LOCK

by Debra Anastasia

  About an hour into the movie, the other girl, Colleen, arrived with the hair kit. She and Laura discussed my color stripes and how to bleach them and dye them to match the rest of my hair, as if all of our lives depended on it. And maybe they did. It got to the point that I felt guilty about even having them, and told the girls so. They fussed over me then, telling me to ignore the shoptalk.

  My stomach started growling, and before I could comment, Laura was sending a text for some breakfast.

  Lock walked in with a covered tray, followed by two other guys. My heart dropped out of my chest when he set the tray down with a smile. The dimples and everything.

  “Hey,” he offered.

  I nodded and made a point to look at the food. He lifted the cloche. A healthy breakfast omelet was ready for me with fruit and cheese. There was only food for me. I knew the two other girls had to be hungry.

  “There’s not enough.”

  Lock and the other guys stopped in their tracks. “What?”

  “The other girls are hungry, too. We need more.”

  Laura and Colleen started denying it, but it became a test. I wanted to see how much I could get from the main house.

  “Skinny, can you call up and tell them?” Lock turned to one of the other guards, same one who’d walked with us the night before.

  “I guess?” Skinny hesitantly stepped out the front door and started talking on his phone.

  Lock tucked his hands behind his back and rocked forward on his toes.

  Laura spoke up, “You’re new.”

  “Yup. I’m staying up at Felon’s house. You can see it right through that window.” Lock pointed out at the artsy building in the distance.

  He was telling me where he was. That he could see me.

  “All the other guys stay at the warehouse. It’s about a mile from here.” Lock ran his hand through his hair and peeked at me.

  Information. He was telling me all he could. I appreciated it, but it scared me as well. Because I knew that the place was bugged. And Lock wasn’t as slick as he thought he was.

  “Can you wait outside? I like privacy while I get ready.” I glanced out the window at Felon’s house, but not before I saw the hurt pass over Lock’s face.

  The girls talked about how hot he was as soon as he was out the door. I had to feel my jealousy burn in my throat and act like it was fine.

  We didn’t have too much time to eat. Soon after Skinny came back with more food, we got word that Cosmo was stopping by.

  The tension in the room and among the guys outside ratcheted up as Cosmo entered. Everyone stood taller and their jaws tensed. Cosmo was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and he had a new guy with him. He was slightly shorter than Cosmo. He had a studious look about him that was exacerbated by the textbooks in his arms and the glasses on his face.

  “This is your tutor, Felix,” Cosmo said, gesturing to him. “We’re going to have your first lesson today.” He dragged up a chair; Felix sat across from me.

  I gave the girls a quick side-eye. We were very, very involved in hair right now. I was sitting under the portable lamp while my hair color processed. Considering all the work Olin put into me before Cosmo was allowed to even lay eyes on me, I wondered how he would take this very pre-party version.

  Lock was still outside. Guarding. Being involved. Being near. I caught his eye a few times through the window, even though I tried to remind myself to not look.

  Felix had a copy of each of my textbooks from school. He explained that he was able to access my records and we could pick up where I left off.

  I wanted to scream that I hadn’t left off. I’d been kidnapped to be Cosmo’s doll, but I swallowed the words and tried to concentrate on economics while the girls tugged on my hair. When we had to switch to makeup, Felix began reading to me.

  Cosmo stayed the whole time, his attention rapt. It made me suspect this was his sneaky way of getting a college education. When it was time to rinse and style my hair, Felix set up the television to show me some graphs and charts.

  I was doing my best to follow, but it was all staggering. Cosmo’s presence was odd. Easy, almost. Everyone seemed to let their guard down a touch. When Felix was done for the day, he stood up and started gathering his books. “For a beautiful girl, I can’t believe they’re spending this much time on you.” The compliment was awkward, but I shrugged and thanked him for his lesson. Cosmo offered to drive Felix back to his car and promised to see me in a few hours.

  After he left, another batch of food came from the kitchen. A huge salad with enough sides for everyone. I asked Colleen to pass the leftovers outside with a few forks, because I hadn’t seen any of the men take a dinner break. Lock winked at me through the window as he took his first bite.

