Chapter 16
Ryker”s shoulders tightened as Vic walked into Davis”s office. Her eyes said she was nervous, but her face was otherwise a mask of neutrality. If Davis had a go at her, Ryker would make him regret it. The senator hadbeen crazedall morning, demanding Ryker call the head of the CIA to look at satellite footage from the previous evening. He was determined to find out how the intruder got in and where he”d come from.
”Invicta, sugar,”Davis said as he stood up and moved from behind his desk. His tone made the hair onthe back ofRyker”s neck stand up.
”I know you heard all kinds of silly rumors, and I wanted to put your mind at ease.”Davis was laying it on thick. His accent was out in full force.
”Of course,”she looked perplexed but gamely accepted the older man”s embraceifa little timidly.
”I”m just fine, sugar,”Davis continued.”A man broke in and tried to shoot me, butit was handled.”
Vic met Ryker”s gaze, and he gave her asmall, reassuring nod. She might as well know it was him. Her uncle was never going to give him credit.The credit should go to her since she had gone to Archer and if she hadn”t, there was abetter than averagechance Davis would be dead right now.
Vic stepped back from the embrace.”I”m so glad you”re okay. It must have been terrifying.”
Ryker knew by the look on her face that she meant what she was saying. She might be slightly afraid of her uncle, but she didn”t want him dead. That made at least one person in the room. Ryker wasn”t so sure about Armstrong. He”d been arguing all morning about how to handle the attempt on the senator”s lifeandat this point, Floyd was so frustrated, he just might kill the senator himself.
”Oh, it was a bit, but, sugar, you know me. We Davisesare madeof stern stuff.”He gave her a wink.”Don”t you worry your pretty little head aboutit.I”m just fine.”
Ryker was incensed on Vic”s behalf. The condescending old bastard was about as big of a misogynist as he was a criminal.
Davis returned to his desk and sat down.”Now,”he continued,”don”tyou be tellin”anyone about it.We”re just tryin” to keep a lid on this thing until we know more.”
Armstrong snorted.”Stupid idea. We need to tell the world.”He glared at Ryker.”We need the FBI involved.”
”As I”ve already explained, Floyd, we”re gonna handle thisin house.”Davis”s expression was hard and sour. He didn”t like to have to repeat himself to the hired help. He glared at his assistant and then swung his gaze back to Vic.”Now, sugar, I need you to attend several events today.There”s a luncheon,and a meet and greet I can”t possibly attend myself.I will send you a list of people I want you to talk to. Several of them will, of course, have heard what happened.Thisis Washington, after all, and even the walls have ears.”His gaze flicked to Ryker, then just as rapidly returned to Vic. He winked at her and let out ajovial, fake chuckle.”I need you to give them as few details as possible.”
Vic”s face fell, and her shoulders sagged slightly. Ryker was sure she was exhausted. His intense dislike of Davis rose like bile in his throat. He wanted to stand up for her, to tell Davis togoeff right off, but he also knew that it wasn”t his place. It wasn”t his joband, in fact,it could jeopardize the job he”dbeen hiredto do. But holding his tongue rankled him. Hewas still pissedat Vic for taking the bus this morning. He”d sent Rush by her place, but she”d already been goneby the timehe arrived. Ryker hadn”t trusted himself to go.He”dend up back in her bed, andthis timehe wouldn”t leave.
”Um, I can go, of course, but do you want me to confirm that someonemade an attempt on your life,or deny it?”Vic asked.
”Confirm,”Armstrong said.
“Deny,”Ryker responded.
Davis held up his hands.”Sugar, I need you to tell themthat I”min the best of health and leave it at that.”Ryker hated when the man called Invicta ”sugar”likehereallycared about her.Talk about a wolf in sheep”s clothing. Ridiculous.
Vic stared at him for a beat and then nodded.”Fine. Please send me the details and the list of names. I will do my best to make sure I speak with everyone.”
”I know you will. Thank you, sugar.”Davis gave Vic a smarmy smile. She”dbeen dismissed.
She turned to go as Joyce entered with the muffins.”Invicta, make sure you take a muffin.It”sgonnabe a long day and you need to keep your strength up.”
Vic seemed to freeze for a moment, but she reached over and took a muffin offthe plate Joyce was holdingbefore she left the office.
