Page 11 of Locked Down

“Right. Well, I will make sure you get home safely this evening if you’re comfortable driving with me. If not, I will find you a cab.”She better be comfortable around him because he wasn’t getting her a cab. He would make sure she made it unscathed to her apartment.

She bit her lip.“I’m fine to go with you… If you’re fine with driving me.”

He nodded, turning towards his Porsche. He walked to the passenger door and opened it for Vic. He normally used an SUV for work but one of his guys had had a breakdown, so he lent the associate his vehicle. He hadn’t anticipated taking Vic home.

She slid into the car and, after checking she was clear, he closed the door. He reminded himself that she was off limits, and he was working but her hazel eyes were so expressive. She brought out his protective instincts in spades. He counted to ten silently as he got behind the wheel of the car.

The drive didn’t take more than twenty minutes and they chatted about random things, but he was physically aware of her the whole way. Her scent was something light and floral but not too sweet. It wrapped around him, and several times he had to remind himself to focus on what she was saying. He kept his eyes firmly on the road, but he hadn’t missed the amount of leg showing beneath her skirt, nor had he missed her biting her lip. He would like to do the same.Damn Archer. This job was going to suck so much more than anticipated.

He stopped at the curb outside of her apartment building.“In the future, I will have something in place to take you home whenever you wish to go. I will make sure it’s someone you’re comfortable with.”

He’d been thinking about moving one of his female tech geniuses into the field. Maybe It was time to make the shift. The woman he was thinking of was more than ready for field work and he would sure as hell be more comfortable with a woman taking Vic home. The thought of her in some other man’s car needled him like an ice pick. He let out a breath. He’d have to see how Davis treated women first. He did not want to put one of his people in a bad situation. Not that his female staff couldn’t handle themselves. No, He’d watched their physical training sessions, and he was more afraid they’d maim or kill Davis. That wouldn’t be good for them, although Archer sure wouldn’t mind.

She met his gaze.“That would be nice.”

“Have a good evening.”He was being a bit blunt because if she didn’t get out of the car soon he might change his mind and ditch the assignment so he could spend time with her. Time in bed, to be exact.

“Thanks, Ryker,”she said and climbed out of the Porsche. He waited until she went into her building before pulling away from the curb.

His phone buzzed.“Sterling,”he answered the call as it came through the car’s speakers.

“How was your first day?”Archer Gray asked.

“Davis is a complete dog and his people are a nightmare.”

“That’s not unexpected. Did you find anything?”Archer demanded.

Ryker snarled,“I’m good, but I’m not a fu…damn miracle worker.”Archer snorted at his reply. The other guys would have dropped the eff bomb, but Ryker’s mom and grandma had drilled into him to use his words, only the nice ones which he did…most of the time.“I’ve just started. I’ll see what I can dig up in the next couple of days, but it might take some time. Davis is tight-lipped and his people hate me. My first impression is that Davis is a tyrant and nothing happens that he’s not aware of. He’s in this up to his eyeballs, whateverthisturns out to be. Nothing happens in his sphere that he doesn’t know about and agree to. And his accent is fake. So is the good ol’ boy routine. He’s a D.C. shark, no doubt. That Texas twang is just a show.”

“Only confirms what I believe. Nothing about that man would surprise me. On another note, someone attacked Remy today.”

Ryker’s stomach dropped.“What the… Is she okay?”

“Yes. Hawk saw it coming. A hit-and-run attempt in New York City. They’re trying to track down the driver now.”

“That’s going to be difficult in New York.”Ryker did not envy them that job.

“Not so hard. They’re using their connections at Callahan Security to help them.”

“Ah, that makes it easier.”Ryker knew of that Callahan group. Everyone in the security world did, But he didn’t personally know anyone there. The way Archer said the name made him think there was some kind of history there but now wasn’t the time to ask.

“Is there anything you need from me?”Archer inquired.

Ryker pulled into his garage.“I’ll take anything you know about Floyd Armstrong, Davis’s personal assistant. I will, no doubt, have to go a couple of rounds with him at some point. Any information you have on him would be helpful. Also, do you know what the scoop is on Davis’s niece? There’s something weird about that relationship.”

“Weird how? Not like?—”

“No. Not romantic.”The word was incestuous.“Not sure. Just a bizarre undercurrent. I’ll start digging and see what I can unearth, but it might take a bit. Davis isn’t exactly a trusting person. He knows he has enemies.”

“Yeah. And he’s made every single one on purpose.”Archer hung up.

Ryker climbed out of his Porsche and made his way through the garage into the townhouse. It was odd to spend time in his own place. He usually lived in a Society-owned apartment or at a Society location. It was nice to be home for a change.

He’d worked damn hard to get where he was and his association with Archer Gray and the Lock and Key Society was a big part of that. He entered his kitchen and the smell of lasagna hit him. He'd alerted Maribel, his housekeeper, that he'd be home tonight and she'd left a tray in the warming drawer for him. He washed his hands and got a plate out of the glass-fronted cupboard.

He took the lasagna out and set it on the stove. Then he cut himself a piece and sat at his kitchen island to eat. He had a long night ahead. He wanted to look at past video footage of Davis’s house and office. Also, he wanted to read the reports on the shooting incident involving Davis and the attempted hit-and-run. Should be interesting reading.

He finished his dinner and climbed the stairs to the second floor, where he’d located his home office. The ergonomic chair he’d splurged on hugged his butt when sat down. That level of comfort was mandatory when he spent so much time behind his desk. He booted up his laptop and logged into Davis’s home security system. He chose videos at random and watched a few. He was trying to get a sense of what happened in the house during the day and at night.

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