AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pike pointed to Lock.
“I’ll be making a formal complaint to the captain tomorrow. You’re not getting away with this shit, Mills.”
Lock stepped closer to Pike and whispered something I couldn’t quite get. Pike, however, seemed to shrivel up right before my eyes. He glanced back at me, then at Lock, before he waved his team on without another word.
Lock stood there for a long moment, watching the man walk away. When he was a suitable distance away, he spoke up. “Sol, Ivey, make sure we get everything Pike and his team gathered. Then call the rest of the team down here so we can work this scene all over again. Talk to neighbors, the M.E., everything.”
Sol spoke up, “I worked most of the neighbors with Pike’s guys. I have their statements.”
“Good, go over everything with Ivey. See if you guys come up with some leads.”
“Will do.”
Both Ivey and Sol stepped away, heading back to the house. That left me alone with a furious Lock. No, he looked more than angry. He looked irate, completely unhinged, ready to kill with his bare hands. The question was did he want to kill me?
Lock finally turned around and placed these storm-raged eyes on me. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe from the intensity in them. His disappointment was glaring, so much so I had to look away. Oh, how I hated to disappoint him.
He started for me, and I fought the urge to back up. Okay, no, I wasn’t that brave. I stepped back a couple of steps away from him and tensed, but to my surprise he walked past me, but not before saying harshly, “Follow me.”
I watched his long strides, felt the anger flowing in his veins, and did what any sane person would do dealing with an angry bull. I followed obediently.
Lock headed to his truck, stepped behind it, and dropped the tailgate. I assumed the seat was for me, but he didn’t wait for me to sit down. Nope. Once I was within arm’s reach, he lifted me up by my waist, and placed my ass on the opened tailgate. I yelped in surprise, held onto his shoulders until I felt a hard surface connect with my ass. He pushed my legs open and stepped closer, invading my space.
If this was any other time, I would have relished in having him this close. Honestly, I couldn’t deny how hard my heartbeat raced, how goosebumps covered my skin, nor how my insides churned with excitement. Yes, that’s right, despite the storm clouds covering his eyes, the tension gripping his broad shoulders, his jaw, I was still turned on.
I wanted him to grab me by the back of my head and take my mouth, possessing my soul. I wanted to feel his hard body against mine, feel his hands roaming everywhere, gripping my ass, squeezing my heavy breasts.
Why does he turn me on so much? Why did I find everything that he did sexy?
The man was pissed at me. There was no mistaking that, and although I hated disappointing him, I wanted to know how far I could push until he… punished me.Goodness, I was a hot mess.
“Phoebe, I am at the end of what little patience I possess. I want to know everything that happened here and you’re going to tell me. No more hiding shit from me, no more dancing around the fucking truth. I want to know it all. Do you understand?”
Lock spoke in a low tone, just for me to hear. I not only heard the frustration in his voice, but I felt it. It wrapped around me like a boa constrictor, squeezing the life out of me before it devoured me. I wanted to slither away, to hide somewhere, but I knew I couldn’t do that. I also couldn’t tell him everything he wanted to know. Hell, I didn’t know what all he wanted to know. It was possible he just wanted to know why I was here, what I saw, but the level of rage I saw in his eyes told me that that wasn’t the only thing he wanted. There was more to this than him being pissed I was here. So much more.
I took a few deep breaths, trying to get my thoughts in order, when his demeanor shifted slightly. I noted a bit of concern in his features, and he confirmed that when he spoke next.
“Were you hurt? Did anyone hurt you?” His tone was low, dark. Sincerity was there, but I wasn’t fooled. It was the calm before the storm, if you ask me.
“No,” I finally said, doing my best to keep eye contact. “I’m fine.”
Lock placed a finger underneath my chin and lifted my face to his as he leaned closer to me. He studied me intently, probably checking to see if I was lying. Satisfied with what he saw, he dropped his finger, but didn’t drop the intensity in his gaze.
“There’s a lot you and I need to talk about, shit I know you’re keeping from me but we’ll get to that later. Right now, I need you to tell me what happened here. How do you know the victim? What did you see? Everything.”
Shit, shit, shit…
I took a deep breath and felt dread seep through my pores. I thought about stalling. Maybe I could faint or something on cue like actresses on a set. But that would only stall the inevitable. I had rowed up shit’s creek without a paddle, and now I was stranded, no place to go and the stench of my stupidity reeked.
Think Phoebe. There was no way I could tell him everything, no way. Reed was right. It wouldn’t end well for either of us. Then what do I do? Lie? I didn’t want to do that either. This was Lock. I didn’t want to lie to him anymore than I had already done. Besides, from the look on his face, lying wouldn’t go over very well with him. I could lose my chances with him, not that I had any, but you know, I was hopeful.
“Phoebe, stop trying to figure out how to stall and start talking.”
My eyes grew, jaw dropped.
Lock grunted and folded his arms in front of me. His brows furrowed as he gave me disappointed eyes.
“Please, Miss Gates. Don’t look so surprised. I can read you like a book, and this isn’t my first interview. Talk.” He stepped closer, my heart began to beat faster. “Now.”