”Thank you, Joyce. Just leave them on the coffee table,”Davis said absently and then went back to Armstrong as Joyce did as shewas toldand left the room silently.
”Now—”
”Idon”t think you understand the gravity of the situation,”Ryker said, cutting Davis off.”We do not want it out there that someone tried to kill you.Questions will be asked, the type you don”t want to answer.”
Davis glared.”I am aware of your position on the matter. You were very clear last night. I am not tellin” the world. I am merely lettin” the rumors fly. I can deny them if I need to, but Floyd is right.Thisis an opportunity to gain some traction, and I will not let it pass me by.”
Ryker”s shoulder muscles bunched.Thiswas turning out to be the worst assignment of his careerandthat was saying something. His phone buzzedandhe glanced at the screen. Rush. He had some news. Ryker pushed off the wall where he”d been leaning.”I have to go. Some leads have come inandI want to track them down.”
”What leads?”Davis demanded.
”I”ll tell you about them if they pan out. Tony and Melvin are here. You will remain here until I get backandthen we”ll take you home.”
Davis”s mouth turned down in a frown as he shot a dirty look at Ryker. Too flippingbad.
Ryker strode out of the room and, twenty minutes later, walked into his own house and took the call on his laptop.”What do you have for me, Rush?”
Rushton Fletcher”s face filled the screen.”This shit is weird.”
”Why am I not surprised?”Ryker hit the button on the single-serve coffeemaker and then sat down at his kitchen island.
”So, the dead guy?”Rush looked at his notes.”His name is Nathan Langille.Former Marine. Two tours. Awardedthe Silver Star.Honorabledischarge.”
”Nothing sounds weird so far. Washemarried? Kids?”Ryker tried to keep his voice neutral and his face bland, but his gut tightened as he waited for Rush”s response.
”Single. No kids.”
Ryker got up and poured himself a cup of coffee. Not that Langille”s lack of family would”ve made any difference. There were people somewhere mourning the man, but at least he hadn”t left a partner and children behind. Ryker sat back down.”What”s the weird part?”
”You know those men you saw on the video and in the office? The ones who work for Damian Jacobs? Well, so did this guy.”
Ryker was about totake a sip ofcoffee but stopped and set the mug down.”Wait, what?”
”Langille worked for Jacobs.”Rush shook his head.”Like I said, weird.”
”Idon”t get it. Why would a guy who works for Jacobs try to kill Davis if Davis had already hired some of Jacob”s men to kill that couple on the board?”
Rush shrugged.”No idea. None of it makes sense.”
Ryker sipped his coffee and let what Rush had told himsinkin.”So, Langille, who, by all appearances, is an upstanding Marine, musters out and goes to work for a lying sack of manure like Jacobs? It doesn”t make sense. Are you sure?”
”I”m going to let it slide that you just asked me that because this whole thing sucks balls. Yes, I”m sure. I got confirmation from a friend who used to work for Jacobs.”
Ryker snorted.”You have friends?”
”Ha.”
”Seriously, you trust this friend?”He didn”t want them tobe caughtthinking one thing when something else was true.
”I trust him. He owes me one.”Thenaghost of a smile lit Rush”s face.”I might”ve gone to Langille”s place and secured his laptop andthenhad one of our guys hack into it. There are electronic deposits into his account from Jacob”s company.”
Ryker”s shoulders relaxed a fraction. Rush”s thoroughness meant they knew for sure that Langille worked for Jacobs.”You”re right.Thisis all very weird.”He took another gulp of his coffee. He couldn”t make the pieces fit, no matter how hard he tried to shove them into place.
”And something else.”Rush”s face hardened.”Another board member died. It will hit the news shortly. Robert Mulligan, CEO of a hedge fund, just dropped dead of a heart attack.”
“Oh, shi…”Ryker muttered.
”That took you by surprise. You just about slipped a swear word intoconversation.”
”Ha, ha, But seriously, another board member? That”s two seats Archer has to fill. I assume we think Davis had something to do with Mulligan”s death?”
”Mulligan was in good health and he was only in his late fifties.Seemsawful coincidental,”Rush commented.
”Anychance Archer will let us take out Davis now?He”s behind two board member deaths, three if you count Remington Tanger. I liked that old guy.”
