Decoy lay him down. “He can hear you?”
Locke shrugged. “He’s pretty banged up, but his subconscious might remember I was the last face he saw and I wasn’t trying to kill him.”
Rubi returned in time to catch the end of that sentence. He dragged a bench closer and straddled it. “Khaleesi, if your other man asks, you weren’t in the room for this bit. Deeks, you might want to step out.”
Decoy nodded. “I’m going to get the other bags and check on the girls.”
He melted away.
Rubi passed Locke a mug of hot tea. “Nash and Folk are on their way in. I haven’t mentioned Viktor. The call dropped before I could. Just told them you’re back, and they toldmethe others have gone dark to clean up some mess on an industrial site out near Crow land. They found five, and I need to know if there’s any more.”
Locke set the tea aside and rubbed his ear again, a deeper frown creasing his face as he glanced at Viktor. “That sounds right, but I don’t know what happened before Viktor got to me, and I’m too fuckin’ fucked to figure it out.”
“Any more locations?”
“We did the rounds of Priest’s favourite hell pits, but I couldn’t tell you where any of them are.”
He broke into a hacking cough. I ventured closer and made space for myself between his sprawled legs, retrieved his tea mug, and pressed it into his hand.
Our fingers brushed. Locke stared as if he couldn’t believe the touch was real. Then he met my gaze again and something in it seemed to give way.
He closed his eyes, hooking his little finger with mine.
Rubi took a breath.
I cut him off with a glare. “That’s enough.”
“Trust me, I want it to be, but there’s something else. Locke, you with me, brother?”
Locke opened his eyes, dragging his gaze back and forth between Viktor and me before he brought it to Rubi. “What is it?”
Rubi brandished Locke’s phone. “The boys found this on the road with your smashed-up bike a while back. Willow and your brother had been blowing it up looking for you. We told Willow you took a wagon run and it broke down on the road. Folk said it was better not to blag Logan, so the sooner you get him a proof of life statement, the better.”
Locke let go of my fingers and took the phone, blinking hard. “How do I look?”
“Like you survived the Battle of the Bastards. Maybe leave the FaceTime until you’ve had a dip.”
Locke nodded. “Kara?”
“She sent you an email.”
“Damn.” Locke cringed. “That’s not gonna be pretty.”
“Will she fuck you over for custody?”
“What custody? I haven’t spent the night with my kids since they were fuckin’ toddlers.”
On the bed, Viktor groaned.
Locke patted the mattress. “Lida. Up.”
Lida hopped onto the bed, settling beside her master. He relaxed and Locke eased back against the wall, a grimace twisting his lips. “I need a fuckin’ shower.”
“You need checking out,” Rubi countered. “As soon as Folk gets back, it’s non-negotiable.”
Locke didn’t answer. He ran his gaze over Viktor again, then shut his eyes, blocking Rubi out.
I pointed at the door.