Page 40 of Locked Down

It sounded like Davis snorted."Obvious about it? Someone tried to kill me. Why would I go out and make it easier for them?"

The other man scoffed."Isent Langille. The whole point was to give you something to use to raise your profilethat wouldmake you look good, and now you're not taking advantage."

Ryker was fighting to stay focused when what the man said suddenly sunk in. The Tin Man, that's how he thought of the guy on the phone, had sent Langille to kill Davis?

"You sent someone to kill me?"Davis wasincredulous.

"He wasn't going to kill you. Just scare you and make it look like your life is in danger. We planned a whole campaign around this, and now you're home instead of in the public eye."

Ryker's gut tightened. The attempts on his life were part of a re-election plan for Davis. Make him seem important enough to kill so he must be a big player in D.C. with a lot of power Of all the cocked-up plans he'd heard, this had to take the cake. First, Davis tried to do it using Vic, and now Tin Man isdoing itusing Davis.

"By the way, what happened to Langille? No one has heard from him."

"He's dead. Sterling killed him. I have no idea what he did with the body or who took it away. Ryker plays things very close to the vest."Davis's voice went up an octave."Why the hell didn't you warn me? I almost had a heart attack."

"Itwas decided itwas better if you didn't know the details. Floyd knewandwe trusted his judgment when he said not to tell you."

Frigging Armstrong. Ryker had known the guy was a weasel.

"That little son of a bitch,"Davis growled."You said you had something plannedIhad no idea it was something like this."Davis'svoice was full snarl nowandnot even the slightest good old boy twangevident.

"It was better as a surprise. Your reactions would be unscripted. We don't want to give away the secret. If you werenonchalantabout someone trying to kill you, it would be obvious that you had a hand in it yourself."

"But,"Davis clarified,"I didn't have a hand in it."

"Don't bother splitting hairs with me. You knew what you were getting into when we started this. You're in it up to your eyeballs…just like the rest of us. Nowyouneed to get out there and create a buzz. I want to see you on the news talking about it. Remember, you think it's people who disagree with your strong conservative views. They want to keep you quiet so you cannot tell the truth."

Davis cursed."Didn't you say not to go on TV?"

"That was when your driverwas killedandyour niece almost went with him. If you'd gone on TV then, it would have looked like you were trading on their misfortune. Now it's your misfortuneandyou get to own it.Thisis when you want to go on TV. Nowyou'reallowed to be angry and righteous. Tell them?—"

"Don't tell me what to say. I invented that schtick. I know exactly how to sell it.I'llattend some events, but next timeIwantadvancedwarning if you're sending someone to kill me or scare me or do whatever.I want to be in on all the plans, not just the ones you think I should know about. We're partners in this. I want to know it all."

There was a soft chuckle."Trust me, Davis, youmostcertainly do not want to know everything. You would never sleep again."

Those words made all the hair on the back of Ryker's neck stand up. What the hell was Davis involved inandwho was calling the shots?

"But,"the voice continued,"I will consult with the othersandthenwe'llchat again.I expect to see you on thefront page of the papertomorrow morning.We can't boost your reputation if people can't find you."

The conversation ended, or Ryker assumed it did because there were no more voices. He sat theresomewhatstunned. Rage coursed through him. Davis had put Vic at risk on purpose. It hadn't occurred to him that Davis would fake someone trying to kill him and use hisownflesh and blood as an'alternate'target.

At least the Tin Man had gotten some back. Davis had been scared shitless when Langille had broken in. But it wasn't enough. He wanted Davis to pay for putting Vic in danger. There would be a time when he would be able to kill Davis. There had to be, whether Archer allowed it or not.

Ryker let out a long breath. The ironywas not loston him.He'd made a couple of fake attempts on Davis's life and then when he was hired, Davis took over faking the attempts. Orrather the person or persons behind Davis.The problem was he still didn't know why.

Ryker rose from the couch and went to the foyer. He met Davis as the man came down the stairs.

"Ryker,"he said as he reached the bottom step,"I've decided to attend a cocktail party this evening."He held up his hands."Don't bother arguing with me. There are some people there I need to see. I'll be leaving here around six p.m. Vic will be accompanying me. Floyd will send you the details. He is staying behind."With that, he went into his study and shut the door.

Ryker stared after him, hands jammed into his pockets so he didn't grab his gun and shoot the man right there. He couldn't stop Davis tonightbutmaybe he could figure out whatthe hellhe was up to if he went with him to the party and watched who he spoke with.There wasa big piece of the puzzle missing, and if he didn't figure it out soon, he had a sinking feeling that it would blow up in his face.

SEVENTEEN

Vic looked at her reflection in the mirror. The purple dress sparked the blond highlights in her hair and the green in her hazel eyes. She smoothed out the dress. It wasn’tnormallyone she would wear to a political cocktail party because it hugged her curves and stopped at mid-thigh. But her uncle had called and asked her to wear something that made her stand out. This dress had the distinct ability to fit the bill while making her look fabulous. The fact that Ryker was driving them was just a bonus. He’d see her in the dress and want her, and she would have theabsolutepleasure of ignoring him.

She let out a long breath and touched up her makeup. Wearing this dress would bring about her uncle’s ire, even though he asked her to make a splash with her attire. He would say it wasn’t appropriate, but she was just about done jumping through Austin Davis’s hoops. Time was winding down. She only had to survive the next few weeks, and shewas done. Maybe if her uncle hadn’t been so dismissive of what she’d been through, only to be so thoroughly shaken by the man in his bathroom, she wouldn’t feel this way, but she did. The underlying anger at him andatthe potentially lethal circumstances was still there. Lessened, somewhat, but still there. Vic knew she needed to deal with it in a far healthier manner than she was doing, but at the moment, this was what she could do.

Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. Her ride was here.They’d sent Tony to pick her up and she’d meet Austin at the party. Perfect.Thenitwould be too late to tell her to change. She grinned to herself as she slung a wrap around her shoulders. Who knew revenge could be this sweet?

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