Page 2 of Lockout

“Miss Bradford?”

I tensed at hearing the familiar voice. “Hello, Agent Anderson.”

“I hope all is going well?” he asked.

Sure. If you considered hiding out in my house ‘going well’. But I didn’t tell him that. “Yes, Sir,” I said.

“Good. Agent Hill is wondering when you’d be returning?”

Anderson was the one I’d asked to take leave away from the task force. And Mike was getting antsy. He’d called me multiple times over the last week, yelling into the voicemail that I was putting the mission at risk. God, I hated that guy. No one else on the task force thought it was right that he’d involved me in this way.

But he was one of those guys who thought that the end justified any means. As long as it worked out in his favor. That was the key,hisfavor.He’d even tried to convince me to date one of the targets. I was shocked when he suggested it. Not that he’d done it outright. Because then I’d be able to report him. No, he’d done it in a roundabout way. One that wouldn’t get him into trouble if I mentioned it to anyone.

“Just bump into him at the coffee shop,” he’d suggested with that smarmy smile of his. He was the type that made you understand why my bikers,eh hem,thebikers, hated the feds. Not that they were all like that, though. I got along with most of the agents on the task force.

I shuddered just thinking about dating one of the targets. I hadn’t taken his suggestion, which pissed him off more, and he started giving me more and more assignments that had me brushing elbows with different members of the Legion of Shadow MC. Though I’d never seen Hangman in person, I knew what he looked like. If I’d ever met him I’d probably have lost it and run.

Normally, I’d feel guilty about helping the FBI investigate a motorcycle club, considering my ties with The Viking’s Rampage. But the Legion was bad news.Seriouslybad news. They were involved with different foreign groups that centered around human trafficking. And that wasn’t all they were involved in. Drugs, guns, you named it and the LoS dipped their toes in. Not to mention the people they worked with were some of the worst sorts as well.

There was no way for our government to take out these different organizations in other countries, and they were careful about coming into the U.S. That left us to take out those helping them here. Mainly, the Legion of Shadow.

Even thinking about them and the shit that they’ve done had my blood all but freezing in my veins. Again, I thought I’d behelping to prosecute them. Somehow, I’d been thrown into the deep end and now Hangman and the LoS knew who I was and what I was doing.

“I’m not sure, Sir. I’m having some family issues,” I lied. I didn’t even feel bad about it. I was a civilian contractor. On loan from my law office. But while I worked for the government, they owned me and they weren’t fond of people who went AWOL. Being absent without leave could land me in prison. I’d be tempted to risk it, except that wouldn’t keep me out of the LoS’s clutches. It would just make it easier for them to silence me.

I didn’t know what they wanted me for, but if they knew I was connected with the FBI, it wouldn’t be for anything good. These bikers weren’t like those I knew. They were vicious. Merciless. And they didn’t give a shit about me. Not like The Viking’s Rampage did. I’d either find myself in some foreign country in a situation out of my control, or dead. I didn’t want to be either of those things.

“Well, I’ll let him know it’ll be a little longer, but Miss Bradford, we’ll need you back here soon.”

“Yes, Sir,” I croaked out. It was like my throat didn’t want to allow the words to escape. I needed to figure out what to do. No one from the LoS had contacted me. I hadn’t seen anyone watching my house, but I had the sickening feeling that it was only a matter of time. They had chapters all over the country. In fact, there was one in Phoenix.

I hung up the phone and slipped down the wall until I was sitting on the cool tile. My choices were quickly dwindling.

A sound at my front door made me freeze, barely breathing. The door handle began to turn and my eyes widened. Had I not locked it? I scrambled to my feet, and skidded across the tile in my socks until I slammed into the door.

“What the fuck?” a voice on the other side of the door said. “Someone in there?”

My breath left my chest in a huff as I recognized Smokehouse’s voice. I’d told Dani when I got here that she didn’t need to check on the house this week. That I’d planned to have a housekeeper come in and clean a couple days ago. They weren’t supposed to be here.

“Stand back, Dani,” the biker growled.

“It’s me. Keely,” I called out. I didn’t want to give Smoke a chance to pull his gun. Or knock my door down, especially with me leaning against it.

There was silence then my sister’s voice called out. “Keels?”

I opened the door a crack and peeped through. “Hi.”

Smoke scowled at me. His hand was behind him and I knew it was sitting on the butt of his weapon, even though I’d announced myself. His eyes flicked behind me as I opened the door, searching for threats.

Dani flung herself into my arms. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?”

I was in deep shit. I could either lie to her, or tell her the truth, which meant the MC would find out. And that meant Lockout would hear why I was home. I didn’t want that. None of them deserved to be dragged into my mess, least of all him.

He took too much on himself to begin with. Every single threat that had come at the club—or its old ladies—he’d taken as his sole responsibility to straighten out. The others helped, of course. But it was usually Lock who stayed up late, worrying and planning. I knew from the time I lived at the clubhouse and saw his office light on long after the others had gone to sleep. He was the heart and soul of the Tucson club, and everyone knew it but him. Without him, the rest of the men wouldn’t function as the unit they were.

Sighing, I stepped out of my sister’s arms and pulled them inside. But I knew lying wasn’t an option. Not to them, not tohim. “We need to talk. But first,” I said, putting my hands on my hips, “where is my niece?”

Dani laughed. “Sloane watches her for us when we come to check on your house.”

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