Page 26 of My Retribution Too

“Good. Don’t. That man might turn homicidal and kill Byron on site, put a bullet right between his eyes.”

I shivered, eyes wide, knowing he’d probably do just that. The way he reacted to Byron mistreating me as his sub almost caused rage to take him under. No telling what would happen if I told him everything he’d done to me.

“Agreed,” I said after a spell.

“And what about Operation Freedom? Does he know anything?”

“Well, yes, he knows some things. Nothing to do with Reed or Garrett. But he knows that I volunteer. He knows about the underground railroad and that I help families get to safety. I helped Ansley do the same.”

Ayana’s eyes grew wide as she fell back against her chair. “Woman, that’s it. Your days are numbered. Or shall I say Tweedle dee’s and Tweedle dumb’s lives are numbered.”

“Why do you say that?” Noelle asked because I couldn’t. I was too busy freaking out.

“Girl, do you know Lockhart Mills? She has given him an in, and if he had suspicions about those two before, he definitely has it now. I don’t think he’s a hundred percent convinced Phoebe is doing all of this on her own. And even if she was doing it alone, he’s not going to believe Reed and Garrett wouldn’t help her in whatever she needed. He’s going to start hunting and let me tell you, he will find whatever he’s looking for.” She then looked at me and smiled sinisterly. She pointed to my girls and said, “You better do something quick to distract him if you want to save your friends.”

Shit…

“Dammit. Reed and Garrett are going to kill me. They told me to stay away from Lock. Reed said he was like a dog with a bone.”

Ayana laughed. “You should have listened.”

I groaned, closed my eyes, and dropped my head back.

“Quick, Noelle, give this woman another drink,” Ayana quipped, humor still in her voice.

I heard her stand, and I raised my hand to stop her.

“No, what I need he doesn’t sell. Come on, let’s go to my room. I need to drink until I pass out. All I ask, before you leave, is to make sure I’m lying on my side so I don’t choke on my own vomit.”

They laughed. I was so serious.

We left the bar and made our way to my room. We were arm in arm, laughing at Ayana’s poor attempt at imitating Lock’s brooding.

We stepped on the elevator, and she stopped and looked over at me after she pushed my floor number.

“Please tell me Lock isn’t tying you up and spanking you.”

I laughed, but I swear I felt my heart skip a beat.

“No, he’s not,” I confessed, trying to keep the excitement and hopefulness out of my voice and failing miserably.

Noelle chuckled and shook her head. “Yeah, he’s not doing ityet, but she wants him to.”

Ayana groaned and covered her ears with her hands just as the elevator opened to my floor.

“I can never unhear that or unsee that.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” I heard Noelle reply, but her voice sounded distant, as if the whole world stopped around me, frozen in time.

I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart now running like a racecar. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention and my stomach was churning as if I was spinning out of control on an out-of-control merry-go-round.

“Stop,” I mumbled, and I wasn’t sure if they heard me above their laughter.

But thankfully, they had.

“What’s up?” Ayana asked, but when she saw my face, her smile instantly dropped. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head, my eyes glued to my door. There was something… wrong. Something I couldn’t explain, I couldn’t express. All I knew was that I couldn’t move, could barely breathe to explain what was happening.

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