Page 6 of Marked

“Lexi texted you the gender-reveal date and didn’t get a confirmation. Just seeing if you can make it next weekend.”

Cole swallowed back a groan. A gender reveal? Who the fuck did they think he was? Nash was crazy about Lexi, and Cole couldn’t say he wasn’t happy his brother had found her. But family functions weren’t his thing. There’d be strangers—more people who could potentially identify him—small talk, hors d’oeuvres, and probably a shitload of pink and blue.

He scratched his head. “Uh, yeah, sorry. I got the text. It’s just—”

“C’mon, man.” Fatigue lined his brother’s plea. “Make this easy on me, will ya? Lexi wants you there.”

“Why?” The word blurted from his mouth before he could stop it.

Lexi was strong-willed and quick as a whip, fun to poke when he was in the mood, but why she kept trying to rope him into dinners and gatherings was beyond him. He wasn’t exactly fun to be around.

“’Cause you’re the uncle, dude.”

Cole grimaced. He was a lot of things, but not an uncle. “Tell Lexi there’s other uncles for this kid.” He sighed in resignation. “And sure. Whatever. I’ll be there.”

“Two o’clock. Don’t be late. If you’re the one holding up Lexi from cutting the cake, she might aim that knife at you.”

A laugh made his throat spasm momentarily. “All right, all right. See you Saturday.” He hung up and tossed his phone on the bed, put on clean briefs, and flopped onto the mattress.

He’d make an appearance to appease Lexi and keep Nash in one piece, but he wouldn’t like it one bit.

***

“Oh! Mommy, can I have the chocolate one?” Bella pressed her face to the glass, smearing the display case.

Sophia cringed at the sugary concoction. Her ex-husband, Bart, was supposed have Bella today. She’d been hoping to do some investigative work without worrying about her daughter being in the crosshairs. But the quaint little coffee shop, a block away from the pub Cole Holmes had murdered someone in two nights ago, was safe enough.

She’d spent the last forty-eight hours poring over a week’s worth of street-camera surveillance on the off chance she might catch a glimpse of him in the neighborhood again. It wasn’t much, but it was a starting point.

“How about some peanut butter protein bites?” She pointed to the healthier option, and Bella jumped up and down.

“Yum!”

Sophia moved to the till and ordered a steamed milk and protein bites for Bella, along with some coffee for herself.

“Is there a manager on duty”—she dropped her gaze to the woman’s name tag—“Tara?”

The woman with long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail beamed. “You’re looking at her.”

Sophia glanced around the shop. Only a few tables were occupied, and no one was waiting in line behind her. She pulled out her badge. “I’m Detective Aldridge with the Seattle Police Department. I need to ask you a few questions.”

The young woman’s throat moved on a swallow and she nodded. “Uh, sure. Slide over to that table.” She pointed to one in the far corner. “And I’ll call someone out to man the floor.”

Sophia passed her daughter the kiddie-sized milk and the bag of goodies, and they moved to the table. After pulling the manila envelope from her jacket, she laid it on the tabletop and helped Bella get her snack situated so she could question the woman in peace.

“Am I going to Daddy’s today?” Bella’s big blue eyes, the only feature she’d inherited from her father, widened as she sunk her teeth into a protein bite.

Sophia fought the urge to scrunch her face. For the most part, she and Bart co-parented well, and he was usually reliable. But sometimes he dropped the ball—and when he did, he expected her to pick it up, rather than find himself a sitter.

“We’ll see, honey.”

Bella’s dark pigtails bounced as she wiggled in her seat to reach her steamed milk. “That’s fine. I don’t like Willow anyway.”

Warm, too-sweet coffee lodged itself in Sophia’s throat. She coughed, forced it down, and frowned. “How come?” The reference to Bart’s new girlfriend wasn’t something she could ignore.

“’Cause she just wants me to watch TV all day, and that’s boring.” Bella sucked peanut butter off her thumb.

Sophia gripped the paper coffee cup. She’d learned long ago that she just had to deal with some of Bart’s parenting techniques, but she made a mental note to point out Bella’s complaint the next time she spoke with him.

---