{"id":265794,"date":"2026-07-16T14:26:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/lock-skye-r-richmond\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T14:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:26:12","slug":"lock-skye-r-richmond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/lock-skye-r-richmond\/","title":{"rendered":"Lock – Skye R Richmond"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It wasn\u2019t that narrow, but my body still went rigid with nerves. Lock\u2019s hand came up\u2014not touching me, but close, like he was ready if I slipped. \u201cUse the ladder,\u201d I whispered, nodding toward the slim metal rung tucked under the balcony rail. \u201cIt folds down.\u201d Lock\u2019s eyes narrowed. \u201cWhat ladder?\u201d I reached under the edge of the balcony and found the small latch by feel. It clicked, and the ladder swung down silently, stopping just above the ground. Lock stared at it like it had personally offended him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour dad put that in?\u201d I snorted quietly. \u201cNo. He\u2019d triple-bolt the windows if he could. This was already here\u2026old building thing. He meant to have it removed, but\u2026 he never got around to it.\u201d Lock muttered something sharp under his breath. \u201cAnd you knew it worked.\u201d \u201cYeah.\u201d I kept my voice low. \u201cMy uncle helped me tighten the bolts once.<\/p>\n

Dad doesn\u2019t know about that part.\u201d Lock turned his head slowly toward me, his pale blue eyes giving me a look I couldn\u2019t even begin to describe. \u201cYou\u2019ve climbed down this before.\u201d I shrugged, heat crawling up my neck. \u201cOnly a few times.\u201d He stared another beat, jaw tight. \u201cYou\u2019re full of surprises,\u201d he muttered. \u201cMove.\u201d I pulled the latch, the ladder dropped soundlessly, and I climbed down fast, my hands cold on the metal.<\/p>\n

My hoodie bunched at my back, and the air hit the strip of skin between my shirt and waistband. I didn\u2019t want to think about whether Lock could see. Boots landed behind me a second later. \u201cStay close,\u201d he murmured. I didn\u2019t get a chance to argue. He grabbed my hand\u2014his fingers closing around my wrist, firm but not painful\u2014and tugged me forward, we made our way through the compound staying in the shadows and the side of the house.<\/p>\n

The trees swallowed us quickly. My breath fogged in the cold night and there was a part of me that wanted to scream, but then I couldn\u2019t seem to make myself. Which was insane! Halfway through the yard, I tripped over a root. His hand tightened, steadying me before I even fully stumbled. \u201cWatch your step,\u201d he muttered. \u201cHard to do when you\u2019re dragging me,\u201d I whispered back. \u201cWould you rather I carry you?\u201d he asked without looking back. Absolutely not. \u201cKeep going,\u201d I mumbled. We broke into the clearing near the fence\u2060\u2014 And I froze.<\/p>\n

Two guards lay on the ground near the breach in the metal. Unmoving. I stumbled back on instinct. \u201cOh my god\u2014Lock\u2060\u2014\u201d \u201cThey\u2019re alive,\u201d he said immediately. \u201cJust out.\u201d \u201cBut\u2014\u201d \u201cThey deserved worse,\u201d he said flatly. \u201cLeaving you this unprotected? Anyone could\u2019ve walked in tonight.\u201d Okay woah\u2026 that was a weird thing to say. \u201cYou walked in tonight.\u201d \u201cExactly. If I could, someone else could. I just got here first.\u201d<\/p>\n

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By the time the ice cubes started to melt, I knew I\u2019d been standing there way too long, staring at nothing like an idiot. The glass was sweating all over the counter, leaving a wet ring I wiped up with the side of my hand. I blew out a breath. \u201cHe already agreed\u2026 everything is fine.\u201d So why couldn\u2019t I shake the pit in my belly that I would be trapped in this place forever?<\/p>\n

My feet curled against the cold kitchen tile, and I looked around yeah\u2026 the place had seen better days. The cabinets didn\u2019t close right, the fridge hummed like it was dying, and everything smelled a little like coffee, grease, and leather. Home sweet home, I guess. Well\u2014home or cage, depending on the day. Most mornings lately, I tried to pretend it was just\u2026<\/p>\n

normal. Wake up, brew coffee, check my email from the clinic, go over my start-date paperwork and daydream about spending my time with kids and parents instead of bikers\u2026 That job felt like my one ticket to something that was mine, something that wasn\u2019t stamped with REAPERS in big block letters. I set the iced tea on the tray, right next to the sandwich I\u2019d stacked just the way my dad liked it, thick cut bread I made yesterday, with thick slices of roast beef, sharp cheddar, extra pickles, mustard on both sides of the bread.<\/p>\n

And I added the little plate of cookies I\u2019d baked earlier in the day because apparently graduating college hadn\u2019t broken me of the habit of stress-baking. \u201cYep,\u201d I muttered. \u201cStraight-up bribery.\u201d Dad\u2014Wrecker\u2014wasn\u2019t the easiest guy to sweet-talk on a good day. And lately? Good days were definitely in short supply.<\/p>\n

Something had been brewing in the club for weeks, and everyone felt it. I could feel the tension from the common room. There was no music\u2026 No dumb arguments about pool. Just quiet voices, everyone felt the tension even when they didn\u2019t know what it meant. And it was the kind of quiet that made the back of my neck tingle.<\/p>\n

On a regular afternoon, there\u2019d be music leaking down the hall from Reapers\u2019 Roadhouse, someone swearing about a busted carb at the shop, Razor yelling at a prospect to sweep the same spot for the third time. Today, it just sounded\u2026 wrong. Like the whole compound was waiting for a the other shoe to drop.<\/p>\n

Before I could talk myself out of it I grabbed the tray before I changed my mind and pushed open the kitchen door with my shoulder.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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