she fit in my world. Like she had always been meant to sit beside me at that table, fielding questions, absorbing attention, handling pressure without flinching.

Like she was already mine.

The thought settles heavy in my chest, unwelcome and undeniable.

I reach for my phone, intending to check the time, maybe message Theo-anything to redirect the spiral-

It rings instead.

I don’t look at the screen. “What?” I say, already irritated.

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Chapter 13

“Rowan.”

Devin.

That gets my attention.

1 straighten slightly. “What is it?”

His voice is clipped, professional-but there’s tension under it. “I’m at the station.”

My stomach tightens. “Why?”

“It’s Violet,” he says. “They’re holding her.”

The room goes very still.

“Explain,” I say.

“They tracked her brother’s phone,” Devin continues. “Pinged at the docks. They found him.”

I don’t ask what that means.

“And now?” I prompt.

“And now they’re treating her like a suspect,” he says. “She was the last call on his phone. They’re not letting her leave.”

Something cold and sharp slides into place inside me.

“She’s crying,” Devin adds, quieter. “Barely holding it together. They tried to intimidate her before I stepped in.”

My grip tightens on the phone. “Who’s leading the interrogation?”

“Detective Calder.”

I remember the name immediately. The tone. The pressure.

“Are you handling it?” I ask.

“I am,” Devin replies. “But I wanted you aware. This could escalate.”

“I’m coming,” I say.

There’s a pause on the line.

“You don’t need to-” Devin starts.

“I said I’m coming,” I repeat.

This time, he doesn’t argue. “Understood.”

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09:51 Tue, May 5

Chapter 13

Then, wisely, he steps back.

1 barely restrain the smile threatening to form.

Camille turns back to Calder, eyes blazing. “Let me get this straight. You think Violet murdered her own brother?”

Calder squares his shoulders. “We’re exploring all angles.”

“All angles?” she laughs sharply. “She reported him missing. She came down here voluntarily. Multiple times. Who does that if they’re guilty?”

“People trying to look innocent-”

“Bullshit,” Camille fires back. “Why would she spend weeks begging you for answers if she knew where his body was? Why would she keep working twelve-

hour days to pay for their mother’s rehab if she had something to hide?”

Calder opens his mouth.

Camille doesn’t let him speak.

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“Did you check her work records?” she demands. “Her badge logs? Her security footage? Or did you decide it was easier to pin this on the woman who didn’t

cry on command?”

The room is dead silent now.

Theo clears his throat. “Camille-”

She whirls on him. “No. I warned you.”

Theo raises both hands in surrender and steps fully away this time.

Good man. Slow learner.

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The CEO Above My Desk