Page 4 of Locked Down

Leaning back in his chair, Archer let out a sigh as he gave Ryker an assessing gaze. Finally, he commented,“The Vice President has some…health issues. He’s seeking treatment. Very few people know this and yet Davis is aware.”

Ryker’s gaze bounced off the bookcase behind Archer, as he let that information sink in.“But Davis could’ve found out in all kinds of ways. The VP isn’t even a member of the Society.”

“No, he’s not, but his doctor is. Dr. Halliday came to me and told me that he’d had a conversation with one of the President’s top advisors whoisa member in one of our locations in D.C. He’d said during that conversation that the VP was stubborn as an old goat. Davis came up to him two days later in a restaurant and asked him how the VP was doing. Actually used the same phrasing, that the man could be stubborn as an old goat.”

Ryker stared at his boss.“That’s it? That’s your proof that Davis knows something?”

“The doctor is convinced. He says he’s never used that phrase before.”

“It’s a common saying. I think you’re going to need more than that.”A hell of a lot more than that to Ryker’s way of thinking.

“Davis also knows the doctor cheated on his wife with another member. The only place they’ve met is on Society property in Virginia. He intimated that the doctor needed to keep him apprised of what was happening with the VP or the doctor’s wife could find out about his extra-marital activities.”

Ryker still wasn’t convinced.“He could have seen Halliday with this woman or someone else could’ve seen it.”

Archer shook his head.“It was a one-night thing that happened during the winter where they both ended up at the location to ride out a snowstorm. They were the only ones there.”

That put a different spin on things.“Do you think it was one of our people? Who on staff was there?”

Archer shook his head.“I’ve known the two staff members who were present for years. I’ve checked them out upside down and backward. Neither of them said anything.”

Ryker’s shoulders tightened. Information like this getting outside of the Society was dangerous not just to the people involved, but to all members and employees.“Any other ideas on how it got out?”

“No.”Archer grimaced.“And it’s not the only secret to get out. Someone else came to me and told me that Davis approached them about their support for a bill he wanted to make sure passed in the House. Again, he threatened them with his knowledge. Apparently, drug use was the issue this time and the member swears he’s only ever used drugs while at a Society location.”

“Damn,”Ryker breathed.“Davis is blackmailing members to get what he wants. That’s some scary shit. But, if you know this, can’t we just take him out? He’s breaking the rules.”

Archer’s mouth flattened into a thin line.“I would love to wipe Austin Davis from the face of the earth but he’s very smart. He’s subtle with what he’s doing, never coming out directly and saying anything. Just implying a little here and there and poking the guilty consciences of those involved. They make the logical leaps on their own. He never has to come out and expressly say a damn thing. Davis is on the board. Before taking any action against him, I must have ironclad proof. That’s why I need you on the inside. You need to get me that proof.”

Ryker’s stomach knotted. Davis was a slippery son of a bitch. This was going to take some doing.“Do I have to protect Davis? If someone decides to take a shot at him, isn’t it better if we just let that happen? If you want plausible deniability, I can make it look like I was protecting him and whoever it is just got lucky.”

Archer cocked an eyebrow.“As much as I would like to say yes to that, I need to know what Davis is up to first. I need to know all the players involved. This could be bigger than just him and his death may not stop whatever is happening. In fact, it could accelerate things. For the moment, I need you to do your job. Once I know what is really going on, we can discuss other… scenarios.”

Ryker acquiesced.“Fine. How exactly is this going to work? Davis knows who I am and what I do. Why would he let me run his security team? He’s bound to know that I will report anything I see back to you, and I probably don’t need to remind you that he hates you.”

Archer snorted.“Not as much as I hate him. Use Sterling Security. We’ve used it before as a front to protect non-members in the past. Davis likely doesn’t know it exists.”He paused, and Ryker crossed his fingers that Davis didn’t actually know about it. Archer continued,“He won’t be able to resist finding out more about it. He’ll think he can catch me breaking the rules.”Archer leaned back in his chair.“This is the only option I have, so I need you to give it your best. His niece is supposed to take care of the details. Check with her. I’ve sent her information to your secure inbox. If she can’t sort it out, then it won’t work. But if she manages to get Austin to agree, then see where it goes. Austin is a wily bastard. Watch your back.”

“Always,”Ryker commented as he stood.“I’ll make it work as best I can but if you have another way to find out what’s going on, I would suggest you use it. This is going to be a wild goose chase. Davis isn’t stupid enough to trust me. He might take me on, but he’ll keep me at arm’s length, and in the damn dark.”

“Maybe,”Archer conceded.“But I’m confident you’ll win his trust. With any luck, you will pick up on something he doesn’t want you to know. Pay attention. Stay focused.”

“Always,”Ryker muttered again and then turned toward the door.

“And Ryker, if you get into trouble don’t hesitate to call for backup. I will make sure Rush and Cash are available at a moment’s notice.”

Ryker nodded. The knot in his stomach eased just enough to not be suffocating. Knowing those two were on call for him made the situation a little less tense. He’d like to snap Davis’s neck but not nearly as much as Rush would. This whole thing reeked of disaster, but it wasn’t up to Ryker to question Archer. If this was what Archer wanted, so be it. But he didn’t care what his boss said, if there was an opportunity to let Davis be killed, then he was going to take it. The man was a cockroach and Ryker wanted nothing more than to crush him into the ground and feed his carcass to an alligator.

FOUR

Vic was running so late. She’d slept through the six a.m. alarm she’d set. Hauling her ass out of bed, she raced into the bathroom, snagging a towel out of the linen closet on her way past. She hopped in the shower and managed to wash her hair and be out again in seven minutes. It had to be a new record.

Uncle Austin had a thing about lateness. He hated being late and hated when people around him were late. Considered tardiness the epitome of disrespect. Except those times when he wanted to send a message. Tell the person waiting for him that he was the boss, and their time wasn’t all that important. It was all a game to him. One Vic found tiring. The politics of everything bugged her. Politics in general wasn’t her thing but she worked for her uncle, and he was a Senator, so she didn’t have much of a choice.

She wrapped a towel around her long auburn hair and as she reached for her toothbrush, her doorbell rang.What the hell?It was six-twenty-five. Who would be at her door at this hour?Oh god. Had she forgotten something? Was she supposed to be at a breakfast meeting with her Uncle? Her stomach dropped to her knees.Shit. Shit. Shit. It was probably Carl, her uncle’s driver, at the door. Her uncle was going to be pissed she wasn’t ready. What else was new? It seemed a constant state of things in her life. Three more weeks,she reminded herself as she tried to stave off the inevitable angst building in her stomach.

Wrapping another towel around her body, she made her way to the door. She undid the locks and pulled it open.“Carl, I’m just…”her voice petered out. A stranger stood there. He was very tall and well-built with dark hair and ice-blue eyes.

“Ms. Carlyle?”he asked. His deep voice sent a burst of butterflies through her belly.

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