The CEO Above My Desk (Mckenzie Shinabery) novel Chapter 72

Reluctantly.

I straighten, gently freeing my sleeve from her grip before I lose my restraint entirely.

As I turn and head upstairs, phone already pressed to my ear, one thought settles in with absolute clarity.

She just gave me an opening.

And I am not going to waste it.

Theo reroutes the call before I even ask.

“Morales,” I say, not bothering with a greeting.

There is a half second of silence on the other end. Long enough for fear to register.

“Mr. Ashcroft,” Morales says quickly. Too quickly. “I was just about to call you. I understand there’s been a situation involving Detective Calder and one of your employees and I want to assure you we’re taking this very seriously.”

“Save it,” I snap.

I continue up the stairs, my grip tightening on the phone. “Your detective cornered my employee in a women’s restroom. He threatened her. He put his hands on her. He attempted an arrest with no warrant, no cause, and no authorization.”

Morales exhales. “That is not consistent with the report I was given.”

“Then your report is a lie,” I say flatly. “And you have an hour to decide which version of events you want to defend.”

I reach the landing and pause by the railing.

Below me, Camille is already in motion. She has Violet by the hand, tugging her toward the front door. Violet looks back once, her face pale but composed, forcing herself upright when everything in her wants to fold.

Good.

Theo follows them, keys in hand.

I mute the call with my thumb.

“Theo,” I say quietly.

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He looks up, surprised.

“I want pictures every thirty minutes,” I tell him. “Proof she’s where you say she is. Driver included.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “You don’t think I’d keep her safe?”

“I don’t gamble,” I reply. “Send them.”

He hesitates, then nods. “Yeah. Okay.”

I watch Violet disappear through the front door before unmuting the call.

Morales is still talking. Rambling now.

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“We can place Calder on administrative leave pending a full internal review,” he says. “If procedures were violated, we will take corrective action.”

“Administrative leave is not corrective action,” I say. “It’s a courtesy. One he does not deserve.”

“Mr. Ashcroft, you have to understand, there are processes.”

I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You are talking to a man who dismantles companies for breakfast. Do not explain process to me.”

There is a sharp swallow on the other end of the line.

“And while you are scrambling to protect your own,” I continue, voice hardening, “you will also remove the restrictive hold Detective Calder placed at St. Thomas Funeral Home.”

Morales goes silent.

I stop walking entirely.

“That hold,” I say slowly, deliberately, “was unauthorized. It was retaliatory. And it was designed to hurt my employee by keeping her brother separated from his mother even after death.”

“That order was placed pending investigation,” Morales says cautiously.

“Incorrect,” I reply. “That order was placed by a disgraced detective abusing his authority. You will remove it now.”

“Mr. Ashcroft, I will need to verify that-”

“You have five minutes,” I cut in. “Not an hour. Not a day. Five minutes. Or I will personally file for emergency judicial review and make sure every reporter in this city knows your department interfered with a family burial.”

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His breathing is audible now.

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“You will suspend Calder immediately,” I continue. “You will revoke his badge and access. You will open an internal affairs investigation that includes his prior departments, his arrest history, and his use of force complaints.”

“That level of inquiry requires cause,” Morales says weakly.

“You have cause,” I snap. “You have physical evidence on my employee. You have building footage. You have witnesses. And if that is not enough, I will personally ensure the Sentinel, the Attorney General, and every civil rights organization in this state receives a full timeline of your failures.”

Morales’s voice drops. “Let us not escalate this unnecessarily.”

I resume walking.

My voice goes very calm.

“This is me being restrained.”

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