“This has nothing to do with your age or how grown up you are, Sloane. Steven has gotten a threat. We’re just taking precautions.”
“Dad, y’all are cops. You get threatened all the time.” And they do. They’ve pissed off ninety percent of the criminal element in the greater Atlanta area.
“This isn’t like that. This is…different.”
A little chill wiggles down my spine. “Different how?”
“Just different, Sloane. Look, this is important. And it’s non-negotiable. Sig will be there at two. You be ready.”
“Dad…” I sigh. On the one hand, I’m struggling with still being seen and treated like Young Sloane, the child. The little girl I used to be. But on the other hand, I’m worried. While they all might overreact when it comes to me, they’re usually all full of piss and vinegar when it comes to holding their own. This must be a pretty big deal to get a response like this from Dad.
“No arguments. Love you, kiddo.” And then there’s a click. End of conversation.
I stomp my foot a few times in a fit of pique, not very adult-like at all. But then I calm myself and head back inside. Looks like my wild days of sexual exploration are going to have to be postponed for a little while longer.
Hemi is cleaning his tattoo chair when I go back in. He looks up at me, smoke in his eyes. I give him a smile, but it must carry all the disappointment I feel. He straightens and I see his brow wrinkle.
“What is it?”
“Something’s going on with one of my brothers at work. Dad’s a little worried that it somehow might affect me so he’s sending Sig to follow me home in a little while.”
I wonder for a second how slutty it would be to try and seduce Hemi into doing me in the bathroom. He might have some big plan for tomorrow night, for taking my virginity, but I could care less where it is. As long as Hemi takes it and it’s a night full of mind-blowing passion, the other details don’t matter to me.
Hemi’s frown deepens and he walks to me, abandoning the chair completely. He bends to look into my eyes and give me his full attention. “What does that mean? Has something happened? Which brother?”
I half laugh, half frown. “Wow! Ummm, I wasn’t really expecting that kind of reaction.” I chuckle. “Actually I don’t know what it is. Something with Steven being threatened. Must be a pretty big deal for Dad to act like this. Usually they all act like they’re bullet proof.”
“Why would your brother be threatened? And why would it affect you?”
“My brother’s a cop. It comes with the territory. As for it affecting me, I doubt it does. This is just an excellent example of the Locke men and their tendencies to overreact when it comes to me.”
“Does your father think you could be in danger?”
Hemi seems genuinely concerned, which pleases me. Quite a bit, actually. I find myself wanting to smile, even though I know that reaction wouldn’t be appropriate. “Dad thinks the wind is a danger to me.”
Hemi steps closer to me, winding his fingers around my upper arms. “Sloane, I’m not playing around. Does he think you’re in danger?” He annunciates like I’m a kid who isn’t listening closely enough.
This time I do frown. Not another overprotective man to treat me like a child! “I don’t know, but if he does, I’m sure he’ll see to it that I’m ensconced in a steel fortress before morning.”
“This could be serious, Sloane. Stop acting like it’s nothing,” Hemi snaps.
“Stop treating me like a child. I get enough of that from the other men in my life. I don’t need this shit from you, too,” I bite back.
Hemi’s expression softens and his fingers loosen and move over the skin of my arms in a caress. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just…I’m just worried about you.”
“And I appreciate that, but I’ll be fine. My family will see to it. They might suffocate me in the process, but they’ll make sure I’m safe.”
“I’m sure a house full of cops is probably the safest place in the world, right?”
I think it’s odd that he seems like he’s uncertain of the answer, like he needs my reassurance. “A house full of Locke cops? There’s no doubt.”
“Good. That makes me feel better,” he says. The funny thing is, based on his expression, I doubt that’s true. He doesn’t look like it made him feel any better at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - Hemi
“I’ll walk you out,” I tell Sloane when she heads for the door at five minutes before two.
“You don’t have to do that,” she says, holding out her hand to stop me from following.
“I know I don’t.” But that doesn’t keep me from following her. Hell, I hate letting her out of my sight. For any length of time. And not all of it is because of the guilt I feel. Not by far.
She stops again when she gets to the door, before pushing it open. “Seriously, my brother is already here. I can see his truck right there,” she declares, pointing through the smoked glass. Still, that’s not enough for me.
“Great, then I’ll introduce myself.”
I push her through the door and look around for a truck. It’s easy to spot the big 4x4 and the giant slouching behind the wheel, his upper body illuminated by the glow of the dashboard lights. I guess all her brothers are huge. Thank God Sloane got a shitload of feminine genes.
I veer toward the truck. Sloane alters her path as well. I don’t know why it seems like she doesn’t want me to meet anyone in her family, but I couldn’t care less. I’m going to make sure he’s here and he’s going to follow her home before I let her drive away. Period.
The window is rolled down and I hear some southern rock, turned down low, drifting from the dark interior. When we stop beside the driver side door, I see her brother straighten up in his seat. I wonder if he’d been sleeping.
“Sig, this is Hemi. Hemi, uh…Hemi, this is my youngest brother, Sig.” I’m sure the short stutter was over the absence of a last name to introduce me with. I never told her. I don’t really tell anyone my last name. That’s the thing about an occupation like mine. People aren’t very curious or insistent about knowing too much about me. The majority probably think I’m some kind of criminal, which is fine. I don’t really care what they think.
“Nice to meet you, Sig,” I interject smoothly, offering my hand through the window. “I just wanted to make sure you were already here to follow her home.”