LOCK

by Debra Anastasia

  The fighting wound down a bit. I thought maybe we were in the clear, until Nix threw open the door. Slung over his shoulder was Ember, kicking and punching.

  “Come on,” was all he said. We were straight up kidnapping Ember, physically taking her.

  I knew I must have winced because Nix narrowed his eyes at me. This wasn’t a great way to foster a healthy brother-sister relationship, as far as I knew.

  Ember was straight screaming now. Not even words. T made sure Ember’s door was closed and I followed, helping Nix open doors on the way out of the building. The kids who lived there were peeking out of their rooms in curiosity. Some of the boys stepped forward questioningly, and one girl came out with a field hockey stick.

  It could almost seem like we were playing around until Ember started screaming fire. Nix dragged her off his shoulder in the stairwell and put his hand over her mouth to quiet her down. He used his other hand to hold her swinging hands behind her back.

  Finally, she stopped attempting to scream. All she did was look at him with complete hate, tears falling from her eyes to his hand. He removed his hand and she sobbed. “You’re hurting me. Stop.”

  Nix let go of her hands and she rubbed them. Sure enough, they were all red.

  “I hate you,” Ember choked out, looking at the floor.

  Ember staggered away from him and toward me. She hugged my middle, begging me to not let him hurt her anymore. I hugged her back, rolling my eyes. The whole fucking situation made me want to knock them both out. He was overreacting and she was overacting. Something didn’t feel right about Ember’s response. I didn’t like it.

  Nix looked at his own hands and then curled them into fists. He spoke softly now, “Ember, please. Come home.”

  A crowd was gathering around the stairwell. I reached past Nix’s shoulder and pulled his hood over his head. I guided Ember to T and she wrapped her arm around Ember’s shoulders.

  “Let’s let T talk to her for a while, go for a walk.” I walked past Nix and headed down the rest of the stairs.

  A girl who didn’t look much older than Ember came forward with her shoulders back. “Can I help you gentlemen? I’m a resident assistant and I couldn’t help but notice that Ember seems to want to stay here.”

  “We’re on our way out,” I supplied. Nix covered his mouth for a few seconds; there was murder in his eyes. I wasn’t going to let him do anything, but my man was jumpy. I grabbed his elbow and squeezed.

  He shook his head and let me lead the way. T huddled Ember up the stairs and back to her dorm room.

  When we were outside, we could hear sirens in the distance. We walked our way to the car, and then I drove us back to the hotel. We knew Ember would be safe with T. Nix said nothing for a good half hour as we sat together in the hotel room. Every once in a while he would type on his computer. Then he would punch something. Then type. Then curse. Then stare out the window. Finally, he sat, and that’s when I knew he was ready to talk.

  “It should be easier than this. I mean, I know how to kidnap someone. Shit.” He ran his hands through his hair, knocking his hood off with the motion.

  I cracked my knuckles and sat in the chair opposite the bed. “I don’t know if you can, Bones. I mean, this someone is really, really important to you.”

  He hung his head. “I hurt her. She’s going to hate me forever now.”

  “She was fine. Overacting. I don’t think she’ll hate you. But she’s nineteen. An adult. Instead of forcing her to do shit, maybe we should explain why we need her to come home. Something felt a little off in there.” I twisted my silver ring on my finger.

  “She knows why we need her to come home. Christ, Bowen’s dead. I mean, how much more serious do we need to be?” Nix punched the mattress, getting revved up again.

  T’s number came through on my phone. I answered on speaker. “Baby.”

  “The cops are making me leave. Ember told them I…” There was a brief rustling as T talked to someone else, “No. I’m going. I heard you.”

  A man was talking about trespassing. This was bad. Finally, T was back. “Ember told them I was a stalker and needed to be removed.”

  Nix tossed his hands in the air and then set to work. While I got the details of the latest development from my bride, Nix began packing a duffle bag with weapons.

  He commanded, “Tell T to stay on her from a distance. We’re making a plan to take Ember that’ll actually work. No half-assed nonsense.”

