Page 66 of Locked Down

She glanced at her watch again. Freedom was five short hours away because at the stroke of midnight, just like Cinderella, she was planning on running out of the ball and catching the first flight out of this swamp and away from her uncle. She clocked her suitcases in the corner, once again, enormously pleased with her forethought to rent a furnished apartment. She’d packed her clothes and the very few knickknacks she’d wanted to keep earlier.

Her phone buzzed. Glancing at the screen she saw her ride was waiting on the street. Time to go. She grabbed her silver wrap and her matching clutch and headed out the door. Five hours. She could survive five more hours and she was free.

TWENTY-EIGHT

“You good to go?”Archer asked.

Ryker gave him a quick nod.“All set.”

Archer stood looking out the window of the hotel room. They were in a suite at the Jasmine Door.“I still can’t make the pieces fit.”

“Neither can I,”Ryker agreed, every one of his senses tingling nervously.“With the VP pulling the plug on his own, why would Davis need a bomb?”

Archer gave a small shrug.“Don’t know. We’ve been through this. None of it makes sense.”

“Maybe Davis didn’t think the VP would pull out on his own so they were prepared? Armstrong has been in stealth mode for the last couple of weeks. He’s always got his cell glued to his ear, talking in a low voice, like he’s terrified he’ll be overheard. Then today, after the announcement by the VP, he’s Mr. Relaxed.”It was the answer that made the most sense but somehow it just didn’t gel for Ryker.

“No,”Archer shook his head.“He had a plan to use that bomb and I still think he’s going to use it. Otherwise, why keep it?”

Ryker ran a hand through his hair.“I know. I…it’s just damn insane. Do you really think he would try to fake blow himself up? Explode the bomb somewhere so it just misses him to make it seem like he was in danger?”

“With Davis, anything is possible but…”Archer shook his head.“I can’t make that work for me either. We’re missing a key piece of the puzzle and until we have it, we’re in the dark.”

Ryker glanced at his watch. Tony was picking Vic up right about now. He gave himself a mental shake. Thinking about Vic wasn’t going to help the situation. She was a distraction he couldn’t afford. She’d been crushingly clear. They were just sex. He had to take partial blame, he’d made sure she hated him so he couldn’t have her anyway. He had to let go of his fascination with her. It didn’t matter how much he wanted her, or the reasons why, she was unattainable. Which was why this scenario, them never together, was such a flipping nightmare. Because Vic was…everything. Her smile, her laugh, the curve of her hip, and the hollow of her throat, were all he could think about. And the fact that when she was with him, he relaxed, really relaxed as if he’d suddenly found his home, the one he’d been searching for since he’d been a kid. Who knew home could be a person and not a place?

He closed his eyes and cursed silently. He had to focus if he was going to be on his game tonight. Vic would be out of here in a day or two. She’d told him she was leaving almost immediately after her birthday. That was good news as far as he was concerned. It meant she’d be out of harm’s way. That was the only good thing about her leaving. It made him feel slightly better to know she would be outside of her uncle’s reach. Or at least, he’d be so pissed at her for leaving, he wouldn’t reach out to her. Small mercies.

A knock sounded at the door. Ryker went over and looked through the security hole. He immediately opened the door to admit the tall man in the tuxedo. He was Ryker’s height and had a similar build, but he had a few more years on him and he carried himself with a confidence born of fighting for a seat at the table and winning it.

“Jameson,”Archer said as he came forward and extended his hand.

“Archer,”Jameson Drake responded.“How is everything going? Do you need anything?”

Archer glanced at Ryker who shook his head.“We have everything under control at the moment.”

Drake glanced over at Ryker and nodded.“Let me know if there’s anything I can do. No word on the bomb yet?”

Archer shook his head. Ryker was still somewhat surprised that Archer had taken Drake into his confidence about the bomb, but in a way, it made sense. Jameson Drake was a powerful man with contacts that Archer might not be able to tap. Drake was also smart and savvy. There was always the chance that he would know something that they’d missed. Either way, it was always good to have powerful allies, Ryker guessed.

“I’ve spoken with Hawk. He and my security triple-checked everything and even had bomb-sniffing dogs in the hotel earlier today. Nothing popped.”

“That’s good, I guess,”Ryker said.“I just can’t help feeling we’re missing something.”

“Agreed,”Drake commented. He looked out the window at the growing line of limos down on the street.

“You’ll be there?”Ryker asked.

Drake nodded.“So will Hawk. He’s brought a few friends as well. I trust that’s okay with you, Archer?”

The other man shrugged.“You mean the Callahan brothers?”

Drake nodded.

“Can’t hurt.”

“Could help,”Drake amended.“I’ve got a few things to do still but I will be down at the party in a bit. Call me if there’s anything I can do or if you find out anything of significance.”Drake strode towards the door. Then he stopped and turned back.“Oh, by the way, you’d asked me to look into Buffalo Ridge. It’s a solar farm in Texas. It’s one of the leading solar farms in the US. Worth several hundred million dollars.”

All the air left Ryker’s lungs in a whoosh and he actually stumbled while standing still. His vocal cords seized up as he tried to speak but no sound came out. He cleared his throat and tried again.“Who owns it?”He prayed he was wrong. Prayed with all his might.Please, God, let me be wrong.

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