Locke opened the gates.
I paused to catch up while Alexei zipped by and the gates cranked closed behind us.
Locke checked they were secure then came to my side.
I tugged my helmet off.
He ruffled my messy hair. “All right?”
“Still breathing.”
“That’s not enough, Folkster. You know that.”
Course I did. Rocco had said it to me every day I’d been in hardcore recovery. He still said it to me now when I thought about him hard enough. “I’m good,” I elaborated to appease Locke. He was as earnest as Decoy, as kind as Nash, and as ridiculous as Rubi when his mood was right. I loved this brother. “Did you catch any sleep overnight?”
“On Orla’s couch. Woke up to Liliana drawing pictures of my feet.”
“Your feet?”
“My socks got wet. I took them off.”
“That explains nothing.”
Locke grinned, lighting up his rugged face. “It’s as good as I’ve got.”
Then it was good enough for me. We caught up a little more before Locke got in my face again. “Orla told me you’re moving in with Decoy.”
“For security.”
Locke eyed me. I’d told him nothing about the history I shared with Seth, but in this life he knew me better than anyone. “I pretty much live with Orla forsecuritypurposes, and it drives me fucking crazy.”
“That’s because you want to bang her boyfriend. Decoy’s single.”
“And smoking hot,” Locke persisted, undeterred by my accurate assessment of fifty percent of his problem. “You’re not worried it could get awkward?”
“You’re hot and we survive.”
Locke laughed. “Aw, thanks, sweetheart. You make an old man blush.”
He was hardly old. But his word choice reminded me of something. “You remember that night at the old place?” The Dog Crow compound. Neither of us ever named it. “When we came to confront Butch about Rocco?”
Locke shivered. Didn’t blame him. He’d suffered the most that night, physically, at least.
Butch came up behind Locke and booted him at the base of his spine, forcing him to his knees. “My uncle told me you were the entertainment. Surely you can do better than this? Or do I need to round up your pretty daughter to persuade you?”
Yeah. Okay. I shivered too. I would be forever thankful to the men who’d put a gun in my hand again, but it still galled me that I hadn’t saved Locke from what had happened next. That it had beenViktorof all people who’d killed Butch.
Should’ve been me. I wasn’t bloodthirsty, but maybe I was selfish. Maybe I’dneededthat kill to feel whole.
“Spit it out,” Locke grunted, letting me know I’d been in my head too long. “Unless it’s anything shitty. I’m not in the fucking mood.”
For once, I could give him what he needed. “It’s nothing bad. Alexei told me that Saint and Mateo did a recce past the old place that night. Said they saw us—you, me, Ranger, and Bishop, and reported back that we lookedyoung.”
Locke burst out laughing. “Foggy night, was it? Goddamn, they need their eyes testing.”
“Speak for yourself.”
“I am. And Bish, bless his heart. You and Ranger could pass for young’uns.”
