Page 31 of Locked Down

Archer grunted,"Find something, Ryker. Before it's too late."With that, he hung up.

No pressure.Ryker put his head back and closed his eyes. His mind was spinning. He tried to clear it. He'd think about what Archer told him later. Nowhehad to focus.He'dsensed something was up, and it was making his brain stand at attention. He'd walked around the house twenty minutes agoandeverything was secure. A few guys hadbeen stationedoutside, and another onewas parkedin front of the monitors inside the security office in the basement. Everything was solid. So why was he worried? He let his body relax and let his mind drift.

The sound woke him, not that he wasreallyasleep. More just drifting, but theout of placesound nudged him to this side of consciousness. It was almost like a scratching. Mice in the walls? He opened his eyes and cocked his head. It was coming from the vent. Mice in the vents?

Then there was a softthud, like a cat landing on carpet. Ryker leaped to his feet and then ran through the house. He flew up the stairs and pulled his gun as he quietly opened the senator's bedroom door. He scanned the room, but nothing was moving. Davis was snoring loudly in his bed.

Ryker entered the room and stuck close to the wall as he moved toward the bathroom. He glanced into thebathroombut saw nothing. He crouched low and waited. A step shuffled on the tile.A pause, and then the steps resumed, soft, slow. Whoever was in the bath was moving towards the doorway. Ryker caught the figure's reflection in the bathroom mirror.Hardto tell if it was a man orwoman, thanks to their all-black attire and a ski mask.The gun in the perp's hand had a suppressor attached to the barrel.

Ryker stayed low and spun around the corner. The figure in black firedbutRyker fired faster. The gunman dropped like a stone to the floor, with a brand new hole in the middle of their forehead courtesy of Ryker.

"Ahhhhh!"came the scream from behind him.

Ryker whirled around, gun still up, but it was the senator sitting up in bed, yelling.

"It's fine. It's over."Ryker kept his voice calm as he thumbed the safety and holstered his gun.

"What the hell is going on?"Davis demanded, his good-ole-boy accent gone completely.

"Someone broke in. I stoppedthem. You're safe."

Davis sputtered,"The fuck I am. You just shot somebody in my bathroom. Are they dead?"

Ryker didn't dignify that with a response as the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs and down the hallway reached them. Tony ran into the room, followed by Lazlo and Vincent, all waving guns. Ryker held up his hands."It's fine. Everything is under control. Someone came in through the bathroom window. I've taken care of it."There was a time to be kind to staff, and this wasn't it. Now was the time for him to take charge."Tony, take Vince and search the grounds. Hit all the outside lights before you go. Lazlo, I need you to review the security footage. I want to know why we didn't see him earlier."

Lazlo glanced toward the bathroom, but Ryker shifted his body to block the view. Hewasn'tgoing toprovide any more details, at least not at this point. He needed to investigate first.

Lazlo exchanged a glance with Davis and then left the room. He'd been waiting for Davis's approval before he left.Nota good sign.Ryker had thought he'd won Lazlo's loyalty, but it appeared hewas mistaken.He'd have to deal with it later. Davis got out of bed and threw on a long blue striped robe as he shuffled towards the bathroom.

Ryker stopped him."Senator, you don't want to see this."

"Like hell. I want to know who it is, goddammit."

Ryker hesitated and then shrugged. He wanted to know who it was as well. Turning, he stepped into the bathroom and hit the light, then looked dispassionately at the man on the floor. In the light, it was easy to tell it was a man. The guy wasaverageheight with an average build. Ryker bent down and pulled the ski mask up over his face.

"Wait,"Davis said,"shouldn't we leave this to the police?"

Ryker ignored him and pulled out his phone. He hit Archer's number.Hesaid,"Someone tried to break into Senator Davis's house through his bathroom window. I need a clean-up,"before Archer could even utter hello.

"On the way. Send pictures and details when you have them."

Ryker broke the connection. He held his phone out and snapped a picture of the dead man. He wasaverage looking. People like this made the best kind of killers. Nobody ever looked twice at them. They could blend into the backgroundandno one would notice them, let alone be able to tell the police a damn thing about their physical appearance.

"Do you recognize him?"Davisasked,his accent back in place.

Still squatting, Ryker twisted to find Davis already dressed in slacks and a button-down with his hair slicked into place."No, but I should have an ID soon."

"When the police arrive, I will see them in my study,"Davis said as hestarted towardsthe door.

"There will be no police,"Ryker commented as he rose.

Davis frowned."What? Ofcoursethere will.Thisneeds to be dealt with appropriately."

"Thisis going tobe handled by the Society, not the police. If we call the police, theincidentwill be all over the news. You want more of the spotlight, but this is notthe wayto get it. We have no idea what this person was hired todo,or by whom. Do you want the police kicking around in your life? Because that's what's going to happen if you call them. They go through your entire life with a fine tooth comb to find a motive for someone to kill you. In your case, they will be flush with choices."

Davis's lip curled."You listen to me?—"

Ryker snorted."You go on every half-baked talk radio show and pedal conspiracy theories. You've made yourself a massive target for every nut job out there. Half of them love you, and the other half think you're an alien from outer space. The FBI will be involved. They'll follow up on every crackpot who's ever spoken to you or about you in person and online. That will certainly alienate your base. Then, the authorities will dig around in your life. They'll question your friends, your family, and your business acquaintances. No stone unturned.You're a United States Senatorafterall, theymust do their best work.When their searches don't turn upanything, they'll take a closer look at youpersonally. They'll dig around in all your private business. Nothing will be off-limits. Can you stand up to that kind of scrutiny?"

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