Page 15 of In Death, Love Survives

EIGHT

Nova

I pushed off meeting with Wolfe again for his Wednesday session after what I learned on Monday. I may not be ready to face all my emotions toward him, but I know I don’t like that he seemed off-kilter.

Something is more than amiss when it comes to the employees of Roper State. I’ve known it for a while, but it’s something I haven’t been involved with. I’ve been trying to keep my head down and do my best to be a high-quality psychiatrist here, for the sake of my patients.

Maybe just trying to make it through the day has been a form of camouflage I’ve used since I was a teenager. It’s not right, but now is my chance to make a difference for someone I care deeply for.

That’s why I’m lurking around Crawley’s office hallway, waiting for his assistant, June, to leave for lunch. He’s out the entire day, and I know there has to be something about Wolfe inside that office.

If there’s anyone here who is corrupt, it’s him. He’s always going on about the good old days and small-town antics, topics that shouldn’t be part of discussions anywhere, but especially in a professional setting.

I hear chatter in the distance between June and an officer, someone whose voice I’m not that familiar with yet. The prison has had high turnover in recent years, so it’s no wonder I can’t keep track of everyone.

“Beats me,” she says.

“Think it’d be alright if I headed out early?”

A pause lingers in the hallway.

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s fine. Johnson should be here soon.”

“Thank you. My girlfriend is dropping off my lunch.”

“Oh. Well. Yes. Just don’t tell anyone,” June says.

“I owe you one.”

Hurried footsteps pass me, and the opening and shutting of the double doors sound. I focus back on June’s shuffling at the opposite end of this small office section of the building.

A phone vibrates on a desk. June huffs, and I feel like she’s putting her purse on as she goes to pick it up.

“Hey, I’ll be right out,” she says.

Nothing but silence.

“Two seconds.”

Her footsteps start, and soon, they sound like they are inches away. She goes through the same set of double doors that the officer just did.

I let out a long breath of air that I hadn’t realized I had been holding in this whole time. I’ve been doing riskier things than I usually do since Wolfe came into the picture.

I slink up the small hallway where I’ve been hiding and confidently stand in the main hallway I have been eavesdropping by.

No one is here.

As casually as I can, I walk up to Crawley’s door and try to open it. It’s unlocked, so I push on in.

I have to pray that no one will watch this camera footage back. Crawley will be furious if he finds out I’m in here.

I slowly shut the door behind me and lean against it once it’s fully closed. Deep breaths in and out. My heart feels like it’s going to pop out of my chest with how fast it’s going.

Glancing around the office, I see that it’s a mess.

Papers are everywhere on the desk, and there are old soda cans in a line along the horizontal set of drawers behind his chair. The stench of cigarettes hits me, and I see an ashtray with about a dozen cigarette butts sticking out of it.

In and out, Nova.

Hurrying to his desk, I look through the papers as fast as I can without disturbing his mess. Sometimes, messy people feel like they have a system in place. If that’s the case, he’ll notice something wrong.

I look behind his desk at the cabinets that run the length of the wall. Scanning the labels, I come across a set that lists prisoners with last names beginning with W.

I open the cabinet and start to thumb through the files, looking for Walker. I finally reach his last name, grab his file, and pull it out.

Shaking it in the air like a winning victory, I open it up to see that there’s not much in here.

I hunch over, annoyed.

Ordinarily, that would make sense, given Wolfe’s only been in here for weeks, but something is off—I know Crawley is out to get him.

After looking through the file and finding nothing of interest, I put it back.

When I glance over to the opposite end of the drawers, I see a set that isn’t labeled. I pull one open to find a petty cash box and shut it.

One by one, I go through these drawers until I still.

There’s a file labeled with the week that Wolfe came to Roper State.

Flicking through it, I find emails from local and state politicians demanding that Crawley do everything in his power to keep Wolfe here until they can relocate him to a special facility away from the public eye.

A plan is in place to move Wolfe in the coming weeks and make it look like he committed suicide while here.

I can’t let them do this to him.

Pulling out my phone, I take pictures of the papers as quickly as possible before replacing the file back inside the cabinet.

Then I look around the room, making sure everything is in its place.

I open the office door and don’t see anyone waiting in the hallway, then slip out as quickly as I can.

I need to talk to Wolfe soon. If anything, to show him I’m on his side, whether I should be or not.

