Page 52 of Locke 2

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.”

Twenty-Four

Kali

Most of my night was spent with Locke.

It was night three of no sleep, and my eye bags felt heavy, they were so bad. Whatever little shut eye I had was pointless. I woke up just as wrecked, feeling gutted that he was gone, and I had no choice but to carry out my routine which I was now starting to dislike. Locke broke the monotony I thought I craved. I had a feeling he would always do that.

The photo he showed me last night sat at the forefront of my mind, making me feel cold and clammy. I couldn’t even think straight. I barely engaged Hal on our walk and when we got to the coffee shop, I ordered an extra-large latte.

At first, I tried to gauge whether he’d heard anything last night, but he appeared rested and clueless. Plus, his room was down the hall, so I doubted he would have heard much if he was awake anyway.

“You okay?” he wondered, eyeing me like I had a second head.

I grunted, demolishing my cup in no time. That was all I seemed to do lately. Grunt like a caveman and respond in three words or less.

“Is it to do with the boy?” he asked.

My lips twisted. “Any word on him?”

He shook his head and ran a hand over his bearded cheeks. “No, but listen, Kari, the police don’t seem worried, so I wouldn’t be.”

I eyed him now, disappointed in his blase attitude about it. It was so easy for people like him to just move on and not wonder or want answers. So content with wanting to believe everything was okay, they didn’t need it confirmed.

Well, I did.

I may have given him a cold look because his shoulders seemed to shrink in on themselves. He buried his face in his coffee, and we walked in silence.

I was probably being unreasonable. It wasn’t his fault for thinking there was nothing wrong. Lenny was just a stranger to him. He hadn’t been up close and personal with him every day, so he wasn’t as close to the situation as I was. Plus, he didn’t know about the picture and the relevance it held. That damn picture nagged at the back of my mind, trying to awaken a memory I’d buried.

Trying to cheer him up, I asked about his nightly disappearances, and he perked up, talking about his workplace fling, though he wouldn’t let me know exactly who it was. It’d been going on for over a month now and I was no closer to finding out about this other guy or what he was up to whenhe was gone. No matter. I wouldn’t let him know I, too, was engaging in some twisted shit.

We all had our secrets.

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