Page 139 of Keller

I take the chair across from Vin. The leather creaks under my weight.

"Initial document requests were served and complied with within the window." Vin flips to a tabbed section. "Stone Intermodal's legal team handled it cleanly. No objections werefiled, and full cooperation is on record. They're moving forward, anyway."

"So we're past the preliminary stage."

"We're past courtesy." Ridge pulls out a chair but doesn't sit. He braces his hands on the back of it instead. "This is containment now."

Vin slides a single sheet toward me. A name sits at the top in bold type.

Agent Quinn Mercer—Forensic Analysis Unit.

My chest tightens. I don't touch the paper, crossing my arms and looking back up to them.

"We made an informal request through channels." Vin's tone stays even. "We asked her nicely to reconsider the October referral and withdraw it administratively before the formal phase locked in."

"And?"

"She refused." Vin closes the folder. "Then stopped responding entirely. No acknowledgment of our latest messages, no negotiation. Complete silence."

Ridge shifts his weight. The chair scrapes against the floor.

"Subpoenas are drafted. The inquiry proceeds as scheduled." Vin leans back. "We cannot stop it directly. Any overt interference draws more attention than the inquiry itself."

"So what's the play?"

Vin exchanges a glance with Ridge before answering.

"We undermine the origin." He folds his hands on the table. "If Agent Mercer's objectivity is compromised, her referral weakens. If she appears administratively problematic, the entire inquiry becomes suspect."

My chest tightens, but I don't say anything. I keep listening.

"Ethical irregularities." Vin ticks off the points. "Inappropriate personal contact with subjects connected to the investigation. Conflicts of interest are tied to her family and their foundation. Southern Stars has received donations from parties with Stone connections. The overlap is documentable."

I stare at the paper. Quinn's name stares back.

"We wouldn't go public." Ridge's voice cuts through. "No tabloids or media circus. We inflict institutional pressure, and escalate until this goes away."

Vin finishes the thought. "We make her choose between her career and her position on this case."

The air in the room feels thinner. The controlled corporate atmosphere presses in from all sides.

This is what we do. This is how we protect ourselves.

I've watched Ridge navigate a hundred situations exactly like this. He's strategic and clinical, just like our father was. But that's not how I operate.

But this isn't a shipping contract or a hostile acquisition. This is Quinn.

"Keller." Ridge watches me, waiting.

I push back from the table.

"No."

The word hangs in the air between us. Ridge doesn't move, he doesn't blink. Instead, he watches me with that flat assessment he's perfected over years of holding the line.

"No?" Vin's voice carries a note of surprise. "Keller, I don't think you understand the scope of what we're facing here."

"I understand fine." I stay in my seat. My hands rest flat on the table. Steady. "I met her. Spent time with her. That's on record if anyone cares to look."