  Nix slung the full bag over his shoulder while palming ammunition. I knew T heard what he’d said, so I ended our call. I didn’t agree with kidnapping Ember, but Nix was beyond reason anymore. It was going down.

  Chapter 34

  Ember

  I WAS IN DEEP now. I had told my brother I hated him. But I understood him and his world better than ever before. If Olin wasn’t holding his life and T’s and Animal’s hostage, I’d go home willingly. We’d talk about it, figure things out. But Bowen was dead and that was on me as sure as if I had poisoned him myself. And they would be next. I wasn’t taking a chance with their lives. They all had a conscience. Something in their hearts that guided them. Not Olin. He was broken. I could tell by the way he made me feel inside. That gut intuition they say women have. He was beyond repair, or had maybe never been right from the start.

  I opened my suitcase and started tossing things inside. The officer in the room with me believed that I had family coming to pick me up. Instead, I’d texted the number I had for Cosmo, telling him that if I didn’t have a ride out of here as soon as possible things would be out of my control. I got a text back that a car would be downstairs, waiting for me.

  I left my cell phone, because I knew Nix would track it, would follow me to his death. The phone was full of lies anyway. I had some makeup. A few bras. Stupid stuff. I couldn’t concentrate. I stuffed the handful of Polaroids from Lock into the suitcase as well. I rushed past the cop, telling my RA that I was going to a place that could keep me safe and that my ex-boyfriend was dangerous. Outside, I told the cop about my boyfriend’s friends and gave him the location where Wardon and Thrice normally waited. It could possibly buy me some time.

  They bought it as far as I could tell, but I was so focused on getting away that I really didn’t care. The cop watched over me as I jumped into the back seat of the waiting SUV.

  Once in the vehicle, I knew they would get me to Olin. And hopefully, it would be enough to keep Nix, Animal, and T safe. For at least tonight.

  _______________

  I wasn’t crying. None of it seemed real. I tightened my grip on my suitcase handle. Olin was nowhere to be found as we passed through the compound’s gated driveway. There seemed to be a lot of buildings on the property, but we cruised right past the obvious centerpiece. The mansion was a cross between a Disney resort and the Lincoln Memorial. It was excessive to say the least.

  We took a back driveway that turned into dirt, bumping along until we came to a stop at the end of what looked to be a garden path. There were pretty solar lights running down either side of the path, illuminating it. The scent of flowers was cloying as the man in the passenger seat opened my door. Another man in a suit was already there, reaching for my suitcase. I recognized Volt as his hand closed around the handle. I held it a moment too long and he had to tug to get me to release it.

  “Where’s the new kid?” the man who’d been in the passenger seat asked as he offered me his hand. I took it. Olin had taught me that lesson already.

  Volt laughed. “Sent him off to guard the septic. Thinking thirty-eight hours of guard duty will toughen him up. Reminds me of when you started here, Bezy.”

  “This is Ember.” The passenger, Bezy, passed my hand to Volt.

  Volt lifted his eyebrows. “We’ve met.”

  Bezy acted like he was going to pinch my bottom. Volt pulled me closer to him

  “Shit. Go back to the warehouse. You know if you try anything, Feybi will wear your balls as a mustache.” Volt cut off Bezy’s disagreeme
nt with a harsh hand signal, then set down my suitcase and dropped my hand as Bezy got back into the SUV. Another man in a suit appeared behind Volt. We all walked together down the path, arriving at a little cottage.

  “You remember me? I’m Echo. I’ll be outside your door all evening.” He grasped my elbow while Volt trailed behind.

  Echo went to the door and unlocked it for me. Opening the door to the cottage, he switched on the lights, then Volt set my suitcase inside.

  “Let me know if you need anything. The place is wired, alarmed, and has surveillance. As of right now, you have become Feybi property. Don’t do anything stupid,” Echo offered.

  I nodded once and stepped inside. Echo closed the door behind me, locking it from the outside. I didn’t need to pull on the door to know that it was sealed tight. I wasn’t getting out. I hugged my middle and turned slowly. The place reminded me of Ann’s apartment. I even saw a few of the very same decorations. I thought of Laura and the girl who had to bleed on the tile.