My office phone rings loudly, making me jump.

I’m so uptight after learning what I found that I’ve been literally on the edge of my seat all day. I’ve been waiting to be called into a meeting with Crawley, or for June or someone to ask what I was doing in his office, but nothing came of my special visit.

Picking up the phone, I see it’s my assistant, Jessica.

“Hi,” I answer.

“Hi there. Just checking in before I go. I just saw a private appointment at seven tonight on your calendar. Do you need me to stay for it?”

“No, it’s okay. You can go ahead and leave.”

“Is everything alright?” she asks hesitantly.

“Yes. It’s an emergency therapy appointment.”

“Oh. In your office?”

She knows I rarely take appointments in my office and prefer using one of the therapy rooms that I have access to.

I don’t usually like my patients to see inside my office. It shows who I am, and that’s not something I want to share. It’ll alter their perception of me, for better or worse.

“Yes.”

“Wow. Okay, well, I hope the patient gets the care that they need.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m going to head out then. Officer Walls is on shift for our wing if you need anything.”

“Take care.”

Walls. My favorite corrections officer here. He knows that I have taken appointments in my office before too. At least it’s not going to be one of the newer officers who have been questioning everything lately.

It’s a little after six in the evening. The sky has started to darken, and most of the prison staff have left except for the night shift.

Staring at my computer screen clock, I wait for it to turn seven.

At seven, I’ll be seeing Wolfe, and no matter how hard I try to convince myself that’s normal, it’s not.

Aside from the reason I asked for Wolfe to be brought to my office for an appointment outside the schedule we have in place, I know that when he arrives, Wolfe is going to take everything in.

Wolfe will be getting a better look at who I am. He’ll see it all.

The lack of family pictures, my cactus, and even how orderly my desk is will give him a better glimpse into who I am. He’s going to soak it in and then try to analyze me.

Roper State is my world, the one that I clung to after years of schooling and trying to find my place.

Someone is finally able to get under my skin, and strangely, I’m open to the idea. Maybe if he sees this, then he’ll walk away.

It’s getting darker as seven o’clock inches closer. I hear footsteps and murmurs coming from outside my office door.

It’s almost time for his appointment.

Getting out of my chair like it’s on fire, I open the door and come face-to-face with the man who has taken over my every thought—Wolfe.

Officer Walls follows behind him.

“Mr. Walker. Please come in,” I say as I open the door wider.

He gives me a curt nod, as if everything is only professional between the two of us.

“Dr. Fletcher, I’ll be right down the hall,” Walls starts.

He then looks over to Wolfe and back to me.

“Unless you’d rather I stay closer.”

“Thank you, Officer Walls. I have every confidence that Mr. Walker and I will be fine together.”

He gives me an uneasy look before nodding in agreement and shutting the door.

My heart starts beating erratically, knowing that Wolfe is standing right behind me. I can practically feel the heat exuding off him and onto me. We’re dangerously close to one another for the first time since we’ve met.

I don’t have a camera inside my office, something that I know Officer Walls is using his discretion on as well.

Slowly, I turn around to face the man who is surely going to be my undoing. As I do, Wolfe doesn’t back away, which in turn gives me limited space.

Facing him, I finally stare up at the man I’ve completely fallen for.

Wolfe’s face softens, as I’m sure mine does as well. I can’t help but feel awe at the man before me, with his deep-green eyes, the slight stubble on his face, and his hair pulled back into a small bun.

“Wolfe,” I whisper.

“Hi, angel.”

I suck in a deep breath at the nickname, one I’ve come to revel in and revere.

“Do you have cameras in this room?”

“No.”

“That’s good, baby. That’s real good.”

Wolfe keeps staring at me, almost as if he can see into my very being. I’m not sure how a man I barely know is able to make me feel like he’s the one I’ve been searching for all my life.

He slowly starts to reach for my face, and I close my eyes in anticipation. His rough, calloused hand starts to caress my cheek, as if I really am his porcelain doll he’s afraid to break.

“Are you afraid?” he rasps.

I inhale as my eyes snap open.

I’m staring at Wolfe as the man he has the potential to be, and not who he is in this exact moment.

“No. No, I’m not.”

Wolfe rocks his head slightly as he continues to stroke my cheek.

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”

“Then take me as yours.”