Lock

by Terry Bolryder

  “I was desperate at the time. Debt collectors were threatening to kill my twin, and I hated rich alphas like the ones who had put on the alpha challenge for Misty. That’s Rowan’s daughter-in-law. She’s married to Lindon, his son.”

  “Wait, so what happened?”

  “One of the other competitors was planning to kidnap and sell her. At first, I was hoping to win Misty over myself, but when I saw that wasn’t going to happen, the guy approached me. Offered to get me out of trouble if I just led Misty to him.”

  “But you didn’t?”

  “I almost did, for Thor’s sake,” Lock said. “First, I tried to persuade her to mate me because I could keep her safe from kidnappers and she could solve my problems as well. I was young and stupid.”

  Tasha nodded. “It seems like a tough situation.”

  Lock met her eyes. “It was, but I’m a different person now. I could never even consider something like that again.”

  “And you didn’t actually go through with it, right?”

  “Right,” Lock said. “I changed my mind, and instead of bringing her to him, I took a bullet so she could escape. I ended up using my blood to save Lindon as well. It’s a long story. But basically, the fact that I was almost a part of something so heinous is the worst of my history. I’ve spent my time since then trying to make up for it.”

  “You took a bullet?” Tasha said, gaping at him. “But you were okay?”

  “Super healing,” he said, lifting his shirt to show her a puckered scar on his side that she hadn’t noticed before. “It had special venom. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have even scarred me.”

  She bit her lip, having no idea what to say. He’d been through so much in his life, and his past was definitely complicated. Still, it didn’t change who he was, the man she knew now. She slid her hand over his. “Thank you for telling me.”

  Lock looked ahead at the road. “It’s a hard thing to say. Even if it was years and years ago.”

  “Yeah,” Tasha said. “But I don’t know what to say about it. It seems like you’ve done everything you can to atone for it and it’s not the person you are now.”

  Lock nodded. “I’ve done everything I could to protect women since then. Both those at Club Crimson and the ones I’ve saved from the Tribunal.”

  “Saved?”

  Lock sighed. “You know how I was knocked unconscious a little before you came to the club?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t know anything about you before I woke up that night and you were supposed to erase my memory.”

  “I was trying to free a captured alpha female that had been taken from her pack. A Tribunal member even showed up later to tell me not to steal from their storage. I mean, I do take other things. Memory serums. But I also know they take our people. They hide them, saving them for themselves or harvesting their power. I try to bring females back to their packs.”

  She swallowed, her throat tight. “Does anyone know you do this?”

  Lock shook his head. “No. And I think I’ve found everyone so far. All that’s left is to take down the Tribunal, but nothing I’ve stolen seems like it will help. I’ll just have to find another way. I was really hoping for some secret, something that would be their weakness in the end.”

  “I’m sorry you didn’t find it,” Tasha said, squeezing his hand.

  “So you forgive me? After what I just told you?” He glanced at her hesitantly.

  She leaned in against him, resting her cheek against his muscular arm. “None of us are perfect. I suppose your past is a little less… perfect than most people’s. But what matters to me is who you are now. And that you didn’t go through with it.”

  “I never could have,” Lock said. “Even at my darkest point.”

  “I know,” Tasha said. “Deep down, I know that for sure.”

  “Thanks for believing in me,” Lock said. “I’ll be better able to deal with Rowan and his family, knowing I have at least one person with me who doesn’t think I’m a piece of shit.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure they don’t think that. And if they do, that’s their problem. You won me over. I’m sure you could win them over as well. If not, we’ll get the info we need and move on, simple as that.”

  Lock exhaled in relief. “All right, then. And, Tasha?”

  “Yes?”

  “As much as I like you on my arm, you should probably sit up. We’re about to arrive at Rowan’s home.”

  Chapter 16

  “Lock,” Lindon said, golden eyes glinting as he glared down at them in the dark. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”

  “He saved your life and mine. Both good reasons,” a female voice quipped. A second later, Lindon’s mate, Misty, peeked out from behind him.

  Lock noticed she was wearing her curly hair long now. It perfectly framed her soft features and brown skin.

  Her brown eyes sparkled. “It’s good to see you.”

  Lindon put a hand to his face. “I can’t believe you would say that. To him.”

  “I told you he wouldn’t have done anything,” Misty said, pushing her way around Lindon to come down the stairs. “Lock saved your life, so he’ll always be welcome here. Is this your mate?” She tried to get a look at Tasha. “I knew you’d be tamed one day.”

  Lock sighed, stepping to Tasha’s side, since he’d been blocking her from view. “This is Tasha. And it’s good to see you too, Misty, even if your mate does want to kill me.”

  “He isn’t going to kill you.” Misty snorted, folding her arms. “You know Lindon’s just grumpy.”

  “He has a right,” Lock said, looking up at Lindon, who was still glaring.

  “Damn right I do,” Lindon retorted. “If you weren’t—”

  Lights hit them as a vehicle pulled in, parking right at the base of the stairs.

  A handsome man got out, with graying black hair and vibrant blue eyes. He waved at them and jogged up the steps to meet Lindon.

  It was Rowan.

