Lock (A Killer’s Love #5)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Shelby

“Want to tell me what happened?” I whisper.

Sam shakes her head. Closing her eyes, she wipes at the wetness on her lashes with the heel of her hands, pushing the blond hair out of her face.

I open my mouth but say nothing. She’s been my best friend since high school, and I know when to back off.

Whatever happened between her and her brother is staying between them.

My phone chimes on the arm of the sofa next to my hand.

I take that back.

Kaleb’s name flashes on the screen.

“It’s him,” I tell her.

“Ignore it.”

But we both know I can’t. He’ll just call again . . . and again. I shrug a quick sorry, earning an eye roll.

“Hey, Kaleb,” I greet, trying to keep it light.

“Hi, sweetpea, is she with you?”

Seems I’m not the only one putting on a front. I’ve known this man just as long as his sister. He’s pissed. Like mad, mad.

“Who?” I ask. God loves a tryer.

“Give Samantha the phone,” he demands dryly.

“You’re on speaker,” I murmur.

Samantha’s eyes widen. I wave my hand. What did she expect me to do?

“I’ve been calling and texting you.”

I push the cell close to the blonde when she doesn’t answer him.

Finally, she drags out, “Don’t have my phone.”

“We’ve talked about this, Samantha.”

I imagine Kaleb with his eyes closed, praying for patience, and cringe.

“You’re not my fucking dad,” Sam snaps.

My mouth forms a small O. She should not have said that. Talk about poking the bear. The man may not be her dad, but he has spent the past few years looking out for her.

For me too. Kaleb was one of the first people to check in on me after my dad passed earlier this year.

My heart squeezes with loss. I miss him. I push out a breath and send the thought with it. If I think about Dad now, I’ll cry.

“I noticed. The other night made that particularly clear.”

Sam and I gasp, his insinuation clear.

My eyes bulge at his words.

Nooooo way!

Maybe I’m not such a freak thinking that there was something between them after all. I mean, he’s not actually her brother, and they are together all the time. But the only thing that happened lately was a home invasion at Kaleb’s.

I frown. Horror races through me at the memory of hiding scared in the bathroom. Kaleb killed two men to protect Sam and me on Halloween. Frankly, the man can do no wrong in my eyes. If they want to act on what they’ve been dancing around for years, I’ll be their biggest cheerleader.

Besides, Samantha isn’t the only one I love. Kaleb and the rest of the Cromwells are family too.

“What’s this I hear about a belated Halloween party?”

He’s such a dad.

“None of your business,” Sam answers for us.

“Shelby?”

Unlike my best friend, I instantly fold.

“I told you that I don’t like Halloween. I invited a few friends over so I wasn’t alone, but then the burglaries started happening. Everyone canceled their trick-or-treating plans, so I called off the party.”

“So it’s canceled? Then why am I hearing about it from Edward’s dad?”

I look at Sam for help, but she’s got nothing.

“Well, it was canceled, but then everyone heard what happened at your house, and they wanted a party to relax. Some of the parents and kids are trick-or-treating today instead, so I thought, why not?” We weren’t the only ones worried about the recent break-ins.

Now that the culprits are gone, we can all relax.

“It’s nothing huge, just a few friends, food, and films. More of a movie night,” I rush to add.

The line goes quiet, and for a second, I think we’ve won.

“No alcohol, and make sure you lock up after everyone leaves. I’m sure you’ll have fun, but Samantha won’t be there.”

What? No!

“Yes, I will!” Sam argues.

But I know we’ve already lost. “Why not?”

“She’s grounded,” Kaleb answers, ignoring Sam’s outrage.

“No, I’m not!”

“Awww, what for?” I moan.

“For not having her phone and being unavailable. Clearly having a word about it wasn’t enough.”

Not ready to give up, Sam continues to argue, “You can’t ground me. I’m not a fucking child, Kaleb.”

“Yet you’re acting like one. Stop fucking ignoring me.”

Clearly, I’m missing something. What happened between them after the break-in?

