Page 19 of Locke

“You’re right. The sooner we see what they want, the sooner we get home,” Hodge says. I lick my lips, ready to get this shit over with it even though we just got here. I feel like I need to be closer to Kiki. I need to be there if she needs me. And that’s some fucked up shit right there. I shouldn’t think that way. She doesn’t need me but I can’t stop the thought.

“Let’s do this,” Hodge says as he pulls his gun from his jeans. We do the same as we sneak toward the warehouse, moving around the building and up to the door. Hodge raises his hand andcounts us down before I kick the door in. Shots are fired as soon as we move inside, but we quickly take cover and return fire. We move quickly, getting to them in no time.

With them injured, we managed to take them down quite quickly. We didn’t kill them, but I bet they wish they were dead. Remy moves around to zip-tie their arms behind their backs before kicking each one to the floor and onto their knees.

By now, anger surges inside me. It’s in my veins, and there’s nothing I can do to stop what I’m about to do. I walk up to the one who looks to be in charge, and I punch him in the face. He falls backward, and Remy repositions him so I can hit him again. I beat the shit out of this asshole knowing he’s with that fucker Spike.

“You run back and tell Spike I’m gonna kill his ass when I get my hands on him,” I tell him, growling close to his ear.

“You ain’t touchin’ him. He’s unstoppable.”

“He put his hands on somethin’ that has value to me, and now I’m gonna return the goddamn favor,” I roar as I kick the asshole in the ribs. You would think it was Spike himself in front of me, but it isn’t, and I can’t seem to care at the moment. I saw what he did to her. I saw the scars.

Hodge and Remy both take a man and beat the shit out of them before we turn and walk away. We head outside, and I light up a cigarette as we head back toward the bikes.

“You been a lot angrier lately. What’s goin’ on?” Hodge asks me. I shake my head. No way in hell am I having this discussion with him.

“Nothin’. Just off.”

“Don’t fuckin’ lie to me. What’s goin’ on, Locke?”

“He’s caught up on your little sister, is what’s wrong,” Remy and his big mouth chime in. I flip him off and keep walking when Hodge grabs my shoulder and spins me to face him.

“If it were any other girl, I’d say go for it and move on with your life but I can’t with her. Not my sister.”

“There’s nothin’ goin’ on.”

“Not how I see it,” Remy argues.

“What the fuck do you think you see, brother? Huh?”

“I see how you are when she’s around. I see how she is. Somethin’ is goin’ on.”

“There’s nothin’ goin’ on, Remy. So shut the fuck up before I beat your ass next!”

“Look, I get it. Kiki is a different breed. She’s one of us, but Gunner isn’t gonna go for that shit. He doesn’t like her in the club mess as it is after what happened with Spike. Is he glad she’s back home? Hell yeah but not the way he wanted her here. He wanted her to go to school and be somethin’. You get me?”

“I get it. You don’t have shit to worry about from me,” I reassure him. “I’m not the good guy here, Hodge. I’ve got my own fucked up shit.” Is it a lie? Probably because something about that girl pulls me out of the dark, I’ve been living in for so long.

“You’re a good guy, Locke. I trust you with her life, and that’s sayin’ somethin’. Do you have a fucked up past? Yeah, most of us do. And there isn’t shit we can do to change that. But as fucked up as your past is, I’m guessing Kiki’s isn’t far behind, or she wouldn’t have shown back up. Whatever happened to her out inNew York must have really shaken her to send her runnin’ home. Just be careful. She’s fresh out of her shit and hasn’t even begun to heal.” I nod my head, understanding all of that. This whole thing is a mess, and I don’t need to be in the middle of it. But how do I stop myself now? She showed me a piece of herself before I left. She let me step through the crack in that closed door, and now I don’t know if I can come back out of it.

Chapter 9

Kiki

I’m washing dishes with Tina, and I can’t get my mind to settle. All I’ve done is think about Locke and how he kissed me. The way he looked at me. The fire in his eyes after he saw what Spike did to me. I didn’t tell him anything more. I couldn’t.

But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about him.

“Do you know when the guys are coming back?” I ask Tina. She smiles over at me, and I can see the questions in her eyes.

“Soon. I heard they found what they were looking for and handled it. No signs of Spike, though. Let me ask you something. You have a thing for Locke? I mean, I see the way that man has been looking at you since you got here. Is there something going on with you two?”

“What? No.” She walks closer and rests her hand on my back, causing me to flinch. She notices and pulls her hand away quickly. I’m not used to anyone touching them. I mean, obviously, my dad hugs me, but he doesn’t know what’s under there, and I’d like to keep it that way.

“You know you can talk to me, right? I’m here for you, Kiki.”

“I appreciate that. I just … I don’t know. I feel things when he’s around and I don’t like it. I felt the same things for Spike, and look what happened with that.”

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