  “Listen,” he said, slightly out of breath from running. “There’s something else you should know, Lindon. Lock’s been saving people. I’ve heard from my friends at Ivy pack, and they said Lock just got the shit kicked out of him for bringing home their daughter. So maybe, despite his past deeds, we can cut him a break?”

  Lindon looked as if he didn’t want to, and his handsome, bordering-on-beautiful face was currently tight with suppressed rage. “Fine.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he picked his mate up in his arms and walked up the steps. “But you can deal with him on your own.”

  Misty waved at Lock and Tasha. “I’ll just be inside, then.”

  The door slammed, and Rowan looked at Lock and Tasha apologetically.

  “I’m sorry for my son, but, well, you understand…”

  “If someone had threatened Tasha, even momentarily, I don’t know if I could be talked out of killing him.” Lock agreed.

  Rowan nodded. “And who is this pretty lady?”

  “This amazing lady is Tasha,” Lock said, putting his arm around her waist.

  Rowan gave her a long, considering look. “Wow. The resemblance is there. I can’t believe…”

  “Believe what?”

  “Just that most of the world didn’t know Fifi had a sister,” Rowan said. “At least not until recently.”

  They walked up the stairs, and Lock watched Tasha admire the huge mountain luxury lodge where Rowan lived.

  It was beautiful, the kind of place that cost millions of dollars, but then Rowan’s pack had always been well connected.

  Probably the highest pack next to the Tribunal, though they stayed separate from it.

  When they walked inside, there was no sign of Lindon and Misty, and Lock hoped they weren’t upstairs arguing.

  As a moan rent the air, Lock realized perhaps they were working through Lindon’s anger in a slightly different way.

  He smirked and locked eyes with a blushing Tasha.

  Rowan just laughed. “Perha
ps we’ll go downstairs to my study.”

  “Right,” Lock said. After holding back his temper, Lindon deserved a reward. Plus, Misty probably found his jealousy super hot, since he was usually kind of a level-headed person.

  When they got downstairs, they walked into an office with beautiful mahogany furniture and sat together on a couch with Rowan sitting behind a desk.

  “So,” he said, leaning forward. “You want to know what I’ve heard about Fifi.”

  Lock felt Tasha lean forward with interest, and his own heart was starting to pound as well. “Yes. We do.”

  Rowan reached into a drawer and pulled out a letter, along with a small package. “This is for you.” He slid it to Tasha. “Fifi sent it to me, along with a letter, which he wanted to you to read. Alone.”

  Tasha looked nervously at Lock. “Is that okay?”

  Lock didn’t like it, but he nodded. “It doesn’t matter if it’s okay with me if that’s what Fifi wanted. It’s his letter.”

  The letter in Lock’s pocket still felt like it was burning him.

  “I need to go out and read this,” Tasha said. “Is there somewhere I could be alone?” Her hands were trembling, and Lock wanted nothing but to follow her.

  “If you want me there, then I don’t care what Fifi wants,” Lock said harshly, but Tasha shook her head.

  “I think I want to do this alone,” she said quietly. “He’s my brother, after all. I want to respect his wishes.”

  “There’s a reading room just down the hall. You can use it,” Rowan said. “In the meantime, Lock and I can have a talk and catch up.”

  Lock didn’t love the idea of being alone with the intimidating alpha, but he nodded so Tasha could feel better. “It’s all good.”

  “Okay,” she said. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “Take all the time you need,” Rowan said amicably.

  Tasha placed a quick kiss to Lock’s temple, then disappeared out of the room, leaving him feeling nervous and cold.

  Tasha’s hands were shaking so bad she could barely open the letter, and she didn’t even need to open the package to know it was another bottle of perfume.

  But why would he send it here rather than to her?

  Nothing made sense, but she was finally going to hear something of substance from her brother.

  She could tell because the heft of the envelope meant there was more than a simple one-line note.

  She tore through the opening and pulled the paper out, noticing the letter was handwritten on lined paper that was nowhere near as elegant as his usual vellum notes.

  She took a deep breath and scanned the precious words.

  My Darling Tasha,

  If you are reading this, I’ve done something drastic, and the consequences have meant that I can’t send you perfume anymore.

  I’m sorry to leave you in this situation, but something has happened that I can’t ignore. Someone might die. Someone from my past, if I can’t reach him in time with the right supplies.

  Tasha, if you have been in contact with Rowan, then you know some of our secrets. You now know who you are, and the perfume will no longer suppress your knowledge or your transformation. The formula you have in front of you is just a suppressant to keep you safe until you find the man you want.

  Be careful in choosing. I wish I was there to help you, but if you are reading this, things went badly for me, and I’m probably not going to be able to see you ever again.

  I remember how you looked when I first held you. You were so small. Even then, so beautiful.

  It has all been worth it, all the work, all the sacrifice, so that I could know you were safe out there. But with me out of commission, you won’t be safe alone anymore.

  Stay with Rowan and his family. They can help guide you. Wear the perfume, and think of me.

  But do not try to look for me. I will be gone before you could figure out where I am.

