Page 67 of Locked Down

“It’s owned by a couple named Laredo and Doris Carlyle. Why?”Drake asked.

Every single piece suddenly dropped into place with a loud snap in his brain.

The pseudo attempts on Vic’s life.

The first conversation he’d overheard Davis having.

The papers in Davis’s closet.

Vic’s will.

He was having trouble drawing oxygen into his lungs. He could feel the weight of both men’s stares. He met Archer’s gaze.“At midnight tonight, Buffalo Ridge becomes Vic’s. She inherits it from her parents. And guess who inherits it if something happens to her?”He went on to explain about the paperwork he’d found, and that Davis already had a buyer lined up so he could cash out.

“Bloody hell,”Drake breathed.

Archer’s stance was violent and menacing, despite the fact he remained motionless.“Ah, hell,”he muttered.“This was Davis’s plan all along. He gets the solar farm and then he has the funding he needs to do whatever he wants when he’s VP. He will be beholden to no one once he has that money. The inner circle will have no way to control him. As Vice President with that kind of money at his disposal, there will be no stopping him.”

“We need to find Vic. She needs to be kept safe.”She was Ryker’s main priority. He started moving forward.

“Ryker,”Archer’s tone was harsh.“Think. Now isn’t the moment to react.”

Was he insane? Fuck that. He needed to see Vic. He needed to know she was okay. She was Davis’s target. There was no question now and he needed to be with her to keep her safe. He couldn’t let anything happen to Vic. He wouldn’t survive it. In a short space of time, she’d become way too important to him.

She’d become his world.

“Ryker!”Archer snarled, snapping his attention back to his boss.“We’ll take care of Vic but you can’t go charging down there because Davis will know that we know what’s going on. We have to plan this as meticulously as possible in the time we have.”

“We don’t know how much time we have, and I will not leave Vic unprotected,”Ryker snarled back.

“We know that he won’t do anything before midnight. He needs Vic to inherit first. If she dies before midnight, before her actual birthday, I imagine the solar farm stays in her parents’ name.”

Ryker’s heart slammed into his ribcage as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He wanted to go downstairs and kill Davis. Here and now. Just snap his neck and then this nightmare would be over.

“Killing him won’t solve anything,”Drake said.

Ryker turned to glare at the hotel owner. How did Drake know what he was thinking?

“You should work on your poker face. Your expression says it all. You obviously care about this woman. I’ve been in similar circumstances, so I know how you feel.”The expression on his face said he wasn’t lying. Jameson did know how desperate Ryker felt. He continued.“Yes, it would feel so damn good to kill Davis, but it would destroy your friend and that would destroy you. You have to think logically, now more than ever.”

He was right. Fucking hell, the man was right. He needed to be logical. He needed to be cold as ice because that’s what would save Vic. Decisions should be made with a cold heart and a clear mind, otherwise he was going to screw up.

“Fine,”he ground out.“What do you suggest we do?”

Archer picked up his cell.“I’m calling the rest of the team. Drake, reach out to your people here at the hotel and the Callahans and tell them that we suspect that a bomb will go off after midnight. We know the target, but we don’t know how or where the incident will happen. Ask them to keep their eyes open and let me know if anyone sees or hears anything.”

Drake nodded.“I’ll be on my cell. Call me with any updates.”He pulled out his cell and was making calls as he left.

“If it was you, how would you do it?”

“What?”Ryker demanded.

Archer walked over to the en suite bar and poured a large scotch. He brought it over to Ryker.“Get your shit together. Think with the head that’s above your damn belt,”he commanded.

Ryker took the glass and knocked it back. It burned all the way down, the same way it burned to know Archer was right. The fire from both sources helped him focus.

“How would I do it? How would I kill Vic?”Even saying those words made his chest hurt. He rubbed it absently, took a deep breath, and tried to look at the situation from Davis’s point of view.

“I guess it would depend on what I want to get out of her death?”

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