I didn’t think Sam’s face could get any redder. I was wrong. “Go fuck yourself,” she spits.

I may not have a sibling, but I’ve been around Sam and her brothers long enough to know that this is about to get ugly. My finger stabs the red circle on the screen, ending the call.

My heart stills.

“You hung up,” Sam states, just as shocked as I am.

“I know,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to.”

We stare at each other in silence for a minute before Sam dissolves into laughter, dragging me with her. My hands cover my face.

“He’s gonna be so mad.”

“I know!” She nods.

“You two would have argued, and it would have gotten worse and worse, and I just thought it was best to you know”—I swipe my hand through the air—“cut it off.”

Sam slumps back into the corner of the sofa, all laughter forgotten. “Something needs cutting off.”

“Want to talk about it?” I ask again softly.

“No.”

“I’m here when you want to,” I remind her, nudging her foot with mine as I settle into the other corner of the sofa.

Sam checks the time on her watch. “I should go.”

“You’re really not coming tonight? Since when do you listen to the word no?” I raise a brow in challenge. She knows I’m right, and her smirk says it.

“It’s different this time.”

Not wanting to push, I let it go.

“Maybe I should cancel.”

“No, don’t. I’d feel even worse than I already do. You hate this time of year, so if you want a party, have a party. Besides, even if you cancel now, people will still turn up.”

True.

“You ever going to tell me why you hate Halloween? It was your favorite holiday when we were kids.”

My blood heats. The past few Halloweens have been . . . different. “Sure.” I nod. “Right after you tell me about this thing between you and Kaleb.”

“Oh, look at the time,” Sam exclaims, glancing at the wrist that doesn’t have a watch on.

My laughter booms out. Following her lead, I stand.

At the door, the blonde pulls me in for a tight hug.

“You sure you’re going to be okay?”

I nod and open the front door. “Besides, like you said, people will just turn up, so I might as well be here. A few scary movies and a glass of wine might get me out of this funk.”

Sam pauses in the open door of her car. “Soon, you, me, a bottle of wine each, and no secrets,” she yells over the roof of her car.

Stepping onto the drive, I nod. “Sounds like a plan.” It really does.

Waving, I watch her reverse out onto the street. Sam returns the gesture before pulling away. I twist quickly when she waves at someone to the right of me.

My cheeks heat at the sight. Dr. Leonard Moore. By far the most attractive man in town, and that’s saying something.

Good-looking, hardworking, smart, stern, sweet, and most of all, a devoted father. The man will do anything to make his daughter happy, which explains the costume.

My brows furrow. “What are you?”

His head pulls back, like he can’t believe what I just asked. “A Pokémon ball.”

My eyes roam his body. Red polo shirt with a thick black belt running through the loops of white dress pants.

Oh!

A smile splits my face.

“Don’t you dare laugh.” He points.

I hold up my hands. “Never. It’s cute.” I smile. “Where’s Riley?” I ask about his daughter.

“Bathroom.” He nods back to his house. Doc’s eyes roam over me again. “How are you?” he asks.

“Good.” I smile.

“You’re staying at Kaleb’s again?” he questions, his voice light, but the accusation is loud and clear.

“No, it was just for Halloween.” I shrug. “With the break-ins and everything, I didn’t want to be here alone.”

I watch his cheek twitch at the mention of the holiday.

“You should have stayed with us,” he reprimands.

I shift from foot to foot. “I know,” I whisper, remembering his previous offer. “I just . . .” I shrug, again. “Sam didn’t want to be alone, and I didn’t want to be alone. Made sense.”

Strong fingers pinch my chin, forcing my gaze to meet his through his black-rimmed glasses. “Next time, you stay with us.”

My tongue feels swollen and dry. Unable to talk, I nod.

“At least Kaleb took care of the problem. They ruined Halloween.” His face darkens.

I frown at his grumbled words. Took care of. As if Kaleb didn’t kill two intruders. He’s right about one thing, though. They did ruin Halloween.

