Page 11 of Lock Me Out

“I heard he went away for the weekend and didn’t come back,” I reply with a shrug. What the hell is taking her so long in there? Knowing Piper, she’s making friends with at least three other women, talking about the movie while they wait in line, complimenting somebody’s lip gloss while they’re washing their hands.

“Yeah, that’s what everybody seems to think, and isn’t that convenient for you?” Dennis lifts his lip in a sneer that, no matter how I fight against it, makes my blood run cold. “Just like it’s convenient that the explosion was ruled an accident.”

“What the hell do you think you’re getting at?” I have to ask. “What, you think I’m some psycho mastermind who started an explosion in my own house while my mom and stepdad were in there? Or do you think I’m a stupid piece of trash?” I continue, glaring at Deborah. “Maybe you should make up your minds.”

“Maybe you should watch who you’re mouthing off to,” Dennis warns. His dark eyes are blank, empty as they stare holes into me. “There are all kinds of ways to get a person to admit the truth. Do you really want me to demonstrate them for you?”

It’s enough to make my blood run cold. Now I really wish I had gotten in line to go to the bathroom because my bladder suddenly feels too heavy. “Right here?” I ask, faking innocence. “With an audience?”

“Wherever and whenever the hell I want,” he replies, and his tone is chilling. Lowering his brow, he sneers, “You just wait and see. You’ll never know when it’s coming, but it is coming. So enjoy your life while you can.”

There’s no pretending that’s anything less than a threat. Standing slowly on trembling legs, I force myself to look him inthe eye. Really, what I want to do is run away and hide, but then that’s what he wants, too. “You know, you really shouldn’t make threats like that, especially in public. People might get the wrong idea and think you’re serious, which I know you can’t be.”

“Is that what you think? Well, maybe it’s what you need to believe,” he replies. “And that’s fine. Doubt me all you want. I’m going to find out what the hell happened to my brother, what you and Colt did to him—I’m going to make you pay. Wait and see.”

“And there I was, thinking the only drama I’d see tonight was on the movie screen.” Piper couldn’t have picked a better time to show up, draping an arm around my shoulders before snorting. “You sound like a cheesy villain from an ’80s movie. Maybe you should start wearing polo shirts so you can pop the collar and really complete the look.”

“Fuck off,” Deborah sneers.

“What, your man can’t speak for himself?” Without waiting for a reply, Piper steers us away from them. “I would tell you to have a good night, but I really hope you don’t,” she calls out over her shoulder as we walk away while the two of them mutter under their breath.

“They’re insane,” I whisper as we cross the lobby, now much quieter than before since most people have left.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that. But they’re just assholes, acting like assholes,” she decides with her usual confidence. “Trust me, Deborah is so full of shit, I’m surprised her eyes aren’t brown.”

I can’t help the laugh that bursts out of me. It feels good, releasing the pent-up energy like this. “I just don’t know why he thinks Bradley has anything to do with me.”

“Oh, you know how it is. I guess he doesn’t know who to blame or even if there’s anybody to blame,” she reasons as we cross the lot that has now emptied, for the most part, heading for her car. It’s a little chilly, making me wrap my arms around myself before I shiver. “So, what do you do? You lash out. And if you’re already an asshole like the two of them, you act like a real dick about it.”

She’s right, though it doesn’t help. They’re not just going to magically give this up, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I start getting even more messages than I did before. The threats, the warnings, they’ll all probably ramp up after what just went down.

And I can’t tell Colt about it. I can’t. All it would do is give him an excuse to vent what I know is building in him—his frustration when nobody but he believes Nix is still alive. He would take it out on the two of them, and it would get extremely ugly.

Not that I care about them. They could smash up their car on the way from the theater, and I wouldn’t shed a tear. I’m more worried about him. I wouldn’t want him to get in trouble. No, I can’t tell him about what happened tonight or any of it. Because I love him, and I know it would only hurt him in the end.

“Do you feel all right?” Piper sounds concerned as she starts the car, frowning at me.

“I feel fine,” I lie, because the truth is, even though I have so many good things in my life, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alone.

6

NIX

Those fucking assholes.

And I thought it was hard staying away from Leni—watching her from afar, being part of her life without showing myself? I thought it took all I had to keep myself hidden from her? I didn’t have the first fucking clue.

Because now here I am, standing in the vestibule behind glass doors, watching her walk away with Piper while wondering if anyone would connect her to Deborah’s and Dennis’s sudden disappearance tonight.

I can hardly believe the thoughts running through my head, but they exist in bright, vivid color. They make my heart beat faster, like I’m anticipating something exciting, something I’ve been looking forward to. The way other people might look forward to a holiday or a birthday or an anniversary. I’m standing here imagining ending two lives in the most brutal way possible, and I’m excited about it.

But these aren’t ordinary people. These are people who go out of their way to make others miserable. People like Leni, who’snever hurt them. It was one thing for me and Colt. We had our reasons. Deborah has no fucking reason.

And Dennis? I might feel sorry for him if he wasn’t acting like such a complete bastard. If my brother disappeared without a trace, I wouldn’t rest until I found answers. There wouldn’t be a place in the world I wouldn’t look for him. But I wouldn’t harass an innocent person in that search, and that’s what Leni is: innocent. What the hell can he possibly think she has to do with this? Why would anybody blame her for anything?

Right now, I’m not interested in answers. It’s time for a little payback. And since too many people saw them with Leni, that takes a lot of options off the table. But I can’t let those fuckers get away untouched.

I don’t know where they went. Maybe to the bathroom. Maybe they’re celebrating being complete and total assholes. Part of me wonders what would happen if I showed my face. Would they think they were looking at a ghost? No, too risky, even if there’s a part of me that craves the shock I know would pass over their faces. Instead, I head outside, where the parking lot is almost empty, and a chilly breeze makes me shiver. I recognize Deborah’s car—not that there are many to choose from—and pull out the switchblade I’ve started carrying as a habit, since my neighborhood isn’t exactly safe. When I’m sure nobody’s watching, I shove the blade into one of her tires.

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