Chapter 6
Ryker stood outside of Davis’s house and took a last look around. So many changes needed to be made. He would start working on them tomorrow, but tonight he was bushed. It had been a long day of working on a laptop outside of Davis’s office, trying to get things lined up so that Davis was secure for his meetings this week. Sorting different vehicles, checking floor plans, and talking to building security. Providing security for a prominent political figure involved a lot of effort.
He’d also had a contest of wills with Joyce. The woman had almost thrown a tantrum when he said he needed a desk outside of Davis’s office and that they would have to share her space. Finally, when Davis agreed to it, she had to acquiesce. It hadn’t been pretty, but Joyce ended up looking like a spoiled brat. Ryker didn’t need a degree in rocket science to know Joyce was going to be a major pain in his behind.
Don Lazlo, Davis’s security chief, had had a bit of a fit earlier too, but Ryker had expected that. No one liked being usurped. Ryker couldn’t blame him. Still, if Lazlo had done a better job, he wouldn’t be in this mess. Ryker knew a showdown with Floyd Armstrong was still likely to happen as well, but thankfully, that wouldn’t be this evening. Ryker made a few more mental notes as to where he wanted to add some cameras and perhaps move others.
As he was exiting the building, he was hailed from behind.“Mr. Sterling?”
He turned and Invicta came down the steps towards him.“Thank you,”she said.“I know it couldn’t have been easy to convince my uncle to let you on his team.”
“No problem. You were correct. His security needs an overhaul. It won’t take long before I get things in place.”
She nodded but seemed to hesitate.“I know that this won’t be easy, working with Joyce and the others, but for what it’s worth, you’ve taken the weight of the world off my shoulders. I truly appreciate it.”
He offered her a small smile.“I’ll do my best to keep him safe, Ms. Carlyle.”
“Vic, please.”
“Ryker,”he countered.“Did you need a ride home?”
She hesitated again.“If you wouldn’t mind, that would be great. I don’t love taking public transportation this late at night.”
“Your uncle makes you take public transportation?”Did he not care about his niece’s safety? Was the man that much of a dick with ears? Why was he even surprised? Davis was the king of all pricks. He, and his partner in crime, Eli Fisher.
“Er, no, well yes but he’s so busy I just don’t want to disturb him.”
She offered another quick smile, but Ryker saw through it. Fear lurked in her gaze. What kind of messed up family was this? His protective instincts kicked into high gear.“I see, and Don or one of the other guys don’t volunteer to escort you?”
She licked her lips and looked around but didn’t meet his gaze.“They…That is, I’m sure they’re busy as well.”
Then it hit him.“You’re not comfortable around them.”Had they made a pass at her? Jesus. This was worse than he imagined. He’d throttle any man who laid a hand on her without her permission.
She looked around some more and then finally at him. She huffed out a quiet sigh.“No, I’m not. It’s nothing they’ve done,”she said quickly.“I’m just not…”
“Right. Well, I will make sure you get home safely this evening if you’re comfortable driving with me. If not, I will find you a cab.”She better be comfortable around him because he wasn’t getting her a cab. He would make sure she made it unscathed to her apartment.
She bit her lip.“I’m fine to go with you… If you’re fine with driving me.”
He nodded, turning towards his Porsche. He walked to the passenger door and opened it for Vic. He normally used an SUV for work but one of his guys had had a breakdown, so he lent the associate his vehicle. He hadn’t anticipated taking Vic home.
She slid into the car and, after checking she was clear, he closed the door. He reminded himself that she was off limits, and he was working but her hazel eyes were so expressive. She brought out his protective instincts in spades. He counted to ten silently as he got behind the wheel of the car.
The drive didn’t take more than twenty minutes and they chatted about random things, but he was physically aware of her the whole way. Her scent was something light and floral but not too sweet. It wrapped around him, and several times he had to remind himself to focus on what she was saying. He kept his eyes firmly on the road, but he hadn’t missed the amount of leg showing beneath her skirt, nor had he missed her biting her lip. He would like to do the same. Damn Archer. This job was going to suck so much more than anticipated.
He stopped at the curb outside of her apartment building.“In the future, I will have something in place to take you home whenever you wish to go. I will make sure it’s someone you’re comfortable with.”
