CHAPTER TWELVE
Locke watched the doctor’s bedroom door remain stubbornly closed. Part of him wanted to curse at Gage for suggesting that the three of them share a bed so quickly.
Returning to the task at hand, he checked his phone again as he finished preparing sandwiches. With his mind torn in so many directions, he knew that preparing something more complicated than that would be a disaster.
The shuffle coming from the hallway told him that Gage was up. Definitely not a good idea, but Locke had learned early on to let his friend experience his bad decisions for himself. The trouble was, he would need to be carried to bed later, and Gage was anything but a featherweight.
“Damn, I need a shower.”
The grouchy voice almost made him smile, but it was the way he held his body that stopped him. Gage was in pain and it showed. And if it showed, it was more serious than he’d thought.
Once Gage had functioned an entire week with a dislocated shoulder and nobody ever guessed. The beating he’d taken, even if he’d ultimately won, showed on his body. He had taken a pair of his sweatpants from his dresser. Locke made a mental note to tidy it up again later.
“Wrong room. And go back to bed. I’m bringing you something to eat.”
“Better not be soup, I hate soup. I’m hungry. I’ll eat and then I’ll have a shower.”
Gage shuffled his big body to the couch, but was very careful lowering himself down, wincing the entire way. With a sigh of relief, he let his head fall back and closed his eyes.
“You should have listened to the doctor. You need rest, not a shower, not wandering around … but even if the devil himself ordered you to stay in bed, you would still spit in his eye.”
A low hum came from his lips that could have meant anything.
“Are you up for eating something, or would you prefer to wait?”
Gage tapped the empty place beside him. “I’ll eat, just put it there.”
Locke wasn’t doing that and instead placed the plate on the kitchen table. “When you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat at the table.”
Gage sighed and finally looked up. “A few crumbs on your expensive sofa won’t ruin the day, bro.”
Prepared for the same endless battle they’d had for years, Locke didn’t budge. However, Gage wasn’t in the mood for a fight, as he only looked at him. “You’re distracted. Preoccupied. And let me guess, it’s not entirely due to the luscious doctor.”
It was difficult to hide anything from him. “Luther.”
Immediately, Gage was on high alert. “He called?”
Locke shook his head. “No, but our informant told me that he’s on another last-minute rampage. And from what he understood, it’s a special request from a few of his partners.”
Groaning, Gage slid to the edge of his seat before using the armrest to push himself up. “Then you’re close to having something concrete. Do you know where he plans to kidnap the girls?”
Locke crossed his arms, leaning on the counter. “This time, there’s supposed to be a convoy coming from the port. I still need the confirmation on that, but he’s going all in. All slaves from Eastern Europe. As they won’t be on official records, once they have their hands on them, they’ll disappear. I need more solid information that I can be sure is correct.”
“It won’t do any good if Luther and his freak henchmen aren’t there. It will be like last time when he slid through the cracks.”
Locke nodded. “The advantage last time was that he didn’t know he was under surveillance. Which means that he didn’t put his guard up. He still doesn’t expect trouble this time around. And what makes this shipment different, and the reason Luther will be hands-on, is that some of the girls have been specifically ordered by his partners. They aren’t some random bunch that will be split up during an auction. Precious cargo means Luther can’t risk anything going wrong. He will be there.”
The rising certainty as he repeated the information to his friend steadied him. So many times, he had to observe without being able to intervene. This time was different.
“I need to go out. I still have a couple of leads to check. Can you stay here and look after her?”
Gage walked closer to the counter and sat on one of the stools. Even in that position, Locke was almost eye to eye with him.
“You want me to make sure she’s safe, or that she doesn’t leave?”
Locke turned to the door once more. “Be prepared for anything with her. Also, I told her she could call work to officially take a vacation so her absence doesn’t raise suspicions. Monitor her calls, just in case. I trust the doctor, but only so far.”
Gage waited a minute, his eyes intense and scrutinizing. “Why don’t you call her by her name?”
