Page 77 of Marked

A sweet pink hue touches her cheeks, and she lowers her gaze.

“It’s all right then?” She brushes her hand over her hip.

The deep-red slip dress she’s wearing hugs her body in a way that makes my hands jealous. It hits mid-thigh, showing off her delicious legs. Her scars peek out, but they’re part of her beauty. Every one of them helped saved her from drowning in the darkness.

“It’s perfect.” I pull her into me, running my fingertips along the deep neckline that dips between her breasts and tracing our initials. The thin scab has fallen off, leaving a raised pink outline of our letters. It may scar just enough for us to see it.

“I’m going to have to kill a few men tonight, I think.” I kiss her cheek. At the very least blind the fuckers.

Her lips twist into a worriedfrown.

“What’s wrong, little bird?” I ask, kissing the edge of her mouth.

“Have you ever hurt someone who didn’t deserve it?” Her warm brown eyes align with mine, and there’s the tiniest of wrinkles between her brows. I wonder how long she’s been thinking to ask me this.

“No,” I answer firmly. “And I never will.” It’s a vow I made to myself a long time ago.

She relaxes in my arms. “These other men you work with, Casper, Jax, and Sam, how do you know them?”

“We met after being stationed in the same shithole. Friends of friends, you might say. I trust them, and everyone I work with.” Directly or indirectly. Our network is small, but it’s powerful. All of us chase the monsters that created the demons inside of us.

“So, you don’t work for bad people?”

I let her go and step back. “No, little bird. I don’t work for bad people.”

I grab my wallet that’s sitting on the end table and tuck it into the back pocket of my slacks. After looking around, I find my suit jacket hanging off the back of a chair and snag it.

“These people you work with, they get you information, right? Like my case?” She fixes the strap of her dress when it starts to slide down her shoulder. “You looked it up.”

I grin.

“I did.” I slide my arms through my suit jacket, fixing the collar once it’s on. I check the time. “We should get going. Jimmy’s usually done by ten, and we want to be there before then.”

“Did you check on the girls? Is Charlie all right? Her sister?” she asks after the elevator doors slide closed.

“Casper called while you were in the shower. They’re doing well. Jackie has three broken ribs. There was some internal bleeding, but they seem to have it under control. She’llbe okay.” I pick up her hand. “If we hadn’t gotten there when we did, she wouldn’t have been. Add another day, and they all would have been gone.”

“We should have asked Artie if he was holding any girls.” She frowns. The blame will not sit on her shoulders, I won’t allow it.

The elevator dings, and I lead her off and toward the garage.

“We would have found them a little sooner, but it wouldn’t have changed what he’d already done to them.” The back lights of my car light up when I hit the fob’s button. “What happened to them is his sin, it’s Vince’s sin, it’s Jimmy’s sin. You don’t carry any of that.” I open the car door for her to climb inside.

“Do you understand, Harley? You’re not to blame. Not for them. And not for you and your sister.” I fix the seatbelt for her so it’s not cutting across her throat. She drags in a slow breath, and I wait. I’ll wait all night, if I have to, for her response.

“I know.” She turns those soft brown eyes on me, and I’m even more hooked than I was before.

“Good,” I say, shutting her door.

As I drive, I rest my hand on her thigh, drumming my fingers. Every now and then I squeeze, wishing I had her naked beneath me in bed. But we have all night for that. Once we get home.

“Did they call the police? The people at the hospital?” She breaks the silence when we’re halfway into the drive.

“No. Casper said the doctors wanted to, but Charlie made it clear they wouldn’t be talking to the cops.” I hit the signal and merge onto the highway.

“But doesn’t the hospital have to when people come in with those sorts of injuries?”

“Casper took care of it,” I assure her.

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