Page 148 of Marked

Cameron blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. They, uh…” She raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged helplessly. “Well, the cops think this is a big deal, so they want me to stay off the grid fromeveryone. It could be dangerous. I can’t tell you more than that. I’m sorry.”

“Look, if these fuckers are putting you in danger, then I need to kick someone’s ass. That’s all I’m saying.”

“Look, I need your expertise, actually,” Cameron said. “How much do you remember about chemistry?”

Lesley was quiet for a beat before she spoke again. “Are you for real, Cam? I was a chemistry major in college. My master’s degree is in pharmaceutical sciences. You know this.”

“Yeah, but you’re Miss Bigwig now. You don’t work in a lab anymore, you help run the damn company. I’m just checking if you’re rusty.”

“Rusty? How dare you?”

I could tell by her tone that the other woman wasn’t actually offended. These two were obviously really good friends. Guilt coursed through me again. Cameron had been torn away from her normal life, from her family and friends. My anger toward Rick and his father escalated until I had to take a breath to calm myself.

“So you’re still pretty versed in the stuff, I take it?” Cameron went on.

“What do you want to know? I’m intrigued,” Lesley said in a faux aloof tone. “Perhaps I’ll bestow my knowledge upon you.”

“I’m texting you a picture. I circled a word I don’t understand. Can you decipher it? Tell me what it’s used for?”

“I got it,” Lesley said. “Uh, chica, this is a coroner’s report. You know that, right? Who the fuck died?”

“I told you I’m working with the cops. It’s all kinda hush-hush. Can you tell me what that word is?”

“Well,yeah,” Lesley said. “It’s fucking crystal meth.”

“Excuse me?” Cameron said.

“Methamphetamines,” Lesley explained. “Drugs. Looks like this guy had it in his system when he died. It’sreallyweird, though.”

“What’s weird about it?” Cameron asked.

“If you read down lower, there are some weird chemical imperfections in it. Whatever he took wasn’t pure. Though, that doesn’t surprise me. Most of this shit is cooked up in sheds, trailers, and basements. But what’s really strange is that some of the chemicals don’t belong. And the amount in the guy’s system is ridiculous. Shows he was a heavy user. At least for the last few weeks or months. No way you could keep doing that much for long before dying—oh!Shit. Is that how this guy died?” Lesley asked.

“No,” Cam said. “I can’t go into much more detail. Thanks for the info, though.”

Lesley sighed. “Cameron, are yousureyou’re safe? I’m worried about you.”

“I’m safe,” Cameron insisted. “Don’t freak out. I’ll probably be done with this in a week or so, then we’ll have a girls’ night. We’ll eat a bunch of Thai food and drink cocktails.”

“We better. Promise you’ll reply to my texts?”

“I can. Sorry about that. It’s been, um, busy the last couple days.”

After they said goodbye, Cameron tossed her phone on the coffee table. “Meth. Is that how Rick was controlling Lenny to get him to search for me?”

“Maybe,” I said. “But where the hell did good boy Richy-Rick get that much meth? I’ve dealt with those circles. Guy like him doesn’t stand a chance of getting out of the rough neighborhoods safely. I don’t think he even knows how not to look like a rich prick, regardless of the situation.”

“Probably true, honestly,” Cameron agreed.

“Listen, I’ve got to take a shower. I feel disgusting,” I said. “Are you good while I do?”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Go ahead.”

After strippingand getting in the shower, I sat, letting the steaming water flow down my face and chest as my mind drifted. Everything I’d learned about Lenny Nash and his situation struck dangerously close to home. I had no drug issues, but other than that, we were remarkably similar. Both ostracized from the pack world. Both of us living on the fringes, barely holding on to sanity. Lenny had slid into being feral—either through his own mistakes or because someone had used his weaknesses to drag him down. The same thing could happen to me.

Mitch was right when he said the whole structure of our society was the reason why there were ferals to begin with. As soon as a wolf found themselves without a pack, it became exponentially harder to join one. Without that support, camaraderie, and structure, the madness began to trickle in.

I’d managed to keep it at bay better than any other lone wolf. There were times I’d go weeks without making contact with a pack, and I didn’t have issues. The problem was, I wasn’t an exception to the rule. One day, maybe soon or maybe later, Iwouldbecome feral. I’d be the mindless, slobbering monster Lenny had become. And all of it was beyond my control.

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