Page 25 of Locked Out

“That’s good news.” Archer sounded as tired as Cash felt. He couldn’t remember a time when Archer wasn’t one hundred percent on, which was decidedly odd. “However, there’s some bad. The meeting has been moved up. Both parties will be arriving this evening in time for dinner.”

“Fuck,” Cash blurted.

“Does that mean you’re not ready?” Archer’s voice had an edge to it.

Cash wanted to tell him to find someone else to deal with all this shit. He wanted to get on a boat and then a plane and disappear. The worrying thing about that thought was that he wanted Riss next to him while he did it.

“No, we’re ready. Well, as ready as we can be. I wanted to run over some of the protocols again but essentially we’re good to go.”

“Essentially? Not a ringing inspiration for my confidence in you.”

Cash bit back a retort and waited a beat before speaking. “My hands have been full with Riss and the bible problem.” The ache in his side intensified with the aggravation this conversation was causing. He shifted position so he was now sitting by the island across from the coffee maker.

“You should be able to handle both,” Archer all but snarled.

“I am handling both but getting shot put a slight kink in my schedule today. I will be ready for their arrival. The meeting space has been prepped and is ready to go.”

“Good. Do not be distracted by Ms. Day. This meeting is very important.”

“Understood,” Cash said keeping his voice even.

“And find the damned bible.” And without so much as a goodbye, Archer was gone.

It shouldn’t surprise Cash, but the man’s abruptness never failed to piss him off a bit. Would it hurt the man to just one time tell him to have a great day? Or let’s get beers when you’re in town? Cash snorted.

Why not add save the planet to the list? He shoved his phone in his back pocket and grabbed the mug of coffee. The security office was located on the main floor in the back corner and only accessible from under the staircase. He set the mug down and slid behind the desk he was using and for the umpteenth time, started to review the security protocols in place for this meeting. If this meeting went south because of something he did or did not do, he wouldn’t make it to the airport. He’d be dead.

Three hours later, he leaned back in his chair. The coffee was icy and his side was killing him but the building was in good shape for the meeting. The two principals were set to arrive within the hour. It was after six and dinner would be at seven-thirty. He had no idea if Davenport and Li would eat in the dining room but doubted it. Chances were good they would eat in their rooms which was fine by him. Still, he glanced down at his jeans, it was time to change and maybe check on Riss.

He groaned as he rose from the chair after being stationary for so long and headed out to the main house. Riss was continuing to be a problem for him. He’d found his attention wandering to her several times that afternoon when he should’ve been concentrating on the meeting. He hit the top of the stairs and paused. He could go see her or continue to his own room which was up one more floor. He turned and continued up the stairs. He needed a clear head for tonight and seeing Riss wouldn’t help that any.

After a quick shower and dressing in gray dress pants and a charcoal shirt, Cash headed back downstairs. He took up a position in the small outdoor foyer and within ten minutes Chang Li had arrived. The man got off the boat with five other people, four of whom were security personnel judging by their oversized physiques and the multitude of weapons they carried, concealed and otherwise. This was not the security team Chang traveled with when he was going to be caught on film anywhere. The tattoos on their thick necks told the story. These were Triad enforcers. No one Cash wanted to tangle with unless strictly necessary.

“Mr. Li,” he said and gave a nod.

Li, who was only slightly shorter than Cash, offered his hand. Cash shook it and was not surprised to discover it was soft with manicured nails. Li had to be in his late fifties judging by the hair graying at his temples.

The polite smile on the man’s lips didn’t reach his dark eyes but that was to be expected. “Mr. Walker, I presume?”

Cash nodded. He didn’t bother with the pleasantries. He needed Li to be inside as quickly as possible. “As you know, your people cannot cross the threshold.”

The largest of the security men, dressed in a light silver suit and sunglasses stepped forward but Li held up his hand. “I…understand the rules…but in this circumstance, I would feel better if at least one of my men could accompany me.”

Cash shook his head. “I am sorry, sir, but his presence would violate the Society's rules and there are protocols in place. You were informed of this before this meeting and agreed to abide by this rule. There will be no changes.” He stood his ground and waited. If anyone went for a weapon, Dante would take him out from his spot in the building across the way. It would lead to a firefight, but Cash was pretty sure he could win. He held all the cards.

Li’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I see. Perhaps then a small exception could be made for my secretary, Mr. Huang.” He gestured to a slight figure standing just behind him. The man was thin and shorter, maybe five feet-eight inches, and appeared younger, closer to Cash’s age of mid-thirties. He also had no visible tattoos unlike the others but that didn’t mean much. Cash knew instinctively that out of the circle of men Li had brought with him, Huang was likely the deadliest of them.

“Again, you know the rules and have agreed to them. Your secretary cannot join you inside.”

Li stared at Cash, but it wouldn’t make a difference. The rules were the rules. The only time any non-member was allowed in a meeting room was when a head of state came and then only one personal assistant was allowed. In reality, Huang and the security guys weren’t even supposed to know about the existence of the Society. Telling a non-member is punishable by death according to the by-laws, but in cases like this, Cash was finding more and more, Archer turned a blind eye. There had to be some reason behind it because, generally speaking, the man was all in when it came to enforcing the rules.

Li pulled out a cell phone and hit a button. He spoke in what Cash assumed was Cantonese since Li was from Hong Kong. He seemed to get rather agitated, which in turn made his men edgy, supercharging the aggressive energy in the small space. It was a bad situation, but one that couldn’t be helped. Cash’s job included enforcing the rules and he had no qualms about doing it.

“What’s going on?” Dante’s voice sounded in Cash’s earbud.

He didn’t respond. No need to alert the present company to the fact that he was wearing an earbud or that he had a couple of shooters in place. If they thought about it for a second they would know. He was in charge of security so it shouldn’t come as a surprise but with the tension in the air, it didn’t seem like a good time to call attention to the fact.

Dante continued, “Okay, I get it you can’t talk but that boat that’s about to go by, it’s the second time. I’ve got my scope trained on the driver but if he comes in close to this side of the canal, I won’t have a shot.”

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