  It seems we were never meant to be together, but I don’t regret my decision at all. I am doing this for something I believe in, for a person I believe in, at least inasmuch as I believe in what they are doing right now.

  I wish I could explain more, but this world will already be overwhelming. I don’t need to make it worse by adding unnecessary details.

  I just want you to know that I didn’t want to leave you. That I wanted us to be together someday and that I hope you find all the love and peace in the world.

  My life has been happy, knowing you were happy.

  That has always been enough for me.

  Please don’t ever look for me. Just let me go.

  Yours forever,

  Felix (Fifi)

  Tasha wiped warm tears off her cheeks as she read over the letter again, then folded it up to unwrap the package on her lap.

  The beautiful, square crystal decanter glittered in front of her, filled with the yellow liquid she knew so well.

  She raised it and sniffed it, but it brought fresh tears as all the hope she’d had of meeting her brother seemed to fade away like so much smoke.

  She set the perfume down, not even wanting to look at it.

  Then she folded over the arm of the sofa she was on, trying not to openly sob.

  She heard a soft knock at the door and sniffled as she raised her head. “Who is it?”

  “It’s Lock. I could hear you sniffling. Is everything okay?”

  She sighed, pushing herself up and wiping her tears away. “It’s fine. It’s just…” Was she not supposed to tell anyone anything? Was she supposed to rely on Rowan from now on?

  How was she supposed to get her brother’s view on Lock? How was she supposed to get her brother’s view on anything?

  When she read that letter, it was almost like he was implying that… that…

  “I’m coming in,” Lock said softly. “I can’t stand for you to go through this on your own.” He opened the door, and just the sight of his handsome face reassured her.

  She got up and ran over to him, burying her face in his chest so she could cry. She dug her hands into his shirt, holding on like it was a lifeline, and Lock carefully guided her over to the couch so they could sit down.

  He lifted her into his lap, tucking her in against him, and reached down for the letter that had fallen to the side. “Can I read it?”

  She nodded. “What do secrets matter anymore?”

  Lock unfolded the note and scanned it, and she heard his quick intake of breath as he did. When he was about to set it aside again, he changed his mind and read it again.

  Then he let it drop to the floor.

  “Damn,” he said, sounding almost as depressed as she felt. “Something has definitely gone wrong.”

  Tasha felt her tears soak Lock’s shirt. “He doesn’t want me to find him. He says there isn’t any point. He used to sign his notes saying he would see me someday. There isn’t a someday anymore.”

  Lock wrapped his arms around her tightly. “There might still be hope. We need to go to the Tribunal.”

  She sniffled. “But how? If Fifi thinks it’s pointless…”

  “When I was up for execution, they kept me waiting for days. It could be the same for him.”

  She gasped. “Execution?”

  Lock sighed. “He spoke of doing something forbidden. If he was caught…”

  She buried her face again. “I can’t think of it. I guess I kept thinking it would be easy. That he was just busy, but we could get in touch and—”

  “I suppose I should have set up proper expectations, but I had high hopes as well.” Lock frowned. “I’ve always wanted to free Fifi from the Tribunal, but he has always insisted he had to stay. Probably for you. I guess I just thought that if you were safe and he knew that, maybe he could leave. Maybe he could team up with us.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “I don’t know,” Lock said. “But I know that we can’t just leave him. If he could be alive, we have to find him somehow.”

  Tasha snuffled against his shirt, glad he was
there, though her heart was still breaking. “I can’t believe I’m not going to see him. I can’t stand it. I just want to… My whole life. I owe my whole life to him, and I’m never going to see his face.”

  “I know,” Lock said dully. “I… I’m sorry, Tasha.”

  She looked up at him, barely able to see through her tears and the ache in her chest. “Why are you sorry?”

  “I just… I wanted this all to work out. It still could.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t see how. The Tribunal is powerful.”

  “I know,” Lock said. “But no one has tried to go up against them more than me. I guess I thought Fifi got into something on one of his missions, and we could meet up with him and take down the Tribunal together. But we can’t do it alone.” He stood with her in his arms. “Listen. I’m taking you up to get some rest. You need time to process and grieve. Even if we find Fifi, it won’t change how much that letter hurt.”

  She nodded and just kept her eyes closed until they reached a room and he pushed the door open and deposited her gently on the bed. Her letter and perfume were still downstairs, but she didn’t want to see them.

  “Look, it’s going to be okay, somehow,” Lock said, walking to the door reluctantly. “I’m going to talk to Rowan, see if he knows anything else. See if there is any kind of plan we could make.”

  Tasha sobbed into her pillow, unable to take the ache in her heart.

  Lock watched for a long moment, but with the pain she was in, she could barely sense that he was there.

  It felt like a part of her had died now that her brother might be dead and wouldn’t ever see her.

  As Lock left, shutting the door behind him, she clutched her pillow and let everything out.

  So that was love, Lock thought as he shut the door behind him and went down to see Rowan.

  He’d known the minute he saw Tasha crying, saw all the pain she was in, and felt like his own heart was breaking instead of hers.

  Her pain was his pain, and he knew in an instant he would do anything, even die, if it meant taking her pain away.

  He couldn’t stand to see her sad like that.