”No,”Archer”svoice cut across the speakers, and his face appeared on screen.”Technically, we don”t know for sure what happened. What you heard wasn”t clear enough. No names were mentioned. Davis could argue we have it all wrong and we have no proof. Unfortunately, he would be correct.”
“Son of a b…,”Ryker snarled.”What the hell is it with you and this numbnut?We”vekilled plenty of jokers for a lot less than this guy has done, and you didn”t have a problem then.”He couldn”t help it. He wanted Davis dead. Vic was too close, and he didn”t want her to get caught in the crossfire. Davis getting dead solved the problem.
Archer”s eyes went flat. He did not like tobe questioned. Tough Shit.It was a legit question. Ryker needed an answer. Davis was getting to him. He needed this assignment to be over. No, it wasn”t Davis. It was Vic who was getting to him. He needed to be away from her. She was distracting him.He”d thought sleeping with her might take the edge off, but nope.He wanted her all the time now.
Archer finally spoke.”Austin Davis has many powerful friends, inside the Society andout. We can”t just kill himlike the cockroachhe is becausetoo many questions would be asked. We need to have solid proof of his guilt. Sofarall we have is a couple of overheard conversations. That”s hardly definitive proof. Bring me unimpeachable proof, and you can have the honor of killing him.”Archer ended the call.
Ryker rubbed his face. How was he supposed to get irrefutable proof? Davis was slipperier than an eel. None of it made any sense. Jacobs had guys working for Davis, and then he tried to kill him? What the hell was that all about? Did someone hire Jacobs to kill Davis?Ryker sat motionless except forthetappingofhis thumb on his thigh, letting that scenario play out in his head.It fit. Would Jacobs sell out Davis if someone came to him and paid him to have his guystake outDavis? Ryker snorted. That was a no-brainer. Yes. Absolutely. But who wanted Davis dead? A better question waswhodidn”t?
Ryker got up and went into the bathroom. He grabbed a quick shower and got dressed in another suit. This one was navy with a white pinstripe. He added a red silk tie. His phone went off as he was putting on his shoes.”Sterling,”he answered.
”Ryker, it”s Lazlo. Floyd said that Vic has to go to a couple of events today. Who do you want to go with her?”
That was a good freaking question.Hewanted one ofhisownguysbutmostof themwere tied up at the house going over the security again, trying to figure out how Langille got in and making any necessary changes.”Send Tony and Vince with her. I want both on her at all times.”
”Will do. How”s it going at the house?Any idea onhow the bastard got in?”
”Not yet.”
Lazlo paused.
”What is it?”Ryker didn”t have time for this now.
”It”s just,”Lazlo started,”you didn”t call the cops. The guys are… I”m wondering about it.”
Ryker finished tying his shoes and put his shoulder holster back on. He knew this was coming.”If I had called the cops, the attempted assassination of a sitting US Senator would be all over D.C. Many agencies would be involved, and the world would know the senator”s business. We would also lose any ability to control the situation. I have made some calls and spoken to some people. The FBI is aware of the situation, and they”ve agreed that handling itquietlyis best for the senatorat the moment. If that changes, there”s no doubt they”ll arrive en mass.”Ryker rushed down the stairs and headed to the door.
”The FBI knows?”The doubt in Lazlo”s voice was palpable.
”Yes. I spoke with Deputy Director Liotta myself. We”re on the same page. Tell that to themen,if you want. We want this to be kept as quiet as possible. Tell them not to discuss it.”
”Okay, no problem. I”m on it.I”ll send you a copy of Vic”s schedule for todayas well.”
”Thanks,”Ryker saidandhung upasheentered his garage.He got back into his Porsche and called Archer.
”What now?”Archer answered.
Ryker tried to keep the bite out of hisownvoice.”I had to tell Lazlo that I spoke to Liottaandhe”s okay with us keeping the attempt on Davis”s life quiet.”
”Understood. I will reach out and keep Liotta informed.”That was it. Archer was gone.
Ryker let all the air out of his lungs. Some days this job sucked. He shifted gears and went around the car ahead of him. His phone rang. Lazlo again.”What?”Ryker growled.
”Davis has just decided he wants to work from home for the rest of the day.”
”Son of a b….”Ryker pulled a U-turn and headed toward the house.”Fine. You and Melvin escort him. I”ll meet you there.”
”Roger that.”Lazlo hung up.