He’d been thinking about moving one of his female tech geniuses into the field. Maybe It was time to make the shift. The woman he was thinking of was more than ready for field work and he would sure as hell be more comfortable with a woman taking Vic home. The thought of her in some other man’s car needled him like an ice pick. He let out a breath. He’d have to see how Davis treated women first. He did not want to put one of his people in a bad situation. Not that his female staff couldn’t handle themselves. No, He’d watched their physical training sessions, and he was more afraid they’d maim or kill Davis. That wouldn’t be good for them, although Archer sure wouldn’t mind.
She met his gaze.“That would be nice.”
“Have a good evening.”He was being a bit blunt because if she didn’t get out of the car soon he might change his mind and ditch the assignment so he could spend time with her. Time in bed, to be exact.
“Thanks, Ryker,”she said and climbed out of the Porsche. He waited until she went into her building before pulling away from the curb.
His phone buzzed.“Sterling,”he answered the call as it came through the car’s speakers.
“How was your first day?”Archer Gray asked.
“Davis is a complete dog and his people are a nightmare.”
“That’s not unexpected. Did you find anything?”Archer demanded.
Ryker snarled,“I’m good, but I’m not a fu…damn miracle worker.”Archer snorted at his reply. The other guys would have dropped the eff bomb, but Ryker’s mom and grandma had drilled into him to use his words, only the nice ones which he did…most of the time.“I’ve just started. I’ll see what I can dig up in the next couple of days, but it might take some time. Davis is tight-lipped and his people hate me. My first impression is that Davis is a tyrant and nothing happens that he’s not aware of. He’s in this up to his eyeballs, whatever this turns out to be. Nothing happens in his sphere that he doesn’t know about and agree to. And his accent is fake. So is the good ol’ boy routine. He’s a D.C. shark, no doubt. That Texas twang is just a show.”
“Only confirms what I believe. Nothing about that man would surprise me. On another note, someone attacked Remy today.”
Ryker’s stomach dropped.“What the… Is she okay?”
“Yes. Hawk saw it coming. A hit-and-run attempt in New York City. They’re trying to track down the driver now.”
“That’s going to be difficult in New York.”Ryker did not envy them that job.
“Not so hard. They’re using their connections at Callahan Security to help them.”
“Ah, that makes it easier.”Ryker knew of that Callahan group. Everyone in the security world did, But he didn’t personally know anyone there. The way Archer said the name made him think there was some kind of history there but now wasn’t the time to ask.
“Is there anything you need from me?”Archer inquired.
Ryker pulled into his garage.“I’ll take anything you know about Floyd Armstrong, Davis’s personal assistant. I will, no doubt, have to go a couple of rounds with him at some point. Any information you have on him would be helpful. Also, do you know what the scoop is on Davis’s niece? There’s something weird about that relationship.”
“Weird how? Not like?—”
“No. Not romantic.” The word was incestuous. “Not sure. Just a bizarre undercurrent. I’ll start digging and see what I can unearth, but it might take a bit. Davis isn’t exactly a trusting person. He knows he has enemies.”
“Yeah. And he’s made every single one on purpose.”Archer hung up.
Ryker climbed out of his Porsche and made his way through the garage into the townhouse. It was odd to spend time in his own place. He usually lived in a Society-owned apartment or at a Society location. It was nice to be home for a change.
He’d worked damn hard to get where he was and his association with Archer Gray and the Lock and Key Society was a big part of that. He entered his kitchen and the smell of lasagna hit him. He”d alerted Maribel, his housekeeper, that he”d be home tonight and she”d left a tray in the warming drawer for him. He washed his hands and got a plate out of the glass-fronted cupboard.
He took the lasagna out and set it on the stove. Then he cut himself a piece and sat at his kitchen island to eat. He had a long night ahead. He wanted to look at past video footage of Davis’s house and office. Also, he wanted to read the reports on the shooting incident involving Davis and the attempted hit-and-run. Should be interesting reading.
He finished his dinner and climbed the stairs to the second floor, where he’d located his home office. The ergonomic chair he’d splurged on hugged his butt when sat down. That level of comfort was mandatory when he spent so much time behind his desk. He booted up his laptop and logged into Davis’s home security system. He chose videos at random and watched a few. He was trying to get a sense of what happened in the house during the day and at night.