  And then I hated myself for the impulse to feed him. That wink could get him killed. Laura took me into the bedroom to the full-length mirror. This outfit required a lesson. It was a little black one with straps and a slit up the thigh. I had to learn how it was undone in case I needed the bathroom.

  I asked Laura if she was going to the party and she shook her head no, the prospect seeming to scare her.

  “I hear the party is for you and Cosmo to come out as a couple. Plus, it’s his birthday.” Laura tried to offer me a smile.

  I looked at my reflection. The dark eye makeup and matte lips made me seem like a cover model. The darker hair was severe, but in a high glam way. These girls were amazing at their jobs. They made me look older and like I was cold as ice. I considered it armor. To keep the fear at bay. To keep my head cool. Make no mistakes.

  Laura pointed to the earring in the shell of my ear. My mother’s jewelry. My first gift from Nix.

  “Olin sent diamonds. That doesn’t really fit. Can we?” She held her hands up as if she would take it out for me. I covered the small gold stud.

  “This stays.” I stepped back from her, my heels clicking on the wood floor.

  “Okay, no problem.” Laura held up her hands as if I were holding a gun on her. “It’s okay to have some personality.”

  The slight hesitancy in her reaction made me wonder if it really was okay. But that earring was a hard limit for me. I was a prisoner here, with a gun on everyone I loved. I needed this to keep me strong.

  I straightened my shoulders and walked out to the living room. The guards were ready to take me back to the house. Laura had mentioned that I might need to stay away from the pool because if the dress got wet it would not react well. I joked a bit about jumping in, just to try to lighten the mood between us. She told me that the fabric was so delicate, that it might actually dissolve.

  With that terrifying potential party trick, I got into the passenger seat, my heart hammering as Lock slid behind the wheel. Skinny and Volt were in the back seat, so I knew Lock wouldn’t be able to talk to me. We shared a few poignant looks that explained nothing on the ride up.

  When we arrived at the house, Skinny came around the SUV and held out an elbow to me. I used his help to get up to the patio. Over the past day, the pool area had been transformed. Already beautiful, it was decorated with white lights and strips of cloth that fluttered in the breeze.

  The pool had a few submersible LED lights dropped into it that gave it a gentle ombre blue. The music was classical and gently playing. There was a dance floor and a ton of tables with white tablecloths. Between the centerpieces and the flowers threaded in the trees the party could almost be a wedding. The huge banner stretched across the house proclaimed the event:

  COSMO’S 21st BIRTHDAY

  The fact that there were four bars set up displayed that alcohol was a huge part of this party. Everyone was in either black or white, and I was not overdressed at all. Laura had struck the perfect tone, actually. Skinny removed my hand and stepped away. I was being released into the crowd.

  My heart started to pound. I had no idea who any of these people were. How many were dangerous. How many were actually employees of Olin’s.

  I didn’t know which way to
go, but Olin waltzed up to me and snagged the back of my neck. “Come, sweet girl. Stay with me until your Prince Charming arrives.”

  He pushed me as we threaded through tables and groups of people chatting. They leaned out of his way. “Have a seat, dear.”

  I did as I was told. The chair had a white cover and I crossed my feet at the ankles. Olin stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders. I had to actively work at not recoiling.

  Lock was standing guard along the perimeter. The mere sight of his face was comforting. The concern in his gaze was real. It was surreal, being at a cocktail party where I also was being kept as a prisoner.

  The crowd started clapping. Olin grasped my hand and pulled me up. Cosmo had arrived. He was traveling with an entourage of his own. They were not nearly as dressed up as the rest of us were. Cosmo had a bottle in a brown bag that he took a glug from as he waved.

  Olin’s displeasure radiated from his body. I silently hoped that Cosmo would do whatever his father wanted. Olin took my hand and squeezed it, first gently and then more and more. He leaned and hissed into my ear, “You better get lover boy under control.”

  I snapped a confused gaze at the older man. What he expected me to say or do about his son was a conundrum. Cosmo laughed with his friends before setting down his bottle on a tablecloth. It tipped over and he didn’t bother to try to right it.

