Page 13 of Locked Down

Ryker responded,No, but it’s not Remy and Hawk. This couple has a daughter who is older, doing an MFA at UC LA.The guys work for Damian Jacobs so they’re black ops guys with zero morals.He grinned. Sounded familiar.

That wasn’t exactly true. He and the rest of the monster wranglers lived by a moral code. It just wasn’t the same one that most people lived by.

We have a lot of members worldwide, but the daughter thing should narrow it down.

Ryker thought for a minute.I’m thinking maybe it has to do with a board member. Start there first. Davis is worried about you giving the token to the daughter.

Archer replied,Already started.Might need your help. I’ll get back in touch.

Why the hell did Davis want to take out some guy and his wife? Was it about the Lock and Key board, and if so, what did he gain by killing a board member? That was a dangerous move. If he was found out, he would be eliminated. Ryker could only hope that moment came to fruition and he would volunteer to do it, but it would be better if they could just stop this hit now. He didn’t want innocents to die. There were quite a few rules within the Lock and Key society that left a bit of wiggle room but the rules on killing a board member were clear. The punishment was death. Why would Davis risk that? Then again, why would he take any of the risks he’s apparently taking? The payout had to be massive. Something worth the risk. They needed to know what that was if they were going to stop Davis.

Ryker glanced at his watch. Time to go. He opened the door as quietly as possible and peeked out. The office was dark. He moved over to the credenza and continued his search. He was almost finished when he came across a green hanging file folder that had a yellow sticky note stuck to the outside of it. It wasn’t there on purpose. It looked as if it had just fallen out of another file and landed there.Buffalo Ridge. That’s all it said. It could mean anything, or nothing at all. But… In all of his searches, not one file or piece of paper had anything but normal company names or people’s names. Not one.Buffalo Ridge.He’d have to google it when he got home.

He quickly finished the rest of the credenza and then made the adjustments to the office that he thought were necessary. He allowed himself a small smile when he was finished. He’d get office maintenance to move the rest in the morning. Tomorrow was going to be fun. The shit…sorry Mom…was most definitely going to hit the fan.

SEVEN

“What do you mean not yet?”The man wiped the sweat from his brow.“I’m finished. You hired me to build the thing. Now it’s built. I want to get paid, and I won’t get paid until I deliver it. So, you have to take it. I followed your schedule.”

“Calm down, McGinnis. There’s a slight complication on my end. I can’t get to you for another couple of days.”

The man swore. He wanted to rage at this asshole, but he also wanted to get paid. He had retirement plans. It wasn’t like he could sell this piece of shit device to anyone else.“I don’t like surprises,”he growled.

“No one likes surprises but sometimes shit happens.”

“Fine. How much longer?”

“A couple of days. Maybe a week,”the buyer said.

“No. You have two days, or I get rid of it.”He might not have much leverage, but he wasn’t keeping this thing around indefinitely. He’d rather live to retire without the money than sit around and wait while this asshole did God knows what. The stupid device could go off randomly. Yeah, no. Nothing was worth that risk.“Forty-eight hours and then I’m gone.”

“Fine.”There was a click and the line went dead.

The man put down the phone on the workbench and stared at the device. The bad feeling he’d had before had just increased a thousandfold. His stomach had gone into full revolt and his bowels loosened. He got up and made his way to the bathroom. If this didn’t happen in forty-eight hours he was taking off. He was done here. There was nothing to stay for. Nothing good could come from this. Forty-eight hours until his retirement. Until McGinnis’s retirement. He’d revert to his real name for his retirement or maybe just a new alias. Forty-eight hours.Ifhe made it that long. The way this was going, he only gave himself fifty-fifty odds.

EIGHT

Vic glanced at the clock. She was on time today. Early in fact. That was a good thing. She did not want to piss off her uncle again. At some point, she was going to have to take a serious look at why making her uncle mad frightened her so much. She was an adult. If he fired her, she could get another job. She had skills and a degree. Hell, she was planning on leaving in three weeks anyway. She wanted to build a new life. But for now, she didn’t want to rock the boat.

Cowardly? Maybe. But it was only three more weeks. The mere thought of his anger directed at her spiked her blood pressure.

The coffee she’d already consumed burned like acid in her stomach. Today was Friday. Thank God for a weekend off. There were no meetings or social events she had to attend this weekend. A whole weekend to herself. Just the thought of it was bliss.

She checked her look in the full-length mirror on her closet door one more time. Black pencil skirt with a white wrap blouse. Hair neatly back in a bun. Just the look her uncle loved for the office. Nondescript. She pulled on her beige trench coat and grabbed her bag from the sofa, swinging it over her head and across her chest as she pulled open her front door.

“Oh!”she yelped and stepped back, putting her hand on her chest.“You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry,”Ryker said.“Didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to offer you a ride to work. You got in late last night and I know your uncle likes an early start.”

She didn’t quite know what to say. Or maybe the appearance of this seductive man at her door left her tongue-tied. He was looking fine in another lightweight suit. Navy this time, with a matching red silk tie. It brought out the color of his eyes, or maybe his eyes stood out no matter what he was wearing or not wearing. He was sexy as hell. Was he hitting on her or just being friendly? By rights, she should decline the offer of the ride. Stop anything no matter how innocent before it started, but the sound of the rain on the skylight behind her made her rethink turning him down.

“Sure. I’d love a ride. Thanks for the offer.”

Ryker stepped back and she ventured out into the hallway. She locked the door and they headed to the elevator. She lived on the fourth floor of a five-story building. By the time they got out of the elevator, she was second-guessing herself. Again. Maybe it was better if she didn’t go with Ryker. Her uncle wouldn’t like it.

They came to the door of her building, and she stumbled over the rug. Ryker reached out and caught her by the arm without breaking his stride.“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

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