Ofcoursethat frigging prick wanted to work from home. How can you say someone tried to kill me without saying it? Work from home and make your niece go out and parrot the standard Ican neither confirm nor deny that it happened. D.C. would be buzzing with news by dinner time. He could only hopepowerfulpeople didn”t start asking questions…because he had no answers. Yet. But he would. The soonerthebetter.
* * *
”Cal, good to hear from you,”Davis said in his thickest drawl.”I appreciate you checkin” in. No, no, I”m just fine.”He paused.”Well, I can”t go into details, but my people are workin” on gettin” to the heart of the matter. And thanks again forrecommendin”Ryker Sterling. He”s come in real handy.”
Ryker couldn”t takeanymoreso he walked out of the study and went to the kitchen. Martha offered him a coffee and a cookie. He took both and then went in and sat down on the couch in the office he”d claimed as his. He was tired and wired all at the same time.
Flipping open his laptop, he looked at the schedule and tweaked a few things.”Ryker,”Lazlo said as he entered the office with Tonydirectlybehind him.
”What have you got?”Ryker asked as he popped the last of the cookie in his mouth.
Tony shook his head.”I”ve been through all the video footage from last night, and I cannot find how this guy got in through the bathroom window.”
Ryker scratched his chin.”He had to have climbed up there somehow. Drainpipe, probably, since we didn”t find a ladder.”
”I”m saying he”s not on the camera. Fullstop. We would”ve seen him if he shimmied up the drainpipe. Also, how the hell did he get that far without us seeing him come across the lawn? The whole backyard is covered by the cameras. We checked every single angle. He would”ve had to come by the pool at some point and there is nothing on the security feed anywhere.”
Lazlo, who leaned against the door with his arms crossed, sighed.”I thought maybe someone had screwed with the video feeds. But I got nothing on that either. I”ve looked at it every way I can, but I got nothing. They weren”t tampered with.”
Ryker nodded thoughtfully. He”d sent some of the camera feed from around the time of the break-in to one of Archer”s computer nerds. He hadn”t heard back yet. Would they find the same thing? He hoped not. If they found the video hadbeen altered,then at leastthey”d have an explanation. For now, it remained a mystery.
”Okay,”he said.”I want you to run through the security video one more time. Go back twenty-four hours. Longer, if you need to. There will be something on one of the cameras. Something that stands out or just doesn”t fit in. You”ll know it when you see it. Come find me when you do.”
Tony nodded andheaded out ofthe room.Lazlo watched him go.”There”s something we”re missing.”He turned back to Ryker.
”Agreed.”He still didn”t trust Lazlo.The man sometimes seemed on board with Ryker taking the leadandyetother timesheexchanged secret looks with Davis.If he weren”t sure Davis was straight, he”d wonder if the two were having an affair.
Ryker took a sip of coffee.”There”s a lot we don”t know. We have bits and pieces, but not enough to see the whole puzzle. At least not yet.”
Lazlo nodded and then stifled a yawn with the back of his hand.
”Why don”t you head home? We”re good here for the moment.I”mgoing towant more guys on at night, so come back after you”ve had some sleep and some food.”
”Alright. See you around ten.”
Ryker watched as the other man left the room. Tedious, that”s what it was, Ryker decided.Not enoughaction.All this timespenttrying to figure shit out.One of the many things he liked about the Lock and Key Society was that the job wasneverboring.Monstersneededtobe wrangledall the time. If therewasa problem, he or one of his team would solve it. Easypeasey.If itwasup to him,Davis would”ve been six feet under by now.Problem solved. Archer”s strict adherence to the rules made life difficult.
He rubbed his eyes and then snapped his laptop closed. Staring at the screen was only making him sleepier. What he needed was time in the sack. He immediately thought of Vic.He”dlike a lot more time in bed with herandsleeping wasn”t on the menu.He rubbed his eyes again. He needed to clear his head.
Getting up offthe couch, hewent through the kitchen and out the back door.He wandered over to the edge of the pool. Tony was right. There was nowhere to hide in the backyard. It was either grass or pool with very few areas blocking anyone”s view. The pool house was therebutthe guy would”ve had to walk across the patio to get to the drainpipe. No overhanging trees offering him handy foot orhand holdsto climb either.