  Cosmo blurrily looked around the party until he spotted his father and then me. He made his way toward us, struggling to walk straight. He paused at the edge of the pool, as if just realizing it was there. He turned, wobbling off balance before giving his friends the middle finger.

  Cosmo spread his arms and fell backwards into the pool. The surrounding crowd either gasped or laughed as the splash soaked more than a few. I was grateful that I was on the other side. Before Cosmo surfaced, I looked across the patio. There was a silhouette of a man confidently striding toward the party. He passed beneath the party lights, which illuminated his face. I inhaled sharply.

  Nix.

  Nix was coming to the party in an immaculate tux. There were gasps now as Cosmo pulled himself out of the pool. But they were for Nix. His face, etched in ink to create the façade of a skull, was shocking.

  My hand that Olin still gripped was squeezed even tighter. I glanced down. Olin’s fingers were digging into my skin. I tried to pull away, but he held fast.

  A hand that was etched in bones soon grabbed Olin’s arm.

  “Let go of her hand, Olin.”

  Nix always had kindness in his eyes for me, even when he was frustrated. But as I looked at him, I found the part of my brother that I’d rarely seen. He radiated a current of anger. I felt it in my blood, and surely everyone else did, too. Olin released my hand. I rubbed at the bruises I knew had to be forming.

  Nix turned his steely gaze at me. “You ready? Let’s go.”

  Cosmo came to step near me. “There a problem?”

  He draped his soaking wet arm around my shoulders. I winced, thinking about the dress that wasn’t supposed to get wet under any circumstances. I curled my shoulders forward and crossed my arms over my chest.

  Nix’s eyes were a bit wild as he looked from Cosmo to my reaction and back again. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and spun it around so I could get in it quicker. I could feel the dress contracting, so I shimmied away from Cosmo and shoved my arms into the jacket. Nix put his arm where Cosmo’s had been.

  “She’s leaving.”

  I wanted to go. So much. I wanted him to save me, but Olin Feybi had an expectant gaze. Everything he’d said echoed through my mind.

  “If they take you? Everyone you love dies and you go to prison very quickly. Head spinningly quickly. Do you want me to prove it? I can.”

  Nix had come alone. I knew all of the guards here were armed, and those were just the ones I could see. I felt my eyes start to fill up with moisture.

  “I’d like to stay. I’m serious about Cosmo,” I said the words, staring at Olin’s face. He barely lifted his eyebrow and his grim frown turned up a little bit. I’d made the correct guess. I had to lie to Nix like I’d never lied to anyone in my life. If I got it wrong, he wasn’t living through the night, and I was getting arrested for murder.

  Chapter 42

  Lock

  MERCY HAD A REPUTATION. But in person he was like a dead James Bond in his damn suit. From my earpiece I heard everyone freaking out behind the scenes. No one knew how he’d gotten into the compound. He’d just appeared, as far as we could tell.

  He was alone. The tux he had on was well-fitted, so no matter what he had on him, it was seriously low-profile. Mercy was focused on Ember and offered her his suit jacket—more proof that he was lightly armed, if at all.

  I was rooting for Mercy to take his sister out of here. This was no place for her. And I sure as shit didn’t want her anywhere near Cosmo. I was burning and secretly in awe that Ember was so close to Mercy.

  Everyone was waiting for Olin to give a direction. Should they gun Mercy down? He was half-legend in all of our minds. I watched as Olin whispered to the guard closest to him. The chain of command started to trickle down. The play was to let Mercy talk to Ember. I was tasked with getting Felon from our house.

  I hated leaving Ember here. There were obviously tense words being exchanged. I hot-stepped it to an ATV and revved it. The golf carts were too slow. I wanted to do my job and get the hell back here.

  I solved the complicated wooden lock and found Felon inside, reading an old leather-bound book. He looked up pleasantly. I told him in a rush that Mercy had crashed the party and Olin wanted him at the pool.

  Felon seemed to take forever to pack his bag. He also got a fistful of Tootsie Rolls. And that was my first indication that there could be a lot of death tonight. Felon asked a few basic questions about Mercy’s setup and seemed mildly interested that he was by himself.

