Chapter 8
“Not good.”
-Ryker
There’s extra security on the guard shack at Legacy Lakes this morning, and I’m betting it has to do with something at Saber Security Headquarters. The line to enter the neighborhood gate is long, so I back out and drive toward the secret entrance, two miles away in the woods.
Celia and Flint called me in last night to lock down the Ward-Saber compound, then stand guard until a team arrived to begin rotations. They didn’t tell me what the current threat was, but I understand Luke Saber and Wysdom Ward were under threat a lot.
Plus, it wasn’t my place to ask questions.
That didn’t explain the extra security at Legacy Lakes, however.
I pull into the Saber Security garage on the first floor, parking the loaner SUV next to my bike. Flint is waiting beside the elevators for me.
“Get in,” he nods toward the open doors.
Where the hell else did he think I was going?
I frown and enter the elevator. His muscles are coiled for a fight. He keeps clenching and unclenching his fists.
I breathe easy, keeping my heart rate slow.
There’s no way they found out. No fucking way.
The elevator stops on the second floor. I follow him toward Tatiana Martel’s lair. That’s the only way to describe it. Lair.
Tatiana barely stands five feet tall, wears her black hair natural, and is surrounded by server stacks. A giant glass monitor covers one wall of her lab. It’s broken into several screens, but I know it can be configured differently depending on her needs.
I look at the screens. My ugly mug is plastered on several of them, right next to Catalina Saber’s smirking face.
My blood pressure spikes.
“Sit down,” Celia motions toward a chair.
I narrow my eyes. “Rather stand.”
Flint clamps a giant hand on my shoulder. “Wasn’t an option, Ryker. Sit.”
I ease into a chair, keeping my eye on both of them. There’s no way I was running out of here, even if I wanted to. An army of security guards, trained in the various branches of the military, stood between me and my Harley downstairs.
“We have a situation,” Celia takes a seat in front of me.
Tatiana snorts.
“T,” Celia warns.
The tiny hacker holds up her hands. “Sorry, Boss Woman. But the scary silent type over there didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. He’s gotta know something’s up.”
I raise an eyebrow at Tatiana, who winks at me.
Interesting. If I were in deep shit, I don’t think she’d be messing with me. Furthermore, I’d likely not be in her lab at all but the stockade.
“Situation?” I turn back to Celia.
“Two serial killers are on the loose,” Celia blows out a deep breath. “And they’re targeting my family.”
I’m surprised. And that, in and of itself, is a surprise. It takes a lot to catch me off guard.
