Page 5 of Unlocked

A beat too long. "Mike Lipinski."

There it was.

Archer allowed himself one quiet breath. "Mikhail Lipinski." He looked around the table and let his gaze settle briefly on each face. "Mike is a Society security guard at the junior level. He has been counseled repeatedly about his performance and is currently being relieved of his position following separate incidents involving theft and conduct toward female staff members." He paused. "I'm sorry, Austin. I know you sponsored him for the role. He simply wasn't up to it."

Davis’s face went the color of an old brick.

Fisher's expression didn't change, which was interesting. He had known. Or he had suspected. He'd pushed the point anyway, which meant he was either confident there was more to find or he was simply happy to have caused turbulence regardless of the outcome. With Fisher, either was plausible.

Archer stood. "I want to be clear with everyone here. The Society's visible security cameras exist to protect our members and their privacy, not to compromise it. Any member is welcome to request a full accounting of camera placement at any of our properties at any time. My team has always been transparent on this and will continue to be." He looked at Davis one final time. "Without a credible source, this matter is closed."

Davis resembled a fish gasping for air.

He picked up his pen. "If there's nothing further, we're adjourned."

Fisher leaned forward. "I'd like to formally request that an independent audit of all camera installations be added to the agenda for the next meeting."

The room went quiet.

Archer looked at him. Fisher met his gaze with the bland pleasantness of a man who believed he'd just scored a point.

"Seconded," Davis said immediately.

Archer let the silence stretch just long enough. "Noted. Any such audit would, of course, be conducted by Society security personnel, as is standard for all internal reviews." He looked at Fisher. "I'm sure you'll want to familiarize yourself with the protocols. They're quite thorough." He glanced around the table. "We're adjourned."

He left the room without hurrying.

Back in his office, he locked the door, activated the signal jammer, and pulled out his phone. He typed a message to Ryker. We need to talk. Five minutes.

He poured a coffee, sat down, and waited exactly five minutes.

Ryker's face appeared on the screen. "Boss."

"Mike Lipinski went to Davis." Archer kept his voice even. "He told him we have hidden cameras in Maine and Venice. I need to know how he found out, and I need to know today."

Ryker swore.

"How does a junior security guard know the locations of unauthorized surveillance equipment, Ryker? That is not a rhetorical question."

"I'll find out."

"You will. And then you'll have every unauthorized camera removed before Davis can put someone in the field to verify Lipinski's story. If he finds one intact, we lose this entirely."

Ryker was quiet for a beat. "That's a significant operation. I'll need the whole team."

"Then use the whole team." Archer set down his coffee. "Fisher just called for an independent audit at the next meeting. Davis seconded it before I finished my sentence."

Ryker said nothing. He didn't need to.

"I don't need to explain to you what happens if Austin Davis gets his hands on what's on those cameras."

He ended the call and sat back.

The cameras had served their purpose for years. He knew things about the Society's members that they would burn cities to keep quiet, and none of them had ever been used for anything other than keeping the peace. That was the truth. He was also clear-eyed enough to know it was not a truth anyone would believe, and that Davis would not use it to keep any peace at all. And Fisher. God help any female member whose private moments ended up in Fisher's possession.

He stood and walked to the window.

Over his dead body.