  After nodding at the information, he requested that I abandon the ATV and drive the golf cart. I hated not taking the faster way, but Felon had the Tootsie Rolls so I knew what that meant. Death.

  When we got back to the patio, Volt informed Felon that Mercy and Ember were in the sitting room off the patio with guards.

  Felon tipped his chin at me, avoiding speech, as he liked to do. He wanted me to follow him in. Olin was watching the action happen from outside, but didn’t protest as I followed Felon into the room. Ember and Mercy were sitting across from each other. She was sitting ramrod straight and he was leaning toward her, fingers tented under his chin. His ink was remarkable. There was so much artistry and attention to the details.

  Ember was ice cold to him, shaking her head no. Cosmo was in the room as well, to the left of her chair. He was wobbling and soaking wet. Mercy only had eyes for his sister.

  Once I’d taken up my spot on the perimeter of the room, I focused in on their conversation.

  Mercy was calm as he told her his plan, “Say the word and I’ll get you out right now. I’ll kill every person here if I have to.”

  The guards bristled around me. From anyone else there probably would’ve been snickering. But the rep on Mercy was otherworldly. He was particularly hated in this circle of hell I was currently in.

  Ember murmured something too quiet to make out, but the reaction from Mercy was to sit back as if she’d slapped him. I had to hand it to her. She had boss level balls to say anything that the man in front of her didn’t like.

  “Are you serious?” Mercy ran his hand through his hair.

  Ember stood and turned to Cosmo. She planted a kiss on him that made my knees go weak. It was such a punch in my feelings and my balls at the same time. Cosmo immediately wrapped his arms around her, hauled her off her feet, bringing her closer to him.

  There was obvious tongue.

  I died. My soul fell out of my asshole and curled up into a ball. The girl I was crazy about was making out with a goddamn douchebag.

  Volt reached over and closed my jaw for me. I bit the inside of my cheek. I wanted to
kill Cosmo. I knew the veins in my neck were sticking out. My wild eyes landed on Mercy. He squinted at my obvious distress. I swept my gaze over to Felon, wondering what the hell was next. Was Ember’s brother about to be killed in front of her? Shit. Even as mad as I was at this whole show, she didn’t deserve to see her brother murdered.

  I watched as Felon put his hand into his pocket and took out a Tootsie Roll. I stepped forward.

  “Well, that’s all she wrote. Let’s move on out, Mercy. Ember’s happy.”

  My words were clipped and rough. The force it took to say them was unnatural. I closed the space and put my hand on Mercy’s upper arm, like I could lead him out. Ember was still kissing Cosmo; I was sure my head was going to pop off my neck like a firework.

  Mercy leaned around me, shrugging off my hand. “Nice earring, Ember.”

  She stopped kissing Cosmo and her hand flew up to the small stud in the shell of her ear. “That’s right. Thanks for reminding me. I don’t need this anymore.” She took out the earring and held it out to Mercy.

  He reached past the earring and put his hand behind her neck, pulling her to him.

  “What have they got on you?” His hiss was barely loud enough for me to hear.

  “Nothing. I love him. Leave me alone.” Ember pulled away from Mercy’s grip, whipping him in the face with her hair.

  The emotion was layered in her face. She was fighting something. I glanced at Cosmo’s crotch. As far as I could tell, he wasn’t turned on by Ember’s kiss. But I was. And that was fucking confusing. I was angry and jealous and sad. And rock hard.

  Felon was rolling a Tootsie Roll between his fingers. Things were about to go down. I knew from the time we were together that Ember loved her people. Seeing her brother gunned down in front of her was not going to sit well.

  And I had serious concerns that Mercy was expecting this part. He wasn’t scared or jumpy. Like he had a way out or a plan. Cosmo held out his hand and Ember took it, pulling herself against his elbow, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder.

  I could hear Mercy’s jaw snap shut. Cosmo turned and led Ember out of the room. She didn’t look back. Mercy clenched both his fists. He was an angry fucking skeleton. I darted my gaze over to Felon who had unwrapped the candy.