Page 32 of Locke 2

“I can’t wait anymore.” He inhaled sharply, like this was killing him. “Kali, I can’t.”

Panic shot through me. I gripped his suit jacket tightly and shook him, but he remained still, remained buried inside me, his cock even flicking to life at my resistance. “Stop and listen.”

He gripped my hand to stop my shaking. “You made your whereabouts known—”

“Yes.”

“Then you’ve called for me—”

“Not for the reasons you think.”

His glare mixed with confusion and then…another feeling. Awretchedfeeling.

He was hurt.

Immediately, he pulled out of me and got off me again. I didn’t move this time. My heart was threatening to break out of my chest. My whole body was hot to the touch. I heard him pacing the room. I could feel the rage—there was so much rage in him now. I was afraid to look at him.

Slowly, I sat up and gathered my pants. I slid them back on, my gaze trapped to the floor. Then I wrung my hands together. I hated that I knew I was doing the right thing, but that it was going to disappoint him. Crush him even.

I stood up on shaky legs and finally peered up at him. “I didn’t call for you because I wanted you to find me.”

He stopped mid step and looked at me, his gaze dark and dangerous.

“I called for you because I need your help.”

Fourteen

Kali

“Help,” he repeated, like he was tasting the word on his tongue. He didn’t prod for information. His shoulders dropped instead, and something flashed in his eyes. Yes, it was that disappointment and the wretched look from before, but it was worse. So much worse than I expected.

Worse than that, he stopped looking at me and focused on a spot on the floor. I felt like I lost something there, as small as it might seem. He didn’twantto look at me, and that hurt.

What had become of us, I wondered. We were red hot at the start, and it was like this time apart had cooled us right down and left us with these…ugly, broken emotions.

I gathered my thoughts, trying to breathe through these gaping emotions I didn’t expect to have. Truly, I thought he’d be goading me or humping me or fucking with my head. I didn’t expect this look of. . . betrayal on his face that I put there.

“A boy went missing,” I blurted out, trying to add steel to my voice.

Detached, Locke blinked slowly, finally looking up at me. He waited for me to continue, and I felt like I was just a faceless person in front of him now.

“Focus,” whispered Aurora, standing between us, her eyes hard on mine. “Tell him, Kali.”

I took a deep breath. “The story is that his mother fled town with him because of debts she owed and a pending eviction. There was a sighting of her in a moving van, and there are claims the boy was with her, waving, but I think the story is fishy. She’s known to be a drunk, and it doesn’t make sense to me that she’d suddenly rent a car and leave. His name’s Lenny and he’s six years old. I think something happened to him.”

“What does this have to do with me?” he asked, briskly.

“You have the means,” I said quickly. “You have a network and contacts and…”

He didn’t cut me off or ask questions. He waited patiently, watching me curiously as I fumbled.

“We have to find him, Locke.”

When it was clear I was finished speaking, Locke crossed his arms and leaned his back against the dresser. “Kali, I came here to collect you.”

Was that seriously his response? “Tocollectme?” I spat out. “I don’t belong to you, Locke. I’m not athing.”

“We made a deal.”

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