Page 81 of Locked Down

“I didn’t read it,”Davis declared.

Archer shrugged.“I received a notice that it hit your inbox. Nothing more is required.”

Davis’s cheeks were flushed.“Fine, who exactly is the candidate?”

“His name is Armand Fontaine. He’s a former businessman who recently retired. But he has been a Society member for a very long time. He assures me that at this point in his life, he has plenty of time to get involved in board business.”

“He was a major arms dealer up until quite recently. His profession is the reason you might not have heard of him before. He preferred to keep that part of his life on the down-low. He’s got contacts all over the world in all kinds of businesses,”Jason supplied.“Very smart. Good asset for the board.”

“So, let’s get down to it,”Archer said.“All in favor of Armand Fontaine joining the board?”

Seven hands went up. Ryker breathed out a sigh of relief.

“The seven votes carry it.”

Ryker walked over and opened a different door and Armand Fontaine entered the room. He was a shorter man with a bit of a belly and a deep tan, but intelligence shone in his eyes. He winked at Ryker. Fontaine also had a sense of humor. Ryker had met him a few days earlier when he’d been out with Mitch Callahan and his brothers. Fontaine was Logan’s girlfriend’s father. Score one for the home team.

They were going to need it because this was shaping up to be one hell of a war.

THIRTY-FIVE

Vic lifted her face to the Texas sun. It felt so good on her skin. She hadn’t thought she missed Texas at all, but she’d been wrong. She was finding she missed it quite a bit.

“How’s my girl today?”her father asked as he came to lean on the fence next to her.

“I’m doing well, Daddy. How about you?”Her father had aged since she’d left. There was gray at his temples now and lines on his face, but his eyes were clear and full of love for his daughter. They’d had a lot of long talks over the last couple of months. It was good to clear the air. She admitted to her mistakes and her parents had each admitted to theirs. Now they were working together to rebuild a relationship.

“Honey,”her father started in a tone that she recognized as his precursor to a small life lesson coming.

“Yes?”

“I love having you here. Your mother is thrilled. It is the joy of our lives to have you back… But…”he said as he touched her shoulder with a sigh.“You aren’t happy here. There’s something missing. I see sadness in your face. At first, I thought it was about your uncle but I’m starting to see it’s something else. Who is he?”

She let out a laugh and then swallowed a sob.“That obvious, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I met him in D.C. But we wouldn’t work. We have such different lives. Different goals.”

Her father shook his head.“So, you’ve decided that already, have you? Did you talk to him about it before you left?”

“Well…sort of.”

“Sounds to me like maybe you owe the man a conversation. If nothing else, do it to give yourself closure.”

Vic’s heart lurched in her chest. Maybe her father was right.“I guess I could call him.”

“No, baby girl. This type of conversation needs to happen in person. I can’t believe I’m saying this but take the jet. I loathe to use the thing but it does come in handy when it comes to courting support for the solar farm. You take it. We can afford to buy extra carbon credits to offset the emissions. Go to D.C. Talk it out and come back when you’re ready.”

She glanced over at her father and cocked her head.“When did you become so smart?”

He laughed.“It took a lot of years of missing you.”

* * *

The jet touched down a little after ten. Vic’s stomach was a mess. Her knees were practically knocking together. She called Archer and made sure that Ryker would be in D.C. He was supposed to be home tonight so she would go straight over there. She couldn’t wait until morning.

The captain opened the door, and she thanked him, then stepped out of the plane. She started down the stairs and almost tripped. Ryker was leaning against an SUV with his arms folded over his chest. He looked so damned sexy in his jeans and light blue button-down. Her nipples puckered immediately at the sight of him. She gripped the handrail and, miracle of miracles, made it to the bottom without falling, or her knees giving out.

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