Ryker stared at the house. Had there been two of them? One to hold the ladder and one to go up and enter the house? Then where was the ladder? Ryker couldn”t picture any of the men who worked for Jacobs bringing a ladder andthencarrying it back to the truck once his buddy was inside. That”s just ridiculous.
Ryker looked at the light blue sky. The sun was shining, and the temperature was climbing. He looked at the drainpipe.If the intruder didn”t climb up that way,thenhow did he getupthere?Did hejustfall out of the sky?
He froze. That thought rattled around in his head.Wasthatevena possibility?Could Langille have jumped out of an airplane and landed on the roof? What were the odds of stickingthatlanding?
Ryker stared skywards without really seeing anything. Then he cocked his head. Maybe not. He started back towards the house. An idea just occurred to him.One that would explain the anomalies.
Ryker hurried through the house and took the stairs two at a time. He entered Davis”s bedroom and looked around.Nothing.Then he walked into the bathroom and looked up. In the corner of the bathroom was an access panel to the attic. He went over and scanned the floor under the trapdoor.Nodirt or debris, nothing to indicate thatthe panel had been moved. He looked up at the panel. It looked normal. Wait a second. A smudge marred one corner of the otherwise stark white paint. It was, he realized, slightly askew.
Bingo!Thiswas how the guy entered the bathroom. He”d come down from the attic. The question changed: how did he get into the attic in the first place? Ryker scratched his chin as he stared at the ceiling.
An incoming text message distracted him. Davis had summoned him. Ryker headed down to the study.Being at this man”s beck and callwas becoming tedious.
”Senator,”he said as he entered the study.
”Any progress?”Davis demanded.
”Some.Butnothingto reportjust yet.Did you need something?”
Davis”s eyebrows came together, highlighting the shade of dull red his face had become.”Yes, I bloody well need something. I need you to find out who”s trying to kill me!”
Floyd stood up.”Senator, I think maybe a break is in order. You”ve had a long couple of days and very little sleep. Don”t forget we have an early meeting tomorrow. Maybe you should take the rest of the afternoon off and relax. We need you to be fresh.”
Davis shot his assistant a look and his lip started to curl when his eye caught something. The clock? Ryker thought that was it. A sudden change came over the man, like someone had just injected him with lithium. He calmed down instantly.”I think you”re right. I just need a little lie down. I”mgonnahead up.Find me if you need anything.”
He turned to Ryker.”Is it safe to stay in myownroom?”His eyes snappedbuthe kept his voice calm.
”Yes, sir.I have extra men on the grounds outside, as well astwo men in front of the video feed.I”ve ordered all the cameras checked, so we”re good to go.”
”And yet you still can”t figure out how this happened.”He made tsking sounds as he walked by Ryker and went out into the foyer.
Ryker bit the inside of his cheek. There was no need to tell Davis what he”d discovered yet.He needed to confirm it first, and eventhen, he mightnottell Davis.He would have to talk to Archer about it.
He nodded to Armstrong who was studying some paperwork and went back to the office off the kitchen. He opened his laptop and wasin the midst ofwriting an email to his boss when he heard Davis”s voice through the vent. It wasn”t as loud as before, but he could still make out the words.
”What do you mean why am I home?”
The tinny voice from last time reached Ryker.”Your stunt last time made it very clear to us that you want to be in the public eye, so why aren”t you out there now?”
”Because someone tried to kill me,”Davis retorted.”Last time you told me to stay home. Now you want me out? Make up your mind,”he snarled.
”Last time you set up a fake hit using your niece as baitandthen you wanted to go on all the TV shows and talk radio to rail about it. You wanted to be out there after you put your niece into the line of fire. That would”ve looked like you were exploiting what happened to her. Some of the newspapers even hinted at that. We don”t want you doing anything at her expense. It tarnishes your reputation.”
Adrenaline juiced through Ryker”s veins. His hands closed into fists as he fought to stay on the couch. He wanted to run upstairs and strangle Davis with his bare hands. That man, herownuncle, had arranged for Vic tobe shotat. He was a cold, sick individual. Ryker”s stomach was a bundle of knotsandhis pulse pounded in his ears.
The voice continued.”This is different.Thishappened to you. Nowyoucan go out and be in the public eye. Just don”t go on TV or radio to talk about it. Put yourself out there, but don”t be so obvious about it.”
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.”I sent 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.