Page 34 of Unlocked

"Do they ever?" she muttered. Then reluctantly, "Still. They could be right. It could have been an accident."

"Tatum," Archer said quietly, "do you really believe that?"

She exhaled, her shoulders sagging. "No. No, I don't." She looked away. "He was the weakest link. I was going to try to talk to him today. See if I could get him to flip."

"I agree," Archer said. "He was the weakest link. And I think someone else knew that too."

Her pulse jumped. "And that's why he's dead."

"Yes."

"Shit." She looked up sharply. "I was heading to my apartment just now."

"I'll have someone go with you."

"Archer, I don't⁠—"

"A man is dead," he cut in. "Your apartment was trashed. I think we're past the point of arguing on principle."

She frowned. He was right, and she hated that. She wanted to argue anyway, out of sheer stubbornness, but the truth was she'd feel better with someone there. "Fine," she said. "One of the guys would be great."

"Are you planning on bringing your things back here?" he asked. "That would be wise."

She shook her head immediately. "No. If whoever trashed my apartment didn't find what they were looking for, then my research is safer where it is."

"You don't trust my security?" Archer asked, his voice cooling slightly.

"It's not about trusting your security," she said evenly. "It's about knowing that everyone here is a member. Too many members were involved in the Ponzi scheme. I'd rather my research not be anywhere near them."

She could see he wanted to argue. After a moment, though, he let it go.

"Fine," he said. "Give me a few minutes. I'll have someone ready to go with you."

"I'll meet them at the door."

"The garage," Archer corrected, and it wasn't a question.

She bit back a retort and simply nodded.

He turned and left.

The second the door closed behind him, Tatum pressed her back to the wood, balled her hands into fists, and ground her teeth together hard in an effort not to scream, stomp her feet, or throw something at the wall. That man was infuriating. She wanted to go to her apartment and deal with this on her own terms. Yes, having someone with her would make her feel safer, but she also needed space to process what had happened without someone clocking her every move. That wasn't her idea of helpful.

And there was no way in hell she was bringing her research here. This had nothing to do with Archer personally, or even his security. It had everything to do with the fact that a lot went on inside these walls. As much as Archer liked to believe otherwise, he couldn't be everywhere at once.

Archer was right, though, that Davis wanted his position. That much was obvious from the board meetings. But, until last night, she hadn't fully appreciated what that would actually mean. Even as a board member, she didn't have a firm grasp on just how much power Archer Gray could wield. The fact that he chose restraint, that he held all of that and used it carefully, was impressive in a way she hadn't expected.

She pushed those thoughts aside. She didn't have the bandwidth for Austin Davis and his ambitions right now. She needed to get through today, one step at a time.

She checked her watch. Enough time had passed. The whole situation was starting to genuinely piss her off, and that was good. She'd much rather be angry than afraid. Anger, she could work with.

She left the apartment, marched down the hallway, and headed straight for the parking garage.

Archer was standing beside the door.

She stopped. Stared. "How did you do that?" She'd given him barely two minutes. She glanced around but didn’t see anyone else. "Where's the person who's supposed to escort me?"

"I'll take you," Archer said calmly.