After an hour spent reviewing the videos, he pulled up the reports that the current security team had filed on the two incidents. He skimmed them as he kept an eye on the video that was playing.“Not really a threat. Probably a random hunter?”Ryker shook his head. He had put two slugs in the side of the SUV close together. Random hunter, my fuzzy butt. Not too many random hunters could do that. That took training and skill and Ryker was damn proud of his work. Archer said to make Davis think someone was out to kill him without actually doing him any harm. So that’s what Ryker had done. The not doing any harm part was the hardest. This cockroach needed to be crushed.
The attempted hit-and-run write-up lacked any appearance of a professional security report. It just confirmed Ryker’s read on the situation. Lazlo and his people were idiots. The incident was chalked up to a drunk driver. The hit-and-run attempt had been masterful even if he did say so himself. Ryker had gotten it just right. Davis was starting across the street. He’d let the car get close enough to scare Davis, but not close enough to actually hit the man even if his security did something stupid and hadn’t pulled him back in time.
Ryker had to hand it to Archer, the man was a genius. They had laid the groundwork for several other“attempts”on Davis’s life but then Invicta, Vic, had made his plan so much easier. Her call to Archer for help had been just the opening Archer hoped to create. It had gone more smoothly than Archer and the team had planned. Sometimes life worked out better than could be imagined.
The result was exactly what they were after…Ryker was now on the inside. Always better to be the wolf in sheep’s clothing, than be the wolf on the outside looking in. The question was, what the hell was Austin Davis up to and how would it impact the Lock and Key Society?
As a member of the Security Division of the Lock and Key, Ryker was sworn to protect the Society and its members at all costs. He knew what that meant when he’d signed on, and he was fine with it. So far, his job had provided him with more money than he could spend, a nice home, an enjoyable work life, and the opportunity to use the skills the army had taught him when he became a Ranger. He was good at those skills so any chance he had to use them was a bonus for him. In other words, job satisfaction.
Movement on the video caught his eye. The recording was from the office at night. Two men got off the elevator and headed into Davis’s office. He glanced at the time stamp. Eleven-twenty-three p.m. last Wednesday. Not unheard of in D.C., but the way the men studiously avoided the cameras triggered him. They were both dressed in dark clothing and had ball caps pulled down over their faces.
The men entered the office and then exited at twelve seventeen a.m. They kept their heads angled downward, hats still blocking their faces from the cameras. Ryker knew he could ask to see the elevator cameras, but there was no point. It would be more of the same thing. These two were pros. They knew what they were doing when it came to avoiding being recognized. The bigger question was… what did Davis want with two professional…fixers? He’d call them killers but that remained to be seen. These two were guys who were called when a problem needed to be solved. What problem did Davis have that he wanted handled?
Ryker scanned through a few more video files but the men didn’t reappear. He leaned back in his seat. It wasn’t much to go on. What he really needed was to search Davis’s office and house more thoroughly. No time like the present. He would start with the office. If anyone questioned his presence, he would claim he was working on redoing Davis’s security. In fact, he would do something very visible so people would ask. Make it obvious why he was there.
Ryker went across the hall toward his bedroom. He changed into dark denim jeans and a black button-down shirt. He pulled on a dark brown leather jacket and a pair of black sneakers. Twenty minutes later, he was entering Davis’s offices. He made a show of walking around and checking things out. Then he went to Davis’s office. The door was locked. He pulled out his key and popped the lock. He’d made copies of all the necessary keys earlier in the day.
Flipping on the lights, he realized once again Davis’s office decor was not his thing. Too ornate and showy and it also made it difficult to search. Too many drawers. He did a circuit of the office and scanned for hidden cameras but didn’t locate any equipment. They were meant to be hidden, but if he couldn’t find them, they weren’t there. Not because he was infallible but because he was a hell of a lot better than the current security team and they were the ones who would have put the thing in place.
Except for the two pros.
A small niggling sense of doubt crept into his gut. He did another circuit of the office and really looked closely. Still nothing. He finally approached the desk and started a methodical search. Nothing of any interest popped up. He’d gone through the whole desk. Nothing.
