Page 55 of Unlocked

Archer Gray had just kissed her. Told her he couldn’t lose her. Had pulled her against him like he couldn't bear to let her go. Had touched her like he'd been thinking about it for weeks. Maybe he had been. God knew she had. Since the very first time she’d laid eyes on him.

She pressed her fingers to her lips, still feeling the pressure of his mouth on hers. The taste of whiskey and something darker. Something dangerous. That was the problem, wasn't it?

Archer was dangerous.

Not in the way the killer was dangerous, though she knew about that side of him too, the cold calculation, the lethal precision. No, he was dangerous in a different way.

He made her want things. Made her feel things. Made her forget all the very good reasons she'd built walls around herself in the first place. She'd spent her entire life being self-sufficient. Independent. Strong. She didn't need anyone.

Except tonight, when she'd run after that killer, and Archer had come after her, she'd felt something shift. Relief. Safety. The knowledge that someone had her back. She’d run after the killer precisely because she knew Archer was with her. That he would keep her safe. And that terrified her more than any masked killer ever could.

Because wanting Archer meant trusting him. Meant letting him in. Meant giving him the power to hurt her in ways no one else could.

She'd seen what her apartment looked like after someone invaded it. Violated it. Destroyed it. What would she look like if she let Archer in and he did the same to her heart?

Tatum wrapped her arms around herself and stared out at the city. The night replayed in her mind. The club. The killer. The way they'd moved with such purpose, such precision. The way they'd leaned in close to Lebowitz, speaking to him before sliding the knife between his ribs.

It was personal.

Which meant whoever they were, they had a history with Lebowitz. With North. Possibly with Kelly, too.

And if Davis was involved, and she was increasingly certain he was, then the killer was someone connected to him. Someone he trusted enough to bring into the scheme. Someone who had their own reasons for wanting the front men dead.

Her mind spun through possibilities, but exhaustion was starting to creep in. The adrenaline had faded, leaving behind bone-deep weariness. And underneath it all, the memory of Archer's hands on her skin. His mouth on hers. The way he'd looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered.

I can't lose you.

His words echoed in her mind. Had he meant them or had he uttered them in the heat of the moment? Was it emotion or pride? He couldn’t lose her because he cared, or because it would damage his reputation?

She pressed her forehead against the cool glass. This was so much more complicated than she'd anticipated. The case. The danger. Archer.

Especially Archer.

Because despite every logical reason to keep her distance, despite the voice in her head screaming that this was a mistake, despite everything, she wanted him.

God help her, she wanted him.

And that might be the most dangerous thing of all.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"We've got a problem." Rush's voice was tight. "The body's gone."

Archer went still. "Gone?"

"Someone removed it. We got to the room, and Lebowitz was gone. No blood. No evidence. Nothing."

Archer started to pace across his office. Ryker sat in one of the visitor chairs and watched his boss, as if waiting to see him blow his cool. That would be a first.

Rush's voice came through the phone. "I got there within ten minutes of your call, and the body wasn't there. I talked to Lady Arabella, but she just said that when she got back to the room, Lebowitz was gone."

Ryker might just get his show. Archer held on to a shred of calm with his fingertips. "He was tied up for fuck's sake. How does she think he escaped?"

"She said she assumed someone came in, untied him, and he left with them. Apparently, it happens."

Archer didn't believe it for one fucking minute.

"They were waiting," Archer said. "There's no way someone got there in under ten minutes and cleaned everything up. Someone had to already be on site. Someone knew it was going to happen and was ready to move the moment it did."