  Maybe I had mental whiplash. Everything had changed so quickly. I should’ve gone to college in Midville. I should’ve lived in the bedroom Nix had made for me.

  I wanted space, and instead, I found myself a cage.

  Crying was all I had now. I sat down so I could do it properly.

  Chapter 35

  Lock

  I HUNCHED IN MY cot, cursing my lot. I didn’t want this shit position, watching things that didn’t need watching. I hoped I made it to the first payout. But I wasn’t too sure. Volt seemed like he had an itchy trigger finger.

  I rolled over, trying to get comfortable. The phone they issued me was basic, but I could still connect to the Wi-Fi. After enabling the private browser, I took a risk and accessed my cloud storage; sure enough, I was able to view my video of Ember laughing without downloading it.

  It was a mistake. My balls and heart ached in equal measure. We were supposed to meet up. I couldn’t even text her to tell her I wouldn’t be there. Her bodyguards would be there to watch her, though. Maybe even hit on her.

  But I wouldn’t see her again. I turned up the volume a touch and put it to my ear, like she was in bed with me and we were cuddling. Damn. I wanted that. I wanted her. The life I had not even forty-eight hours ago. It had changed so quickly. Like those summer thunderstorms.

  My father used to tell me all the time that there was a price you pay for the easy money. And he was right. I guess I never expected that the people I loved would pay as well. My sister. My mom. Now alone in the neighborhood, trying to get Rhy everything she needed.

  I was pretty much sucking. Or paying. Or sucking karma’s dick. I took another look at the most gorgeous woman in the world before listening to her laugh like it was a shell from the ocean, whispering my dreams instead of the sound of waves. I exited my cloud account. I needed to not draw her into any of this, of course. My father’s advice would be to never talk to her again. I’d never felt more alone. I pictured Dice falling to the floor again. Maybe I was in shock. Emotional shock. I knew gang life was hard, but it seemed far away sometimes when I was growing up. The deaths were of guys much older than me. But now I was of age. And I was certainly in a place where escape was impossible. Hell, living was almost impossible.

  Volt slammed open the warehouse door and flipped on the switch. I realized as I sat up to see what the hell was going on that I had fallen asleep. Volt was my alarm clock.

  “Come on, new kid. We got to run a few jobs.”

  “In the middle of the night?” I shook my head. I was disoriented.

  “It’s six in the morn, fool. Get up. Slap yourself in the nuts and meet me out by the van. You’ve got two minutes to get there.” Volt went to the tiny kitchen and started working on a cup of coffee.

  After splashing water onto my face, I tossed on my suit jacket. Whatever material it was, it never wrinkled. I met Volt as he poured each of us a travel cup.

  I didn’t drink coffee, but I knew the caffeine would give me a boost. I thanked him and took my first sip as we walked to the van. It tasted like crap. Volt sucked at making it even more than I sucked at drinking it.

  I climbed into the back of the van. There were five other guys, including Volt. We pulled out of the compound and onto the main road. They were speaking quickly and clearly primed for something to go down. I was trying to catch up mentally. I slugged some more hellish brown liquid.

  “So we have to get in and get out. Make sure we get a few guys intimidated. The same ol’ drill.” The guy in the passenger seat was giving a commentary. The guys called him Skinny. Super creative street name.

  I didn’t see any visible weapons. When we got to a parking lot, the van pulled beside a white pickup truck. There was an older man inside.

  “Aw, fuck, Dumbo is here.” Then Skinny covered his eyes. “Why wouldn’t he be in his creepy art cabin?”

  “Hell if I know.” Volt brought the van to a complete stop. The excitement in the van was turned down as if it had a volume switch. Volt caught my eyes in the mirror. “This old bastard doesn’t talk. Just so you know.”

  I nodded, not entirely sure why it mattered. Volt hit the button for the van door to slide open and everyone squeezed together on the bench seat. The older guy transferring to us took his sweet time getting on sunglasses and locking things up before heaving himself into the van.

