Page 28 of Locke

“Locke with you?”

“Yeah, passin’ it over,” Hodge says. A few seconds later, I hear his voice.

“Yeah, Prez?”

“Locke, Kiki is here. She needs a minute with you. You good?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Talk to him. Calm down,” my dad tells me as he passes me a walkie-talkie. They leave the room, and there’s just me.

“You there?” I hear Locke.

“I …”

“What is it, baby? What’s wrong?” Hearing him call me baby sends my stomach into a spiral. I blink back the tears filling my eyes as I try to focus.

“It’s a setup, Locke. Spike doesn’t have anything local.”

“We’ve had people watchin’ him. We know he has somethin’ here,” he replies.

“But it can’t be. Spike would never do that.”

“It’s okay, baby. I promise. We know what we’re doin’.”

“Locke, please. You have to listen to me!” I will beg him if I have to. I don’t care what I sound like; I just need him to listen. I wait for him to respond when I hear yelling and screaming. My stomach drops when I hear that dreaded sound.

Gunshots.

“Dad!” I scream until the guys come running back into the room.

“What happened?”

“Locke! There were shots!” Dad grabs the walkie-talkie and tries to make contact with them, but there’s no response. I drop to my knees in tears as Duke kneels in front of me.

“Get her outta here,” Dad orders. Duke pulls me to my feet and leads me out of the room when I take off running toward Locke’s room. Tears spill down my cheeks. I drop onto the bed and cover my face in my hands when I hear Tina come in.

“What am I going to do?” I cry.

“They’ll be fine, Kiki. I promise.”

“I heard the shots!”

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t our guys shooting. The other guys are on their way over there now,” she tells me. That doesn’t make me feel any better.

“They didn’t listen to me. I told them, Tina. I told them!”

“I know,” she answers softly as she runs her hand up and down my back.

“I can’t lose them, Tina. I can’t.”

“You’re not losing anyone. They’re going to be fine,” she repeats firmly. I heard the shots. What could be happening? Did Spike find them first? My heart beats wildly in my chest as I try to calm myself down.

“Kiki?” I hear my dad’s voice, and when I look up and see him, I stand and rush into his arms. He pulls me in and keeps me wrapped up in him.

“Are they okay? Tell me they’re okay.”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I can’t get anyone on the walkies. The guys are on the way over there now.”

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