Locke 2 (Blackwater Boys #4)

Twenty-Three

Kali

“F ool,” Aurora hissed, seconds after he’d left.

I turned to my side, ignoring her. I wanted her to go away. Leave me alone. He wants too much. I can’t give it to him.

I opened my eyes and stared ahead, listening intently for sounds of him.

Had he truly left?

“I can’t give it to him,” I declared, but there was no fight in my voice.

Defeated, I lay there. Aurora was gone, and the room felt painfully still. Nothing but his angry eyes flashed through my vision. His words were coated with pain and anger. He looked so sad. Guilt spread across my chest, hot like fire. I sat up and stared at the door. He’d left it ajar. I wanted him to appear, but he wasn’t there, and I heard nothing.

“Aurora?” I whispered.

She wasn’t there.

“Locke?”

He wasn’t there, either.

I climbed off the bed and rushed out of the room. His car would be parked down the street. I might catch up to him. I slipped on my shoes and opened the front door. Cold air greeted me, and a light spatter of rain. The porch was empty, and I didn’t see him down the driveway. I rushed down the steps and searched the streets. Icy wind swept my hair in all directions as I peered right and left. Squinting my eyes, I caught movement. His form, blacker than night, moved in the direction of his black car.

I ran to him.

I wouldn’t scream his name and wake the neighbours, but if he got to his car before I did, I might have to. I couldn’t let him leave in this way.

He reached his car, and I heard it beep—

My shoes crunched loudly under my feet. I saw him still, and his head turned to the side. He didn’t look behind him, but he heard me just the same.

My lungs burned as I came to a hard stop behind him. A few feet separated us, but it still felt vast. I panted and he remained unmoving.

“Locke…” The words sat like cement in my throat. I swallowed hard and forced them out. “I’m sorry.”

He slowly turned around. I tried to blink away the heavy emotion, but my eyes watered. I wanted to tell him more things, but I physically couldn’t. He watched me like he was searching for something. If he found it, I didn’t know, but he looked back down at the ground and heaved out a long breath. “Get in the car, Kali”

He didn’t have to ask me twice. I hurried to the passenger side and slid in. I was still breathing heavily, watching him with wide eyes. He wasn’t so fast. He stood still and stared up at the night sky. Melancholy enveloped him, transforming his fearsome presence into one shrouded in misery.

He finally stirred, climbing into the car and starting the engine. Hot air burst through the vents, warming my cold skin. The interior light stayed off, offering a small reprieve in the darkness. He couldn’t see the tears streaming down my face, and I couldn’t see the pain mirrored in his.

“I didn’t mean what I said,” he whispered. “Even if you ran from me for good, I wouldn’t take back the days I got to have you in my bed.”

This man was undoing me quickly. I felt myself trembling. I reached out to him and gripped his hand. I squeezed him tightly. “Thank you for finding me. You could have ignored my call.”

He turned his head, looking baffled at my words. “You don’t get it, do you?”

He didn’t wait for a response. He shook his head and looked down the street. “It wasn’t a game to me, Kali.”

I looked down the street, too, nodding once as I admitted quietly, “I know, Locke.”

I always knew that.

He squeezed my hand back, and I felt my breaths lighten. I felt him come back around again. The gentleness I longed for.

“Was it a good, good night kiss?” he said, taking me by surprise.

Relief ballooned inside me. He must not hate me. My lips spread into a smile, but my heart still clenched in my chest. “It was a very good, good night kiss.”

His lips spread into a soft smile. I would have given anything for the light to be on to see it. He peered down at our entwined hands, that smile fading as the seconds ticked by.

He let out a long sigh. “I saw something in that little boy’s room. It’s the reason I came to you.”

My smile faded. “What did you see?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his dumb phone. I watched him flip it open. The light illuminated his face, showing his pursed lips and pale skin. He didn’t look right.

“It’s not the best picture,” he whispered. “But it’s good enough.”

I waited for him to show me, but he appeared conflicted now. “Kali… this world I operate in, it’s where demons come out and play. I know you’ve been through hell. I learned what I could, and I’m sure I still don’t have the full picture of the day your world disappeared from under you. I know that you understand pain, but…this is something else. This is a world coated in danger. It would happily make you endure the worst day of your life over and over again. It’s why I need you far away from it.”

“I still want to know,” I pushed out, though my teeth began to chatter from the fear his words evoked. “I need to know, Locke. Please.”

His nostrils flared. He closed his eyes briefly, like he was fighting to stop himself from keeping whatever was on the phone from me.

But then, without another word, he offered me the phone. My heart was in my ears as I took it and brought it to my face. I squinted my eyes, trying to understand the picture I was looking at and hoping I was wrong. I shook my head though, part of me confused while the other part of me petrified. “Is that…”

“A face,” he finished, nodding. “Yes, little lion. He drew a man’s face on the wall beside his bed.”