Did they? I cringe at the thought. Without the break-ins, I would have been home, but I wouldn’t have been alone, at least not all night.

I haven’t been alone for the past three Halloweens.

One night, once a year, hidden in the darkness of night and sleep, he visits me. Uses me.

Nameless, faceless, he leaves me with no memory of the night before and only his essence between my legs as proof he was ever in my room.

Feeling my cheeks heat, I step back from Leonard.

“At least you get a redo,” I point out, gesturing to his costume.

Doc looks at me, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Tonight is this year’s Halloween. The kids are trick-or-treating, and the parties are happening later, so it might as well be.”

“Tonight is Halloween,” he mumbles before his face splits into a smile. “I like it.” He nods.

“Shelby!”

We both turn to see a very excited Riley running out of the house. My grin matches her father’s.

The little yellow body slams into my legs, fuzzy arms wrapping around my thighs in a tight hug.

“Hi, muffin,” I greet. Pulling away, I crouch to return her hug. “You are the cutest Pikachu ever!”

I feel her stiffen at my words. The little girl pulls away, wearing a solemn expression.

“What’s wrong?” I look between the six-year-old and her dad.

Riley pushes the hood of her onesie down, leaving little pieces of yellow fuzz behind in her hair.

“I don’t want to be cute.”

“Oh.” I look at her dad.

“Apparently, Max from her class says that you can’t get candy if you’re not scary. Baby, Daddy already told you it’s not true.”

Max is a little asshole.

“Not only do you get candy if you’re cute but you actually get more,” I tell her, but she doesn’t look convinced. “In fact, I only dress cute when I trick-or-treat.”

“Really?” she asks quietly.

“Mm-hmm.” I nod.

“What are you dressing as?”

Shit.

“Well, I don’t have anyone to trick-or-treat with, so I’m having a few friends over later instead.” Nice save. I give myself a mental pat on the back.

“You can share my daddy and come with us.”

I melt at her offer. “That’s very sweet, muffin.” At a loss for an excuse, I look at my neighbor for help.

He doesn’t offer any. “You’re welcome to join.”

With no energy to fight, I raise a brow. “I’d have to change. Give me twenty minutes?”

“Ten,” he compromises.

“Fifteen?”

“Twelve.”

“Done!” I offer Riley my hand and start hopping toward my house. Giggling, the little girl copies me.

“Eleven minutes!” her dad calls out.

Gasping in fake outrage, I stop abruptly. “Quick, muffin.” Bending, I wrap my arm around her small waist and lift, tucking her under my arm like a football. “Run!”

Running into the house with her held tight, we leave a trail of giggles. Closing the front door behind me, I flick the lock. It’s become a habit whenever I enter or leave the house for the past three years. A compulsion, not that it ever kept him out.

Carefully, I drop Riley onto my bed.

“Right, muffin. I think I have an old costume somewhere.”

Opening my closet, I drag out an old trunk. Hopefully, something still fits. Pushing clothes aside, I search for what I’m looking for.

“Think your daddy will give me more time?” I call back to Riley, still digging through the trunk.

“No,” a deep voice rumbles.

“Ahh!” I let out a short scream, jumping so hard I knock the trunk. The lid falls, hitting me on the top of my head.

A large hand strokes the back of my hair, while his other hand holds the trunk open.

“Careful,” Doc reprimands.

“You scared me. How did you get in?” I glare up at him from my place on the wooden floor.

“The front door.”

“I locked it,” I whisper.

“Apparently not.”

My heart thuds.

“You find something to wear?” he asks, gesturing to the large trunk.

Blinking, I stare at him for a minute.

I did lock it, didn’t I?

Silently, I lift the white onesie.

“A snowman?” He smiles.

“I went to a party a couple of years ago, and the theme was Frozen.”

“Olaf!”

Well, Riley approves. I turn to her dad.

“The best I can do on short notice.”

“It’s perfect. Riley and I will wait in the living room.”

As soon as they’re out of sight, my smile drops.

I locked that door.

Didn’t I?