Page 27 of Locke

“We both have a fucked up past, and neither of us know how to move on from it.”

“She’s a good girl, Locke. She’ll come around. Just give her a little time to get her back in the game. Whatever happened to her out there did a number on her,” Hodge says. I know what happened to her out there. She showed me, told me. I crack my neck from side to side because all I want to do is grab that motherfucker Spike around his throat and squeeze the fucking life out of him.

I sigh as I keep watching, knowing fighting with Kiki isn’t the answer. I’ve let my demons run my life long enough. It’s time for a change.

Chapter 13

Kiki

I stayed in bed and fell asleep after he stormed out. I expected him to come back, but he hasn’t. I sigh as I sit up and grab my clothes, pulling them on. Then I head for the door. I need to apologize to him. I know deep down he isn’t like Spike. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I shouldn’t have even debated it in my head. It was wrong. So wrong.

I leave the room and walk down the hall when I see Tina at the bar. I slip onto a stool and smile at her.

“Where’s the guys?” I ask as I look around, not seeing Locke or Hodge.

“They had business to attend to.”

“What business?”

“Locke didn’t tell you?” she asks. I shake my head.

“We had a little argument, and he stormed out of the room.”

“Shit. So what I heard was that they found some spot locally where Spike was running shit. I don’t know the details. That’s just what I heard.” I narrow my eyes at her and shake my head. That doesn’t sound right.

“That can’t be right,” I say more to myself than to her. Spike doesn’t have a setup around here. He never did. He didn’t like it being so close to my dad and his club. He kept his shit away from here.

“What are you talking about?” Tina asks as panic takes over. My hands begin to shake as I stand and back away from the bar.

“It’s wrong. It’s all wrong.”

“Duke! Get out here!” I hear Tina yelling but my mind is going a million miles a minute. This isn’t right. This is wrong. It can’t be right.

“What? What’s goin’ on?”

“She keeps yelling it’s wrong.”

“It’s a setup!” I yell as Duke tries to grab my arm. I shake my arm away from him and run to the stairs. I take them two at a time before I burst into my dad’s office.

“Tell me they’re all okay?” I scream as I look at him.

“What’s goin’ on? Kiki, what the fuck?”

“Dad, please. Tell me they’re okay?”

“She said it’s a setup, Prez,” I hear Duke behind me.

My dad steps in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to look at him.

“What’s happenin’, Kiki?”

“It’s a setup. Please, Dad. Tell me Hodge and Locke are okay.”

“It’s okay. They’re on a surveillance run,” he tells me. No, it’s not okay. I can feel it.

“It’s wrong, Dad. Please.”

“Pull up the coms and get them on the line.” I don’t even pay attention to who he’s talking to. I just listen as static comes over the line. Then Hodge is there, and I sigh.

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