He’d turned to search the credenza when he heard the elevator ding. Shit. He moved over to the door and listened. Several people were approaching. Not that he had to hide, he could explain his presence, but it might be easier to find out what was going on if his presence wasn’t known. He flicked off the light, then took out his pen light, and then went to the wall midway down the room and pushed on it. The door to the bathroom opened. He pulled it behind him and immediately put his ear to the door. The audio would be better if he could keep the door open a crack, but the portal was inset with the wall and if it was open, it would be obvious.
“What do you have for me?”Davis asked.
“We know his schedule. We can make it happen any time you want,”the first voice stated. It was gruff and deep.
“Do you want it to look like an accident?”a second voice asked. This one was slightly higher, more nasal, like the guy had a cold.
Davis spoke again,“That would be better. Any chance you can include the wife?”
“It will cost more but yeah we can make it happen,”the guy with the cold said.
Ryker swore silently. Were they talking about Remy and Hawk? Were these guys planning another hit on them?
“Do it. I don’t want her to have the token,”Davis said.“How old are the kids?”
The gruff voice said,“Kid. It’s a girl and she’s in her mid-twenties. Doing her MFA at UCLA.”
“Even better,”Davis chortled.“She’s an art type, then if Archer offers her the token, chances are good she won’t take it but if she does, I know others who can influence her.”
Not Remy and Hawk then. They didn’t have kids, and these guys were focused on the man… not the wife. With Remy and Hawk, their focus would be the opposite. Some other members were in danger.
“So we’re good to go?”It was the gruff voice again.
“Yes,”Davis confirmed.
The nasally voice said,“We’ll call you when it’s done.”
Ryker assumed the men were leaving. Unfortunately, with the thick carpet, he couldn’t hear them leave but then he heard Davis say,“What do you think?”
“I think they’ll get it done and they’ll keep their mouths shut.”It was Armstrong.“Jacobs will make sure of it. His men are the best in the business.”The voices faded but he didn’t know for sure if Davis and Armstrong had left as well. To be on the safe side he decided to wait thirty minutes. The Jacobs mentioned had to be Damian Jacobs. He had a security company that used all kinds of former Special Operations guys. Unfortunately, he usually hired people who”d had a less-than-honorable discharge.
He pulled out his phone and sent a text detailing the conversation to Archer.
Archer’s response came instantly. No idea on who the target is?
Ryker responded, No, but it’s not Remy and Hawk. This couple has a daughter who is older, doing an MFA at UC LA. The guys work for Damian Jacobs so they’re black ops guys with zero morals. He grinned. Sounded familiar.
That wasn’t exactly true. He and the rest of the monster wranglers lived by a moral code. It just wasn’t the same one that most people lived by.
We have a lot of members worldwide, but the daughter thing should narrow it down.
Ryker thought for a minute. I’m thinking maybe it has to do with a board member. Start there first. Davis is worried about you giving the token to the daughter.
Archer replied, Already started. Might need your help. I’ll get back in touch.
Why the hell did Davis want to take out some guy and his wife? Was it about the Lock and Key board, and if so, what did he gain by killing a board member? That was a dangerous move. If he was found out, he would be eliminated. Ryker could only hope that moment came to fruition and he would volunteer to do it, but it would be better if they could just stop this hit now. He didn’t want innocents to die. There were quite a few rules within the Lock and Key society that left a bit of wiggle room but the rules on killing a board member were clear. The punishment was death. Why would Davis risk that? Then again, why would he take any of the risks he’s apparently taking? The payout had to be massive. Something worth the risk. They needed to know what that was if they were going to stop Davis.
Ryker glanced at his watch. Time to go. He opened the door as quietly as possible and peeked out. The office was dark. He moved over to the credenza and continued his search. He was almost finished when he came across a green hanging file folder that had a yellow sticky note stuck to the outside of it. It wasn’t there on purpose. It looked as if it had just fallen out of another file and landed there. Buffalo Ridge. That’s all it said. It could mean anything, or nothing at all. But… In all of his searches, not one file or piece of paper had anything but normal company names or people’s names. Not one. Buffalo Ridge. He’d have to google it when he got home.
He quickly finished the rest of the credenza and then made the adjustments to the office that he thought were necessary. He allowed himself a small smile when he was finished. He’d get office maintenance to move the rest in the morning. Tomorrow was going to be fun. The shit…sorry Mom…was most definitely going to hit the fan.