Archer snorted. “I don’t think I could tread lightly around her if I tried. She runs circles around me.”
Rhys’ expression became serious, a telling sign he knew something Archer did not. “I suspect she’s not all armor. Be considerate of that, is all I’m asking.”
All right, so there was more to Elise than Archer knew. Something more to her story that Wayne hadn’t felt was necessary to tell him when he dug into Elise’s life. Perhaps her strength was a shield to protect a soft heart. Archer doubted she’d ever let him close enough to find out. “All right. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Rhys inclined his head. “Thank you. Now, my second concern. This morning, I received a call from Rossi. He’s requested Elise for his show.”
Christopher Rossi was an Academy Award winning actor and a member of Phoenix for a handful of years now. “Never going to happen,” Archer stated.
Rhys lifted an eyebrow. “Because you won’t allow it?”
“Please.” Archer snorted. “We both know that choice does not belong to me and lies with Elise alone.”
Rhys offered a sly smile back. “Yes, it is Elise’s choice, but it is also my decision whether or not I ask her if she’d like to take part in a show.”
Archer should say he had no problem with it. He and Elise weren’t together, but… “When is Rossi’s show?”
“A couple months away.”
Archer blew out a long breath. The stars of the shows always received a gift for participating. Rhys always said it was a way to give back. Rich people paid him for privacy, and Rhys gifted those fulfilling those fantasies money to help them get a better life. “She was pretty adamant last night that she’d never come back to the club, but give her a little time to fully absorb last night’s show,” he finally decided. “Then I’d be more than willing to do another show with her.”
“All right.” Rhys slowly grinned, telling Archer he saw right through him.
Even Archer knew his reactions this morning were…off. He didn’t understand what it was about her that drew him in so forcefully. Last night, he thought they’d kill the tension, the need. This morning, it pulsated worse than ever. He could still smell her, hear her, feel her. His cock throbbed, and before he could harden further, his cell phone beeped in his pocket. He read the screen and wished they were still talking about Elise. “For fuck’s sake,” he growled.
“What is it?”
“This cannot be a coincidence.” Archer studied his phone, reading the article Hawke, one of his team members, sent him. StarCraze was the biggest tabloid gossip column in North America, and the headline read: A secret sex club in New York City for the rich and famous? We’ve got all the scoop! While that was a problem, a big fucking problem, the photograph showed three people. Connie, staring at herself in the gilded mirror in the far corner of the club, Isaac standing behind her, and Kieran off to her right, wearing a gold mask. An outsider wouldn’t be able to recognize any of their identities with their faces covered, but Archer knew. “What the fuck is happening here?” He handed his phone to Rhys.
Rhys took one look at the screen, and rage stormed across his expression. “How did this happen?”
“It’s Connie—her mask must have had a camera, but how did we not find it?” Archer rose, taking his phone back and texting Kieran. Heads up. Check out StarCraze’s article. I’m looking into it. Be in touch soon. He tossed his cell on the chair he’d been sitting in and thrust his fingers into his hair. “It’s got to be Connie and Isaac.”
“Isaac Shae?” Rhys snapped.
Archer nodded. “Last night, when Elise came to the club, she said they stood out to her as people of interest.”
“Did you tell her we were already looking into Connie?”
Archer paced in front of Rhys’ desk. “No. I told her I needed someone looked into, but she wanted to get a feel of the members for herself. Those two stood out to her.”
“Why?”
“Because they weren’t horny.” When Rhys’ brows rose, Archer added, “Elise’s words, not mine.”
“So, their behavior was off?”
Archer nodded. “It’s why bringing her in on this was so important. Not only does she have access to places she shouldn’t, she’s got a real instinct where it comes to investigating people.” Archer had seen this in the military. Some people saw the world in a different way, and Elise was one of those people.
Rhys ran a hand across the back of his neck. “We need to get on top of this and find out what they want, especially if they’re planning on blackmailing us.” He hesitated, then shook his head slowly. “Why the fuck would they publish a photo of themselves when they’ve paid a hundred grand to keep their identities a secret?”
“I have no idea,” Archer replied. “The only logical thing here would be if someone was blackmailing them and their behavior was off because of that?”
Rhys agreed with a nod. “That might be it.”
“But why try and sneak a mask into the club if it didn’t have a camera? If not on the mask, how the hell did she get a camera in?” Archer countered.
“The amount of unknowns is a big problem.” Rhys ran a hand across his face, a heaviness weighing on him. “We’re going to have a fallout. Members will leave.”
Archer felt each and every one of those words like a punch to his chest. “We’ll get this put to bed quickly.”
Rhys nodded. “I have no doubt you will.” Another pause. “Let’s close the club for the time being. I don’t want more unnecessary heat, and we want to reassure the members we’re taking this breach seriously.”
“I’ll have the team reach out to everyone today.”
“Good.” He reached for his coffee again, but then his cell phone rang on his desk. “Harrington,” he answered briskly. Immediately, his expression softened. “Sorry, love, it’s been a frustrating morning.” A pause. “Yes, I’m fine. Is everything okay?” Tension wafted off him when his eyes met Archer’s, and then he frowned. “Did this happen last night?” Another long pause. “All right, let me get Archer to find out what’s going on. I love you, too. Goodbye.” He ended the call and said to Archer, “Elise’s office was broken into last night.”
“Is this an unusual thing to happen in her line of work?”
Rhys shook his head. “By how upset Zoey is, I’d say it’s unusual. She’s worried.” Archer rose and headed for the door. “Archer.” When he looked back, Rhys added, “Elise is very important to Zoey, and Zoey is very important to me. If this break-in is due to her investigating the club, she’s off this case and you’ll use your friend in Washington.”
The friend was a fellow Green Beret, who’d served alongside Archer. He nodded at the order, already a step ahead of Rhys. If whoever did this was tied to Phoenix, he wouldn’t continue to put Elise in harm’s way.
Few things pissed Elise off, but as she’d shown Archer with the magazine subscriptions, having her life invaded was one of those things. Papers were thrown about her office and her chair was knocked over. They hadn’t been able to crack the filing cabinet. Thank you, Penny.