Page 58 of Unlocked

She swore under her breath.

"They came for him," she said finally. "Right after it happened. They knew exactly where to go, which room, what to do. They cleaned everything. Took the body. Told me to forget I'd seen anything."

"Who?" Archer growled.

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"Calliope—"

"I don't," she insisted. "They didn't give me names. And I didn't ask."

Archer straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. "You must know something. You wouldn't let someone come in and take a body without knowing who was behind it."

She pursed her lips and then suddenly seemed to deflate, as if the last of her resistance had quietly given out. She slumped in her chair. "I only know a code name. That's it."

Archer's pulse kicked. "Code name?"

She hesitated, visibly weighing the risk. Deciding whether telling him was more dangerous than staying silent.

"The Curator," she said finally.

Archer went still. "The Curator?"

"They said they worked for the Curator. Said if I talked to anyone… the police, other members, anyone at all, the Curator would know. And they'd come back for me."

"Did they say anything else?"

"No." She wrapped her arms around herself. "They just told me to keep my mouth shut and my club clean. Said this was their business and I should stay out of it."

"But you must know more than that." He had the distinct feeling she wasn't telling him everything.

"I don't know anything more." She stared at him, clearly terrified.

He wasn't going to get any further with her tonight. The Curator, whoever it was, had connections. Power. Reach. Enough to make a woman like Calliope, who had survived decades in this world, look like she might shatter.

"How many people came?" Archer asked.

"Three. All in black. All masked. They moved fast. Professional."

"Did you recognize any of them?"

"No." She shook her head. "But the leader, there was something about him." She gave a small shudder. "He was scary, Archer. Not the kind of scary I'm used to."

Archer nodded slowly. "Anything else?"

She ignored the question and looked up at him, fear still etched into every line of her face. "What are you going to do?"

"Find them."

She licked her lips. "And if you can't?"

"I will," Archer said. His voice was flat. Final. "I always do."

He turned and walked out of the office. Ryker and Rush were waiting in the hallway, the two security guards still on the floor, groaning softly.

"We need to go," Archer said.

They moved quickly through the emptied club and out into the early dawn. Archer climbed into the car, his mind already working through what he had.