Page 29 of Locke

“It’s a setup. It has to be,” I cry harder.

“I don’t know what it is, Kiki. They’re gonna be fine, though. We’re gonna get to them and bring them home.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I am. Have I ever told you wrong?” he asks, but this is different.

“This isn’t the same, Dad. You don’t know what they’re up against,” I cry a little more. He holds me tighter against his chest, and I know that I’m protected, but what about them? There’s no one to protect them against Spike.

Chapter 14

Locke

“What the fuck is this?” I roar as I glance around the dingy warehouse they have us in. I don’t know where we are, but we can’t be too far off.

“Oh, I apologize. I never introduced myself. I’m Spike. Kiki’s boyfriend.” He grins at me, making me sick to my fucking stomach. This is the fucking joke she was with?

“Her boyfriend? You ain’t shit to her. That girl is mine,” I growl as he laughs. The motherfucker has a mohawk and smiles at me before kicking me in the ribs. I grunt as the air leaves my lungs and glance around for the others.

“Your other friends got away, which means they’ll come lookin’ for you two assholes soon. The question is, do they find you dead or alive?” He taunts. I look over and see Hodge, blood coming from the side of his head, pooling around him. Fuck, he needs help.

“What the fuck do you want?”

“What do I want? I want my girl back. And you seem to be the asshole gettin’ in the way of that. What kind of piece of shit would stand in between a man and his old lady?” he asks, taunting me a little more.

“She isn’t yours, motherfucker!”

“She is mine! And she always will be! I want her back, and I want a piece of what the club is makin’. I deserve as much. I know, I know this happened before you came along, but seein’ how Kikiis attached to the two of you, I’ll use you to my advantage,” he says, looking from me to Hodge. He knows where to hit her to make it hurt. The problem is, I won’t let him hurt her. I will fucking kill him before that happens.

“You won’t touch her. I will see you dead before that happens,” I tell him. He lifts his gun and aims it at me. I wait. I fucking wait for him to end my goddamn life. I wait for him to take me out, but when he pulls the trigger, all I feel is pain shooting through my shoulder. I scream and growl as the bullet rips through my shoulder.

“Fuck!”

“You see, Locke. You really have no say in what happens here. You think you can protect her from me, of all goddamn people? No. That isn’t how the story goes, Locke. I’m a ruthless motherfucker. I’m the bad guy. I will end your life along with hers if that’s the way it needs to be. You see, she fears me. She can’t help it. I instilled that in her a long time ago.”

“She isn’t afraid of you. Not anymore!”

“She should be.” With that, he walks out the side door of the warehouse, and I look over at Hodge.

“Hodge! Wake up, brother! Hodge!” He doesn’t move. He doesn’t even attempt to wake up. As I shift and try to stand, my head begins to spin. Fuck, I’m losing blood. I try once more, just as everything goes black, and I fall to the ground.

I’m awakened by pain shooting through my body. I scream and pry my eyes open to see Spike kneeling in front of me, driving a knife into my stomach. He pulls it out as I scream in pain and licks the blade clean of my blood.

“How nice of you to wake up and join us again.”

“What the fuck are you doin’?” I growl at him. It kills a piece of me to know what he’s doing to me right now, he’s done to Kiki. She endured this. She had to. She’s strong. Stronger than she knows.

“I figured I’d try with you since it didn’t work with him,” he says, pointing the knife at Hodge. I glance over and see him bleeding from the front of his shirt. He fucking stabbed him, and I never heard him scream? What the hell is going on? How didn’t I hear that?

“Leave him the fuck alone! You wanted me, yeah? You got me!”

“I want you to call Kiki and give her a place and time to meet me. An exchange of sorts. Her for you.” Now I laugh. A sick, evil laugh. No way in hell would I trade her life for mine.

“Not gonna happen. I’m not callin’ her.” The knife slides into my flesh so easily as I roar in pain. Spike just laughs.

“I can do this all night. All you gotta do is make the call, Locke. Make the fuckin’ call!” He screams in my face. I spit in his. Fuck him. I won’t do it. There’s nothing in this world that could make me trade her life for mine. Nothing.

“You think I’d do it? You really are stupid.” Another stab into my stomach, and I gasp for air. The pain is almost too much to handle, but I breathe and try to keep calm.

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