Page 97 of Unlocked

"What did he say?"

"He told me I was being paranoid. That I needed to trust him. And then he made it clear that if I didn't bring my clients in, it would reflect poorly on me. On my future at the firm."

Archer's eyes narrowed. "He threatened your job."

"Not in so many words. But the implication was there."

"So you caved."

Jason's face flushed slightly. "I brought in a few clients. The ones who could afford to lose the money if things went south. I made it clear to them that it was high-risk, that they shouldn't invest more than they were comfortable losing.”

“And your investment?” Archer probed.

“Like I mentioned, I invested a lot. All I had really. Martin insisted.”

Archer nodded." Do you know who approached Martin?" Archer asked. "North? Kelly? Davis?"

"Lebowitz," Jason said immediately. "Tim Lebowitz. He and Martin knew each other from some charity board. Lebowitz pitched him on Granite Industries, and Martin ate it up. Thought he'd found the next big thing."

Relief flooded through Archer, though he didn't let it show.

Lebowitz.

Not Anderson. Not the Curator. Just Lebowitz running his unauthorized Ponzi scheme on the side, pulling in people like Martin and Jason because he couldn't help himself.

That meant Jason wasn't paying for services rendered. Wasn't part of the trafficking network. Wasn't compromised in the way Archer had feared. That was good news. Having yet another board member compromised would not be good.

He'd been worried he'd misjudged Jason. Worried that his instincts were off, that he was losing his edge. The past two years had been a shit show with the board, pulling Archer in so many directions that it was natural to feel skeptical of his gut reactions. But this made sense. Jason had been pressured by his boss, who'd been suckered in by Lebowitz's pitch. But then why wasn’t Jason hopeful? Why wasn’t he asking Archer if he found the money?

"Alright," Archer said. "That tracks with what I've been hearing. Lebowitz brought in investors. Your boss got caught up in it, and you got dragged along."

Jason looked relieved. "For what it's worth, I feel like an idiot. I should've pushed back harder. Should've walked away from the firm if Martin was going to put me in that position."

"Hindsight," Archer said. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

Jason nodded. He stood, clearly ready to leave.

But something was off. Jason wasn’t as relaxed as he should have been. There was an undercurrent there. He still hadn’t asked about the money. He’d been desperate before, and now he was…less so. A fact that worried Archer.

“Thanks for the chat.” Jason headed for the door and then stopped. “Hey, do you know if anyone is using the jet today?”

Archer’s eyebrows went up. “Not that I know of. Why?”

“I was wondering if you minded if I took it. I know as a board member, you give us some leeway about using it. I have to fly to Lisbon, and I would much prefer to take the jet than go commercial.”

And there it was. The reason Jason was no longer interested in the money was because he was being paid by Davis and Fisher. He was the board member who was going to find a camera in the Lisbon location. He was the unimpeachable source that would be the linchpin in the case against Archer. And he had the gall to ask for the Society’s jet to get him there.

Sonofabitch.

“Why don’t you call Captain McLeod and see if he’s available?”

“Thanks,” Jason said with a smile and headed out of the office.

Archer drummed his fingers on his desk. There was nothing he could do about Jason. It would all come out at the board meeting. Davis must have paid him for his betrayal. Jason was in a desperate situation, so it wouldn’t have been hard to turn him. Still, it was a blow. But forewarned was forearmed.

Archer walked out of his office, adjusting his blazer. The meeting with Jason had raised more questions than it had answered, and his mind was still turning over the implications.

"Archer?" Ryker's voice carried down the hallway.