Gridlock: A Ryan Lock Novel by Sean Black Page B

predators knew as well as their counterparts in the animal kingdom that half the battle was isolating their prey from the herd. Even if it wasn’t conscious, Raven’s stalker must have known that his gory display would have that effect. He stepped into the spare bedroom. ‘You want me to help you with that?’ he asked, nodding to the Superman backpack on the floor next to his feet.
    Kevin and Wendy looked up at him but didn’t say anything. He wondered if they’d also caught some of the conversation from downstairs. After a few moments, Kevin shrugged his assent.
    ‘Superman, huh?’ Lock said, picking up the backpack. ‘You know, I reckon I could kick Superman’s ass if I put my mind to it.’
    Kevin got up. ‘No way. Superman could kick your ass.’
    Wendy giggled, and covered her mouth with her hand. Lock liked her. In fact, they made a cute couple. There was more genuine warmth and affection between the two of them than there was in ninety per cent of the adult relationships he saw.
    ‘I’m telling you, man,’ he said, walking towards the door. ‘There’s no way Superman would survive if we went one on one.’
    ‘Are you a cop?’ Kevin asked.
    ‘Something like that.’
    ‘So how come you don’t have a gun?’
    ‘Because I don’t need one.’ Lock crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping this was true. ‘I’m like a cop who protects people.’
    ‘What do you mean?’ Wendy asked.
    ‘I guess it means that I make sure bad things don’t happen to good people.’
    Raven shouted up the stairs, her voice sounding strained, ‘Kev, we gotta go.’
    Kevin started down the stairs with Wendy, Lock to the rear, Kevin’s backpack slung over his shoulder. He caught a whisper of ‘Superman would so kick his ass,’ from Kevin to Wendy, and smiled.
    Raven was waiting for them by the front door. She put an arm around her brother. ‘Come on, let’s go home.’ Then she looked to Lock. ‘Can you maybe call and see if that’s gonna be okay?’
    ‘Why wouldn’t it be okay?’ Kevin asked.
    ‘We had a little accident back at the house. Some water got into the garage. That’s all.’
    Lock stepped out of the house and stood on the front porch. Not even midday, and the heat was building. It was like breathing soup. He called the Van Nuys Division headquarters. ‘Am I clear to bring them back to the house?’
    ‘Yeah, the techs are just finishing up. We had to take her car in as well.’
    ‘Understood,’ Lock said, hanging up.
    He stepped back inside. ‘I just spoke to the plumber,’ he said to Raven. ‘You’re good to go.’
    While Raven hustled Kevin out of the door, he took a quick check of the street and hung back for a moment.
    ‘Can I speak to you for a moment?’ he said to Wendy’s mother, handing his car keys to Raven. ‘I’ll be real quick.’
    He watched Raven and Kevin walk slowly towards the Range Rover, then turned back to the woman. ‘I understand your concern with everything that’s going on. And I just want you to know that if you send your daughter over to see Kevin I guarantee you she’ll be safe.’
    Wendy’s mother nodded, but avoided eye contact. ‘I appreciate that. However, I’m not sure that’s a chance I want to take. When you have a child like our daughter, they mean more to you than a regular kid, not less.’
    ‘You know what Raven does for a living, right?’ Lock asked.
    Another nod and floor stare. ‘This is the Valley, Mr Lock. You’d have to be pretty na95ve not to know what goes on with some people around here. But she’s a good sister to Kevin. Most people would have put him in a home, walked away and not looked back, got on with their life. She has to get credit for that.’
    ‘And he’s a good kid. They both are. But this isn’t about what’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, is it?’ Lock asked her, already knowing the true answer. He’d seen the subtle shift in her expression when Kevin and her daughter had talked about marriage.
    She