  Volt closed the sliding door with the button and then started to fill the old man in. “You know how the Vapors have been stalking the docks? Well, we got to get in there and scare them off. We have a huge shipment later this week, and if they…” He trailed off when the old man lifted his hand.

  “You don’t want me to tell you? Fine. Have it your way.” Volt switched the music on and abandoned his catch-up report.

  Which I had been appreciating. I didn’t think going into a situation like this as the new kid made sense without at least a little knowledge telling me what it was all about. I was going to have to think on my feet. I was okay at it, at least in the neighborhood. This was the big league.

  Volt drove us behind a liquor store and told us all to hold still. I tried my coffee again. The colder it got, the more it tasted like licking the back end of a turtle. The older man opened the side door and got out. He left the door ajar and took a few steps to light up a cigarette.

  The guys in the van started talking to each other about him.

  “Imagine being Olin’s brother and being that fucking stupid. I mean, he runs with us lackies when he could be on a yacht getting his dick team sucked by an entire herd of women.” Skinny had aspirations.

  “I think they say he was dropped on his head.”

  “As a baby?”

  “Naw, at like thirteen.”

  They all tried to muffle their laughs. I watched Olin’s brother through the window; his jaw twitched. They didn’t think he could hear them, but he could. The shitheads in the van with me made the obviously stupid assumption that just because someone didn’t speak, they couldn’t hear you. It was like that for Rhy. I couldn’t even count how many people I put in their place because they spoke as if she wasn’t right there, listening.

  The old man flicked the ash off of his cigarette.

  “I wonder what his real name is.” Skinny rapped his knuckle on the window and waved when the old man looked around. “Felon can’t be his given name.”

  “Sure as shit could. Legend has it that he was born in prison and he wants to die in prison.”

  The guy next to me spoke up, “He’s like giving an octopus a gun.”

  Their blatant shit talk was pissing me off. The words escaped from my mouth, “Octopi are smart, asshat. And I’m betting Felon can hear you just fine.”

  All eyes in the van focused on me, even if it required the owners of said eyes to swivel all the way in their seats.

  Skinny sneered. “Shut up, new kid. Fucking asshole whiney baby shithead. You’ll wear my taint as a fucking ski mask if you utter one more word today.”

  “Ugh, that sounds more pa
inful for you than it does for me. But have it your way.” I sipped my coffee again. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Felon’s lips turn up a bit. Almost a smile.

  I resigned myself to listening to Skinny and the guys debate how long I would live. The consensus seemed to land right on two weeks.

  Which was longer than I was expecting, honestly.

  Chapter 36

  EMBER

  I WOKE UP TO blinding sunlight. I’d fallen asleep on the couch in the cottage last night, still wearing my clothes. I sat up slowly, not totally sure if I was alone. As I looked at my surroundings, I noticed a few obvious security cameras pointed at me. And I knew from my brother that not all security equipment was obvious. I walked into the small kitchen and opened the cabinets. Healthy snacks. All plastic kitchenware. They didn’t want me getting any good ideas about escaping. I went to my suitcase, unzipping it to see what I’d been able to grab in my rush. Clearly, my whole pajama drawer made it. My makeup. Lock’s Polaroids. I tucked them into the edge of the mirror above the dresser in my room. A picture of Nix and me. I slipped that into the lining of the suitcase, not sure why, but I felt the need to protect the image. I touched my face. It was all puffy. That was from the crying. Even my throat was raw.

  I couldn’t even imagine what was going on back at Nix’s place. Surely they knew I was with Olin now. I doubted I was convincing enough to stop my brother’s need to track me. He’d watched me my whole life. I was a routine, if not a responsibility.

  I was out of my depth. Had I made a mistake by not filling them in on what was happening? I shook my head. Trying to turn back time was pointless. My silence had protected them. I had to use the bathroom, and I was dreading whatever surveillance was in there. The mostly white motif there didn’t reveal anything out of place. I did my business and considered a shower. Just as I had come to the decision that I would try it later, there was a knock at the door.

  I padded back to the front of the cottage. The knocking was a surprise; I had no way of letting anyone in, but once the guard, Echo’s replacement, saw me through the glass, he threw the lock. I waited as the door swung open.