Page 1 of Locked Down

PROLOGUE

He grabbed the solder and the soldering iron and melted a small drop on the back of the clock mechanism. He replaced his tools and placed the piece of red wire in the drop of molten metal, holding it there a little longer than strictly necessary. He needed to make sure this didn’t go sideways.

Straightening on the stool, he arched his back.Getting old ain’t for sissies. Too many hours spent hunched over a table was taking a toll. At least he had the right equipment. The magnifier was a godsend. His vision had deteriorated in the last few years.Ah well, such is life.This was his last job. Then, retirement. He knew exactly where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do. He smiled as he imagined his future life.

Refocusing on the table in front of him, he frowned. This was an idiotic way to build a bomb. Beyond stupid…it was outright dangerous. Who the hell had come up with this design? No one with any kind of real knowledge, he could be sure. He gritted his teeth. This was not the way he liked to do business. No wonder they’d been willing to pay so much. He was no longer sure the money was worth it.

Glancing over at the plans again, he ran his finger over the paper and made sure he’d followed every step. It wasn’t an exact replica because if he’d made it exactly as the plans had specified, he’d have blown himself up. The stupid shit who’d built the last bomb like this had just been super fuckin’ lucky he hadn’t been blown to smithereens.

Instead, he followed the plan as closely as he could without killing himself. The FBI should believe it was made by the same whack job who had blown up the building in Portland. Eco-terrorist or Doomsday Prepper or whatever the hell he was.

He looked at the bomb through the magnifier one more time. Using the clock as a timer was just fuckin’ ridiculous but it wasn’t his call. Frankly, it didn’t matter. His job was to build it and then hand it off and that was it. He took one last look and then closed the cover. All done. The last thing he had to do was deliver the finished product, and he’d officially retire. He let out a long breath. Worry had tied a knot in the pit of his stomach. Something was off about this whole job. He could feel it. And that surety had somehow moved the retirement threshold a long way off.

ONE

Ryker Sterling leaned against the bookcase and kept his mouth shut. This was Archer’s show. He wasn’t sure what he was doing here yet and he wasn’t going to ask questions with other people in the room. He didn’t understand what exactly was going on but that was standard operating procedure when it came to being a Security Division employee with the Lock and Key Society.

Archer Gray only ever told people what they needed to know, not a word more. Or that used to be the way it was. In the last few months, something had changed. A paralytic tension filled the air, a unique awareness Ryker had never experienced before. And it wasn’t just him. It was all his teammates. No one would ever say that Archer was relaxed, but his normal status quo attitude was less intense, more measured. Now he was off the intensity scale and trying to hide it. He’d actually asked—something in and of itself shocking, Archer neverasked—Ryker and the rest of the team to keep their ear to the ground for any unusual gossip. Maybe today would be the day that Archer would provide some more details as to what the hell was going on.

“Ryker Sterling, I believe you’ve met Remington Tanger and Thane Hawkins before. Remy is the granddaughter of Remington Sr., whom you knew. Hawk is her husband.”

Ryker nodded to the two people sitting on the chairs in front of Archer’s desk. He’d met them in passing but knew little about them. Rush and Cat socialized with them but since Ryker wasn’t part of a couple, they didn’t move in the same circles.

They were all in Archer’s office in the Hamptons location of the Lock and Key Society. The estate overlooked the ocean, and sunshine reflected off the water, making it appear to be a beautiful warm day but like most things in life, looks could be deceiving. The wind had enough of a bite to warn a storm was coming.Probably in more ways than one, considering Archer’s expression.

“Remington, Hawk, thanks for meeting me here. I wanted a chance to speak with you in private.”

Remy’s brows drew together.“Are you saying the Lock and Key locations in New York aren’t private?”

Archer grimaced.“That’s part of what I want to discuss. They should be highly secure but lately, there have been some leaks. Things said in private spaces that are suddenly known in the outside world.”Archer’s jaw pulsed and his green eyes glittered.

Ryker didn’t let the surprise show on his face but if what Archer said was true, then the issue was much bigger and further along than he’d anticipated. No wonder the undertone had changed. He knew the look in Archer’s eye meant if he found the person responsible, Archer would take great pleasure in relocating them six feet under.

Archer leaned back in his chair and caught Ryker’s gaze.“Hawk is a former Navy SEAL and he’s also one of the best lawyers in New York.”He turned to Hawk.“Ryker is a former Army Ranger along with being one of the best of my security team. I need you both now.”

He folded his hands on his desk.“Someone has breached the security of the Lock and Key. I can’t have that. It jeopardizes everything the society has accomplished. Everything it stands for. I don’t know how it happened, but I am investigating and I’m not sure why but I’m quite certain of who.”

“Who?” Remy asked.

“Austin Davis.”

Remy actually snarled. Ryker shifted his nonchalant pose against the bookcase, every instinct on alert. She certainly looked pissed off.

When she spoke, her voice was icy.“He wanted my spot on the board. He had my grandfather killed for it. Paid one of your men to do the deed. The bald guy with the scar?”

Archer paused.“Arthur is no longer part of the Society. He’s been repurposed as compost. We believe in giving back.”A ghost of a smile played at the corner of Archer’s lips.

“You killed him?”Remy paled in the sunlight.

“He broke the rules. People who break the rules do not live long lives.”Archer didn’t pull any punches which was one of the reasons Ryker liked him so much. They were peas in a pod, so to speak. Stone-cold killers who spoke the truth.

Ryker also wasn’t surprised about Davis. Archer had confided in the team a few weeks ago that Davis was making trouble for the Society, but leaking information was a new low. Davis was risking his life. What was worth that kind of risk to a man like the Senator from Texas?

Archer sipped his coffee, then lowered the mug. “Your grandfather was the moral backbone of the society. His vote on issues outweighed everyone else as he was the closest one to being a founding member as the son of one of the founders. He kept things as he thought they should be. As the oldest member, he was also the living history of the society. He could speak about what the Society’s original partners had in mind according to his father and everyone else had to listen.

“Unfortunately, Austin Davis has other ideas. He went up against your grandfather on quite a few issues and lost. I believe he had your grandfather murdered so he could begin swinging votes his way.”

Remy’s bottom lip quivered, causing Hawk to reach out and take her hand. Ryker admired the connection the two had. It was obvious they loved one another but love had never been anything but a liability in his world.

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